11 minute read
PLAYING THE REAL ESTATE
Playing the Real Estate Matchmaker –Follow These 8 Dating Rules to Ensure You Match Your Client with the Perfect Home for Them
When you think a bit more about it, the ultimate goal of a real estate agent serving a client is really to match them up with the perfect house for them, almost the way a matchmaker tries to find two people that will fit well together as a couple. When people are looking for a house, they often treat the process as a quest for “the one” house that will fulfill their dreams of living in the house of their dreams. Don’t be fooled. It is always a search for “the one”, at least when it comes to helping a couple or family find a home.
When you look at your client’s search for a home in this manner, then you might begin to notice some pretty obvious similarities
between shopping for a home today and online dating. In this day and age most people live a substantial part entire lives online. People socialize with their friends on Facebook, they meet potential friends in forums and online communities, and we now even search for our perfect mate online. Shopping for a home also happens to usually start online. When they begin this search, make no mistake; they are looking for the “one.” These people then turn to you, the REALTOR ® to play matchmaker for them. It is your job to wade through the pool of eligible homes (bachelors) and sort through all the ones that are too expensive, too nerdy, not cute enough, not smart enough, etc. until you find the “one.”
It makes sense then to consult the tried and true practices in matchmaking that help those professionals find the right people for each other, and see if any of them could also apply for matching your clients with their dream home. You’ll find that these 8 dating rules may just show you the secret to matching your clients with the perfect home. back to the store if you’re not happy with your new home. It’s best to first help your client get prequalified. This is a tangible step that shows they are ready to move on to a new home. You want to make sure they are completely over their love affair with their previous home. You can even ask them for a sign or proof that they’re ready to move on.
Who Is In and Not In Your Client’s League? Know Your Client’s Price Range: When a person is looking for a mate, it is a waste of time for them to even consider those potential mates that are clearly out of their league. These people won’t even stop to give them the time of day. In the world of real estate the idea is the same. There is no point showing your clients houses that they can’t afford and will simply lust after without having any real chance of purchasing the house. It is your job to keep your client ground in reality, and help them be realistic in terms of price when choosing their next home.
Make Sure Your Client is Ready to Move On From Their Last Dream Home You’re job is also to make sure that your client is truly ready to move on from their previous home. This is a long term commitment, and they need to be absolutely sure they actually want to buy a new house. You can’t simply take the receipt
Be Genuine, Not Superficial When trying to manage the many pitfalls of online dating, on inevitably goes on a date where the other person looks nothing like their picture online. That can be just as big of a problem when looking for a house. When clients show you a particular house they want to visit, ask them to name something about the house that they like other than the aesthetics. This way you can see if they are simply infatuated with the way the house looks in those pictures, or if there is a deeper interest in the home that could become a deeper connection between your client and the house.
Never Let Your Client’s First Impression of a Home Rule Their Decisions When your client first sees a house they have already been lusting after in their mind, they’re often so excited to finally be looking at it, especially if it does in fact look as good as it did in the pictures. Make sure to encourage them to take some time before making such a big com-
mitment, and don’t let their excitement push them into making a rash decision. It is your job to keep them grounded in reality. Push for your clients to do an inspection to make sure the house isn’t hiding any dark secrets. Sometimes the most charming facade can hide tons of slime and deadly mold.
Follow Your Heart (or Gut) People often laugh at and ridicule the idea of love at first sight, but when it comes to homes, the phenomenon can certainly happen. Your client may just find their perfect dream home at the very first place you take them. If you have a client that does insist this is the case, then you don’t want to try and rationalize with them or talk them out of their decision. You do, however, want to make sure you are watching out for their interest and make sure your clients take all the necessary precautions before they jump in headfirst.
See What Other People See in The Home – Do They See What Your Client Sees? Have you come to the conclusion that your clients are being blinded by all of the twinkling windows and crystal clear water glistening in the backyard pool, and can’t see that the house they’ve fallen in love with is really just a dirty animal (maybe a pig) dressed up in nice clothes and lipstick. Ask your client if they would be willing to look at the house again with
their close friends, family, and anyone else they trust for a second opinion there to see it with them. If the house really is a dud, they’ll be able to see past any personal bias your client might have to the truth. They will be able to help your client see through the shining facade
Celebrate the Happy Union! When a couple gets married they tend to throw a big party and celebrate their union. The same goes for the closing. Your clients have just essentially married the house of their dreams, and now it’s time to rejoice. Congratulate them on their new union. Show your support for their new homeowner status by going to their housewarming party.
Help Your Clients Maintain Their Dream Home & Ensure a Lifetime of Happiness You can’t just disappear after the transaction is finished. Become their realtor for life by showing your clients how to maintain their dream home. Act as their resource for other professionals they may need to maintain the house such as handymen, plumbers, electricians, etc. Show them how to keep up with home maintenance so they don’t ignore problems that surface and end up with a much larger issue than they started with. Help them make sure their dream home lasts so they can live happily ever after in their home for a lifetime.
