Take advantage of your Association’s tools to help launch your career

By Paula Hess

Congratulations on earning your real estate license. If you’re reading this article, you’ve gone the extra step and become a REALTOR®, plunked down $135 in annual dues, and joined one of the largest trade associations in the country—the CALIFORNIA ASSOCATION OF REALTORS®. What that really means is that you don’t have to go this alone. There’s strength in numbers and, more importantly, you have an array of free and low-cost tools, services, and membership benefits behind you.

Let’s take a look at some of these benefits, designed to help new agents gain a foothold in this competitive business.

ClientDIRECT™

If you’re looking for a low-maintenance way to create a drip-mail campaign, but don’t have a lot of time to invest, ClientDIRECT™ is a first-line solution. The cost is right too.

We know you’re busy, so don’t worry about content. This free member benefit from C.A.R. allows you to select topics from a repository of articles written by nationally syndicated columnists and dip into an extensive database of real estate tips. You don’t have to be particularly tech-savvy either; we’ll handle that. All you need to do is upload your contacts list, choose a template from the nine at your disposal, and, if you want, add some bells and whistles like a mortgage calculator. If you prefer, you can further customize the content and brand the letter. With a click, you’ll be able to keep your name and face in front of prospective clients and former clients.

Visit www.car.org to sign up for ClientDIRECT™.

CALIFORNIA REALTOR® EXPO

You need to learn how to create a virtual tour, add a blog to your Web site, negotiate a short sale, and avoid litigation. That’s a tall order but, luckily, the Association holds a free, two-day event each year where you can accomplish that, plus network with colleagues and view the latest tools of the trade.

Last year’s event, attended by more than 10,000 REALTORS®, featured 50-plus educational seminars and an exhibit hall that brimmed with the latest real estate tools and products. This year’s event will be held Oct. 14 to 16 in Long Beach. Registration is required and begins May 7. Visit www.car.org/?id=MzYwNTg for more information.

More events:

Tech Tuesday is a one-day event held in advance of CALIFORNIA REALTOR® EXPO.

This event is devoted to real estate technology: hardware, software, and trends. Here, you can enroll in hands-on classes in Excel, Access, PDA shortcuts, etc., or sit in on general sessions, where industry leaders discuss “what’s next.” Unlike EXPO, this event is not free. This year’s event is Oct. 13 and costs $75 for members (early-bird, through June 20). Visit www.car.org/?id=MzYwNTg for more information.

California REALTOR® Showcase, a two-day event June 4-5 in Sacramento, is held in conjunction with the Association’s mid-year business meetings. This year’s event includes an exhibit hall, luncheon, and two courses—“Short Sales Made Easy Through Loss Mitigation” and “Foreclosures and Distressed Properties,” the latter of which is available for CE credits.  For more information, visit www.car.org/showcase.

Member Advantage Program

You’re watching your cash flow, and we’re watching your outgoing expenses. Because you are one of approximately 175,000 members, C.A.R. is able to leverage discounts and pass the savings on to you. The program extends deep discounts on car insurance, UPS services, marketing tools, pet insurance, portable real estate signs, and more. For more information, visit www.car.org/memberadvantage.

Newsletters

C.A.R. has 13 e-newsletters to keep you abreast of the latest trends and developments in real estate, including the popular and venerable Newsline. This weekly e-letter is delivered each Wednesday to your e-mail and provides concise and vital information about economic reports, legal and legislative developments, new products and services for REALTORS®, technology developments, licensing regulations, and more. C.A.R. Newsline is also available via podcast at www.car.org. To access archived versions of the Newsline podcasts, go to www.car.org/index.php?id=MzgyODI=.

The latest e-letter to debut is Market Matters, a twice-monthly e-missive that provides market analysis and puts the market’s developments into context for you and your clients. Visit www.car.org/index.php?id=OTIz to see the full list of e-letters and to subscribe.

Consumer Advertising Campaign

In April, C.A.R. launched its 2008 Consumer Advertising Campaign, highlighting the value REALTORS® bring to the transaction. The campaign features two radio spots targeting buyers and one ad targeting sellers, interactive Web banners placed on popular Web sites, and search engine marketing on Yahoo! and Google directing consumers to an updated microsite, www.yourpieceofcalifornia.com, that reinforces key messages of the radio ads while providing valuable information for consumers when buying or selling a home. This campaign features two Spanish-language ads on radio stations in five markets (Fresno, Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, and Sacramento). Visit www.yourpieceofcalifornia.com or www.lallavedetutranquilidad.com.

You also can adopt the campaign and can customize it for your own use by visiting www.car.org and clicking on the “2008 Consumer Advertising Campaign” button.

Technology Solutions

WINForms® software is free to you as a C.A.R. member benefit. Visit www.winforms.com for more information.

RELAY™ Transaction Management (www.rebt.com) easily and securely connects REALTORS® and clients to their transactions through a custom-branded transaction Web site.

Legal Hotline

Our attorneys don’t answer the phone at 3 a.m., but they provide personalized legal advice Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The hotline can be accessed at (213) 739-8282.

This is just a sampling of the many benefits that accompany your membership in C.A.R. You can access these benefits and learn more at C.A.R. Online (www.car.org), your Association’s dynamic and newly designed Web site, where you will find blogs, resources, and a wealth of information for all stages of your career.

Paula Hess is senior editor of California Real Estate magazine.