MARYLAND 12-13-21

MARYLAND EDITION

BY THE NUMBERS:

Understanding the True Value of Square Footage

6 WAYS TO GET YOUR CLIENT TO TRUST YOU BE THEIR REALTOR® FOR LIFE:

How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients that Will Last a Lifetime

FEATURED AGENT

DESMOND McKENNA COVER STORY

ROBIN Y. JOHNSON

MARYLAND EDITION

DESMOND MCKEN 9

ROBIN Y. JOHNSON

ROBIN Y. JOHNSON

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DESMOND McKENNA

Before starting his full-time career in real estate 10 years ago, Desmond McKenna worked in the hotel business for many years. He deCONTENTS veloped an understanding of customer service that he carried with him into real estate, and 15) TOP AGENT TIPS AND 4) 6 WAYS TO GET YOUR has spent the last decade cultivating a business QUESTIONS CHOOSING CLIENT TO TRUST YOU that thrives on theFOR well-being of his clients.

YOUR LISTING AGENTAmanda, who Along with his Team Member, also comes from a hospitality background, 6) BE THEIR REALTOR® Desmond builtNUMBERS: an impressive real estate 20) BYhas THE FOR LIFE: HOW TO BUILD career in Washington, DC onTHE the foundation UNDERSTANDING TRUE of A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR thorough, personalized service.

CLIENTS THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME

seeing pe time,” D of the jo wards ach tise make on their s

When me througho

VALUE OF SQUARE FOOTAGE

As a veteran of the industry, Desmond brings a lot of value to the table when guiding his clients through transactions, and is eminently capable of solving even the most unexpected problems that might arise. An aggressive nePhone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440 gotiator who consistently advocates for his climag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com ents’ best interests, he is able to get results for No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the publisher.

Top Agent clients at prior the consent end of ofevery transaction.

“I love Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

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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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Be Their REALTOR® for Life: How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients That Will Last a Lifetime In the world of real estate, an agent’s relationship with their clients can make or break their career. This industry revolves around working well with people, and being able to develop a strong relationship with your clients is the foundation that you business is based upon.

Just like with a house, if that foundation is weak, the rest of the structure is also going to be unsteady and fragile. The mark of a good REALTOR® is their ability to build up a good referral network and following of loyal clients. This isn’t something that just happens by accident. Building healthy, strong relationships with your clients takes work and knowing how to gain another person’s trust, respect, and friendship. Here are some ways to make sure you are building the right kind of relationship with your clients.

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1. Use Your Friendliness and Optimism to Win Them Over: No one wants a pushy, overly confident salesperson for a REALTOR®. Clients are much more inclined to put their trust in the hands of someone who is friendly when it comes to one of the biggest financial transactions of their lives. A pleasant, outgoing disposition will win you more clients as well as friends. You want to establish rapport in the first few minutes of first meeting prospective clients. Rather than starting with business right off the bat, begin your meeting with some small talk such as similar interests, hobbies, and family life. This will immediately help to put your clients at ease, and show that you are not simply trying to “sell” them something.

People also respond well to optimism. During what can be a very stressful time, clients need someone to help them stay positive when a situation looks difficult and challenging. Optimism also tends to radiate charisma, and people want to be around and do business with charismatic people. You want to learn how to understand, motivate, and inspire people.

2. Be an Inquisitive Learner and an Empathetic Listener:

On the other side of this coin is knowing how to listen empathetically. Empathy involves actually putting yourself or your mind in their shoes so you can genuinely understand their concerns, needs, and opinions. That understanding and empathy is then reflected in your conversation with that client. Your clients want to know that you care about their situation, and that they’re not just another sale for you to make. People are much more willing to put their trust in you when they can sense that you are actually making an effort to feel what they feel in order to understand their situation.

Showing your interest through questions, and then thoughtfully listening goes a long way towards gaining trust. Showing empathy and acknowledging the feelings and emotions involved in your clients situation helps build a relationship founded on genuine care and trust.

