The Importance of Real Estate Comaraderie

Never underestimate the relationships developed over years with other agents. It has made a huge difference for me in so many ways.

When starting out, the experienced agents were the ones I went to with questions. These agents helped make my first year a great one, when I might have been floundering. Lynn Nessen, Terry Baker, Merrill Blasdell and others were my “go to” agents. Back then and even now, the good ones will take the time to help. It is great karma and giving back to a profession we should all love. Otherwise why are we torturing ourselves working long hours, giving up weekends, missing family gatherings, if we don’t love what we do?

Forging relationships with agents from different areas and in different companies benefits my clients. It has allowed me to make deals that I would not have gotten. In fact, recently my buyer’s offer was accepted because they wanted to work with me knowing I would work hard to get the deal done. This agent used to work with me at my current company and he said he told his seller to pick our client based on past experience with me.

In addition, when I want help selling a listing or need a listing to sell to a buyer, I can call any of these agents and know they will share their new listings with me. Priceless!

This can be a very tough business. Even though we work together at a company and develop friendships with our associates, technically we are competitors. In our small communities, many clients know several agents. The great agents do not see the other agent as “taking business away”. Instead, they know there is plenty of business for everyone.

Best of all are the friendships you make in the business. Again, it can feel on many days that you are out there on your own. Knowing you have associates who understand the drama of the business, that can empathize with you, discuss various situations,  give feedback, and who at the end of the day are friends, make it even more gratifying to be part of this profession.  Thanks so much to my Friends.

Why Not Fill the Brochure Box?

Recently we spent 3 weeks in Kauai on vacation.  Almost daily we took a walk along the ocean in Poipu Beach, where there are some expensive homes. One of these homes has been on the market for at least the last two years. It also has been through several listing agents. This time when we were there, it was a new agent, yet again!  We were curious to know if the property had any changes like new staging, new paint inside,  spruced up in some way, etc.  How was she marketing the home differently than the last agent?

Well, we could not find out. The brochure box was empty the entire time we were there. That box could hold so many different pieces of info to highlight the home. Everything from a printed brochure to a list of places where the potential buyer could find that home’s property info on online, to a CD with a home tour. Now I know some of you high tech folks are saying,  “a brochure box”… that is so “yesterday”.

However, think about the primary goal in marketing. A Realtor’s number one goal should be to put the property info in front of the target group of buyers most likely to purchase the home.  

So who most likely would purchase that property? A tourist in the area who falls in love with the setting, the ocean view, the proximity to great restaurants, or maybe a hotel guest staying down the street, or a neighbor who may know someone else who would like to buy a home there???

I cannot give you stats on actual results. But what I do know is if I put 30 brochures in a box every 4 days, that means a lot of potential buyers who already like the neighborhood, know it, have friends there, or are looking there, got info on my listing.

One of the Best Resources

I just finished being a presenter on a panel sponsored by a new Senior Development in Altadena called Monte Cedro. I was invited by Sheri Alford, an amazing individual. Sheri owns a franchise called Smooth Transitions. She specializes in Senior Moves, Household Downsizing and Estate Dispersal. What that means is that she can dismantle a household in a short amount of time by decluttering, sorting household treasures, donating leftovers, packing, orchestrating the move day, unpacking and setting up a new home. She also works with heirs who have inherited a property locally. They want to get the home ready to sell but are out of the area and do not have time to prepare the home for sale. Sheri steps in and takes over by arranging an estate sale, clearing out the home, cleaning, arranging repairs, staging and referring an agent when it is time to sell.

Sheri is a wonderful person on many levels. She is a former Realtor so she has knowledge of the real estate process. She is patient, compassionate and has incredible organizational skills. Mature individuals transitioning from their long-time home love their interaction with Sheri. She is the hand holder, the organizer, and the caring person who will ease the stress when a move is being made.

Our panel presented to 70 potential sellers, many of whom have lived in their homes for 40+ years. They had little knowledge of the real estate process, no idea what their seller obligations are, and wanted to learn when and how to sell their homes.

