NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 10-11-21

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

BEYOND

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

Welcome Home:

WORKING WITH RELOCATORS IN TRANSITION

CONNECT BEYOND REAL ESTATE

to Attract Future Clients

FEATURED AGENTS

SAMANTHA HUANG SPENCER YUAN COVER STORY

KARI WHEELER

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Call 1-800-771-5971 or visit us at www.lgscompliance.com email info@iusecompliance.com Top Agent Magazine

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

SPENCER YUAN SAMANTHA HUANG

Agent Spencer Yuan – of Momentum and open communication foster would be his ex Over her nine years Top in the industry, trust with 7 19 23 Realty in San Jose, California – is a hardstruction, Samantha has seen her career pass notable any client, so by closing day, they thor-home r milestones. She is counted among the top and feel working, dedicated and deeply knowledge- oughly understand their contracts homes, and real ® and in theprofessional who truly cares confident in the process. Her 1% of REALTOR s nationwide, great able real estate also runsfolhis own past year, she closed $58about million in sales low-through doesn’t stop at the close of a achieving stellar results for his many agement compan volume. Her service has garnered rec- Spencer’s consummate transaction. Samantha stays inexceptional touch with value grateful clients. ognitions including a Platinum Award in past clients, helping them continue to proapproach to customer service has endeared 2017 and Emerald Elite Awards for 2018, tect their interests with quarterly market him to all who have worked with him, and updates, holiday cards, calls, Another factor th 2019, and 2020. Samantha also received and emails. he has Spencer’s a 5-Star Professional Award for certainly two con- earned his solid reputation “I think what my clients loveinmost about cont as aachieved trusted two real estate advocate for buyers me is that I empower them to success secutive years; a recognition make story the wou and sellers alike in Northern California’s ligent approach to years in a row byKARI only ten out of 20,629 don’t make the decision WHEELER SAMANTHA HUANG right decision.

SPENCERI YUAN ® Valley. school area. She is repREALTOR s in the baySilicon for them,” Samantha says. “Iold give them techni utable not only amongst her clients, but options and reasons something could ingwhy Broker’s tours, as well a her industry professionals all recognize or couldn’t work, and they can choose the Spencer began his lengthy journey in real estate in that deftly leverage social me Samantha’s negotiations 2006, and communication skills. right path for themselves.” though he did not begin selling full time until exposure to his many listings

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2013. “My mother was a Realtor®, so growing up I

swift sale – and happy clients

In launching her real estate career, Samantha found a When it comes to marketing, Samantha utilizes a variety saw all hard work she put in of and the lives that she buyer. Top-of-the-line proway to 4) marry her love of architecture and structural methods to reach the right BEYONDtouched,” CLEANING 16) WELCOME he recalls.

“I wasn’t feelingincluding fulfilledprofessional in myHOME: Spencer – who design with over ten years of retail and customer serduction photography and services staging the S AND DECLUTTERING: WHAT WORKING WITH RELOCATORS previous career, so sheI suggested it out toconsiderations Santa Clara, San Mateo and vice experience. “In combining these backgrounds, can factorthat intoI try customized for presenting IMPROVEMENT EXPENSES IN TRANSITION see if I liked it, then the rest was history.”

Spencer, selling over 40 million provide a high level of service I think was missing in the each property. She engages a robust digital rollout for annua MAKE THE MOST SENSE? who previously earned his B.A. each in Economics from UC a wide tic,range but even more so for a s industry,” Samantha says.

“It’s the biggest investment listing. Posts across of social media 20) of someone’s life; whether they’re or for buying platforms and realty sitesBEYOND put Samantha’s right at Davis, alsoselling worked eighta years prior CONNECT in the financial has to dolistings with Spencer’s tru home, it’s a really exciting moment, and I get to be a a buyer’s fingertips, and clients can check out upcoming 13) 3 MIND–BENDING ESTATEThat TO ATTRACT services industry, where he foundREAL great success. industry. “I love being abl part of that.” properties on the Better Homes and Gardens PHILOSOPHIES TOwas EXPAND FUTURE CLIENTS success greatly magnified when Spencer began enthuses.

“I getNetwork to help a lot o before they hit the market.

Samantha also relies on traYOUR PROFESSIONAL selling homes, something he discovered he loved and achieve their dream of home ® Today, Samantha is a REALTOR and broker with ditional professional networking among fellow agents PERSPECTIVE thus built a thriving business on a solid foundation of to help people who are retir Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Thrive serving affiliated through realty associations like Asian Real trust, honesty and deep local and industry knowledge. new(AREAA) chapter in their lives.