3. Watch for Nonverbal Clues:

Don’t be afraid to show your curiosity and ask your clients a lot of questions. Some of these questions may even be difficult and uncomfortable. You want to discover and learn as much as you can about your client. Don’t make the mistake of jumping straight into the role of the know-it-all. Every different client has unique needs, so you want to learn as much as you can about their specific situation before trying to propose a solution. You want to uncover their primary motive for buying or selling, and flush Top Agent Magazine

out any potential concerns they might have.

After you’ve gained as much information as possible, you can then gauge their interest in your possible solutions by asking “what if” questions. Being inquisitive also demonstrates to your clients that you are genuinely interested and invested in their situation.

Most communication happens nonverbally, so knowing how to interpret your client’s body language can be incredibly helpful. Here are a few things to pay special attention to: Eye contact: Be careful with the level of eye contact you use with clients when first meeting.

Too much and too little eye contact can send the wrong impression. You want to try and maintain eye contact around 70 percent of the time. That is the amount that most people are comfortable with. Pay attention to your client’s level of eye

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contact to determine how comfortable they are.

When someone avoids eye contact that could mean they are not engaged in the conversation.

A good way to quickly build a feeling of rapport when first meeting clients is to make eye contact when you first meet them and then start nodding yes to what they’re saying. If the client reciprocates the eye contact and nodding, you’ve established a connection.

4. Prove your honesty and credibility:

Choose the right handshake for each client: One handshake does not fit all people, and that first handshake can be crucial to making a good first impression. The way to do a good handshake for each client is to try and mirror the other person’s handshake in strength, keep your shoulders aligned as you are preferably standing when you shake hands. While you shake your client’s hand make sure you make eye contact and give them a sincere smile.

Showing a little weakness can actually be to your advantage in this situation, and will actually make others more inclined view you as honest. You don’t want to come across as too good to be true. When revealing this weakness, however, the key to coming out on top is turning what sounds like a weakness into a strength. For example, your service may be more expensive, but that’s because you offer more personalized and extra services than your competitors.

Honesty and integrity are the two traits that 98 percent of buyers and sellers report are qualities they consider “very important”. The thing is you can say you have these traits all you want on your website, bio, etc., but trust has to be earned, and the only way to do this is to prove your credibility.

Here are a few tips for how to sound more credible:

When you talk to your clients avoid using filler words such as “um” and “uh”, which can decrease your credibility. You also want to watch the tone of your voice. People tend to translate a deeper tone as sounding more credible.

You want to develop a relationship to last a lifetime when interacting with your clients. There are many things you can do to accomplish this, and using these tips can take you from getting just a few referrals and repeat customers to gaining a loyal client following. Taking the little extra time to make sure you are projecting the right attitude and making sure that you are doing things to gain your client’s trust can make a world of difference for your business.

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ROBIN Y. JOHNSON

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Top Agent Robin Johnson leads a handpicked team with her RJ Premier Home Group at Realty ONE Group Excellence, serving clients all over Maryland with a special focus on Pikesville, Owings Mills, and Reisterstown.

Before becoming a Realtor, Robin Johnson once served her community as a police officer. After 18 years helping people buy and sell their homes, she’ll tell you that the jobs aren’t so different as you might expect.

“For any kind of community servant—and that’s what a Realtor is—it’s important to be someone a person would feel comfortable approaching for help,” Robin explains. “I tell many new agents that being a Realtor isn’t just about selling homes. You’re building a relationship with a client. If you’re good at your job, people will ask your advice on many things that have nothing to do with real estate because they feel they can trust you.”

Robin has built that trust with clients, along with a deep knowledge of the real estate industry and marketing in general, having served as a Vice President of Marketing for two different companies. Today she leads a handpicked team of 2 agents and 2 assistants with her RJ Premier Home Group at Realty ONE Group Excellence, serving clients all over Maryland 10 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

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with a special focus on Pikesville, Owings Mills, and Reisterstown. She’s on track this year to close $13 million, with 100 percent of that business coming from repeat clients and referrals. Robin’s insistence on excellent customer service across the board is a huge reason for that success.

