Welcome to my site!  If you’d like to learn a little more about me, simply click on the “About Bob” link above.  You can also click here to see my social media card.

Feel free to take a look at all the links above.  There are links to videos (some are just good videos that are not even related to real estate), a user friendly home search, Edina’s Exceptional Properties magazine, area info, school info, news from the Prior Lake American, and many more.

If you have any questions or if I can help in any way, please contact me either through the “Contact Me” link above, or if you’d prefer just call me at 612-239-3238.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy your visit!

Bob G

Free Social Media lesson #34:  Facebook business pages.  They’re not just for breakfast anymore.  If you have a business, you really should have a Facebook business page.  I’ve heard that Facebook will cancel your Facebook account for posting business ads on your personal page.  I don’t know if that’s really true or not but why take a chance?  I guess that’s sort of like the chances of the IRS doing an audit.  Odds are probably fairly low for being caught but you never know.  There are other benefits to having a business page as well so read on.

Facebook business pages are easy to set up.  If you don’t know how, or don’t have a geeky computer friend such as myself to show you, just click on Facebook Help (at the top of the page under the little arrow next to Home) then search for “create a page”.  Once you’ve got it set up, invite your friends to “Like” your new page.  Also easy. There’s a button for it right on your new business page.  You can invite only those that you think might benefit from your business page.  Usually that would be people in your area.  Somehow I don’t think my friends in California or Texas are too interested in an open house that I’m holding next Sunday.  With a business page, only the people who specifically want to see your business info will see it.  Also, you can tell the public about your business page without having to friend them on your personal page.  Anyone, whether you’ve friended them or not, can see your business page.  The best part is that you can limit your personal page to your friends and family.  Anything you post on your business page will automatically appear on your ‘friends’ personal pages if they’ve ‘Liked’ your business page.  Confused?  Try it, it’s pretty simple.  If you want to see mine as an example, just click on my name in the Facebook box on this page to the right – even better, click the “Like” button!

Related articles

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• Changing from a Facebook personal profile (timeline) to a Facebook business page (marketing.yell.com)

If you read most articles about how to select a real estate agent, many will advise you to select an agent with extensive experience.  At first glance that would seem to be sound logic.  Experienced agents often come to you through referrals from friends or family who have used them with good results.  It’s hard to beat a good referral for an agent.  But what would you do if you don’t have a referral to an experienced agent?  How would you find a reliable agent?

With the advent of social media, you could always go online and try to find one.  You can always go to a real estate company website and browse through their agent webpages.  But would you automatically rule out a fairly new agent?  The answer should be, “it depends”.  Here’s why: keep in mind that a brand new agent is chocked full of brand new training.  They’re likely to be even more up to date on the latest rules, technology, and sales techniques than the experienced agents!  I know of agents who have been in the business for many many years who still do not have a smart phone.  It’s hard to imagine being in the real estate business these days without one.  I also know of some who refuse to adopt the latest technology in computer software to make transactions easier and faster.  They’re still great agents, they just choose not to learn the new systems.  We now have automated search software, programs to automatically send out periodic emails to clients, software for preparing contracts/documents, and electronic signature software.  Some long time agents are still filling out contracts by hand (to their benefit, there are some times where that’s the right thing to do) and then faxing or hand delivering the contracts.  It can all be done at the push of a button these days and the electronic signatures are every bit as valid and binding as ink on paper signatures.

A word of caution on choosing a new agent:  look for credentials that indicate training beyond that required to obtain a license!  A new agent with zero additional certifications/designations has only the bare minimum education required to get their license.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it depends on the agent.  Some passed their tests with ease and know everything they need to know to handle your transactions smoothly.  Some, however, barely squeaked by.  How do you know which is which?  It’s simple, you can’t.  But what you can do is look for additional training.  The National Association of Realtors offers specialized training for already licensed agents.  While there are many certifications and designations, at a minimum I’d recommend looking for either a GRI (Graduate, Realtors Institute) or CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) designation.  Both indicate extensive additional general real estate education and both require passing several tests.  The CRS designation is the more difficult of the two but brand new agents rarely have it since it does require a minimum number of successful closings in addition to training.  If you’re facing a foreclosure or short sale, look for an SFR (Short Sale/Foreclosure Resource) certification.    You might also consider looking for an e-PRO certification.  This indicates that the agent has been extensively trained in the use of social media.  Social media is fast becoming essential in the real estate business these days.  Agents who use Facebook business pages, Twitter, LinkedIn, SocialBios, Google+, Yelp, blogs, and active websites are far more likely to drum up interest in both themselves and in your property for sale.  If you’d like more information of certifications/designations, visit the National Association of Realtors website.

