LOS ANGELES 10-15-18

LOS ANGELES EDITION

What Improvement Expenses Make the Most Sense?

EASY BLOG TOPICS

6 WAYS TO GET YOUR CLIENT TO TRUST YOU

FOR YOUR REAL ESTATE BLOG

FEATURED AGENT

CRICKET YEE COVER STORY

MICHELLE GRACI

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MICHELLE GRACI

CRICKET YEE

CONTENTS 4) 6 WAYS TO GET YOUR CLIENT TO TRUST YOU 6) BEYOND CLEANING AND DECLUTTERING: WHAT IMPROVEMENT EXPENSES MAKE THE MOST SENSE?

15) EASY BLOG TOPICS FOR YOUR REAL ESTATE BLOG 20) 1 BILLION-PLUS REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE ACTIVE ON FACEBOOK

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6 Ways to Get Your Client to Trust You The word “REALTOR®” can leave a sour taste in some people’s mouths. Many of today’s home buyers and sellers grew up during the 2009 recession. They are wary of anything 4

or anyone who comes off as too salesy, and they want to work with individuals who they can trust.

But how do you prove to someone you’ve likely never met that you can be trusted?

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Put Testimonials or Case Studies on Your Website

When something goes wrong, own up to your mistakes. Don’t hide bad news from your clients. Be upfront and responsive.

Testimonials and case studies are social proof that you have both the experience and the skills to do the job your clients are hiring you for. People often leave testimonials when they are either incredibly disappointed or extremely happy with the service they were provided, so they’re a good indication to prospective clients of the treatment they’ll receive.

Case studies, which you can post on your blog or website, have much of the same effect, but even more than testimonials, case studies demonstrate your real estate and finance expertise because they explain how you achieved a specific set of results.

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Be Responsive and Accessible

Can your clients reach you easily? That doesn’t mean you need to be available 24/7, but you should respond to your clients within a few hours of receiving their message. When agents don’t respond to their clients’ calls or emails for days on end or fail to provide them with a direct line of contact, their clients’ experience can quickly become frustrating.

Agents are busy but so are their clients. If you constantly show up late to or reschedule meetings, your clients won’t feel like their time is respected or their business is valued. Make sure you set a realistic schedule for yourself rather than spreading yourself too thin.

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Be Honest and Transparent

Sometimes you don’t have the answer to a client’s question. Be honest about your strengths, weaknesses, and the limits of your knowledge. A good response might be, “I don’t know, but I can find out.” Be transparent with your clients, and they’ll respect you for it.

You should always act in their best interest.

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Go the Extra Mile

If you do the bare minimum, that’s what your clients will remember. Their experience won’t be memorable, and they won’t gush about you in online testimonials or in real life to people they know who could use your services. It’s that simple.

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Put Yourself in Your Client’s Shoes

Clients understand that you need to earn money, but that doesn’t mean they want to feel like they’re just a dollar sign to you. Be empathetic to your client’s concerns, even if you’ve heard it all before. Your clients should know that you are there for them.

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Be Consistent

Being responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable shouldn’t be an act. If you “turn on” your personality for clients and then suddenly become a different person when they leave the room, it’s likely that the cracks in your mask will eventually become apparent.

But “faking it till you make it” is so common it’s become a cliché. When we are starting out, we don’t always have the systems or resources in place to create a smooth client journey, from onboarding to closing, so instead we constantly try to reinvent the wheel. Give yourself time to pause, slow down, and reevaluate your workflow. Creating systems creates

consistency, and those systems can and should be constantly updated.

Developing trust between you and your clients will take time, but doing these things can give you a running start.

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Beyond Cleaning and Decluttering: What Improvement Expenses Make the Most Sense?

Decluttering open spaces, emptying cabinets and drawers and removing knick-knacks might seem like obvious – and free – ways to improve a home’s presentability. Unfortunately, however, not all sellers or agents are willing to do much more than decluttering and cleaning.