San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Seventy percent Estate Association of America and other of her business derives from repeat and referral cliassociations to create exposure for a new listing. significant portion of Spencer’s overall When he’s not working, Sp ents. When working withCurrently, Samantha, aclients know their business is based upon repeat and referral golf and is an avid interests come first as she helps them to navigate the When she’s not clients, working,aSamantha takestennis, part inand volunPhone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440 transaction process. For her Samantha structures and community events enjoys spending time surebuyers, barometer of the excellentteer customer service he is and rescue organizations. competitive offers also designed to save them money. with family, taking road trips to places like Lake Tahoe. providing his clients. “I think the reason for that would mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com She works to get sellers the highest price andmy bestability return to Looking the future, Samantha isfor in this have with make thetowithout process the business plans forforthe futu No portion of this issue maytobedo reproduced in any manner whatsoever prioreasy consent of“As the publisher.

Top Agent on investments in a competitive market.

Samantha’s the long run.

She plans to continue to grow with past bybyfinding clientsGA, their quickly, while Spencer thoughtfully, Magazine is published Feature my Publications Inc.dream Althoughhome precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published “I wa fluencymaterials, in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English creates a for clients andexpressed expand her referral business into the decades Top Agent negotiating Magazine cannot held deal responsible opinions or facts supplied its authors. He also plan thebebest for them,” explains Spencer. moreby people.” comfortable client dynamic with multiple generations to come, maintaining the high level of excellent service To subscribe or change address, send inquiry mag@topagentmagazine.com.

“On the listing side,toI’m able tothat creatively market the since support his rapidly growing of immigrant families.

Her exceptional follow-through has been her trademark day one.

Published in the U.S.

home and get them sold quickly.” Spencer’s abilities translate intomore homesatthat sell fast and for top dollar.

Find out soldbysamanthahuang.com.

however, remains his overar tinue providing his many g full-service, excellent custom Connect with Samantha at 415-640-7602 and email at samantha.huang@gobhg.com Top Agent Magazine Another reason for Spencer’s amazing success story synonymous with his3 name. www.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kitchens and baths

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

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

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

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

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

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

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KARI WHEELER

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Most of Kari’s business is in Butte and Yuba counties, but she goes wherever her clients’ needs dictate.

“When I do something, I don’t do it halfway. I won’t limit myself. I represent clients all over the state of California and even some out of state.”

NICK VLASIDIS

Head north on CA-99 out of Sacramento and you’ll eventually roll through Biggs, a quiet little town in Butte County where everyone knows everyone else, and where Kari Wheeler has been building a reputation for honesty and reliability for the last 30 years. A cattle rancher and hay farmer by trade and by heritage, she’s formerly been known as the owner of Wheeler Ranch and Feed. But in 2019 she left management duties to her daughter and took her work life in another direction.

“I’d always been interested in becoming a Realtor,” Kari explains. “I had success with it very quickly, and people have asked me why I didn’t do it a long time ago. I just tell them that it wasn’t my time.”

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Without a doubt, her time is now. She closed 30 transactions with eXp Realty in both of her first two years, and is on pace to close between 40 and 50 in 2021. Although most of her business is in Butte and Yuba counties, Top Agent Magazine

she goes wherever her clients’ needs dictate. “When I do something, I don’t do it halfway. I won’t limit myself. I represent clients all over the state of California and even some out of state.”

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Kari goes above and beyond for her clients, and makes sure their transaction is as smooth and stress free as possible by maintaining good communication throughout the process.

That high-quality service is one of the reasons why she’s won eXp’s Icon Award for sales volume two years running.

It hasn’t been hard finding clients anyway.

As her already strong sales volume attests, the people who trusted her for their ranch supplies were more than happy to let her handle their real estate needs. Like always, Kari goes above and beyond for her clients, 10Copyright Top Agent Magazine

and makes sure their transaction is as smooth and stress free as possible by maintaining good communication throughout the process. That high-quality service is one of the reasons why she’s won eXp’s Icon Award for sales volume two years running.

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Another reason is that people just know and trust her because of the many contributions she’s made to her community over the years. She’s served as president of many boards, including the Gridley Area Chamber of Commerce, the Biggs Unified School Board and the Gridley International Quota Club, to name a few. She’s also Top Agent Magazine

served on the Board of Directors for the Gridley/ Biggs local hospital, and has participated in various fundraisers aimed at enhancing the lives of children. “I feel very blessed for the many opportunities I’ve had to serve. Giving is so important, and I always want people to see me as an open door.”

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Kari wants her children to see her that way too. With two grandchildren and two more on the way, she spends a lot of her free time being a grandma, which is just fine by her!

She loves being with her family, caring for the animals on her ranch, and singing, especially the old country gospel songs.

As for the future of her business, Kari has already begun the process of putting together a team, and looks forward to helping new agents make their own mark in the industry.

