TAYLOR LIEN, TC

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how i read for cheap (or free)!

2/27/2019

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As a lifelong learner, I LOVE to read. I am a quick reader and every year I go through a lot of books, which can get expensive! I am also pretty thrifty when it comes to finding good deals, so here I am to share the ways I read for cheap (and a LOT of times for free!)

1. LIBBY, BY OVERDRIVE APP

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​I always check Libby for a book first, because it is free! This App is powered by the Fort Vancouver Regional Library. It is basically the Library in digital form. You can check out both Ebooks and Audiobooks! Even if E-reading isn't your thing, I would still encourage you to download the app just for the Audiobooks! Most Real Estate Agents spend a lot of time in the car, which is a great time to consume Podcasts or Ebooks. Sure, you can do Audible, but that's $15/mo for 1 book. Libby is $0 a month for 6 books (there is no limit to how many you can check out per month, but you can only have 6 checked out at a time). 

The downsides are they don't have every book, and sometimes there is a waitlist for a book. 

To use Libby, just download it from the App Store. If you already have a Library card, enter it into the app. If you need to sign up for a library card, you can get a digital card here.  

2. thriftbooks.com

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If the thought of a used books gives you the heebie-jeebies, this is probably not the best option for you, but if it doesn't bother you, www.thriftbooks.com is a great option! 

Books are cheap, almost always under $10. I have even gotten books for as little as $3. And you only have to spend $10 to get Free Shipping. I usually spend about $12 and end up with 3 books shipped to me for free! 

Like Libby, they don't always have every book in stock, but it's definitely worth checking! 

3. AMAZON'S "GREAT ON KINDLE"

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I stumbled upon the "Great on Kindle" section of Amazon by accident, but I am so glad I did! I ordered a Personal Development Book for my kindle that was $10.99. Amazon then gave me a 75% credit back to spend on any "Great on Kindle" title. So, I applied my $8.25 credit to another book that was $14.99 and with my credit, I only spent $4.75 on that book! Now, here's the cool part, I GOT ANOTHER CREDIT, and it was based on the price of the book, not what I spent. So, my next credit was for $11.25, and I bought another book for around $1. I got another credit for that purchase for about $8, which I have not yet used.

When I checked Amazon today my account states you get 25% credit back (as opposed to 75%), but new users may still get 75%. Even if the have reduced it to 25%, Amazon Kindle books are still very reasonable!

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4. kindle unlimited

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Kindle Unlimited is offered through Amazon for $10 per month. They also offer a free month free trial so you can try before you buy! Kindle Unlimited gives you Unlimited Access to select Ebooks. I definitely think it is worth the $10, IF you use it! I don't consistently keep a Kindle Unlimited account. I tend to subscribe for a month, read a few books on KU, then unsubscribe for a few months and use the methods above for my reading. If there is a specific book I want to read that isn't available through the Library, Thrift Books or the price for the Kindle book is more than $10, I will subscribe to Kindle to read that book (and a few others) and then cancel again.

I hope you found this helpful! And if you have a cheap reading "hack" I would love it if you shared it in the comments!
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Book review: girl, wash your face

2/19/2019

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girl, wash your face
​rachel hollis

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​I could not wait to dig into this book! I found Rachel Hollis through an Instagram friend back in September of 2018. Rachel had just launched a "Last 90 Days" challenge and I was all-in. The challenge was to complete 5 things each day: Move your body (exercise) for 30 minutes, drink half your body weight in ounces, cut one thing from your diet that you know you shouldn't have, get up an hour earlier for "you" time, and write a daily gratitude list of ten things! All great things right? I stuck to this challenge for most of the 90 days and I felt amazing! 

While on the challenge, I soaked up a ton of Rachel Hollis content. I listened to every episode of her podcast, watched her Instagram stories, read blog posts. The only thing I hadn't done was read her book. 

When I set my reading goal in January, I knew this book was going to be at the top of my list! I dug in enthusiastically, thinking I would finish it in one day (I've been known to do this!), but I just couldn't get into it.

It's not that the book wasn't good... It is good. The problem is that I was reading the same exact things that I had already listened to on Rachel's podcast.

Rachel's podcast "Rise" has four or five chapters of her Audiobook as episodes of the podcast. I LOVED listening to these. Rachel's voice for narration is hilarious, she did a wonderful job. I found myself nodding and saying "yes!" constantly while listening to it.

So, when it came time to read the book, it just wasn't the same. I LOVE the content of the book and if I had read it before listening to the Audiobook this review would be totally different. 

Besides the whole Audiobook versus traditional book debate, I can't think of a woman in my life who couldn't use this book and its message. It is witty, smart and moving. It will motivate you to make small changes that will lead to large changes, that may just change your whole dang life! I would 100% recommend! 

You can buy the Book or Audiobook (my vote!) here.

Did you know you can also check out Audiobooks (and E-books) from Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries for free through an App called Overdrive? The wait-list on this particular book is about 100 people long, but it is a great tool if you want to read/listen to a ton of books without going broke! 

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creating a communication log using the folio gmail extension

2/11/2019

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What is Folio?
It is a Gmail Extension for Real Estate agents that helps you create Timelines, and "Smart Folders" for your Transaction. It is also they easiest way I have found to create Communication Logs after the Transaction is over.

