ARIZONA 6-6-22

ARIZONA EDITION

Uncommon Contact:

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CONNECTING WITH CLIENTELE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

THINGS ALL SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATORS DO

5 Ways to TRANSFORM RENTERS INTO OWNERS

FEATURED AGENTS

VIRGINIA GEE RON PACIONI COVER STORY

DAVID ARMENTA

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Uncommon Contact:

Connecting with Clientele Through Social Media Social media is one of the newest and most powerful tools in an agent or mortgage professional’s arsenal. With just a few keystrokes, you can stay top-of-mind with buyers, sellers, and borrowers near and far, past and present. The key is knowing how to use these mediums to your advantage, working smarter instead of harder to keep the thread of professional relationships intact. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can maximize the pull and power of social media by shifting just a few of your ideas and practices for the better.

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Not everything has to be about business.

While your relationship with a client or fellow vendor began over the course of business, your relationship going forward doesn’t have to be limited. One of the great things about social media is that’s it’s social. Not every comment, post, or communication has to revolve around your business, its metrics, or turning a sale. In fact, you should do your best to branch out and curate a brand and online identity that’s about who you are and

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the lifestyle you’re authentically interested in living. In that vein, consider interacting with clients in an organically-driven way, encouraging them during life’s milestones, reaching out with a local event, restaurant, or news item that’s relevant to their interests or neighborhood. The goal is to be a persistent presence in their lives without feeling like a talking head. Engage as you would like to be engaged with, as a human being with interests and needs and boundaries. Keep that personal thread in mind and your dynamic will shift from past business contact to present resource.

Expand your medium.

Many Realtors are comfortable on Facebook as an interactive meeting to connect with clients, but there are several other mediums where you can connect with clients both past and present, as well as future. Particularly when courting Millennial clientele, the fastest-growing segment of the buying market, a presence on Instagram and Snapchat are key to finding new faces, demonstrating hot properties, and creating an interactive brand as an agent. Not only does this help when you’re listing a property and seeking potential buyers, but it also serves as a perusable portfolio of your work and real estate prowess. You can also use these mediums to interact with clients on an outlet they might feel most comfortable in. Liking pictures, commenting, streaming Instagram Live home tours and Stories are all ways you can build engagement by simply spreading your social media presence around. Likewise, Top Agent Magazine

these photo and video driven mediums are popular for home design ideas, and before and after renovation pictures. When you expand from Facebook into these new platforms, you’ll already have plenty of visual content ready to be transferred and consumed by an expanded audience.

Don’t just react.

Create your own content.

It’s easy enough to post a link to a new listing, or retweet a helpful article on real estate news. Creating your own organic content is a different story, but worth its weight in gold when it comes to luring engagement, ranking higher in search fields, and overall crafting an interactive presence for yourself and your business online—which is where more than 90% of homebuyers and sellers begin their process. Creating your own content can seem risky, or else like no one is listening in a digital world already crowded with information. However, original content is sure to boost personal engagement with your social media pages, guaranteed.

Instead of recycling content, consider posting a video with a Q+A theme for first-time homebuyers, or perhaps posting a live tour of a new listing will perk up your clientele surfing at home.

No matter how you decide to expand your social media presence when it comes to interacting with clients, consistency is key.

Find the ways that work best for you and stick to them, and you’ll watch your audience and business grow in tandem.

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Reconsider Referral-Only When Planning for the Future

A 100% referral rate is a testament of client happiness. But even a 30% referral rate is proof of client satisfaction. It’s all relative, say some agents. One number pays tribute to past success, which is certainly a story worth telling. But the other might better predict the future. Many agents plan for the idea that 6

working only on referral may not be sufficient during slower times of the year, in a down market, or when an agent needs to expanding into a new sector.

Unless you are clairvoyant enough to flawlessly predict every market change or every

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Many agents plan for the idea that working only on referral may not be sufficient during slower times of the year, in a down market, or when an agent needs to expanding into a new sector. life change that your clients and referral partners may experience, it’s wise to maintain an active marketing presence. The reasons vary, however, depending on the goals and trajectory of each individual’s business.

If long-term success, a growing team, a legacy or expansion into new areas are not priorities, then working a sphere of influence may be enough for some agents, especially those who may be in the industry mostly for the love of the business. But for a majority of agents, no matter how much they love their work, their real estate and mortgage businesses are careers, first and foremost.

