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Everybody talks about AI and how that matters, everybody talks about it because it’s a buzzword, what specifically will kW command do for a brokerage or an agent that is utilizing AI? At Keller Williams, they are very aware that it is already being used in many ways in our day to day lives.

For example, look at a service like Netflix. Netflix uses Artificial Intelligence to gather data from the users of this service if you watch a TV show that several other people watch, and they watch something else, Netflix uses that data to suggest that show to you based on the similarity of your behavior on their site as other users. Artificial intelligence helps Netflix curate specific content for you creating a personalized experience. This is done through big data.

The command platform seeks to create a similar, personalized and curated experience. There will be an agent facing platform and the consumer experience. If a user searches through homes in their neighborhood because their next door neighbor sold their house, Kelle (Kelly), KW’s AI Assistant can help make predictions and will pull up results that will help the consumer asses the value of their own home.

If the same user suddenly pulls up a search for a neighborhood in a different City or State, Kelle can use the data from previous searches to try and present a curated experience that predicts from past searches. KW aims to provide the service for all parties involved, both agents and home buyers/sellers, etc., In order to create a one-stop shop, convenient and personalized experience.

This is only a sneak peek into this enlightening conversation with Zach, so be sure to watch the entire interview on this page, if you do, you will also get an awesome freebie that Zach gave us in order to help you get your business ready for KW Command. We are giving away the KW Command how to guide and contact importer CSV – complete the form below to download them now!

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Real Estate Checklists

Real Estate Agents are reporting less stress, more free time and more closed deals – thanks to our free collection of buyer, listing & open house checklists.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated you that no matter how much you get done in a day, there simply isn’t enough time to get caught up, or you’re struggling to find time to follow up on leads, or you’ve lost a deal because you’ve missed some tiny detail – then this free collection of real estate checklists is exactly what you’ve been looking for!

No matter where you’re located, no matter how big your team is, you can use these simple checklists to free up your time and close more deals. Fill out these checklists every time you have a new buyer under agreement, get a new listing, have to set up an open house, or to simply keep yourself accountable to your goals.

Quit dreaming about  having an organized, efficient team dedicated to taking care of the small stuff, and make it a reality! Get organized and boost your productivity almost effortlessly, and leave the stress and aggravation behind with our collection of step-by-step real estate checklists to help you stay on top of the most important real estate tasks in your business!

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Why You Need A Virtual Receptionist

The more successful you become, the busier things get — especially in terms of communications. As you grow, the list of calls, emails, chats & voicemails that you receive will grow into the hundreds or thousands every day — and not surprisingly, each of those contacts wants a response as soon as possible.

A MyOutDesk Virtual Receptionist can help you make more sales, deliver better customer service, and remove the chaos from your schedule by acting as the point of contact for your business. Our trained, professional virtual receptionists will answer & screen calls, respond to electronic communications, schedule meetings, and update customer records.

Even better is the price: you can hire a MyOutDesk virtual reception for 60% less than you’d pay for an in-house team member, and without any of the hassles of hiring, benefits, or HR that go along with local team members.

MyOutDesk virtual receptionists are the best in the industry — they’re experienced, well-educated English speakers that are hand-selected through a stringent talent-matching process that’s unmatched by any other virtual assistant services provider in the market.

Why wait until your phone is ringing off the hook? Hire a virtual receptionist now and get them started managing your communications today. It’ll help you take charge of your life & let you focus on the dollar productive tasks that help grow your business — and improve your customer experience at the same time.

Remember: a virtual receptionist is more than just an answering service — they’re a trained professional that not only answers calls & responds to customer inquiries, but they do it the way you would, with all the professionalism & courtesy you’d expect from anyone on your staff.

That’s why hiring from MyOutDesk is important: we match you with the best talent available to ensure that you hire a virtual receptionist capable of delivering total customer satisfaction & building your brand image in every single customer interaction.

Our virtual receptionists allow you to increase your hours of availability for customer service response. We’re capable of providing 24×7 coverage for your team, ensuring that you don’t miss valuable inquiries regardless of the time of day or day of the week.

They save you time & money, increase your productivity, and help you focus on making money — and for an incredibly low price that you simply can’t match with in-house staff.

If you’re ready to focus your attention on true growth while increasing revenue, then a learn how a virtual receptionist can help you reach your goals by handling your routine administrative tasks.

