in this issue…
Putting a Face on Real Estate since 1995™
• ABoR Foundation Scholarships • Platinum Top 50 White Party • Keller Williams Realty RED Day • HBA MAX Awards Gala • AMBA Spring Golf Tourney • and much, much more!
Associates in Progress
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NORTH AMERICAN TITLE COMPANY
Inside Back Cover
JUNE 2013 • VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 2
Like Clockwork ®
What clients really want and expect from you By Autumn Rhea Carpenter
A
successful REALTOR is required to possess a variety of skills, but listening is one that is non-negotiable. A keen listener who spends time differentiating between clients’ specific requests and the reasons driving those desires is the professional who grasps what a client really wants. By spending time during the initial meeting to define a client’s expectations, an agent will save themselves from future anxiety and stress.
Need Fulfillment Clients have specific needs that they ex-
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pect REALTORS to fulfill in their home search. A demand for granite countertops could be a desire for prestige or a requirement for a view might translate into a need for privacy. A successful REALTOR gathers clues that clients share and begins to discern the connection between the benefits and needs. Understanding Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, will help a REALTOR connect with his client. This theory in psychology is organized according to self-actualization, esteem, love and belonging, safety and physiological. The average homebuyer’s need checklist contains these requirements: comfort; security; convenience; prestige; privacy; education; value; health; recreation;
Thursday, June 20 WCAoR Luncheon WCAoR Office - 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. HBA Networking Social Travis Tile Sales- 5 to 7 p.m. KB Home Agent Mixer Blackfinn Ameripub - 5 to 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 11 WCR Business Resource Meeting ABoR Office - 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, June 26 AMBA Happy Hour Cover 3 - 6 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, July 18 Serene Hills REALTOR Grand Opening 17500 Hwy 71 W - 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday, June 27 Austin Institute of Real Estate: Wealth Mastermind Group AIRE Campus - 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
HBA Sales & Marketing Council Happy Hour and Million Dollar Club Awards The Range - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 2 HBA Lakeway/Bee Cave Chapter Fore - 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, July 4 Realty Line office closed
Tuesday, July 23 HBA Mid-Year Housing Forecast HBA Office - 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. See more events and education at
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aesthetics and entertainment. Since house features fulfill different benefits to different buyers, REALTORS who listen intently to their clients will be able to satisfy their specific basic needs. By recognizing underlying needs, a client can often be satisfied with a house that might not contain a whirlpool bathtub, but fulfills the prestige requirement with a similar feature. “I find out what is important to my clients lives, not in the house,” says Patrick Easter of Avalar Lifestyle Austin Real Estate. “If you find ‘why’ they want the house, not ‘what’ they want in the house, you will find them a home. Many times, the motivating factor for buying a home has more to do with the lifestyle they want, not the absolute ideal house.” Easter recently worked with a couple with differing expectations. The husband is a chef and wife is a teacher; he wanted a gourmet
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