Let’s start with the team-builders and mentors. Agents and brokers who are building teams are wise to invest in business marketing, advertising and community outreach. Ty Hutchins, who owns and operates Ty & Company Real Estate in Colorado’s Front Range, says that, while she could personally live off referrals alone, her goal is to build up her agents. “I do the marketing piece for my team, so I can help them succeed,” she says. That marketing includes running commercials on TV and in movies theatres, as well as lead generation that identifies potential buyers, sellers and Top Agent Magazine

investors between the Colorado Springs and Denver markets. Her team’s goal, she adds, is to promote their reputation of being honest, hardworking professionals with the reach of a major brand but the personalized approach of a boutique.

Then there are the growers. Khrista Jarvis and Nicole Jung of The Khrista Jarvis Team in the San Francisco Bay Area, are on a considerable growth track. “We’re the #1 team in our area and the top team in Compass Real Estate nationally,” explains Khrista. While high marks for service on behalf of their clients have led them to these heights, they know that they must continue to evolve and market their brand. “We do a good deal of social media marketing for our listings and for our business,” she says. Their names, therefore, are frequently linked to sentiments of trust, dependability and market knowledge, both in their marketing and in their reviews.

Next, there are those who weathered the worst of times. Susan Roche entered real estate sales in 2003, following several years of property management in North Carolina.

The key to her sustained triumphs through major market swings lies in her long-range planning. “If the market starts to dip or fall,

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I have safety nets in place,” says Susan Roche, team leader of Simply Real Estate, based in Charlotte. “When it’s a seller’s market, I still plan for a buyer’s market and when it’s a buyer’s market I plan for a seller’s market..” In other words, no matter how comfortable her existing work may feel, she networks consistently. She also employs a full-time marketing director who leads several projects including ongoing research, events and social media exposure in addition to listings marketing. By staying ahead of market changes, Susan knows she can unfailingly represent her clients’ best interests while still maintaining a safety net for her business.

Even professionals with more than three decades’ experience and deep referral networks know the importance of business

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marketing. Cathy Richards, co-owner with Nancy Dalaska of Epic-Wasatch Homes in Park City, UT, entered real estate in 1987 and still draws at least a fifth of her business from lead generation, social media marketing and community outreach. Her business partner, Nancy, adds that real estate is about much more than their own business. “We love collaborating and brainstorming with other agents to help them prosper,” says Nancy. “We believe the healthier the market, the better we all are.”

Regardless of market conditions, even the best reputation can’t guarantee long-term success. To sustain and grow, it’s wise to feed your business by increasing exposure, remaining flexible and maintaining systems for customer service, networking, research, marketing and lead-generation.

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DAVID ARMENTA

With his brokerage opening in May 2022 in Tucson, Top Agent David Armenta has visions of satellite branches scattered across the nation, tackling commercial units and government contracts.

David Armenta of Tucson, Arizona, has advice for you (whether or not you’re a REALTOR®): “Follow your heart. Anybody who reads this, I just want you to learn about yourself, and follow your heart.” This simple mantra has been the key to David’s success in the real estate industry, and at every juncture in his multifaceted life, he has listened carefully to the song being played on his heartstrings.

However optimistic he may seem, this internal music was not always upbeat. His career in the industry began in earnest at the age of thirteen, when his father (who owned several properties) passed away. “He was an entrepreneur, and I have that spirit in me. Some lessons my dad just drilled in my head. He told me, ‘You want a Nintendo?

You can buy ice cream off of me at fifty percent, and if you sell it at double, you’ll earn your own Nintendo.’”

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This work ethic, paired with the handicraft of a man who built his first guitar when he was only fifteen, and discipline honed during a six year career in the Army, made him an ideal candidate for the demanding life of a live-and-flip investor. His

first project began with his father-in-law, a broker in California: “We did our first flip – it was all my money, it was scary, and I wouldn’t have invested with anybody else except for him. I had the trust, he had the knowledge, and we split the

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“It’s not work. I was born to do this – it comes so naturally to me – but seeing others succeed as I mentor them through the same real estate journey I walked is priceless. My goal is to help others find their true calling and discover the wealth they are entitled to.” profits fifty-fifty.” After that, David was hooked. He relied on conventional financing to remodel houses, and perpetually questioned his father-in-law, teaching himself at every turn. His insatiable curiosity and irresistible conversation have become a cornerstone of his business. “How do I keep a good working relationship? I engage. I talk to people, we eat together, we do things together, and I show up. …

I’m genuine. People see that. I gain their trust, and I don’t misuse it. It’s simple, but at the same time, it’s not.”