CYNTHIA SULLIVAN
(Left to right) Janet Thompson, Tracey Rotz, Christina Sherman, Kristin Watts, Paul Sullivan, Tim Rotz, Cynthia Sullivan, Leesa Arnold, Stephanie Stamper, Kori Smetzer, Susal Creel, Mary Beth Herrera.
CYNTHIA SULLIVAN
Four years ago Top Agent Cynthia Sullivan decided to provide a higher level of service to her customers and clients and began her own company — Sullivan Select Real Estate Services in Hagerstown, Maryland.
In the early ‘90’s, Cynthia Sullivan was an owner/operator of a thriving tennis club. She worked hard to make it a success by providing a better service to her clients than the other two competing clubs. She got up early every morning and baked cinnamon rolls for the players and provided more interesting programs and tournaments. She would be there to greet them when they came through the doors and to let them know how much she appreciated the chance to serve them. The club was doing so well the other two clubs closed their doors. But one fateful day
10 Copyright Top Agent Magazine the club was struck by lightning and the vinyl bubble over four courts collapsed, leaving only the lights standing. That day she went from being a successful business owner to a single mom and indebted to her clients for indoor tennis they had paid for in advance.
Uncertain about her future, she ventured into a real estate career. She decided to use the same playbook she used at the tennis club. BE BETTER! She would call expired listings and promise a better deal than they had with their
previous realtor. To sweeten the pot, she offered a one day oral cancelation of the listing if they were dissatisfied for any reason. She offered to reduce the commission if she sold the listing herself, and she promised to advertise more than any other agent. Of course, while she was advertising the listings, she was also advertising herself and the benefits she could provide over all the competitors.
This worked like a charm, and Cynthia was Rookie of the Year for the state of Maryland for Long and Foster. As the years progressed, Cynthia’s real estate business flourished. She continually got repeat business, and friends were telling friends of the amazing experience they had buying or selling with Cynthia. Never without her phone, when the customer/client called, she answered, no matter the time or place, always
“I love bringing a buyer and seller together because I’m a natural matchmaker — and just like when you’re hooking people up together you’re looking for the attributes they want in a person. There are things people are looking for in a home. When I find the perfect house for them it’s just such a big thrill for me.”
12 Copyright Top Agent Magazine showing them how much she cared about their deal and making it happen for them. At every closing, she would provide her seller or buyer with a token of her appreciation, such as a mug or a cutting board, always with her name and number on it to remember how to get in touch if they needed her again.
One of Cynthia’s sellers who had trouble selling her farmhouse asked her to raffle her house. Cynthia didn’t know anything about this, but always trying to please her customers, she looked into it. She found out that the seller could only receive the appraised value of the house and if ticket sales went over that amount, the rest would have to go to charity. As a former elementary school teacher who loves children, Cynthia picked the San Mar Children’s Home to receive the proceeds.
By this time in her career, Cynthia had become a marketing strategist and called the local newspaper to tell them about her raffle. They promptly wrote a front page article of the event and Cynthia called a friend at the Associated Press who picked up the story. Cynthia had to hire two additional assistants to field the calls from all over the world! She sold tickets in every state in America plus many internationally! The event, which took place less than two months from its inception, was the first successful house raffle in the United States! Cynthia and the seller found themselves on CNN, Fox News, Fox Business, Good Morning America, and even Oprah! The children’s home was the recipient of over two hundred thousand dollars in proceeds. It was a miraculous event!
In 2016, after over twenty years of success in the business, Cynthia and her husband Paul Sullivan, decided to launch her own real estate firm to provide an even more superior service for her customers and clients. Sullivan Select LLC was formed to go above and beyond what other firms offer. Since she no longer is strapped with franchise fees, she can provide a better split for agents. She can use the additional funds for more advertising of her properties and more incentives to list with her. Instead of the calls on her ads coming through a front desk where an agent who knows nothing about her properties is anxiously waiting to take her lead, she advertises her cell number to directly get all of calls. She has hand picked only the top agents with advanced knowledge of the industry and plenty of integrity, which is sometimes missing in this field. She chose her agents carefully to ensure they would provide the same over-the-top service that she provides! Sullivan Select LLC now has three locations in Hagerstown and Stevensville, Maryland and also in Waynesboro, PA. Cynthia is looking to open several more offices to cover the entire Mid Atlantic Region.
(Back row, left to right) Leesa Arnold, Janet Thompson, Tim Rotz, Susan Creel, Stephanie Stamper, Mary Beth Herrera, Mike Blake (Front row left to right) Christina Sherman, Cynthia Sullivan, Paul Sullivan, Tracey Rotz
Cynthia’s desire and commitment to please her clients netted her many awards such as Homelight’s Top Producer, * Top Sellers agent who sells for more. From the start, she has always been very competitive and when she works with you, she aims to do better. Most years her sales volume makes her one of the top 1% in the nation.
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