“I’m careful about who I bring on to work with me,” says Robin. “I have much to teach, but they Top Agent Magazine

have to bring the drive to go above and beyond for their clients. It’s important that they be proactive in that regard.”

Robin’s own reviews gush with praise, for her industry knowledge, marketing and negotiating skills, and her work ethic. Above all they value the openhearted way in which she approaches her work. “I love giving people the tools and advice 11 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

“I love giving people the tools and advice they need to change their lives. It’s so rewarding to meet people who didn’t think they could buy a house and show them that they can.” they need to change their lives. It’s so rewarding to meet people who didn’t think they could buy a house and show them that they can.” She often quotes this bit of advice to clients: “Close the door of fear behind you and see how quickly the door to success opens in front of you!”

Robin’s sense of service extends beyond her work as a Realtor, although she often leverages her role to serve a specific community need. As an entrepreneur who owns several rental properties, she reserves some for less fortunate families and to help people with dependency issues. She will also have a contractor’s and builder’s license soon to Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

help build up the city by reclaiming abandoned properties. She’s volunteered with local homeless shelters. As well, she has worked with many current and past Baltimore Ravens players as clients and assisted with their foundations. Robin’s dedication to solving Inner-City problems arises from growing up in the city and having witnessed an overwhelming amount of criminal activity as a Baltimore City Police Officer, including the killing of her partner. Robin captured the young man as he attempted to escape.

At 53 years old, Robin still possesses the compassion, humor, tenacity and endless energy she Top Agent Magazine

was known for as a child. “I’ve always been independent and head strong too, as both my parents still say repeatedly to this day, but they were great role models of hard, consistent workers—both starting work at a young age.” When she’s not working, Robin loves dancing, roller-skating, and Top Agent Magazine

has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Her favorite thing to do, though, is spend time with her son.

Going forward, Robin wants to continue expanding her team and streamline her process so that she can devote more time to training her agents.

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She doubled her volume this year, and hopes to do so again next year, assisting more families with finding their dream home or selling a home to move into the next bright chapter of their life.

Robin, too, is thinking about the future. “I grind and hustle so hard in everything I do to create generational wealth for my child, who means the world to me, and to take care of my parents properly. My son is a senior in high school and will be

attending college next year. He’s already begun learning the business of investing in real estate, and how to create residual income. I’m very proud of him!”

Robin’s clients can always count on her to be there for whatever they need, delivering the highest-quality service with the same level of care and compassion they have learned to expect.

For more about Robin Y. Johnson please call 443-865-3633 or email ryjrealtor1@gmail.com

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Top Agent Tips and Questions for Choosing Your Listing Agent Now that you’ve decided to sell, it’s time to select the professional to help you market your property. Before meeting with agents, however, consider Top Agent Magazine’s tips for preparing yourself. Frist, ask yourself what kind of relationship you’d like to have with your listing agent. Are you seeking a casual, personable relationship and the latest marketing tools or are you interested in a more formal, traditional relationship and approach to marketing techniques? Next, populate your list of agents by attending open houses and asking for recommendations from recent buyers and sellers.

Finally, schedule your meetings at your home, where you’ll be able to gauge the chemistry between you and each agent.

During your meetings, expect any Top Agent to ask you several questions, but also consider discussing the following: Top Agent Magazine

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Will you please describe your sales experience and local network?

Ask your Top Agent to describe recent listings and sales of homes comparable to your own. Ask about the sellers’ priorities, the original list price, market time and number of offers. Top Agents will also describe how well they are connected with other REALTORS® in the region as well as their contacts with relocation companies, local corporations and chambers of commerce.

Be sure to ask about each agent’s knowledge of how your market has changed over time and what has influenced change.

