We are pleased to announce that our founder–Ralph R. Roberts, GRI, CRS–has a new book. Power Teams: The Complete Guide to Building and Managing a Winning Real Estate Agent Team, is now available from RISMedia. Co-authored with RISMedia President & CEO John Featherston, Power Teams is a definitive resource for Realtors and real estate agent teams alike. Like all of Ralph’s other books, this one is packed with proven strategies and best practices, and comes with the added benefit of including insight from some of the nation’s leading real estate agent teams.

From Ralph’s co-author and publisher, John Featherston:

Being a real estate agent just isn’t what it used to be. Today’s real estate consumers are more sophisticated and knowledgeable than ever before. Ralph and I both believe that in order to remain competitive, agents have to do much more–place more phone calls, ramp up their marketing efforts, offer additional services, and spend more time with their clients to better understand the needs of today’s real estate consumers. Many agents are feeling the strain and looking to the team concept as a solution for themselves and their customers. In Power Teams, we help agents–and brokers–overcome the obstacles of creating and succeeding with an agent teams.

In Power Teams, Ralph and John set out to:

• Define and explain the agent team concept
• Review the various agent team models
• Help agents decide whether the agent team concept is right for them
• Show agents how to build a team from the ground up

To order a copy of Power Teams, please contact Pat Hatton, RISMedia Account Executive, at (800) 724-6000 ext. 124 or e-mail. pat@rismedia.com

Whenever a new technology affects your industry, you have three choices: resist it, accept it, or embrace it. This is especially true in Real Estate. Realtors who resist technological advances usually lose their competitive edge (not to mention that they also risk losing touch with their customers, literally).

Here at Ralph Roberts Realty, we believe that the earlier we adapt to new technologies, the sooner we can master them and keep up with changes as they mature. The latest technological innovation we have embraced is videoconferencing.

Now you may be asking yourself, why on Earth would a Realtor need access to a videoconferencing platform/system. After all, isn’t the process of buying and selling Real Estate based largely on face-to-face interaction and relationships?

While it is true that the vast majority of residential Real Estate transactions involve physical interaction, not all of them do. Take for instance the serious out-of-state Real Estate investor who wants to size you up before making an in-person visit, or the prospective homeowner who lives in another part of the state or is out of town on business and finds that it is more convenient to participate in a videoconferencing session than to drive 8 hours or cut short a business trip just for an initial or intermediate face-to-face encounter.

Having access to a robust and stable videoconferencing platform allows our office to offer yet another way for you to meet with us to discuss important matters. Our high-end videoconferencing experience puts you in charge, which is exactly what it is like when you come to our office to meet with us in person.

If you would like to learn more about our videoconferencing capabilities, please call our office at (586) 751-0000.

As many people in the local area know, our founder–Ralph R. Roberts–has developed deep expertise in helping consumers fight the good fight against real estate and mortgage fraud-related scams. According to FBI statistics, real estate and mortgage fraud cost the American public over one billion dollars in 2005. This is double the amount from the year before, and if the prognosticators are right, 2006’s losses will be even higher. Many people may not realize they are victims until they find themselves in foreclosure or are facing eviction. Bottom line: For many people, the American dream of homeownership has become a nightmare.

With that in mind, we are pleased to announce that starting in January, Ralph will host a monthly teleconference call to offer free advice to consumers on how to avoid real estate and mortgage fraud, and what to do if you believe you have been targeted. January’s call–which will cover the signs of real estate and mortgage fraud and will give listeners tips for both prevention and solutions if they feel they?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ve been scammed–is scheduled for Tuesday, January 2, 2007, at 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Subsequent calls will be scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month.

There is no charge to participate in Tuesday’s call (except for normal long distance telephone rates if applicable), but registration is required. To register, please contact Ralph’s assistant, Kym Johnson, at (586) 751-0000 or email her at kymjohnson@ralphroberts.com.

Here at Ralph Roberts Realty, we’ve become accustomed–as has everyone else, we suspect–to pointing out when our founder and namesake graces the pages of a local newspaper or national magazine. After all, when Time magazine calls you “the best-selling REALTOR?Ç¬Æ in America,” you’re bound to make headlines.

This time around though we’re pleased to point out that another one of our staffers, REALTOR?Ç¬Æ Joy Santiago, has made the news. Click here for a picture of Joy, our picture of health!