Think of the listing as a reflection on yourself. If you didn’t comb your hair, shine your shoes, dress 6

neatly and drive a clean car, people would think you don’t care about yourself. They may wonder, “If he doesn’t care about how he presents himself, how is he going to present my house?” Likewise, not prepare a house for its most beautiful presentation might cast doubt on how the overall marketing will go. And, while not all changes will be immediately noticeable, chances are that what isn’t changed will be noticed.

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Ashley Aguilera, REALTOR®, broker and owner of The Aguilera Team in California’s Murrieta Valley and Temecula, says that after every consultation, her team formulates a game-plan. “We want to set their property apart from everything else on the market, but also fall within the comfort zone of the seller’s lifestyle,” she says. Changes may run the gamut from minor repairs and moving furniture for better flow, to adding accent pieces to harmonize the home’s look or create a “wow” factor before professional photography.

Many agents recommend conducting a professional inspection prior to listing; some will even hire the inspector at their own expense. Of course, any necessary repairs found during inspection and not repaired before listing must be formally disclosed. But wouldn’t it be nice to have no surprises during the buyer’s formal inspection?

In general, some improvements are required, others are low-cost and others pay for themselves

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with lower time on the market, competing offers or higher sale price.

Landscaping & Exterior First impressions begin outside. Be sure to mow and edge the lawn regularly; prune back overgrown trees and hedges; hire a professional to repair uneven pavement (especially if it’s a hazard); remove or replace dying annuals; and clean or repair porches or railings. Are there dry or dead patches of lawn? An inexpensive repair to the irrigation system might be the solution.

While painting an entire house can be extreme, a wise investment is to paint trim, porches, steps or railings that may look tired or have too many colors; choosing a single, neutral color for trim can create a bright, cohesive look. Finally, check the roof, gutters and windows, looking for spots to caulk, shingles to replace, or debris to remove.

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Paint is extremely important if the home has faded or dirty walls, holes or chips on paint or plaster. If an entire paint job is not feasible, at least consider cleaning repairing the obvious and adding a fresh coat of semi-gloss to baseboards, moldings, windowsills, doors, banisters balustrades and built-ins. Don’t overlook the ceilings!

A long-ago leak from a second-floor bathroom may have been completely repaired and moisture abated, but a patched-up ceiling is a red-flag.

Kitchens and baths

Walls, carpets, ceilings and trim Next, it’s time for agent and seller to open up to one another about the interior. Janelle Holte, who leads Seller’s Edge Home Team in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, loves walking into a home knowing that her team will be the driving force behind selling it.

“I like seeing how owners took care of it and raised their family in it,” she says. “But I won’t sugar-coat anything, so I tell them not to shoot the messenger!” She gives it to them straight, explaining what needs to be done to stage it to present well from a buyer’s perspective.

Those changes often include repainting at least the primarily living areas and replacing carpet, especially worn carpet or carpet that has faded or stained beyond what professional carpet cleaning could remedy. Sometimes, all that’s needed is professional carpet stretching to remove any buckling prior to cleaning.

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Most agents agree that the easiest costs to recoup in home improvements prior to selling are those spent in bathroom and kitchen updates. Complete remodels are unwise; you can’t anticipate the style preferences of their buyer. But refinishing, touching-ug up or painting cabinets can create a great impact, while also forcing the seller to remove unwanted or overstocked items from cabinets and drawers. Don’t forget the cabinet pulls – shiny, new nobs look nice.

Lee Ritchie of Ritchie Realty Group in Columbus, Ohio, gives a reminder to discuss any and all issues up front. “People need to be able rely on the professional who’s presenting, pricing and marketing their home,” she says. An honest and diligent agent will be an open book about the current market conditions, the quality of comparable listings and the potential return-on-investment for improvements.

Some agents, like Debra Dobbs of @properties in Chicago, even roll up their sleeves to help with decluttering and repairs. While not at all required or expected, doing so sure lets sellers see the investment their agent is willing to make for them.

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MICHELLE GRACI

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MICHELLE GRACI “I go above and beyond for my clients,” Michelle Graci explains, while discussing her business. The daughter of a contractor, real estate was always a part of her life.