He originally obtained his license while serving as a border patrol agent, solely to represent his friends and family, aiming to ensure they were well supported during their negotiations. He recounts a late night Copyright Top Agent Magazine

moment in 2021 when he knew it was time for a change: “It just dawned on me: I was doing interviews and investigations until 2:00 a.m., and I’m not with my wife in bed at home. … I said ‘You know what, this isn’t

going to work any longer.’ I made an executive decision and resigned.” David then left his post as a Special Agent in Homeland Security Investigation to pursue his real estate business full time.

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As a part time agent, David cleared $3 million in volume over the course of the year.

Now, as a full time agent, he has already beaten his record in the first quarter of 2022, and as far as he’s concerned, the sky’s the limit. His brokerage, Armenta Realty, was recently opened on May 18th, 2022, and it services all of Arizona. With eight agents onboarding in Phoenix and Tucson, he

has visions of satellite branches scattered across the nation, tackling commercial units and government contracts. Listening to him map the future is infectious, because to him, “It’s not work. I was born to do this – it comes so naturally to me. Sure, I work longer – twelve, fourteen hour days – but I don’t see people as paychecks. I’m just having fun.”

To learn more about David Armenta, call 520-344-3979, visit armentarealty.com, www.instagram.com/sambazzy1/ or email david@armentaPLLC.com www.

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5 Ways to Transform

Renters into Owners Perhaps the largest demographic of untapped business lies in the rental market. From major cities and suburbs to rural communities—renters across generations are opting to rent rather than own. The question is: why? For starters, many Americans are undereducated about the inventory and financing options available that might suit their budget and lifestyle. Secondly, many would-be homeowners have difficulty Top Agent Magazine

visualizing the potential investment of purchasing property, and how homeownership can build wealth and security in the long-term.

As an agent, you’re always on the lookout for potential clientele. Now, to guide renters toward the real estate market, keep a few of these strategies in mind as you meet and greet this untapped demographic.

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Show renters that purchasing a home isn’t impossible

Possibly the biggest hurdle for renters is believing homeownership is possible. Beyond saving for a down payment and boosting credit scores, there are dozen more factors to consider: affording utilities, homeowner’s insurance, renovations, property taxes, and more. Besides that, assembling pay stubs, finding an agent, arranging house tours, negotiating a price, and timing the transition are all major considerations to surmount.

One way to combat this thinking is to make the process transparent and demystified. Find examples of past clients who made the leap successfully, or profile the average buyer in your marketplace and see how that renter compares. Provide evidence that it’s been done before and can be done again, then build a game plan from there.

into play. Consider making a checklist, or step-by-step road-map, that guides clients through the process from start to finish. This way, you’ll manage expectations and create a path to ownership that’s specific, instead of abstract. They won’t have to wonder what goes into buying a home when they can look at an interactive site or read a document and see the steps outlined before them, with you there to guide the way.

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Collaborate with mortgage professionals to find the right financing opportunities

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Help would-be homebuyers create a road-map to ownership

It’s no secret that buying a home can feel overwhelming. Compared to signing a yearlong lease on an apartment, taking on the house-hunting process is a daunting affair.

That’s where your expertise as an agent comes 16

Many renters aren’t aware of the variety of mortgage financing options out there that cater to first-timers, offer low down payments, or down payment assistance. Most buyers believe that the standard 20% down is a hard and fast rule, when in reality, there’s far more flexibility out there to cater to renters where they are. There are even loan options catering to freelance workers, renovation options, and other unconventional routes to ownership.

Work with a mortgage pro and find the route that suits your renter best.

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pay monthly in a mortgage—while building a lasting asset.

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Compare and contrast rental rates with monthly mortgage payments One way to convince renters to make the shift is to demonstrate the savings potential of paying into a monthly mortgage, rather than throwing away rent on a property they don’t own. To do this, draw up the average rental rates in your area, then find some potential listings that would demand a similar amount in monthly mortgage payments. Sometimes placing these numbers and images sideby-side can prove to renters that what they manage to pay monthly in rent, they can

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Paint the big picture

For most, renting isn’t the most sustainable financial option when it comes to housing.

Rents rise, families grow, and retirement looms.

