In today’s highly competitive real estate market, it’s time to get back to the basics but with a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm, said Speaker Kim Daugherty on Thursday in his session, “Basketball, Cheese and Your Future in the Real Estate Industry.”
REALTORS can get ahead in the game by asking better questions about what their clients want and expect, using better judgment when it comes to time and resources and holding better meetings with buyers and sellers (he suggests meeting at the office rather than the client’s home.)
There’s also much to be said for spending a little extra time on personal touches, whether it be a telephone call or a thank you note sent to someone in the community, Daugherty says. It helps build a potential business contact for later.
REALTORS need to be in sync with today’s consumers and that can include using text messaging to communicated with tech-savvy clients or exhibiting environmentally-friendly practices.
Daugherty promises to have even more tips to share with REALTORS next week at his Web site, www.realestatechecklists.com
CE instructor Kim Daugherty
IAR Convention Speaker Kim Daugherty used humor and a gift for storytelling to spread the serious message that if REALTORS want to succeed they need to adapt to the current housing market, not expect it to adapt to them.
In his session, “Help!!! My Listings Aren’t Selling,” Daugherty said REALTORS must be open-minded about new strategies and business models. They need to establish themselves as the “expert” for their clients and act as their doctor might – telling them what they need to know about the market, not just what they want to hear.
Here are six truths about the marketplace that Daugherty thinks every home seller needs to know:
1. Buyers buy after shopping around and they will be comparing your property to others currently on the market.
2. Sellers control the pricing and saleability of their homes but buyers control the VALUE. A property is worth what the market will pay.
3. If a property sits on the market for more than a few weeks it gets shop worn (like a stale donut.) Price it right in the beginning while it is fresh and buyer interest is at its peak.
4. Most properties must be sold three times — to real estate agents with buyers, to the buyers themselves and then to the lenders who will loan the money.
5. What it means if there are no showings — agents don’t see your offering as worthy of showing to their buyers or buyers aren’t interested enough to look. If there are no offers, buyers don’t see enough value to even negotiate or try to buy.
6. Overpriced properties actually help well-priced properties sell.
