MICHIGAN 11-16-20

MICHIGAN EDITION

Why Millennials Are Now the

HOTTEST SEGMENT OF THE BUYERS

BY THE NUMBERS:

BEYOND

CLEANING AND DECLUTTERING: What Improvement Expenses Make the Most Sense?

Understanding the True Value of Square Footage

COVER STORY

FEATURED AGENTS

AMANDA VOLKERS LYNDSAY WESTDALE

DIANE IVES

MICHIGAN EDITION

LYNDSAY WESTDALE

Lyndsay Westdale began her real media platfor 7 career in 2014, but she17had 23 estate texting and always known that she was destined course, helpin to become a realtor. “I was born and Amanda Volkers began with her their realrea raised in real estate. I always had a “I’m such a p estate career in West Michigan in passion for it,” Lyndsay explains. Both says, and her part-time of her parents were real estate agents 2004. She started as a so much that agent and quickly moved into and her family owned the business, dinnerfullinvita Westdale Realty. Though Westdale time. Deciding real estatemoved into was her th Realty eventually closed, this did not true passion, she decided to get her stop Lyndsay from getting involved in In addition t brokers license in 2015 with dreams the industry.

She wanted more control with clients, DIANE IVES AMANDA VOLKERS LYNDSAY WESTDALE The p over her schedule and her salary as a of opening her own brokerage. an integral proved to be the right timing, and she had opened single mom, year and as2018 she says, “I was She is a part o finally able toher getown in. Itbrokerage, was just theCity2Shore Prestige Home Group, Council in fo right time.” Lyndsay been working meaning Byronhas Center.

Amanda and her team have just taken overtha as a licensed real estate agent for about six years for being in the top 20 percent o aCONTENTS brand-new office space in downtown Byronwith Center, andof East Michigan.

She is now actively expanding into and helps a variety are with excited to grow thelives team in theirular, newLyndsay location. a statewide team her mother, who in West says that she Michigan, as well as several new different events for Keller W 4) BEYOND CLEANING 18)agents.

BY THE NUMBERS: free time, Lyndsay dedicates Amanda andUNDERSTANDING her team serve within a two-hour of AND DECLUTTERING: THE TRUE radius Regarding herthe repeat and referral clients, Lyndsay her eleven-year-old son.

Grand Rapids area.

About 90% of her business comes “H WHAT IMPROVEMENT EXPENSES VALUE OF SQUARE FOOTAGE says, “That’s my whole business… it’s all literally every step of the way,” she from ofrepeat and She referral clients, impressive thatexp MAKE THE MOST SENSE? an amazing sphere influence.” attributes this anfavorite things tofeat do are speaksthetoright thepeople loyalty trust she active and her team inspire. to not only meeting but and also making outdoors.

22) ARE YOU DOING BUSINESS 13) WHY MILLENNIALS sure thatARE people feel comfortable trusting and “Clients appreciate my her communication and honesty,” AS YOU ON FACEBOOK? referring her Amanda services tosays. people“Ithey as and Since watching herraised parents NOW THE HOTTEST SEGMENT usecare theabout ethics values I was well. Another thing that sets Lyndsay apart from as a child, Lyndsay has crea OF THE BUYERS MARKET with to do right by everyone. For me it’s about building other local agents is that she partners with a local as an agent, and in the future not just another transaction, speaks luxury builderrelationships, as their exclusive listing agent and growing and her that business.

“I lov volumes when you want to get that repeat business.

You sales representative, while also maintaining strong developing,” she says, and sh personal connections other sure clientsyou’re in the area. new agents get onclients, the right f have towith make doing right by your Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440 goal of forming a massive making sure their best interests takea priority.” mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com To best serve her clients and attract referral business, forward to hiring passionate, n Lyndsayinplaces a large influence forming close moreToppeople No portion of this issue may be reproduced any manner whatsoever withouton prior consent of the publisher.

Agent across the sta Staying in touch with past clients also contributes Magazine is published by Featurerelationships Publications GA,with Inc. Although precautions are taken to the accuracy of published her clients and keeping inensure contact Lyndsay began herheavily career in materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. to Amanda’s high referral rate.