After working in the production industry, she decided to take the leap and become a real estate agent in 2012. She hasn’t looked back since, and can’t imagine having any other career. Today she works with Rodeo Realty, serving the greater Los Angeles area. Over the years, the high profile homes of celebrities have become somewhat of a specialty 10Copyright Top Agent Magazine

for Michelle, as clients appreciate her discretion and work ethic. But Michelle is happy to help any and all types of buyers, sellers and investors with their real estate needs. Her main priority is guiding them throughout the transaction and helping them make the right decision.

“I don’t believe people should be pushed into a sale, I think they really need to make sure they take the time to find the perfect house,” Michelle explains. “I like to tell them, ‘if it’s Top Agent Magazine

not this house, then a better one will come along.’” Although she has seen some agents take a more aggressive approach, Michelle truly believes that it is always better to support a buyer or seller throughout the transaction.

Understanding the emotional and financial stresses that can come with buying or selling, she takes her job very seriously, and is Top Agent Magazine

completely supportive of her clients every step of the way. This includes offering a full turn-key service so her clients do not have to worry about a thing. “I think at the end of the day, my clients remember me more for being a concierge, luxury type agent. I make sure their homes are taken care of and that they have the support they need.”

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Although real estate is Michelle’s main passion, she also loves giving back to the community. She has partnered with a charity called MVP (Merging Vets and Players), which helps veterans in the area. “Whenever anyone working with this charity gives me a referral for a property worth over $1 million, we donate $5,000 back to the charity,” she explains. “On top of that, if any other people in the local community ask me to donate that money to their school or program of choice for a sale over $1 million, we donate another $5,000 back to that,” she explains.

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This organization holds such a strong place in Michelle’s heart that even her son volunteers for the program. “I do believe giving is growing, and growing is giving. You have to do both. You have to give back to the community in order to grow your business.”

Genuinely caring for both her community and her clients, it is no surprise that Michelle has collected countless five-star reviews about her service. One recent testimonial read, “Her extensive real estate knowledge, calm and collected demeanor and amazing attitude carTop Agent Magazine

ried us through the whole selling and buying process. It was truly a breeze! She listed our home on a Thursday and with her incredible marketing tactics we had multiple OVER ASKING PRICE offers by the weekend! She carefully selected the most appropriate buyer and quickly executed the negotiations. During Top Agent Magazine

the same weekend we found our new home at an open house. She somehow effortlessly juggled both our sale and our purchase (with a contingent offer based on the sale of the current home). Thanks to Michelle we sold our home for more than we had expected and we were in our new home a month later.�

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Currently, Michelle is working on growing her business even more, and is excited to market her newest listing 1279 Ozeta Terrace, a beautiful home originally built for Lana Turner. “It has become a celebrity oasis, with Liza Minnelli, Lindsay Lohan, Diana Agron and others call-

ing it home,” she explains. And as Michelle’s business continues to expand, her love for the industry will undoubtedly grow with it. “I just love placing good families in good homes, and I love making people money on their real estate goals and endeavors.”

For more information about Michelle Graci please call 818 -967 -8295 or email mgracirealestate@gmail.com

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Easy Blog Topics for Your Real Estate Blog Today, blogging looks a lot different than it did back in 2007, when the platform was just beginning to take off. Successful bloggers don’t choose blog topics on a whim. They think strategically and develop pillar content that their target audience will come back to again and again.

Real estate bloggers should be less concerned with whether the same post already exists (it does) Top Agent Magazine

than with how they can be more informative and helpful than their competition. Your personality is likely the thing that your clients connect with, and your blog is another place where you can let it shine.

Pillar content refers to those evergreen posts that never get old because they are always timely.

Think about those questions that you’ve had to

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answer a hundred, if not thousands of times— that’s your pillar content. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could direct your clients to a blog post or, better yet, they discovered the answer on your website rather than you having to constantly repeat yourself?