A few notes about Folio:
  • It can be frustrating to get set up, but once installed, it is a huge timesaver! 
  • This only works if you have a Gmail email address. 
  • If you get frustrated setting Folio up, just shoot me an email. I am happy to schedule a time to sit down at your computer with you and get it working! 

here we go!

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how to run a coloring contest to engage your facebook audience

2/2/2019

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If you grew up in a small town like me, you will remember the excitement of heading to the General Store on the first of the month to see if you won the previous month's coloring contest (and to pick up the newest coloring page). The sweet, sweet victory of winning that candy bar because I meticulously colored in the lines was the highlight of my young life.

It may be a different day and age, but that does not mean we can't recreate those same feelings. A Facebook centered Coloring Contest is a great way to engage your Facebook audience and get in precious face to face time with your clients.
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Here's how you do it:

1. Email me at [email protected] to get your branded coloring sheet of the month.  If you don't want a branded coloring sheet, just download the image below and you are all set! ​
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2. Post the image on your Facebook Page with the following caption. Bonus points if you add your own anecdotes! 

COLORING CONTEST 
Greeting to my wonderful Facebook Community. We are going retro with a monthly Coloring Contest. Here's how to play: 
1. Save this image and print it out for your kiddos (or for yourself, I'm not judging... well I am, but you know what I mean!) If you do not have access to a printer, please send me a message and I will get a copy to you! 
2. Between now and February 25th color in your sheet.
3. When you are done, take a picture, post it on your Facebook timeline and make sure you tag me, so I see it! 
4. Wait for the results. After I deliberate for several days and examine each entry carefully I will choose the winners on February 28th. 3 Winners will be chosen! 
5. Watch your inbox. I will shoot you a Personal Message to let you know you have won!
6. Collect your prize! This months winners will receive ___________.

**Customize this to whatever fits your business ladies and gentleman! You can choose one winner or you can choose ten! You can have an extravagant prize or you can get something from the Dollar Store. You can state what the prize is in the beginning or you can keep it a surprise for the end. Do what works for you and get creative! 
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prize ideas:

  • Candy 
  • A Giftcard
  • Movie Tickets
  • "Bullseye's Playground" (Yes, that place you always get sucked into when you first enter Target)  has a ton of fun (and cheap!) items. 
  • Any branded items you may have

why you should do it:

  1. It's different. It's something that is going to make your audience stop scrolling. 
  2. It shows you care about the whole family (including the kids)! People love their kids and they love it when you show interest in their kids as well. 
  3. It gives you a chance to get face to face with your Sphere. If they don't have access to a printer and you drop off a Coloring Sheet, face to face time. Maybe you're thinking I don't have time for that. That's fine! You can mail it to them. That's still another chance for you to write them a personal note and for them to see your name when they get that piece of post! Another opportunity to get face time, is when you deliver the prizes! 
  4. It widens your reach. Whenever someone post on their Facebook timeline, all of their friends can see it. Their friends likely aren't following your page. That's an opportunity to gain a new audience. When your clients' friends and family see the entry post. The friends and family are going to think, Wow, what a cool Real Estate Agent. This is your chance to broaden your audience and stand out. 

    subscribe

    Subscribe to receive a new coloring sheet each month!
Let's do this!
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there are far better things...

1/26/2019

1 Comment

 
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I recently took a one month hiatus from Facebook. My Real Estate License Renewal was due on February 1st and I had 90 hours of Continuing Education to complete! Apparently procrastination is a life-long disease. Surprisingly (or not), without Facebook in my life I got all my CE hours done in a matter of days.

I thought about going back to Social Media, but decided to stick it out for the whole month and see if it changed my life in any significant way. And it absolutely did. Since giving up Social Media I have been able to devote so much time on growing my business and even have a complimentary business idea in the works (stay tuned!). While working on my business, I realized I haven’t shared with many people the shift that I have made over the last year!

A month or two before Quentin was born, I was really struggling with Real Estate. I loved it (well certain parts of it), but don’t let anybody kid you, Real Estate can be a tough business! Finding clients is hard (making a $250k+ investment is not something people take lightly), finding houses for said clients can be hard (crazy housing market), then making it through the transaction without a failed appraisal or inspection (or a number of other things) can be hard! It is an emotional business. Since I was about to become a first time mom, I didn’t want any additional stress in my life. I also didn’t want to give up on Real Estate. I had invested so much time and had learned so much and truly loved parts of the industry, but I needed some kind of solution. I decided to sit down with my broker and see what she thought about the situation. We came to the conclusion that being a Transaction Coordinator might be the right move for me. (Thanks Ramona!)

Right away, Ramona hooked me up with a team of Real Estate Agents who were amazing with lead generation, sales, negotiations, dealing with the high stress scenarios (all the things I hate), but needed help in the organization and paperwork department. Let me just say, organizing and paperwork are my jam! It was a perfect fit from the start.

​Almost a year into it, I can say I absolutely LOVE my new position. I work almost entirely from home, so I get to spend every day with my sweet baby boy, and it is honestly a dream come true! A lot of people would consider going from a Real Estate Agent to a Transaction Coordinator, a backwards move, but it has been the best decision I have ever made career wise. DO NOT be afraid to shift gears, do not be afraid to make a change. If that is what is going to make you happy, go for it! 
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