In addition to looking for the extra training, consider the fact that new agents not only have more time to handle your transaction, they’re also hungry!  They’re far more likely to have both the time and the desire to hold open houses as well as to do everything else they can to sell your house.  They want and need the money!

Last, but certainly not least, look for agents who are members in good standing with all of their local and national real estate associations.  There are normally local associations (Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors), state (Minnesota Association of Realtors), and national (National Association of Realtors).  Members must adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and must demonstrate a high level of professionalism.

So before you rule out the new guys, look for the training.  By the way, I just happen to have e-PRO, SFR, and a GRI designation (quite the coincidence!).  Best of luck in all your real estate transactions!

Edina Realty believes in open houses!  

The article also tells us that it helps to utilize a real estate company with lots of agents.  Edina has over 2,100 agents!  So why is that good??  Because we talk with each other.  We network!  While I may not have a buyer for any particular home, there’s a good chance that one of our 2,100 agents might.  And yes, we do tour new listings each and every Tuesday after an office meeting in which we…NETWORK!  There really is an advantage.  It’s simple to understand.  An office with a low number of agents has a lower number of buyers that they’re working with.  An office with many agents is working with a large buyer pool.

Keep that in mind when you’re selecting a company and an agent to help sell your home and hopefully you’ll get results similar to the ones in the article!

The Secrets of Successful Sellers: Surprising Tips to Get Your House Sold Fast | KSTP TV – Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Related articles

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It won’t be long until the school year is over, people are moving from one area to another, and then trying to figure out what new school their children will be attending.   You can now easily locate schools and school district boundaries using new tools from Education.com.  Just click on “Links” above then scroll down to “Schools and Boundaries”.  And don’t forget, if you’re one of the people on the move, I’d be happy to help with selling your old house and finding you a new one!  If you’re not moving but know someone who is, I’ve always got time for (and appreciate) your referrals too!

Image via Wikipedia

The Outer Banks of North Carolina are a long way from Prior Lake but I thought I’d show you this video since that area was my home away from home a few years ago.  The Outer Banks are located about 1.5 hours southeast of Norfolk, VA.  The primary towns are Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head.  Further down the only highway, Hwy 12, is the town of Rodanthe where the movie “Nights in Rodanthe” was filmed a few years ago.

It’s still one of my most favorite places on earth.  And I just happen to know that there are a few folks around MN that vacation there.  If you’re ever looking for a vacation place on the mid-Atlantic coast, this area is definitely Bob Gilbert Approved and highly recommended.

Image by tsuacctnt via Flickr

Since Edina pulled their listings from Trulia and Realtor.com, it looks like other real estate firms are beginning to follow suit.  ARG Abbott Realty of San Diego has just done the same thing.  Jim Abbott gives an excellent explanation of their reasoning in the following video.  Please take a few minutes and watch this informative video if you’d like to understand why Edina and Abbott feel they can offer superior service without using the syndicators.

Related articles

• The Rest of the Story for Edina Realty (bobgilberthomes.wordpress.com)

Image via Wikipedia

Are we beginning to see signs of a turnaround in the local real estate market?  It does appear that way.  Of course, no one can predict exactly what the future will hold, but many of the indicators are that we will see an improving market in 2012.  Inventories are definitely down and buyers are buying.  Simple economics tells us that lower inventory and steady demand should cause prices to begin to rise.  I wouldn’t expect a dramatic increase however.  This is certainly not a reason to delay selling in case you’re waiting for prices to rise.  It appears that it’s going to be years, not months, before prices return to anything close to where they once were.  Assuming we don’t have a major catastrophic event somewhere in the world that affects the entire economy, I would predict that 2012 will be the year that we finally begin to return to normalcy in the market.  The key word however is:  ”begin”.  It won’t happen overnight but at least it appears we’re headed in the right direction.

Video:  Twin Cities realtors see improving housing market

Related article:

Housing May Turn the Corner in 2012 – CoreLogic