Inside this issue:

Letter from the President 3

PM Corner 4

December/January Top Performers 5-6

The Safety App for YOU 7

RELO/REO Updates 8

Marketing Minute 9

Awards Ceremony 10

Upcoming Events 11

The Powerful Eff ects of Knowledge,

Consistency and a lot of Persistence!

A Letter from the President | By Scott Avery

What a great way to start my morning today; two hand-addressed personal notes from folks in our company: one congratulating me for twenty-three years of Avery-Hess and the other thanking me for my support. Believe me, both of those individuals are foremost in my thoughts, which is precisely what they were trying to do. There have been a few other wonderful, uplifting moments in the last two weeks that seem to encapsulate much of our company message. After our last Star Session, Mary Misleh told me she thought the Star Sessions were getting better and better, and that while our instructors diff ered in their approaches, the message of consistent contact to consumers was the common thread. This followed with Gloria Adams writing that the sessions were a “life changing experience” for her. And fi nally, I hear from an agent

taking a required CE class that, after answering several questions in a row correctly and sharing additional commentary to the instructor, the offi cial monitoring the class asks her name and company, and hearing, “Avery-Hess”, states “that’s a great company with tremendous agents”.

So this brings me full circle to validation of key pieces of our company culture: great training and coaching, and a constant emphasis on “engaging people”. This works! Think about it this way…if you make a sale, you can make some money. If you make an investment of time to prospect, engage people and then deliver amazing service to all your customers, you can make a fortune. I have written many times about the need to increase your knowledge in the many facets of an increasingly complex transaction. How else will you elevate, grow and empower yourself to maintain relevancy to today’s well-informed consumer? If your peers talk about our Star Sessions the way they do, wouldn’t you want to attend and fi nd inspiring ways to diff erentiate yourself and up your game?

The investment of time to prospect and engage people is a powerful statement and a telling commentary on why so many agents struggle to achieve greater productivity. The word “consistency” was talked about a lot in the last two Star Sessions, but I think that perhaps the single greatest trait that separates an agent with a growing, sustainable real estate business from one with lower productivity is PERSISTENCE. The defi nition of a professional is someone who practices something over and over, even when they don’t feel like doing it. We know what we need to do, but many don’t do it. We spend our time looking for something to “change” our life rather than using the path of PERSISTENCE to win and achieve. As Mark Twain said, “the secret of getting ahead is getting started”.

So let’s constantly be on the lookout for educational opportunities to hone our craft and get started today (not tomorrow) on a consistent prospecting path of engaging people to create a winning business.

Business is GREAT!

Scott

PM CORNER

What services can property owners expect with AH Management?

...Turn Key Property Management!

• Conduct Rental Market Analysis to evaluate rental price• Tenant placement service – Marketing each property on over 150 top Real

Estate websites• Screen applicants, prepare and execute leases• Collect all monthly rents and security deposits• Conduct routine property inspections pre-, post- and during tenant

occupancy (photos and inspection report are provided)• Provide 24-hour online and phone emergency service

• Provide customized monthly owner statements

• Provide owners access to the owner online portal

• Provide owner distributions via electronic payment (EFT)

• Provide customized year-end reports (profi t & loss statement and 1099 form for annual tax purposes)

Contact Katja Hom to learn more atkhom@averyhess.com.

Congratulations December & January

Top Performers!

Top Listers: December

Top Producers: December

Lynette Smith, Centreville Offi ceJami Harich, Fredericksburg Offi ceDeena Davis, Front Royal Offi ceLoretta Rossomondo, Lake Ridge Offi ceYour Minka Group, Rockville Offi cePattie Mancini, Springfi eld Offi ceSheila Carney, Tysons Offi ce

Iris Aponte, Centreville Offi ceNatalie Seliquini, Fredericksburg Offi ceSherri Embrey, Front Royal Offi ceHank Scott, Lake Ridge Offi ceSeema Rodriguez, Rockville Offi ceDiana Walcher, Springfi eld Offi ceMary Misleh, Tysons Offi ce

Francis Irizarry, Centreville Offi ceAmy Cherry Taylor, Fredericksburg Offi ceMarilyn King, Front Royal Offi ceRon Walton, Rockville Offi ceSusan Metcalf, Springfi eld Offi ceJanifer Lamborn, Tysons Offi ce

Kim Neff , Centreville Offi ceAmy Cherry Taylor, Fredericksburg Offi cePamula Jackson, Front Royal Offi ceLoretta Rossomondo, Lake Ridge Offi ceRon Walton, Rockville Offi cePattie Mancini, Springfi eld Offi ceNina Chen Landes, Tysons Offi ce

Production Over $750,000: DecemberFrances Irizarry, Iris Aponte, Centreville Offi ceHank Scott, Lake Ridge Offi ceDiana Walcher, Springfi eld Offi ceMary Misleh, Tysons Offi ce