Building a financial future and homeownership go hand-in-hand. When planned appropriately, buying a home can create a path toward retirement and position homeowners in a better place for further investment in the future. A rental has little security or investment returns to offer, while owning a home makes a renter king or queen of the castle.

Prospecting renters as potential homebuyers may seem like a time-intensive way to cultivate new clients, but logic is on your side.

Keep these tips in mind as you broach the conversation with renters in your hometown.

All it takes is clear-cut value proposition and a listening ear.

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Laughs!

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VIRGINIA GEE Having been in the business for over three decades, Virginia Gee’s expertise in real estate is unmatched. She remembers cold calling in the evenings and holding open houses on weekends in her first year as an agent. “I was working seven days a week in addition to working full time in another profession,” she says. Once she had her first few deals, she jumped in completely and hasn’t looked back since. She’s a long time top producer in the northeast valley, known for its luxury properties and beautiful landscaping. “There’s a huge variety of homes, from urban to rural. It’s one of the most stunning parts of the entire metro region.” Virginia has developed a solid network here, with nearly 100% of her business deriving from repeats and referrals. She puts her clients’ needs first and always wants what is best for them.

“I take care of them,” she says, “It’s important to stay knowledgeable and constantly keep in touch.”

Throughout the transaction, Virginia offers guidance and advice. This clarity helps her clients make thoughtful decisions and eases stress. When working with buyers, she takes time to understand their needs and sets up a plan of action to get them there. As the market is extremely competitive, Virginia utilizes her negotiation skills and does everything possible to make their offers stand out. She’s patient and supportive, wanting to find them the ideal home for the right price. For her sellers, the goal is to receive the most and highest offers possible in the shortest amount of time. This is done through advertising the property globally online, locally through the MLS and within her own network of buyers and agents. Producing $15 to $20 million in volume each year, Virginia is certainly going above and beyond to meet her clients’ needs.

Past clients leave glowing reviews about their time with her, impressed by her ability to make the journey enjoyable and memorable. One recently said, “Virginia is great! I currently live out of state and wanted to buy and close on a home in Scottsdale prior to moving 20

and starting my new job. Virginia was AMAZING to work with from afar. I had initially found some areas where I thought about living. When I came down to look at houses in that area, Virginia also showed me more areas that I should look at. After looking into it more, Virginia was right, the areas she suggested were faster growing and more livable than the areas I initially looked at. When I went down to look at houses a second time and to start making offers, Virginia told me she added a house to our list of places to see that she thought I would like and that just came on the market. The house she added was perfect, and we bought it only a couple of hours after seeing it.

Virginia is great and her knowledge of housing and the area are unparalleled.”

Loving her community, Virginia gives back to the Arizona Humane Society. She also donates to her sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma. When she’s not working, she loves to travel, workout with her trainer, attend spin class, or refine her culinary skills.

Virginia’s plans for the future include staying on her current path. “I just want to keep doing what I’m doing.

It’s very rewarding. I absolutely love being with people and seeing their goals achieved.”

For more about Virginia Gee, please call 602-526-2672 or email virginia.gee@russlyon.com Copyright Top Top Agent Agent Magazine Magazine

6 Things All Successful Negotiators Do If you think about it, you’ve been negotiating your whole life. As a kid you negotiated constantly with your family, your teachers, and your classmates. If you’re a parent, you’re negotiating probably more than you ever have in your life. But it’s one thing to negotiate staying up late on a school night, people oftentimes have trouble translating those real world negotiation skills into the business world. But the truth is there are a lot similarities.

Expert negotiators all have skills and techniques they bring to the table. It’s quite possible you also have them, and don’t even realize Top Agent Magazine

it. Here’s a look at some traits that are common among expert negotiators.

1. They keep emotion out of the process It’s very easy to feel frustrated, angry and defensive during a negotiation process. But when emotions run high, it’s often difficult to respond with logic and reason. This can be especially difficult if the person you’re negotiating with tries to escalate the situation. As the saying goes, keep calm and carry on. You

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have an end goal in mind, and getting heated won’t help you meet it. If things don’t go your way, remember it’s not personal. Best to leave the table with no hard feelings. Hopefully even though you may not have gotten what you’ve wanted this time around, you’ve established a foundation for success at your next try.