Or maybe you helped a client sell their house for much more than they were expecting by conducting a series of small and inexpensive renovations. Tell your readers how you did it.

Evergreen Content

Your clients are likely new to the area. Inform them about upcoming community events or mom-and-pop shops they may have never heard of. Are there hiking trails or parks nearby?

What’s the best place to grab a cup of coffee before work or a beer after? You can spotlight these places regularly as a monthly series.

This should really make up the bulk of your content. The possibilities are endless, and you could easily come up with an entire year’s worth of content with only a few hours of brainstorming.

Here are some examples: You could provide your readers with a list of questions they should ask when interviewing a realtor, the steps to becoming a real estate investor, real estate facts all first-time homeowners should know, steps new parents should take to prepare their home for a baby, recommended vendors for home maintenance, or common real estate terms defined.

You could explain to your readers what they need to know about home staging, which home renovations add the most value to their home, how to research schools or crime rates in specific neighborhoods, what a home association is, or how to start flipping houses and buying foreclosures.

Case Studies Sometimes realtors work with a client for years before they are ready to buy a home. Personal finance blogs are a thing for a reason. People want to see exactly how someone else achieved a shared goal. If you have a close relationship with a client who you helped become a homeowner, consider interviewing this client and writing up a case study that shows exactly how the two of you worked together to achieve this goal.

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Stay Local

There are plenty of real estate news outlets that will be posting about the state of the market—but they won’t be talking about your specific community, and that’s where your blog comes in.

Of course, if you only blog about community functions or properties on the market, then as soon as that event is over or that listing is sold, your content ceases being useful.

The best real estate blogs balance their content by posting a little about all the above. Maintaining a high-quality blog means your prospective clients don’t need to visit several websites to have their questions answered because you’ve done the work for them. It’s a tool that helps you make a great first impression.

If you still need help coming up with blog topics for your real estate blog, consider sending a survey out to your clients. You can send it via email and post it on social media. Ask your clients what real estate problems they need help solving and write your content with their responses in mind.

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1 Billion-Plus Reasons Why You Should Be Active on Facebook

By Bubba Mills

The number is staggering and potentially career ending for REALTORS® who ignore it: 1,440,000,000. That’s the total number of monthly active users on the social medium Facebook.

That number alone is reason enough to use it regularly in your real estate business. But Facebook can also help turn you into the expert in your community. Just by sharing knowledge and relevant events about the community you can become the go-to source for all things local – a perfect way to capture the attention of prospective buyers.

Plus, Facebook advertising also gives you tons of targeting layers like age, location, recent life events and interests. Plus, it constantly adds new targeting filters and functions that help you reach even more niche prospects who closely meet your customer criteria. Talk about pinpointing a target audience.

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Another Facebook real estate ad tool is Website Custom Audiences that lets you create Facebook ads that target users who have visited your website.

And several apps specifically for Facebook have emerged. Consider these: • Heyo.com: Helps you host contests, showcase promotions and high-

light special offers.

• Woobox.com: Let’s you easily create quizzes and other fun tools for engaging content.

• Pagemodo.com: Helps you make your Facebook business page both sleek and stylish and tabs allow for easy lead capture.

But the latest offering is just as cool. It’s called Facebook Live and it lets you stream live video on the internet. I recently wrote about Periscope, another live video streaming app, but when you use Facebook Live you’re automatically featured at the top of Facebook users’ news feed. What’s more, statistics show that live video is viewed more than recorded video.

How can REALTORS® use Facebook Live?

Open Houses: Broadcast a walk-through of a new listing

and highlight all the great features.

Webinars: Host live webinars targeted to buyers and sellers. They can sub-

mit questions just like a real-life seminar.

Real Estate Talk Show: Offer the latest news in the industry plus share lo-

cal events and your newest listings. In short, become the Lester Holt or Diane Sawyer of real estate in your town with your own “TV” show!

Facebook offers these tips for using Facebook Live: Promote: Tease upcoming Facebook Live broadcasts for more viewers.

