NEW YORK 1-10-22

NEW YORK EDITION

7 REASONS WHY YOUR

Playing the Real Estate Matchmaker

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By the Numbers:

PROSPECTS AREN'T TURNING INTO CLIENTS

TIPS TO MAKE NEW HIRES A LONG-LASTING SUCCESS

Understanding the True Value of Square Footage

FEATURED AGENT

SARAH HOOFF COVER STORY

BROCK FORKEY

NEW YORK EDITION

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SARAH HOOF

If you’ve been sleepi Newburgh, New York, it’s take another look. Thank vision of Sarah Beckham and her international team atives at Reattached Real homebuyers and investo BROCK FORKEY SARAH HOOFF rediscovering the beauty BROCK FORKEY city’s fine historical archi and once-abandoned bu are finding new life as artfully renovated, flexible CONTENTS for professionals seeking that ideal life-work bal

4) 5 TIPS TO MAKE NEW HIRES A LONG-LASTING SUCCESS 6) PLAYING THE REAL ESTATE MATCHMAKER— FOLLOW THESE 8 DATING RULES TO ENSURE YOU MATCH YOUR CLIENT WITH THE PERFECT HOME FOR THEM

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BY THE NUMBERS: An eclectic herself, Sarah is the right kind of Re UNDERSTANDING THE lead the effort. She spent ten years abroad wor Russia Eastern as an environmental TRUEand VALUE OFEurope SQUARE specialist, which gave her a lot of experience as FOOTAGE property development and land use. During th 21)also 7 REASONS WHY YOUR including R she acquired several languages, PROSPECTS AREN'T TURNING Czech, and Modern Greek.

She’s been a Fu Scholar, grant writer, activist, and performing art INTO CLIENTS

Her return to the US landed her in Newburgh she found many down-in-the-heel commercial ings—and opportunity. “I realized the real esta was grossly undervalued,” Sarah explains. “We b Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440 home for $7,000 and began renovating it. I even tu abandoned hair salon into a performance and re mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com studio. a fun, active, diverse c No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever withoutNewburgh prior consent ofis thesuch publisher.

Top Agent Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published nity that’s only about an hour out of New York C materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com.

Sarah got her Realtor’s license in Published in the U.S.

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2015, working a renovator before becoming an agent and eve getting her broker’s license. Today she’s the Top Agent Magazine broker of Reattached Real Estate, and man construction crew that assists with renovation

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

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5 Tips to Make New Hires

a Long-lasting Success Bringing a new employee into the mix is process commonly known as onboarding. The idea behind onboarding is to make the transition from new hire to team member as efficient and pain-free as possible. However, polling shows that some 31% of entry-level and intermediate level hires leave their new posts within just six months of starting. The question is: why?

The hiring and training process is time-intensive and doesn’t come cheap. This means that mak4

ing a good match for the long haul requires more than just assessments of skill and personality. To ensure a talented new hire sticks around and is truly positioned for success, the onboarding process must be executed with the same care applied during hiring. For a few ideas on how to make the most of the onboarding process, consider the tenets below as you guide your new hire toward long-lasting success within your company.

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1. Be honest about the scope of the role Let’s say you’re looking to add a new buyers agent or loan processor to your team. You write up the position’s responsibilities, but neglect to mention that you want the new hire to handle a host of administrative tasks, as well. Maybe it doesn’t seem important enough to outline in detail, as it’s the sort of thing the rest of your does. Miscommunications like these are a leading reason why new hires leave their roles.

If there isn’t clarity and transparency about a position’s true responsibilities, then new hires may become quickly disillusioned and seek out greener pastures.

2. Build in some perks While stocking the breakroom with bagels every Friday may seem like a small gesture, it’s often those little morale-boosting moves that build loyalty and comradery among the team. Bike-to-work incentives, subsidized gym memberships, and benefits that match the needs of your employees—all are ways to demonstrate appreciation and investment in your team.

Likewise, the right candidate will return the favor and invest his or her energies into their new role.

3. Get a sense of big-picture career plans Another reason new hires move on may have nothing to do with you or your office. In fact, many hires in entry-level or even intermediate roles have doubts about their long-term vision.

That’s why it’s important to be upfront from the beginning regarding a candidate’s five-year plan and ultimate dream job. Maintain realistic Top Agent Magazine

expectations when asking these questions, but use it as an opportunity to gage a candidate’s seriousness about the real estate or mortgage industry. Why this line of work over another?

Emphasizing industry longevity and career growth during the interview process can save you drama down the road.

4. Keep the lines of communication open Take a proactive approach in communicating with your new hire. Take time to check in regularly during the first six months of his or her addition. If you can, make time to train new hires yourself—if only for a part of the onboarding process. You’ll forge a deeper professional bond and create an avenue for further questions. All in all, make it clear that you’re personally invested in their presence and talents, and that you care what they have to say. That way, if any issues or doubts arise, you can stay on top of it and work out a solution, rather than lose a new employee.