2. They’re reasonable If you don’t ask for what you want you’ll never get it, but at the same time, you need to be reasonable about what you’re asking for. Yes, ask for a little more than you want, so you have some wiggle room to compromise. But if you ask for too much too soon, you might shut down the person you’re negotiating with from the start, or even worse offend them. No one wants to feel like they’re being taken advantage of. Ask for what you deserve and you’ll never go wrong. At the very least you might start the conversation on how that might be possible down the line, if it isn’t just yet.

3. They’re well-prepared Part of being reasonable is being well-prepared. One of the biggest mistakes novice negotiators make is showing up over-confident and under prepared. Have the research and facts to back up what you’re asking for. Show your negotiation partner evidence of why what you’re asking for is not only fair, but necessary. Facts are hard to shoot down. This will also give you the confidence to really push for what you want. It’s not just something you think, it’s something that’s undeniable true. If you go in unprepared you’re more likely to flounder, which will damage your credibility going into future negotiations.

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4. They always strive for a win/win solution for everyone Yes, negotiations are about getting what you want, but as the old saying goes, you get more flies with honey than vinegar. Your negotiation partner might also have reasonable requests that you need to consider. Ultimately, successful negotiations are about compromise on both sides, and ending up with an outcome that benefits everyone.

5. They’re creative Problems and conflict are a natural part of any negotiation. One surefire way to impress, is to head off any impending roadblocks, by coming up with creative solutions. It’s easy to point out problems and be negative. Truly expert negotiators think outside the box, and dazzle with innovative concepts and ideas that leave everyone excited about the process.

6. They’re good listeners Listening in order to really understand where your negotiation partner is coming from is important for two reasons: you not only want to make them feel heard, but knowing what they want is invaluable information you can use to get what you want. At the start, you’re gathering information by asking questions and really hearing what they say, which includes picking up on body language and nonverbal cues as well. This is part of being well-prepared, using every possible thing you can to have an advantage.

Being in control of the situation, and then leading everyone to a successful conclusion all around is what great negotiation is all about.

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RON PACIONI With his father owning Fairmount Corp Real Estate & Investments, it seemed that Ron was destined to go into the Real Estate. Not one to disappoint, in 2005, he got his license and worked as vice president of the company for some time. It was largely internal management, working on their own accounts, rather than a traditional new home buying client base.

After many successes, including the development and sale of Stadium Lofts, Ron set off to explore his other interests and bought the French restaurant Coup Des Tartes in 2007. After 12 years Ron felt the pull of real estate again. Setting back to where he started, he set his sites back on real estate. The timing made it clearly an excellent decision, as he now works with a top team throughout the Central Phoenix region of Arizona, encompassing Biltmore, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.

Ron’s business is split fairly evenly between new clients and those who come back or are referred by prior satisfied customers. Those referrals come due to people appreciating the level of luxury service he provides.

There’s a hands-on level of care, demonstrated from the way each unique transaction is handled down to the personal touch of actual handwritten notes, not impersonal texts and emails. He specializes in the luxury lifestyle, and there is an expected level of service to go along with it, which he goes out of his way to not just meet, but exceed. The whole team will go above and beyond, including extra care like checking on a client’s house for them when they get away on vacation. That type of attention just comes naturally to Ron and his colleagues.

When new listings come in, he immediately sets up broker open houses to get the right eyes in as soon as possible. The market is incredibly fast moving right now and he needs to let the field know about new properties the moment they’re ready. The Kay-Grant Group has an in house printing facility, allowing incredibly fast turn around of top notch full color brochures on Top Agent Magazine

extra high quality paper stock that is sure to impress. It’s a memorable five-star presentation done with professionalism and efficiency most other brokerages cannot match.

The high quality and speedy marketing landed the team an impressive $90 million in transactions in 2021. The more challenging work in today’s marketplace is not just finding the right homes for the right market, but getting them into contract at a reasonable price. That’s one of the most rewarding aspects of the job for Ron – working with discerning clients and helping them achieve their dreams of finding an amazing home.

While he spends most of his days working the luxury marketplace, he makes sure he has enough time to be on the Board of Directors for the Every Kid Counts Children’s Charity and be a member of the Italian Association of Arizona. Still a foodie at heart after years in the restaurant biz, he loves losing himself in a good meal and wine as much as a baseball game or round of golf. Then it’s back to the Kay-Grant group, looking for ways to grow and work on a specific offshoot specifically tailored to the luxury clientele.

For further info, call 602-574-9587, email ron@kay-grant.com, or visit kay-grant.com/ron-pacioni www.

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