You’ll learn a lot by listening to agents’ opinions.

How will you market the property? Each

Top Agent has a unique set of online or local marketing tools at his or her disposal. Some use lead-generation applications and nearly ever luxury agent take advantage of video. Even video marketing tools vary from agent-to-agent, however.

You’ll get to decide if you prefer an agent with higher-end video production and 3D Matterport tours or an agent with more intimate techniques featuring walk-and-talk style video tours.

What factors influence your list-price recommendation? Before an-

swering this question, most Top Agents will have several questions for you, including whether you’re more focused on a faster sale or a higher list price.

They’ll also educate you on how best to balance both market time and list price relative to sales histories your area.

Now that you’ve seen the home, what repairs or improvements do you recommend before listing? You’ll learn a lot by listening to agents’

opinions on your home’s sale potential with or without some improvements.

Most Top Agents will also recommend a full professional inspection prior to listing to avoid surprises during buyer inspection.

How will you help with staging? Some Top Agents will pay for part or

all of the staging costs. At a minimum, however, a Top Agent will have a staging professional or two in their partner network. While they’re at it, they may provide referrals for carpet cleaning, painting, gardening and other minor finishing touches.

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What attributes of the property will you want to highlight? Each Top

Agent will have a somewhat different answer to this question, but that’s a good thing! Even if you have your own ideas about your home’s greatest attributes, you’ll glean insight into the current market by considering different agents’ opinions. In learning their views, you may even change your mind about your home’s most marketable features!

What is your approach to Open Houses? How many agent-only Open

Houses will your Top Agent want to host? How many truly Open Houses?

Some Top Agents may even reveal a “swankier” approach to the Open House – such as an evening cocktail party or by-invitation “open” hours to which buyers visit along with the agent representing them.

Who will be our primary point(s) of contact from your office? This

important question will help you understand the scope of your agent’s practice. You’ll get to see if your agent runs a robust team with many hands on deck or if he or she works by close, one-on-one contact with each client.

Either approach is wonderful; you get to decide what suits you.

Now, let’s list!

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DESMOND MCKENNA

Before starting his full-time career in real estate 10 years ago, Desmond McKenna worked in the hotel business for many years. He developed an understanding of customer service that he carried with him into real estate, and has spent the last decade cultivating a business that thrives on the well-being of his clients.

Along with his Team Member, Amanda, who also comes from a hospitality background, Desmond has built an impressive real estate career in Washington, DC on the foundation of thorough, personalized service.

seeing people happy and satisfied at closing time,” Desmond says. “It’s my favorite part of the job, and everything I do is geared towards achieving that goal.” Desmond’s expertise makes him an agent anyone would want on their side when buying or selling a home.

When meeting with clients for the first time and throughout the transaction process, Desmond

As a veteran of the industry, Desmond brings a lot of value to the table when guiding his clients through transactions, and is eminently capable of solving even the most unexpected problems that might arise. An aggressive negotiator who consistently advocates for his clients’ best interests, he is able to get results for clients at the end of every transaction. “I love 18

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prioritizes first and foremost building trusting relationships with his clients. He makes it his mission to ensure clients are taken care of at every step of the transaction, and offers his honest advice wherever he can give it. “To Amanda and me, service is giving something to someone that they never even realized they needed or wanted,” Desmond says. “We strive in every relationship to go beyond expectations and offer value that exceeds the industry standard.” Desmond and Amanda receive a very high 85-90% of their business from repeats and referrals, a testament to their ability to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships through their honesty and hard work.

In terms of marketing, Desmond leverages the power of online advertising to garner wide exposure for his listings, using social media and the MLS to promote them. In particular, he and Amanda have a penchant for staging, and look to bring out the best of each home when displaying them to potential buyers. As a duo, they are looking at closing $30M in total sales volume by the end of this year between them, and hope to continue pushing their production numbers in the years to come.