5. Give new hires meaningful work to do It’s natural to keep the kid-gloves on with new hires, but don’t let that stop you from giving them a chance to shine. New team members will feel empowered and motivated if given meaningful projects to focus on. Don’t relegate their daily duties to busy work as they build experience. Instead, task new teammates with something challenging, or that draws on a specific skill you hired them for. You’ll instill confidence, demonstrate your commitment to their growth, and with any luck—keep them around for the long haul.

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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.”

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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:

Be Genuine, Not Superficial

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.

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

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

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-

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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 8

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.

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BROCK FORKEY Top Agent Magazine

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Top Agent Brock Forkey established Real Capital Group Property Management, a company he has owned and operated since 2008, with offices in Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls, as well as a corporate office in Schenectady NY. Whether you are a seller wanting to sell your home or a seasoned investor looking to expand your property portfolio, having the right Realtor can be the difference between happiness and a perennial headache. And if you are conducting that search anywhere in Upstate New York, you won’t find an agent with more experience, market knowledge, and real estate acumen than Brock Forkey.

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Brock began his career as an investor when he was just 23 years old, buying and selling hundreds of properties between 1999 and 2005. Those properties included both rental properties and commercial buildings such as Laundromats. He began buying and flipping homes in 2005, but recognized the looming recession as those properties became harder and harder to sell. Brock quickly pivoted Top Agent Magazine

to establish Real Capital Group Property Management, a company he has owned and operated since 2008, with offices in Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls, as well as a corporate office handling all the back office and the day-to-day operations in Schenectady NY. RCGPM has a Top Agent Magazine

large team to help manage over 900 tenants and $100 million real estate portfolio.

“We are a full-service management company,” Brock explains. “Our brokerage helps investors buy and sell their properties, and we serve as landlords for their rental units, 11 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

“We are a full-service management company,” Brock explains.

“Our brokerage helps investors buy and sell their properties, and we serve as landlords for their rental units, overseeing maintenance and the day-to-day management. overseeing maintenance and the day-to-day management. This would be a lot of work for an owner to manage alone, and without the right experience you’re going to make mistakes. The value we bring as the region’s most experienced property manager is being able to match the right people to a property, knowing that they will be able to pay their rent. We underwrite the tenant; if a tenant defaults, we will find a new one at no cost. If they have to be evicted, we will pay for those costs.”

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Brock’s team includes owner relationship managers, tenant relationship managers, customer reps, maintenance technicians, a finance department, collection manager, leasing department, and a director of maintenance. The leasing department handles showings for the properties in the company’s service areas to accommodate the over 5000 people per month who contact RCGPM looking for rentals. For owners who are looking to sell, Brock has a database of thousands of Top Agent Magazine

investors, many of whom are looking to add to their portfolio. RCGPM’s business development manager Anthony Campanella receives hundreds of inquiries a month from potential new clients interested in their services. Brock wishes he could help everyone, but has to settle for helping as many as he can.

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“I’m very proud of what we’ve built, adding value to the community by creating a service that wasn’t there before,” says Brock.

“Solving people’s problems is very rewarding—it changes their lives. And I love the relationships I’ve developed with both my staff and my clients.”

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Brock looks after his community in more basic ways as well. Every year he and his team create a list of tenants who might find themselves having a hard time during the holidays. He takes his children with him to deliver Thanksgiving meals as well as food and presents on Christmas.

“We never have to look hard to find people in need. They are all around us, and we will be there for them.”

Brock’s plan going forward is simple.

He wants to expand his business in those cities where his company has a smaller share of the market, bring on the necessary people to help manage that growth, and continue finding ways to serve the area he loves.

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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 Top Agent Magazine

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

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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.

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.

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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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SARAH HOOFF If you’ve been sleeping on Newburgh, New York, it’s time to take another look. Thanks to the vision of Sarah Beckham Hooff and her international team of creatives at Reattached Real Estate, homebuyers and investors are rediscovering the beauty of the city’s fine historical architecture, and once-abandoned buildings are finding new life as artfully renovated, flexible spaces for professionals seeking that ideal life-work balance.

An eclectic herself, Sarah is the right kind of Realtor to lead the effort. She spent ten years abroad working in Russia and Eastern Europe as an environmental conflict specialist, which gave her a lot of experience assessing property development and land use. During that time she also acquired several languages, including Russian, Czech, and Modern Greek. She’s been a Fulbright Scholar, grant writer, activist, and performing artist.

Her return to the US landed her in Newburgh, where she found many down-in-the-heel commercial buildings—and opportunity. “I realized the real estate here was grossly undervalued,” Sarah explains. “We bought a home for $7,000 and began renovating it. I even turned an abandoned hair salon into a performance and recording studio. Newburgh is such a fun, active, diverse community that’s only about an hour out of New York City.”

you are willing to invest in the necessary work, and I make that clear.” She laughs, adding, “I’m actually selling to people who will be my neighbors, and I don’t want them giving me the evil eye when I’m walking down the street with my children.”