Remember: at the end of the day, you want a professional — not just an assistant. Choose MyOutDesk and hire a candidate with the expertise to effectively manage your communications. Schedule your Double My Business Strategy Session and get started today!

Original story: https://www.myoutdesk.com/services/virtual-receptionist/

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In business, the more successful you become, the more current & prospective customers you have to support. If you’re not careful, your ability to take & respond to all these inquiries can become a bottleneck that slows your growth and leads to a poor customer experience – which can lead to bad reviews & increased churn.

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Prospecting & lead generation are a crucial part of building a successful business – but they’re also time-consuming, and business owners often find that the more busy they become working deals & servicing customers, the harder it is to find time to prospect for new ones.

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MyOutDesk loan processors are trained to manage all the paperwork and deadlines involved in your mortgage & lending transactions – including every step of the process, from contract to close, and everything in between!

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As your business grows, you’ll need more labor: real estate needs agents, healthcare needs certified caregivers, and other industries have similar needs. MyOutDesk can help with virtual recruiting assistants to work alongside your human resources department and find the best possible candidates for your team.

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In today’s complex, technical environment its easy for customers to feel left behind – and if you’re not careful, it can lead to a poor customer experience, increased churn, and negative online reviews. That’s why having top-tier help desk staff is so important to your business: and it’s why MyOutDesk offers premium help desk outsourcing services.

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Real Estate is slowing down—which means you need to streamline your business, reduce your costs, and double-down on your marketing efforts.

In the Forbes 2020 Real Estate Outlook, analyts Aly J. Yale writes, “Odeta Kushi, deputy chief economist at title insurance and settlement services provider First American, there’s “emerging consensus” that rates will remain low next year—likely somewhere between 3.7% and 3.9%, she says. Forecasts from Freddie Mac and the Mortgage Bankers Association back this up.”

Good news for real estate? Not so fast! Prices will keep rising, and inventory will be tight. Daryl Fairweather, chief economist for real estate brokerage Redfin, explains, “Right now we aren’t seeing a ton of new listings. Without more listings coming on the market, there will be more competition starting off in early 2020 and that will lead to more price pressure.”

Schedule your Double My Business Strategy Session with MyOutDesk and we’ll help you create an action plan for 2020 that helps you keep growing your revenue in any price range & any market conditions by leveraging the power of virtual assistant outsourcing.

Higher prices will have lots of impact across the industry: Boomer’s holding on to higher-value homes will keep inventory tight, while Millenials seek lower priced homes by moving into the suburbs, leading to what some are calling “Hipsturbia” – a new trend for 2020. Forbes writes, “They’re looking for affordability as well as urban staples like dining, shopping, entertainment and jobs, all within a walkable distance.”

This is part of a live/work/play formula that developers are capitalizing on, as described in the Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2020 report recently from the Urban Land Institute & PwC.

Millenials will be changing the face of the mortgage industry, too. Sean Hundtofte, chief economist for online mortgage lender Better.com, says, “In 2020, we’ll continue to see Millennials growing their share of the mortgage market, which in turn, will serve as a catalyst to lenders to continue to rapidly innovate their technology offerings to meet the expectations of an audience more accustomed to an Amazon, Venmo-like experience.”

So what’s it all mean? Lots of change in a tighter real estate market – which means YOU need to take action to stay on top of it. The 2020 market is going to leave behind real estate’s low-performing agents, brokers & teams, but reward forward-thinking innovators who aren’t afraid to upgrade their technology, embrace advertising & marketing, and build a rock-solid team to keep their pipeline flowing. What’s the best way to do that? A virtual assistant!

Choose MyOutDesk, the highest rated Virtual Assistant company in the marketplace with almost 300 verified 5-star business reviews—giving you the assurance that you’re going to work with high-caliber Virtual Assistants ready to take your business to the next level. We’ve helped thousands of real estate professionals increase revenue, reduce costs, and optimize their business – including the top-ranked teams in the country.

Schedule your call now and you can start the process quickly! There’s almost no wait time to hire our Virtual Assistants, plus you save $500 (get 1 week free as a new client)—just REPLY to this email and we’ll get you started right away!

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The U.S. economic outlook is healthy according to the key economic indicators. The most critical indicator is the gross domestic product, which measures the nation’s production output. The GDP growth rate is expected to fall below the 2% and 3% ideal range. Unemployment is forecast to continue below the natural rate. There isn’t too much inflation or deflation. That’s close to a Goldilocks economy.

Over the next several years, the economy will grow more slowly. Unemployment is expected to remain low, as will inflation.