She and her team send out a with them. “We all stay friends,” Lyndsay says, and knew I found what I love,” To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com. she accomplishes this through connecting oncards, social as well continue she love birthday and anniversary as doing otherwhat personal

AMANDA VOLKERS

DIANE IVES

Published in the U.S.

2

touches to let clients know she’s there for them. “I’ve For more about Amanda Lyndsayexplains, Westdale become friends withinformation a lot of my clients,” 586.484.3922 email LAWestdale@kw “andplease I get tocall know them and theirorlikes and wants so that I Top Agent Magazine can serve them better.”

Copy

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

Top Agent Magazine

3

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 4

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.

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

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

Top Agent Magazine

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.

Top Agent Magazine ®

5

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.

6

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.

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

DIANE IVES Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine ®

7

Broker/Owner of United Country Great Lakes Realty & Auction in Atlanta, Michigan – Top Agent Diane Ives serves clients throughout Michigan.

Top Agent Diane Ives – Broker/Owner of United Country Great Lakes Realty & Auction in Atlanta, Michigan – has well over a decade of experience helping her many grateful buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals. Diane’s focus on providing exceptional customer service has translated into a remarkable reputation as a Realtor who can be consistently trusted 8Copyright Top Agent Magazine

to provide honest and forthright real estate advocacy for her many clients throughout Michigan.

Diane, who won her local real estate board’s Realtor of the Year Award in 2020, began her career as the office administrator. Diane is justifiably proud of her association with United Country Real Estate franchise, Top Agent Magazine

Executive Retreat with 408 acres of trails, blinds trout streams and great hunting.

which has been in operation for 93 years and boasts offices all across America and in Australia and Costa Rica as well.

Specializing in recreational and lifestyle properties through United Country’s Top Agent Magazine

unique partnership with Realtree Hunting Properties, Diane has built a thriving business – including a second office in the Thumb area – that is based on a foundation of honesty and integrity. Currently, a significant portion of Diane’s business is based Copyright Top Agent Magazine 9

Hotel Ojibway, Sold $4.5 million in December 2019

Specializing in recreational and lifestyle properties, Diane has built a thriving business – including a second office in the Thumb area – that is based on a foundation of honesty and integrity. on repeat and referred clients, perhaps the most accurate barometer of excellent customer service in the highly competitive world of real estate. “I believe it’s because of the service we provide,” says Diane, when asked to account for the impressive loyalty and trust she and her remarkable team engender.

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10

That assessment is entirely borne out by the impressive testimonials she has received, including this one from Zillow.com, on which site she holds a perfect, overall fivestar rating: “Diane is a very knowledgeable broker. She made our selling and purchasing of real estate much easier as she was very helpful and productive. She was always able Top Agent Magazine

to answer any questions we had with ease.

Diane explained each process to us as we progressed making it easy for us to understand the paperwork. I would recommend Diane to anyone who is contemplating selling or purchasing real estate. It was a pleasure working with her.”

Expert and thorough marketing has played a huge role in Diane’s success, and her leaveno-stone unturned approach to Top Agent Magazine

showcasing her listings ensures maximum exposure to potential buyers. Additionally, her fierce negotiation skills make certain that the most frequent outcome is a fast sale for top dollar, not to mention happy clients.

When she’s not working, Diane enjoys hiking, golf and dinner with friends, and is also an ardent philanthropist who manages the Atlanta area Chamber of Commerce’s Farmers Market, Copyright Top Agent Magazine 11

Fall Auction, 2019

something that has taken on extra importance to the community due to the COVID 19 pandemic. “I really enjoy this business because of the relationships I get to build with both those in my office and the community overall,” says Diane, who also volunteers for the local animal shelter and the MSU Extension, among other charitable efforts.

Diane’s plans for the future including continued growth, and hopefully, post-COVID, begin to utilize the new auction warehouse her company purchased last year. “We had two auctions last year, and we hope to do more in 2021,” says Diane. Above all, however, is her continued goal of providing her clients with the same top-notch, client-focused customer service that has become synonymous with her name.

For more information about Diane Ives, please call 866-637-8851 or email diane@ucgreatlakes.com

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

Top Agent Magazine

Why Millennials Are Now the Hottest Segment of the Buyers Market

and How You Can Attract Them to Your Home There are many factors when it comes to knowing how to sell your home to the Millennial generation. Millennials are becoming an important part of the buyer market, and to fail to cater to their needs will cut you off from a large and important segment. But, why have Millennials all of a sudden become interested in buying houses when they were perfectly content to rent for the rest of their lives?