The key to Sarah’s success is that she has built the kind of business and relationships to help her clients see their investment through to its rewards. As a member of the City of Newburgh Planning Board she has a strong grasp of code, conversions, zoning areas, and the requisite paperwork. She’s also built relationships with everyone a buyer would need to work with to complete their project. Moreover, her construction crew and team of designers can deliver on the renovation itself. “We aren’t just talk. We take financial risks to make sure the work we do is high quality. This is a collective effort that reinforces community.”

Going forward, Sarah wants to continue adding innovative agents and designers to her team, as well as strengthening the services she can offer through her construction company. Most importantly, she wants to be able to ensure all of her clients a wonderful experience.

“There’s no rush, because everything has to be done right. I enjoy helping people think holistically, building super-functional relationships with my team and my clients, bringing people into this sort of cozy fold where everyone knows one another.”

Sarah got her Realtor’s license in 2015, working first as a renovator before becoming an agent and eventually getting her broker’s license. Today she’s the owner/ broker of Reattached Real Estate, and manages a construction crew that assists with renovations. She sold over $8.8 million in 2021, with 80 percent of that business coming through referrals. Sarah’s high-infolow-pressure approach has won her clients’ trust and kept them coming back.

“I’m very transparent,” says Sarah. “Most of these buildings are pre-twentieth century and need quality renovation. The process also comes with a lot of bewildering particularities. There’s incredible value here if Top Agent Magazine

Contact Sarah at 845-420-8965 or email sarah@reattached.team

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7 Reasons Why Your Prospects Aren’t Turning Into Clients Real estate experts suggest prospecting daily so that your sales pipeline never runs dry.

But sometimes all that effort doesn’t translate into results. If your prospects aren’t becoming clients, there’s a reason, which is better than it sounds because that means you can fix the problem.

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1. You’re Too Slow The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials estimates that there are about 2 million active real estate licensees in the United States alone. Of course, not all these individuals are working in the same markets. Nonetheless, that

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If your prospects aren’t becoming clients, there’s a reason, which is better than it sounds because that means you can fix the problem.

means that realtors face a lot of competition. If you are slow to respond to messages from prospective clients, someone else is sure to beat you to it. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to return calls and emails within 24 hours.

If you’re too busy working with active clients to return the phone calls and emails of prospective clients, consider hiring a real estate assistant who can help take administrative or marketing tasks off your plate.

2. They Don’t Trust You There are different reasons why a client might not trust you, some of which overlap with others on this list. When a client asks you a question, do you answer it directly or do you sidestep it?

Do you have testimonials and reviews from happy clients publicly available? Do you have an online presence? Social proof of your skills and knowledge is key.

3. You Don’t Seem Knowledgeable Enough Is your client constantly coming to you with new listings or marketing ideas rather than the 22

other way around? Do they mention real estate and finance terms you’ve never heard of or ask you questions you’ve never thought to ask yourself? Every agent starts somewhere, but if this seems to be a pattern, it’s one clients will pick up on too.

Your clients want to know that you will add value to their home buying or selling experience, and part of that value is your expertise and passion.

4. You Have No Web Presence It’s not enough to be on Zillow or have a Facebook page. There are clients who don’t use these platforms, and at the end of the day, you don’t own the content or your access to it. Both platforms could suddenly go out of business and any following you’ve gained could be lost.

It doesn’t cost much to create and maintain a website today. If customization matters little to you, sometimes you can even get up and running for free. At the very least, it’s a good idea to invest in a domain name because yourwebsite. wordpress.com looks a lot less professional than yourwebsite.com.

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5. You Don’t Seem to Care When clients don’t think you care, it usually means they don’t feel like you are listening.

You may have systems, processes, and a proven marketing strategy. You may like to get right down to business, but to your client, this isn’t just business—it’s their life and their family’s livelihood.

When your client tells you what’s important to them, they want to make sure that you really hear them. Make sure your body language conveys that. Slow down. Shut your office door.

Make eye contact, nod your head, and pause before you speak so that they understand that you’ve put thought into your words—that they aren’t simply lines from a script.

6. You Use Too Much Jargon Remember that your clients don’t speak real estate. At most, they might buy or sell a home once every few years. They hired you to be their advocate and may even expect you to be a bit of a teacher too. Use layman’s terms so that your

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client fully understands how the two of you will work together.

7. Your Target Audience Is Everyone Your clients are home buyers and sellers, yes, but who is your ideal client? Some specialties you might consider are college students and recent graduates, working professionals, military families, seniors, CEOs, or other high-profile clients.

As a newer agent, your target audience might be anyone who will hire you, but over time, you might find that you click more with certain clients, that their lifestyle is similar to yours, or that their goals align with your mission. Whatever the reason, marketing your business to this “ideal client” rather than every potential client will make selling your services easier.

Remember: It’s within your power to alleviate your client’s concerns, but understanding why your prospects aren’t turning into clients is a good start.

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