No matter what the economy looks like, you should never sacrifice the quality of your hires.  MyOutDesk’s highly talented virtual assistants are ready to be part of your team to lead you to success whatever the economy may look like. Book your Double My Business Strategy Session today to find out how!

This is our economic outlook according to the balance.com:

Economic Growth

U.S. GDP growth will slow to 2.0% in 2020 from 2.2% in 2019. It will be 1.9% in 2021 and 1.8% in 2022. That’s according to the most recent forecast released at the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on December 11, 2019.1 The projected slowdown in 2019 and beyond is a side effect of the trade war.

Unemployment

The unemployment rate will average 3.5% in 2020.1 It will bump up to 3.6% in 2021 and 3.7% in 2022. That’s lower than the Fed’s 6.7% target. Some people have been out of work for so long that they’ll never be able to return to the high-paying jobs they used to have. As a result, structural unemployment has increased.

The real unemployment rate includes the underemployed, the marginally attached, and discouraged workers. For that reason, it is around double the widely-reported rate. You can put this report into perspective by viewing the unemployment rates since 1929.

Inflation

Inflation will average 1.9% in 2020.1 It will rise to 2.0% in 2021 and 2022. The core inflation rate strips out those volatile gas and food prices. The Fed prefers to use that rate when setting monetary policy. The core inflation rate will average 1.9% in 2020, 2.0% in 2021, and 2.0% as well in 2022. The core rate is right at the Fed’s 2% target inflation rate. That may give the Fed room to lower interest rates. The U.S. inflation rate history and forecast helps predict the coming years’ inflation levels.

Interest Rates

The Federal Open Market Committee has maintained the current fed funds rate at a range between 1.5% and 1.75% as of its Dec. 11, 2019 meeting.2 It doesn’t expect to increase this interest rate until 2021.1 The Fed is more concerned about promoting growth than about preventing inflation. In fact, it doesn’t see inflation as a threat anytime in the next three years.

The fed funds rate controls short-term interest rates. These include banks’ prime rate, the Libor, most adjustable-rate loans, and credit card rates. You can protect yourself from any rate hikes by choosing fixed-rate loans wherever possible.

The Fed began reducing its $4 trillion in Treasurys in October 2017. The Fed acquired these securities during quantitative easing, which ended in 2014. At the July 31, 2019, meeting, it announced it would stop reducing its holdings.

Since the Fed is no longer replacing the securities it owns, it will create more supply in the Treasurys market. That should have raised the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. This should have driven up long-term interest rates, such as those on fixed-rate mortgages and corporate bonds. Instead, investor concern over global economic volatility has kept rates low.

Treasury yields also depend on the demand for the dollar. If demand is high, yields will drop. If the global economy improves, investors will demand less of this ultra-safe investment.

Oil and Gas Prices

The U.S. Energy Information Administration provides an outlook on oil and gas prices from 2019 to 2050. It predicts crude oil prices will average $60 a barrel in 2019 and $60/b in 2020.3 That’s for Brent global. West Texas Crude will average around $5.50/b less.

The EIA’s energy outlook through 2050 predicts rising oil prices. By 2025, the average Brent oil price will increase to $81.73/b.4 This is a quote in 2018 dollars, which removes the effect of inflation. After that, world demand will drive oil prices to the equivalent of $107.94/b in 2050. By then, the cheap sources of oil will have been exhausted, making crude oil production more expensive.

This forecast does not take into account the effects of climate change. Governments may increase renewable energy production to stop global warming. That would reduce the price of oil significantly.

Jobs

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an occupational outlook each decade. It goes into great detail about each industry and occupation. Overall, the BLS expects total employment to increase by 8.9 million jobs between 2018 and 2028.5

Health care occupations will account for 18 of the 30 fastest growing occupations.5 One reason for that is the aging of the population. Computer and math occupations, and those based on alternative energy production, will also grow rapidly.

Three occupational groups will lose jobs.5 These include production, administrative support, and sales. These jobs are being replaced by computer and technological solutions. Retail sales will also lose jobs, as e-commerce continues to predominate. That shift will also increase jobs in transportation and warehousing.

Climate Change

The Federal Reserve is concerned about how climate change is affecting the economy.6 Research from the Richmond Fed estimated that it will reduce U.S. economic growth by 30% over the next century.

The Fed is also requiring banks to plan for the economic impact of increased extreme weather. For example, it is asking Florida banks to have risk management plans for hurricanes.