In his spare time, Desmond enjoys spending time at home cooking or going on day trips to nearby towns and villages with his partner. Together, they love supporting their local neighborhood and community, and Desmond is routinely involved with organizations and events in the DuPont Circle Main Streets. For the future, Desmond and Amanda hope to continue along their current trajectory of keeping the business focused on the clients and providing excellent service to as many people as possible. If you’re looking for a Realtor® in DC who gets consistent results for his clients, look no further than Desmond McKenna!

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To contact Desmond McKenna please call (202) 276-2808 or email desmond@desmondmckenna.com 19

By the Numbers:

Understanding the True Value of Square Footage Measuring the square footage of a property may seem like an objective and straightforward task, but you’d be surprised at how many agents and homebuyers misunderstand this pivotal figure.

True square footage provides homebuyers a concrete understanding of their prospective domain, but here’s the problem: the rules to determine a home’s square footage are not always uniform across the board. What’s more, much of 20

a home’s value is determined by its size, so accuracy is certainly important. While many real estate agents have their own systems for determining or confirming a home’s true square footage, it doesn’t hurt to update your practices and become an expert on the subject. After all, you may learn a few techniques that could add value to a listing, or better prepare you in guiding house-hunters on the lookout.

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1. Do your due diligence Most towns and cities have a local records department where floorplans and blueprints are kept on file. It’s worth noting that these records don’t typically include any subsequent additions or remodels on a property, but they still give archive hunters a legal baseline when outlining a property’s square footage. Oftentimes, a straightforward online search of a city or county’s records office can pull the information necessary, or else agents can poke around in person to uncover informative blueprints at the records office. Either way, access to original blueprints or floorplans is a great tool for determining livable square footage. As a bonus,

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original blueprints and floorplans—especially in historic properties—can be intriguing visual aids for prospective buyers, as well.

2. Know the rules While there aren’t universal standards when it comes to measuring square footage, there are general guidelines that can help determine square footage in an authentic way. Per the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), here are the official recommendations for measuring a home’s real square footage: n

Called “below grade spaces,” basements and sunrooms beyond a home’s typical

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living quarters do not count toward a home’s true square footage. According to ANSI, even big draws like finished basements don’t count toward a property’s Gross Living Area. Of course, even below grade spaces have their own desirable value and should be outlined as such on listings. n

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Did you know the space inside closets and on stairways counts toward a home’s square footage? Even if these areas are relatively small, they still add to a property’s calculable square footage.

When recording square footage, ANSI actually suggests performing measurements from a property’s exterior—though this method does not account for the

thickness of exterior walls, which could skew square footage numbers. n

Just like below grade spaces, a garage, a pool house, or even a guest house should not be included in a property’s Gross Living Area. The rationale at work here is this: if you must go outside to access additional living areas, then they are beyond the square footage scope of the primary dwelling and should not be included in a home’s Gross Living Area.

3. Double-check by doing the dirty work Buyers and sellers have or will make a sizable investment in a property, so isn’t it fair to double-check all the relevant facts and figures

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when it comes to true square footage? If you want to take on the endeavor yourself, here are a few helpful steps to take. n

First, you’ll need a few things to get started, including a tape measure that can measure at least 100 ft., graph paper, and a pencil.

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Next, choose a room to start measuring wall-by-wall. Measure Wall 1, then proceed to assign each square on the gridded paper a corresponding measurement, rounding to the nearest tenth of a foot for the sake of clarity.

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From there, draw out the wall you measured and measure the remaining walls in the

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room. Once you’ve completed the room’s measurements, multiply the room’s length and width to determine its square footage. n

As you go measure throughout the home, using your own system to scale, you will construct a failsafe floorplan.

Mastering your craft is everything, and the real estate industry is no different. Every now and again, it’s worthwhile to update your well of information, take matters into your own hands, and continue to innovate with the industry. While square footage may not seem like the juiciest starting off point for such a venture, never forget: mastery of technical knowledge is a sure sign of expertise.

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