Top Listers: January

Top Producers: January

Production Over $750,000: JanuaryKim Neff , Iris Aponte, Centreville Offi ceAmy Cherry Taylor, Jami Harich, Fredericksburg Offi ceLoretta Rossomondo, Lake Ridge Offi cePattie Mancini, Springfi eld Offi ceNina Chen Landes, Chris Brown, Mary Grace Mandaro, Mirtha Terrones, Tysons Offi ce

Mobility Title: December & JanuaryCentreville: Iris Aponte (2), BJ Winar (2), Carolyn Hurley (1), Neal Greene (1)

Fredericksburg: Amy Cherry Taylor (5), Natalie Seliquini (2), Karen Janson (1),

Gina Schwartz (1), Rebecca Graf (1), Liz Pierson (1), Pat Kline (1), Gloria Adams (1),

Melissa Weaver (1)

Front Royal: Deena Davis (1), Marilyn King (1)

Lake Ridge: Mark Holyfi eld (1), Barbara Bergesen (1), Sam Mangrio (1),

Rebecca Morehead (1)

Springfi eld: Diana Walcher (1), Pattie Mancini (1), Ayse Ozdemirli (1)

Tysons: Manna Zelalem (2), Mary Misleh (1), Chris Brown (1), Mary Grace Mandaro (1),

Janifer Lamborn (1)

Congratulations December & January

Top Performers!

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We specialize in:

• Residential Closings• HUD Home Closings (VA)• Commercial Closings

We’re conveniently located in the Tysons Regional Building:

2301 Gallows Road, Suite 200A, Dunn Loring, VA 22027

Contact Daphne Flynn at 703.281.5012 or dfl ynn@mobilitytitle.com.

• Refi nancing Loans• Short Sales • 1031 Exchanges

www.mobilitytitle.com

FEATURED APPErica Higgins recommends the best safety app for risky

on-the-job situations...

ASAPP SOS

If you were playing a career-oriented word association game and someone said, “dangerous,” your fi rst thought might be police offi cer, fi reman, construction worker, etc. I’d venture to say that ‘real estate agent’ wouldn’t make your Top 10 List of Dangerous Professions. But we see in instances like the murder of Realtor, Beverly Carter of Arkansas in October 2014 and the countless rapes that happen every year that we’d be wrong not to add Realtor to that list.

Showing a home or meeting alone with prospective buyers and renters leaves agents vulnerable to risky situations, especially in isolated rural areas (although more urban, populated areas have seen a fair share of incidents too). It’s important that every agent have a safety plan in place to be prepared for the unexpected.

Technology has once again made our lives – and safety – easier.

Formulated for both the iPhone and Android, ASAPP SOS (A Student Abroad Preparedness Plan – Save Our Stu-

dents) was initially designed for high school and college-aged students who were traveling abroad with limited to no guardianship. It’s now marketed to everyone looking for a safety tool for uncertain situations.

ASAPP SOS allows users to report threats to their safety - like accidents or criminal activity - with the push of a button. A silent SOS text with the user’s GPS location is sent to predefi ned emergency contacts via email, text messaging, Twitter or Facebook - without an onlooker or attacker being aware.

Users can plan ahead for potentially risky situations with ASAPP SOS’s ‘follow-me’ feature which allows their friends and family to track them in real-time.

After initial set-up, you’re prompted to enter emergency contacts, which you can enter manually or through your phone’s contact list. This is a very important step, as these are the people who will be alerted if you fi nd yourself in danger.

When accessing the app, the home screen provides two straightforward options. You can either engage your contacts to ‘follow you’, which allows them to track your movements through GPS locations so they will know where you are at all times, or you can activate an SOS message that will be sent to all of your contacts, as well as prompt you to call 911.

An alert will be sent to your contacts saying you are concerned with your safety and you need help immediately.

By clicking on the link, your contact is able to fi nd out exactly where you are and alert the authorities. After you’re fi nished showing houses to your clients, you can click on “I’m Safe” which will alert your contacts that you’re no longer in need of assistance.

And if your SOS was a false alarm, or you’ve managed to somehow get out of harm’s way, you can deactivate the SOS which will also alert your con-tacts that you’re safe.

All in all, this is a great app that I expect will prevent a lot of crimes and has the potential to save someone’s life. However, you still have to factor in the response time of your contacts and the police, and have a back-up plan for an area without cell phone reception, since the app will do you no good in a dead zone.

Global Reach Contest! How many outgoing referrals can you close in 2015?!?

The contest runs NOW through December 31, 2015

Go the distance...for every CLOSED outgoing referral worldwide, the mileage from 13000

Harbor Drive, Woodbridge, VA to the transaction address will be totaled together. Like

frequent fl ier miles, at the end of the year, the agent with the most miles....WINS!!!

Prizes include:

RELO/REO UPDATE

1st Place: $500 Gift Card

2nd Place: $250 Gift Card

3rd Place: $150 Gift Card

To place a referral, contact:

Angela Minlionica

703.266.5810

aminlionica@averyhess.com

MARKETING MINUTESome Post-MarTech Perspective by Liz Sacks

What’s the Marketing Department doing after

placing 3rd in this year’s Leading RE MarTech

competition?

Upping their game for a fi rst place

spot next year...what else?