Former Federal Reserve Chairs have urged Congress to enact a carbon tax to lower the dangerous levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

Damage from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, was $160 billion in 2018.7 That’s lower than the record $350 billion set in 2017. These disasters killed 10,400 people in 2018 and 13,000 people in 2017. Insurance companies paid out $80 billion in 2018 damage claims and $140 billion in 2017.

These have become worse and more frequent due to global warming.7 There were 850 natural disasters in 2018, compared to only 500 a year between 1988 and 2017. U.S. insured losses were $80,000, double the 30-year average. The industry is frustrated by the lack of action on global warming solutions.

What does this mean for business owners? The US economy in general is slowing, and unemployment in general will be rising a bit in 2020. This means that virtual staffing can be a cost-reduction & business growth solution for you and your business! Take into consideration all your business expenses. How much is your monthly rent for your space, or if you own it, how much do you need for its up-keep? How about equipment? Utilities? Everything that needs to be covered for your employees? How much could you save if you cut down on these? What if we told you that you could both cut-down costs while ensuring that you have a stellar team behind you?

Schedule your Double My Business Strategy Session today and find out how you can hire a talented MyOutDesk Virtual Assistant  and what they can do for you and your business!

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Welcome to 2020! This year is expected to have the biggest shortage of housing inventory in U.S. history. According to the 2020 National Housing Forecast from Realtor.com, the national housing shortage will continue in the New Year, possibly reaching “a historic low level.” Currently, only one out of every 10 markets is seeing inventory growth. That’s down from the start of 2019, when two out of every three markets was growing, according to Forbes.com.

Some may see a record-breaking housing shortage as a crisis for their business, but savvy REALTORS® know that economic changes like this are what separates the wheat from the chaff. With this forecast in mind, make plans now  to overcome this crisis & rise in your market share while unprepared competitors struggle. Book your Double My Business Strategy Session today to find out virtual assistant services from MyOutDesk can help!

Top performing Real Estate businesses that thrive when inventory is low, know what they need to do. They have plans set in place and road maps on how to execute their plans. Following in their steps with a positive mindset can do wonders for you and your business.

Regardless of what the market looks like, don’t forget this key sales data:

Companies with a well-defined sales process experience 33% more success than those that don’t

Companies that align sales and marketing achieve 25% higher success rate

Top performers are typically 250% better at qualifying leads which means they spend more time being productive

Successful sales organizations study the competition for ideas and strategies

Sales teams that have a business plan achieve quota more often those that don’t

This is the best time to be innovative and think outside the box. Sometimes, a little creativity is all you will need to ensure that you are never lacking in business.

Have a strong business plan. A common downfall for Real Estate agents during difficult shifts in the industry is that they do not have a strong business plan. They lack the foresight and strategy therefore cannot cope.  Real estate agents need a business plan. After all, you are an independent contractor. You have overhead expenses, sales, marketing, and operational costs, like any other business. A well-made business plan will prepare you for ups and downs in the market and give you insights to help you make the best decisions in any given circumstance. When preparing your business plan, consider the following:

Branding: Is my value-proposition clear and consistently conveyed?

Marketing: Am I investing in the right marketing strategy (digital, direct marketing, networking, etc)? Am I targeting the right audience with the right message?

Resources: What technology am I currently having success with? What tools could I be using to be more efficient, more productive?

Knowledge: Is there additional education I need to make me more capable and effective?

Support: Do I have a strong team to support my clients – (photographer, stager, mortgage broker, appraiser, etc)?

Budget: How should I allocate my finances? Can I reduce/eliminate any of my current expenses?

Neighborhood turnover rate: Does my neighborhood have enough turnover to sustain my business?

Competitors: Have I studied the top performers in my farm? What strategies/tools are the top agencies using to build success?

Lead Generation: What is my strategy for building relationships in my farm and cultivating those contacts frequently?

Sales: Do I have a daily/weekly/monthly target for cold calls? How many hours each week will I commit to lead generation?

Real Estate coach Tom Ferry discusses a number of listing sources for agents struggling in a low-inventory market. Here are a few of them:

Past clients – are you cultivating the contacts in your database? How frequently do you communicate with previous contacts to drive referral business? You should contact them every quarter.

Open houses – invite everyone relevant in your contact list, as well as everyone in your farm! Make it an event, not just a walk-through.

Geographic farms with sustainable neighborhood turnover rate.