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

13

A number of factors contribute to what has recently made Millennials the hottest segment of the Buyers market. One factor is the improved job outlook for Millennials. Millennials took a serious blow during the recession.

Unemployment in this group soared to 14 percent, compared to the 9.6 percent for the population as a whole. But, in recent years that number has been decreasing, with unemployment for Millennials being 9.3 percent this past year.

Rising rents are also contributing to making Millennials more interested in purchasing homes now. Rents have risen so much that buying a home now just makes more sense. Half of all renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Millennials are becoming increasingly stressed over the constantly increasing financial obligation to something that isn’t even theirs to own.

The near-historic low mortgage rates are luring Millennials towards purchasing a home with their promise of affordability. When compared with the skyrocketing rental rates, buying a house looks even more enticing.

Another factor helping Millennials get over the hump of purchasing a house is the lower down payment requirements. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now offering new loan programs that require as little as a 3 percent down payment. This may just be the last push the Millennials needed to turn toward buying a home rather than rent.

So, now that we’ve established that Millennials are finally joining the Buyers market, the next thing that it is important to understand is what exactly Millennials are looking for in a home. What kind of floorplans do they prefer? What locations are they interested in? Here are some of the essentials that Millennials are looking for in a home: • Updated Kitchens and Baths: Almost everyone wants to buy a

home with new kitchen and bath fixtures, but this is especially true for Millennials Buyers. Millennials are going to spend most of their savings on the down payment and furnishings, leaving little room to update the Kitchen and Bath, which are also the most expensive parts of a home to

14

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

update. Millennials who are on a budget simply won’t have the money to sink into those areas. An updated Kitchen and Bath is sure to bring in a younger crowd.

• Big Kitchen with Open Floor Plan: For Millennials, the kitchen has

become the room where they hangout in addition to the family room. This is why having an open space that can transition easily from the kitchen to the TV room is high on the list of things Millennials are looking for in a home. Along a similar vein, Millennials are attracted to an open floor plan rather than one that compartmentalizes the home. This has to do with how Millennials entertain. Millennials want their guests to flow through the rooms and mingle together, rather than be sectioned off in different rooms.

• Home Office: More than 13 million Americans now work from home,

and if you look at the trend, that number is only going to increase as the time goes on. With technology steadily increasing, more Millennials than ever have the flexibility to work from home. But, the home office isn’t just for someone working from home full time. Having a separate space dedicated to work helps people concentrate and focus on work while they are at home. They can separate themselves from the activities going on around the house and have a quiet space where they can set up their workday, plan a presentation, hold a meeting on Skype, or even pay bills.

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

15

• Less Maintenance: Many Millennials work different schedules that

don’t conform to the 9 to 5 workday, as well as full social calendars. This doesn’t leave them much time to clean a big house. Lawn services and low-maintenance front yards are particularly appealing, as they take less responsibility to still keep the curb appeal high.

• Energy-Efficient Appliances: Millennials have been educated on

keeping the Earth clean from the time they were born. They want to do their part to help the environment and appreciate the long-term cost savings that come with it. Energy-efficient appliances and greener ways to heat and cool the home might end up being the tipping point that makes them choose one house over another.

• Hardwood Floors: Millennials don’t have the time or patience to clean

dirty carpets, especially those that own pets. Hardwood and laminate flooring is easy to mop up if there’s been a mess. The more time they can conserve, the better.

• Good Location: Millennial buyers are looking for homes that are in

proximity to public transportation and have a good walking score. Young Millennial buyers without children are more likely to want a location closer to the action of the city, while Millennials with children would prefer more residential areas.

• Technology: Technology rules the Millennial’s life. They do work on

their computers through an Internet connection and solely use cellphones for communication. They are going to ask about how strong the cell service is and about the Internet service provider. While these amenities are out of the seller’s hands, Millennials are still going to ask these questions, and you will need to know how to answer them.

Knowing what Millennials are looking for in a home will ultimately help you make the necessary changes that will attract these buyers to your home.