How? With Content Shared by You!

The biggest focus at this year’s LRE MarTech conference was content. As we all know, marketing tools and technology mean nothing if they cannot deliver powerful content that connects with your consumers/recruits/etc on an emotional level. Think about it in terms of your own Facebook friends. There are those whose posts you’re excited to see before you even read one because you feel connected with that person (e.g. maybe, their quirky parenting stories are something you really relate to). Because of this emotional connection, you take the time to fully read everything they post and fi nd yourself Liking and commenting a lot. Then there are those friends’ posts you skim (maybe they have kids like you but simply post parenting magazine articles, not giving you much of a feel for who they are).

The more you can give your social media audience an authentic, personable feel of yourself as a real estate professional and how you work with people, the more connected they will feel to your posts and want to deepen the relationship outside of social media.

Here’s How You Can...

Through your work as agents, all of you have stories...several of you with ones where you go above and beyond for clients...dazzling them by providing that “wow” factor (e.g. helping fi rst-time homebuyers fi nally fi nd a way to aff ord their fi rst home, helping a couple get acquainted with their new neighborhood, etc). These real life examples of your greatness are just what consumers want to see when deciding what agent or brokerage they’d like to work with. In a survey conducted by AdWerx, the

average respondent knew 2.4 real estate agents without having to even fi nd one. How you stand out from the other 1.4 is through the wonderful work you do...and how consumers learn about that wonderful work....is by you sharing it as powerfully as you can.

When these “wow” factor moments happen, fi nd a way to capture them...whether it’s capturing the moment in a picture and caption on Facebook, taking a short video or writing a blog post. If it’s some-

thing you’d be willing to share on Avery-Hess’s social media pages (in addition to your own)....PLEASE

CONTACT LIZ AND ANDREW, and we’ll make it happen.

Save the Date! It’s Awards Time...

A day to celebrate the amazingness of our team

over lunch and cocktails....

April 21st, Avery-Hess will host its 23rd Annual Awards Ceremony!

Join us at the Trump National Golf Club as we celebrate all of the hard

work and amazing accomplishments of the team.

Address:

Trump National Golf Club

20391 Lowes Island Blvd.

Sterling, VA 20165

Attire:

Dressy

Date:

April 21, 2015

11am - 2pm

Shoutouts and Congrats!

Front Royal’s Managing Broker and Superstar - Tracy

Wenger has offi cially earned her certifi cation to become a Buffi ni mentor! Her advanced training skills will not only be an incredible value to her current team but alsoa key diff erentiator among her and other managing brokers in the eyes of prospective recruits.

Way to go, Tracy!!

Upcoming EventsMarch 13th | Pre-St. Patty’s Day Party | Fredericksburg Regional Offi ce | 12-3pm

Start your St. Patty’s Day celebrating a little early with the folks at Fredericksburg

during their Friday the 13th / St. Patty’s Day celebration...if you dare! RSVP to

fredericksburg@averyhess.com.

March 17th | 3rd Annual St. Patty’s Bash | Springfi eld Regional Offi ce | 4-7pm

On actual St. Patty’s Day stop by the Springfi eld Offi ce for Pattie’s annual St. Patty’s

Day fun. RSVP to Brooke at springfi eld@averyhess.com.

March 18th | Star Session: Mastering the Listing Presentation | Tysons Regional Offi ce |

10am-1pm | Frances Irizzary, Melissa Weaver and Seema Rodriguez are three Avery-Hess realtors

that deliver strong and meaningful listing presentations. What factors make their presentations

so successful? RSVP to Lisa at rsvp@averyhess.com and fi nd out!

March 20th | Offi ce Warming Party | Front Royal Regional Offi ce | 3-8pm

Come celebrate Front Royal’s move to their new offi ce! There will be

cocktails, food and good times to be had. RSVP to Erica at

frontroyal@averyhess.com.

March 25th | Creating a Marketing Plan on $250 | Rockville

Regional Offi ce | Time: TBD | A can’t miss session for NEW AGENTS

especially, you’ll learn how to choose the right farm area, ways to

network and build your database...and how to market eff ectively on a budget!

Learn more or RSVP by contacting Serena at rockville@averyhess.com.

March 26th | Sharpen Your Memory & Form

Deeper Connections | Centreville Regional Offi ce | Time: TBD

During this fun and interactive session, you’ll learn exercises to sharpen your memory, making

you able to retain those valuable details clients share to form a deeper personal connection with

them, and provide that customized service they love and remember at referral time! Learn more

by contacting Mandi at dulles@averyhess.com.

Recruit an

agent to

Avery-Hess

Earn 5% of

his or her

company

earnings for

3 years!

www.averyhess.com

®

®

Resources for you:

Event News

careers.averyhess.com/events

Property Management

ahrmanagement.com

Mobility Title

www.mobilitytitle.com

Avery-Hess App Download

app.averyhess.com

Are you doing something

special in the community?

Do you have a great tech or

strategic tip to share with other

agents?

Email your stories to careers@

averyhess.com! Chosen entries

will be featured in an upcoming

issue of MyLife!