Veronica Barragan
By Veronica Barragan
Some REALTORS® conceived 2012 as “The Year of Volume Transactions” because lower home prices created the need to increase transactions to keep up with personal career goals while maintaining life styles and income. In actuality, 2012 has quickly become “The Year of the Professional.”
We’re in an environment where REALTORS® celebrate authentic, professional standards, and embrace all markets as a visionaries. They can stand back and understand the big picture, while in turn, offering excellent client service with integrity.
For example, in states such as Arizona where I currently practice, many REALTORS® have shifted their business dramatically and quickly from the dwindling REO niche back to buyers and sellers. REALTORS® are going back to basics, which should have never been ignored if they planned on making real estate a long term career. “The basics” encompass key fundamental characteristics that never ever disappear and easily transcend time. The basics include the utmost professional attention to each and every client’s needs, appreciating every phone call as the gateway to referrals because of the agent’s attention to detail, and, more importantly, having the ability to be fully present and aware of the intentions, desires, and needs of every individual who comes to you, as an agent, for your real estate expertise.
Today’s market is diverse and includes first-time home buyers, the tech-savvy newest generation, the growing and underserved Hispanic community, investors, second home buyers, and sellers in a hardship situation. To be able to serve this new and diverse clientele effectively as a professional, you must be able to adapt the basics into your business plan and into your soul.
There is no more sitting back and waiting for the bank to assign you that distressed property, because you will not survive — Continue reading »
Crystal Webster
By Crystal Webster
I’ve been to a national office supply store what seems to be about every day this month in an attempt to get ready for the spring and summer months. Occasionally, I purchase the wrong item and it takes me a little bit to return it to the store.
I returned a day planner the other day because it just wasn’t going to work for me. I present the cashier with my item and my receipt and she immediately tells me that I purchased the planner 32 days ago so the receipt was no longer valid, BUT she could do the return without the receipt and just put it on a gift card. Seeing as that’s how I paid for it in the first place, and the fact that I’d just turn around and spend it, I had no problem.
After about 10 minutes of fumbling with the computer system she tells me that I’m getting a refund of about $35. “That’s great! But, I only spent $25. See, here’s my receipt.” I was politely reminded that my receipt was no longer valid because it was more than 30 days old and I would just have to accept the return as is, or keep the item.
Well, of course, I took the cash and went about my day.
This got me thinking about how I run my business and if there are things that I do “just because that’s how they’re done” or “because that’s how I’ve always done them.” I realized just the other day I spent three visits with a seller trying to get all the paperwork put together when it would have been more convenient for everyone if we just did it through Docusign.com. I realized I can be way too eager and accommodating when it comes to meeting people places (friends and business acquaintances alike).
Are there things you do in your business that might not be the most productive or profitable?
Crystal Webster is a REALTOR® in the Kansas City area. Visit her at www.kcyoungprofessionals.com and www.theheritagehometeam.com.
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