Agent networks to drive referrals – Parkbench has a network of over 1000 agents across North America!

Listing portals – Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com where buyers/sellers search for homes

Expired Listings – overpriced, under-marketed, poorly photographed

Online seller lead generation – offer free home valuations (takes avg 18 months to convert) using Facebook Ads

FSBO’s

Real estate investors who own multiple properties may be seeking to offload some of those properties

Builders (New home construction, commercial, rental properties)

Fortunately, it’s not all bad news, forbes.com reports. Mortgage rates will likely remain low in 2020, with experts predicting rates below 4% across the year. Additionally, home prices will moderate. In some cities, they may even decline. (Realtor.com predicts a 4% decline in Kansas City and a 3.2% decline in Scranton, Pennsylvania.) Still, buyers will have to find a home first. And as the forecasts show, that’s not getting any easier.

More than ever, finding a cost-efficient way to have the support you need to get through this shifting market is so imperative. You need to make sure that you have a team that can roll with the punches and have your back no matter what happens. MyOutDesk offers solutions for your online staffing needs, Make sure you schedule your Double My Business Strategy Session today!

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Real Estate had a tumultuous year in 2019- interest rates fell, housing prices have been rising, and while a lot of commercial Real Estate saw huge peaks, many legacy big-box stores closed their doors permanently, creating vacancies in malls across America. Many Americans found it increasingly difficult to find affordable housing, whereas housing continues to be rewarding for many investors. With all the juxtaposition on the same field, one can’t help but wonder what 2020 has in store. Will we see more of the same or will the trends continue to shift and change?

Make 2020 another successful year with a MyOutDesk Virtual Assistant! Book your Double My Business Strategy Session today and hit the ground running this New Year.

What are some predictions for Real Estate in 2020?

Retail closures will continue to be a problem for landlords.

Rent control will spread more widely, eating into investor interest in higher-cost markets.

Mortgage rates will fall to record lows.

Homebuilders will keep focusing on starter homes.

Venture capital will fund new real estate models in 2020.

The private sector will bring new solutions to the affordable housing crisis.

Investor appetite for Opportunity Zones is going to weaken after a 2019 rush.

Clashes over multifamily housing developments will increase and get more heated.

Millennials will keep up their home buying streak, while Boomers hold up inventory.

Another major prediction is that the industry will continue to digitize. The mortgage and real estate spheres have been moving away from their manual, paper-laden processes in recent years, and 2020 will only see that trend expand further—especially as more tech-savvy Millennials enter the market. In 2020, we’ll continue to see Millennials growing their share of the mortgage market, which in turn, will serve as a catalyst to lenders to continue to rapidly innovate their technology offerings to meet the expectations of an audience more accustomed to an Amazon, Venmo-like experience.

Furthermore, with so many big box stores closing and all that commercial space freeing-up, co-working spaces and the like are most likely to pop up all over.

That being said, online work, working from home and virtual staff will make sense now more than ever. More than being cost-efficient, hiring virtually has opened a plethora of possibilities for businesses that have embraced them and have given many a business more than a little boost. Eliminating the need for physical brick and mortar work spaces and providing a mutually beneficial working partnership for employees and business owners, Virtual Assistants have made global the new local as the industry continues to digitize, so have those that work in it.

Our industry is bound for so much many more changes both good and bad. Are you prepared to thrive and not just survive? Don’t forget to schedule your Double My Business Strategy Session today and find out how a MyOutDesk Virtual Assistant can be a valuable member of your team!

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Rapidly scale your Healthcare Organization by recruiting top-quality staff with the assistance of healthcare virtual assistants from MyOutDesk! Our trained, professional staff reduces the workload on your existing staff & helps you grow quickly!

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Rapidly scale your Human Resources, ASO or PEO business, improve customer service, grow your call center & increase customer retention while dramatically reducing costs with Virtual Assistant HR outsourcing from MyOutDesk!

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Rapidly scale your information technology business, improve customer service, grow your call center & increase customer retention while dramatically reducing costs with Virtual Assistant IT outsourcing from MyOutDesk!

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Rapidly grow your mortgage business & generate massive revenue while cutting costs with a Mortgage Assistant from MyOutDesk, trusted by over 5,000+ clients – including half of the RealTrends Top 10 Teams!

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Rapidly grow your real estate business & generate massive revenue while cutting costs with a Real Estate Virtual Assistant from MyOutDesk, trusted by over 5,000+ clients – including half of the RealTrends Top 10 Teams!