Since they are the a serious segment of the market now, updating your home to fit their needs will lead to more buyers and better offers. So, get with the times and embrace the Millennial buyer.

16

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

AMANDA VOLKERS Amanda Volkers began her real estate career in West Michigan in 2004. She started as a part-time agent and quickly moved into fulltime. Deciding real estate was her true passion, she decided to get her brokers license in 2015 with dreams of opening her own brokerage. The year 2018 proved to be the right timing, and she had opened her own brokerage, City2Shore Prestige Home Group, in Byron Center. Amanda and her team have just taken over a brand-new office space in downtown Byron Center, and are excited to grow the team in their new location.

inventory so low in her market, many listings are selling within their first week on the market.

Amanda and her team serve within a two-hour radius of the Grand Rapids area. About 90% of her business comes from repeat and referral clients, an impressive feat that speaks to the loyalty and trust she and her team inspire.

“Clients appreciate my communication and honesty,” Amanda says. “I use the ethics and values I was raised with to do right by everyone. For me it’s about building relationships, not just another transaction, and that speaks volumes when you want to get that repeat business. You have to make sure you’re doing right by your clients, making sure their best interests take priority.”

In the future, Amanda plans to continue growing her brokerage, and possibly open a second location in the area. “I’m super excited that our new building will give us a lot more exposure in the downtown Byron Center area,” she says.

Staying in touch with past clients also contributes heavily to Amanda’s high referral rate. She and her team send out birthday and anniversary cards, as well as other personal touches to let clients know she’s there for them. “I’ve become friends with a lot of my clients,” Amanda explains, “and I get to know them and their likes and wants so that I can serve them better.”

When it comes to marketing her listings, Amanda takes a comprehensive approach to ensure maximum exposure.

She finds that social media advertising, the MLS, and open houses are often the most effective ways to do so. “Boosting my listings across social media has been really successful for me,” she says. Amanda also works with a professional stager and a professional photographer to produce videos and drone footage depending on the price point.

The results speak for themselves: last year Amanda’s individual production volume was over $12 million. And with Top Agent Magazine

Giving back to the community is important to Amanda and her team. She encourages her agents to give back a percentage of their commission to a charity of their choosing every year. Amanda is also involved with the local schools for education on real estate as a career and as an investment. They also participate in a charity slip-andslide event with the main office each year, and Amanda hopes to roll out even more community outreach in the near future. When she is not working, Amanda loves traveling and spending time with her family.

As her business grows, her favorite part of real estate remains the same: “I love the personal connection and the relationships I build with people,” Amanda says. “I love to mentor my agents by helping them to grow their business in the right way. Mentoring my agents is a top priority as we are a team. In order to be a good mentor, I will also remain active in doing real estate myself to stay up to date with best practices and enjoy the relationship building which is what real estate is all about.”

To find out more about Amanda Volkers, please call 616-635-6588, email amandavolkers@city2shore.com, or visit amandavolkers.com www.

17 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

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 18

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.

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

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,

Top Agent Magazine

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

Top Agent Magazine ®

19

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

n

20

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

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

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.

n

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.

n

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

Top Agent Magazine

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.

Top Agent Magazine ®

21

Are You Doing Business As YOU On Facebook?

Are you ‘Doing Business As YOU’ on your personal Facebook page? In other words, are you posting your business content from your personal page?

Yesterday a REALTOR® asked us, “Why should I bother with a company Facebook page? Can’t I just post everything from my profile page?”

The answer lies in what we call division of content. As you may be aware, social media began as just that… social. It was never truly intended for business use.

Over time, as businesses began to see the potential in reaching the masses in a new way, they began to intrude on this communication. Today, it is widely accepted that business will be conducted on all social platforms, but the manner in which we do so (and in which we are received) is still a touchy subject at times.

We believe it’s important to be transparent on social media. Draw the line between communicating as the Person and the Professional. Not only does this help you keep your content separate and appropriate, it also gives the control to your network of family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and customers.

They get to decide whether to ‘like’ or ‘follow’ your company page. They get to decide whether they want to see your business related posts. User control is the #1 reason you need a business page if you’re conducting business on Facebook. Wouldn’t you rather have a willing and engaged audience over a forced, potentially reluctant one? We have personally eliminated many of the ‘DBA’ offenders from our news feeds and you have likely done the same.