It was a special event with lots of gratitude afterwards from the audience. They felt they had a much better idea of how to move forward. They are excited about their new living arrangements and ready now to tackle the sale of their home.

I loved being a part of the program and sharing information on how to prepare these Senior’s homes to maximize their result. I was able to provide a lot of information learned in obtaining my SRES(Seniors Real Estate Specialist) credential which involves a series of courses covering housing options, financing, tax benefits and special resources for Realtors. Brought some great brochures to help simplify the process for the participants.

I value and respect Sheri’s abilities and her successes in working with so many homeowners to make their lives simpler. Sheri’s phone number is 626-429-4408. Tell her I sent you.

Help me Understand!

As Realtors we have access to so many tools to help us market our listings. These tools provide more expose and make our listings more appealing to the consumer. When I started Real Estate in 1983, the day I got my first listing, I excitedly ran to my manager and said “okay what do I do to sell it?”  He said, “it is called the “three P’s Marketing Plan-- Put up a sign, Put it in the Multiple Listing Service, and Pray it sells.”  We are light years ahead of that now with all the Social Media, special marketing publications, an abundance of print media, unique sites for special types of properties, etc.

So why would an agent get a listing in today’s world and not pay a professional photographer to take pictures?  Yes, it costs money (but it is a small amount compared to the commission the agent will collect).   However, it is going to cost the seller by getting a lower price for their property because fewer people will want to even see it, or not look at it at all because it’s unappealing.  Agents take pictures themselves and leave toilet seats up, take pictures at odd angles so room sizes are off, or do not take pictures of the best parts of a property such as extra rooms, outdoor spaces, etc.  Click this link to see some horrendous examples of what not to do.

http://www.countryliving.com/real-estate/a5644/terrible-real-estate-agent-photos/

Always ask who your listing agent uses to take photos.  Make sure it is a professional with a good website that shows the kinds of photos they have taken. As the seller, these photos are your first impression.  You only get One opportunity for that, so make sure it is the best possible.  Demand the best!

Possible Response to an Impossible Question

So we put our Oceanside Rehab on the market on Sunday. Today I got the following series of texts from this Realtor. Please read my possible answers back to her and pick the best one (or come up with your own). There is a prize with this.

Kathy-Hi Jennie.....any offers? I'd like to show it in the next day or two if you don't have any offers.

Jennie-How interested is your buyer in the home? I would expect that regardless of offers whether one or more, that the buyer would still like to see it to make their decision.

Kathy-She is not interested in spending her valuable time looking at listings that already have offers in the works, nor is she interested in a bidding war. There will be many more coming on the market in the upcoming months. If however, you do not have any offers on the table we may be able to get out there in the next day or two.

Jennie- So here are my choices. Or new ones from you?
1) Why are you wasting your valuable time on this client?
2) I guess that your client wants to buy a home that no one else wants, correct?
3) How many other homes has your buyer found that had no offers and no one else wanted? Did your client buy any of those?
or
4) ???

I Want to Hear From You

Have you ever had a buying experience that makes you want to tear your hair out? Click on the post title and share your experience in the comments section below.

What Happened to Service for Buyers?

I listed a beautiful home in Glendale recently and had over 200 buyers and a few agents visit my Open Houses. I also had about 40 showings. There were 10 offers. Out of those, four of the agents representing their buyers had never seen or shown the home. In addition, many of the agents from outside our area called and specifically asked “is there going to be an Open House, and then said “oh, good, I will send my clients.” 

Now I understand that with many homes getting multiple offers, the buyer’s agent has a 1 in 4 or 1 in 10 chance of getting the home. So that can be a little daunting. But most things in life are a competition and usually if you “show up” you at least have a chance to “win.” By the way – this home was listed at $1,100,000. 

Why were so many buyers working with Agents who couldn’t take the time to even see the property? What happened to service for buyers?