Plan better: Take time to plan what you want to do in the video, whether

it’s a few key talking points or to have a few questions ready ahead of time in a Q&A, in case incoming comments slow down.

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Invest in some equipment: A shaky live stream turns off viewers so con-

sider a tripod or other stabilizing tools, especially if you’re taking viewers on a tour of an open house. And check the shot before going live.

Get the lighting right: If you’re indoors be sure you have plenty of good

lighting and avoid a lot of light directly behind you because it’ll wash you out.

Sound good: A common mistake for beginners is overlooking sound.

Consider an external microphone to make sure your viewers can actually hear you.

And if the live option makes you a little nervous, you can also stream pre-recorded videos. Hey, that has worked like a charm for TV for decades. Some businesses promote their web series to “air” on Facebook Live at a certain time like TV shows. After they are streamed, Facebook Live videos function as normal Facebook videos. Some business owners believe videos may perform better if they begin as live ones.

NowThis, a news company that publishes entirely on social platforms, experimented by streaming a 38-minute compilation of its favorite viral videos via Facebook Live. The stream received over 20,000 views and over 500 comments, according to Facebook’s counters.

Yes, all the new-fangled internet tools, apps and options for REALTORS® can be a bit overwhelming. Just take it one step at a time and you’ll slowly be right there in the business-winning mix. E-mail me today at Article@CorcoranCoaching.com and I’ll send you more free information about how technology can help your real estate business.

Copyright©, Bubba Mills. All rights reserved.

Bubba Mills is the CEO of Corcoran Consulting and Coaching Inc. (www.corcorancoaching.com/programs, 800-957-8353), an international Real Estate, Mortgage, and Small Business coaching company committed to helping clients balance success in business, while building value in life. Bubba Mills is a nationally recognized inspirational and education speaker, coach and mentor to the top real estate agents and mortgage companies. To find out more about Corcoran Consulting & Coaching, call 1-800-957-8353 or visit us at www.CorcoranCoaching.com.

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CRICKET YEE Cricket Yee approaches real estate from a truly scientific perspective.

That’s because before she became one of the top Realtors® in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles (she was top ten in Los Angeles County transactions in 2017, and in the top 2 percent nationwide for Berkshire Hathaway) she had a very different background. “I’m trained as a scientist,” she says. “My problem solving skills are excellent, and I’ve found that my ability to step back and analyze a problem has made a difference in my career.”

of the deal making. Even if it means that we have to kill a deal because it’s not the right decision to make, we will take that step and do it.”

In the final analysis it’s the client who comes first. “I really come from a point of view where I am trying to help people,” says Cricket. “I don’t think of this job as making money. I think of the job as helping people get what they want. You tell me what you want, I will figure out how to get it for you.”

Cricket used those analytical skills to figure out the optimal time to get into real estate. “In 2007 I was reading an article that said real estate was in a very difficult time, that there weren’t a lot of sales happening and that agents were leaving the business in droves,” she recalls. “It was something like 10,000 a month were getting out of the business.

And I thought, ‘Huh, that looks like a good opportunity for me to get in.’”

Thinking one step ahead is what appeals to Cricket the most about the real estate business. “My favorite part of real estate is actually the deal making,” she enthuses. “I love negotiating and strategizing on how to make a deal happen because I like to solve puzzles. Every transaction is, in its own way, a little bit of a puzzle.”

Cricket hones those skills in her downtime, and is an avid game player and puzzle solver. Right now she’s deep into Texas Hold ‘Em. “It’s really fun because it has an aspect of being able to read your opponents, which is very similar to real estate where you have to be able to read people as well as know your numbers. There’s math but there’s also the human element.”

And the human element is just as important to Cricket - real estate isn’t all puzzles and analysis for this scientist-turned-Realtor®. Focusing on that human element has helped her see referral rates as high as 60 percent some years. “One thing that has brought my clients back to me is that they know that I always put their well-being ahead

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To find out more about

CRICKET YEE, visit CricketTheRealtor.com, call 818-694-5870 or email her at Cricket@CricketTheRealtor.com www.

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