As in all controversial social media topics, there is some gray area. And that gray area is often subjective, so consider this post food for thought and decide for yourself. We try our best to keep professional content on our business pages, with a couple of exceptions: 1. Philanthropic Promotion: We’re in favor of posting anything that will help an organization in need on both your personal and business pages. Nonprofits often have little to no marketing budget and rely on all of us to promote their good works, so we believe that’s a good line to cross (as long as it’s about the organization, and not you).

2. Recognition Tagging: Facebook does not allow you to tag an individual on your business page. Yes, there are some tricky work-arounds, but they are inconsistent at best. So when it’s truly important for us to recognize and tag an individual, especially someone who has done something nice for us (inviting us as guests on their radio show or podcast, for instance), we will generally post that on the business page first, then share it from our personal pages, along with a comment recognizing and tagging the individual(s) or business who helped us.

Either way (personal or business), remember to be true to the social aspect. Our participation on social media should be about giving, helping, recognizing and connecting…especially when it comes to your business.

Tonya Eberhart is the Branding Agent to Business Stars and founder of BrandFace®, LLC. Michael Carr is America’s Top Selling Real Estate Auctioneer & BrandFace® partner. Together, they focus on personal branding and marketing designed to help real estate professionals become the face of their business & a star in their market. BrandFace® for Real Estate Professionals is a book, professional speaking series and an exclusive workshop for agents, and is currently active in 18 U.S. states, Canada and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.BrandFaceRealEstate.com.

22

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

LYNDSAY WESTDALE Lyndsay Westdale began her real estate career in 2014, but she had always known that she was destined to become a realtor. “I was born and raised in real estate. I always had a passion for it,” Lyndsay explains. Both of her parents were real estate agents and her family owned the business, Westdale Realty. Though Westdale Realty eventually closed, this did not stop Lyndsay from getting involved in the industry. She wanted more control over her schedule and her salary as a single mom, and as she says, “I was finally able to get in. It was just the right time.” Lyndsay has been working as a licensed real estate agent for about six years for East Michigan. She is now actively expanding into a statewide team with her mother, who lives in West Michigan, as well as several new agents.

Regarding her repeat and referral clients, Lyndsay says, “That’s my whole business… it’s all literally an amazing sphere of influence.” She attributes this to not only meeting the right people but also making sure that people feel comfortable trusting her and referring her services to people they care about as well. Another thing that sets Lyndsay apart from other local agents is that she partners with a local luxury builder as their exclusive listing agent and sales representative, while also maintaining strong personal connections with other clients in the area.

To best serve her clients and attract referral business, Lyndsay places a large influence on forming close relationships with her clients and keeping in contact with them. “We all stay friends,” Lyndsay says, and she accomplishes this through connecting on social

media platforms such as Facebook, texting and calling them, and, of course, helping their family members with their real estate needs as well.

“I’m such a people-person,” Lyndsay says, and her clients appreciate this so much that she has even received dinner invitations once they have moved into their perfect new homes.

In addition to forming connections with clients, Lyndsay tries to remain an integral part of the community.

She is a part of the Agent Leadership Council for Keller Williams, meaning that she is recognized as being in the top 20 percent of the company’s agents and helps with a variety of committees. In particular, Lyndsay says that she enjoys helping put on different events for Keller Williams. When she has free time, Lyndsay dedicates it to hanging out with her eleven-year-old son. “He has been with me every step of the way,” she says, and some of their favorite things to do are explore their town and be active outdoors.

Since watching her parents tour and market homes as a child, Lyndsay has created a name for herself as an agent, and in the future, she plans to continue growing her business. “I love training, hiring, and developing,” she says, and she enjoys “helping other new agents get on the right foot.” She does not have a goal of forming a massive team, but she does look forward to hiring passionate, new realtors and serving more people across the state of Michigan. When Lyndsay began her career in real estate, she says, “I knew I found what I love,” and it looks like she will continue doing what she loves well into the future.

For more information about Lyndsay Westdale, please call 586.484.3922 or email LAWestdale@kw.com Top Agent Magazine

23 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com http://www.topagentmagazine.com

24

Top Agent Magazine