“I enjoy teaching and finding helpful ways to motivate people. My goal is to keep offering exceptional service as I train my agents and continue to learn and grow myself.”

Contact Kari at 530-693-1777 or email wheelerranchrealty@gmail.com

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3 Mind-Bending Philosophies to Expand Your Professional Perspective

Beyond the day-to-day duties that make your business tick, so much of success is derived from the principles you put in place to guide your business. The foundational tenets you subscribe to can make or break your business for the long-term; they not only influence how you complete routine Top Agent Magazine

tasks, but also impact your growth, your ability to manage a team, and what the future might hold. With all that in mind, here are three philosophies to remember as you strategize your professional life—whether you’re mapping your monthly goals or creating an overarching plan for growth.

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Treat Your Business Like a Business

One of the perks of working in real estate is that you’re often able to create and manage your own schedule and volume, but that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the technical details of being your own boss.

No real estate professional worth his or her salt would forgo empowering tools like a business and marketing plan, or spreadsheets to track cash flow and expenses, or regular profit-and-loss statements, or fiscal year budgets and projections. Taking these measures may appear daunting at first— and completing them will certainly require discipline and a learning curve—but harnessing valuable data and information can intelligently inform your professional decisions, strategies, and long-term growth.

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Achieve a Holistic Understanding

When schedules are busy, it sometimes feels like enough to reach the end of the week’s to-do list. But, if you’re planning on a lasting career built on year-to-year growth, it’s not enough to account for the short-term.

By creating daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, and five-year goals, you’re outlining and quantifying your progress.

While your quarterly and yearly goals may be clear in your mind, what about five years from now? Perhaps you’d like to add to your designations, or incorporate a new team member, or add an additional branch.

No matter how you envision your profes14

sional future, the first order of business is to create a timeline. Once you have a clear deadline in mind, it’s far easier to build out the steps and calendar necessary to achieve your goals.

3 Specificity is Empowering While you may have a general sense of where you’d like to see your business go in the next few months or years, it’s hard to work toward or attain a goal that’s abstract.

To make the most of your time and efforts, you must identify and understand precisely what you’re aiming toward. For instance, instead of planning to add volume to your enterprise, outline a specific, attainable number to work toward. Or, if you’d like to add an administrative staff in the years to come, consider the details of this decision—the money it would take, the type of people you’d want to hire, how many hours per week they’d work, what tasks they would complete, etc. Adding hard details to your goals not only makes them more realistic, but progress is more easily made when you have specific items you can cross off your to-do list along the way.

While there are no 100% fool-proof or guaranteed routes to success, shifting your mindset from the present and the abstract, to the specific and the long-term can have a major impact on your chances of success.

Instead of dreaming of being more productive or successful, do yourself a favor and craft a gameplan you can bank on.

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Welcome Home:

Working with Relocators in Transition People stage moves for all sorts of reasons.

From the joyous and pre-planned, to the unfortunate and unexpected, new chapters begin with the help of an agent. When you’re working with buyers from a different region, state, or country, the typical complications of a transaction can be compounded. So, what’s a savvy agent to do?

For starters, envision the big picture. Relocators have extra obstacles between them and 16

their dream home. They don’t necessarily know which neighborhoods are ideal for their lifestyle, what they should budget for utilities, what type of homeowner’s insurance is ideal, or how they can tour, let alone close, on a house from afar. All in all, it’s a tall order, but if you can manage a relocation transaction successfully, you could tap into a sizable pool of clientele. Think of it this way: if you’re the shining star of a relocator’s moving process, their word-of-mouth praise could be

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exponential. Likewise, a winning reputation within that client’s corporate sphere could lead to lucrative, stable referrals and partnerships for years to come. Here are a few key ways to help clients navigate the relocation process with minimal stress and maximum results.

Create a full-scale timeline for you and your client that makes expectations clear.

Moving is already one of life’s biggest stressors, but relocations have a dozen more moving parts that your average deal. Consider creating a master-plan of sorts to help you and your client visualize the steps required to achieve success in the midst of a relocation.

Even from afar, your client will be able to refer to the roadmap you’ve set. Likewise, this makes sure you and your client are on the same page regarding expectations, timelines, and checklists. Assemble an articulated, overarching gameplan also helps demystify the process and lower stress. Instead of clients wondering what’s next, what’s needed, who to call, and when to be ready—handy guidelines of your own devising will be at their fingertips.

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Attune your communication style so that nothing goes overlooked or miscommunicated.

Establish early on how your client prefers to communicate and which methods should be excluded. Also, make sure to outline what timeframes are ideal to communicate in, and how often they expect to hear from you with status updates or follow-ups. Some clients might prefer a more hands-off approach that lets you manage most details behind the scenes with updates only when progress is made. Most clients in the midst of a serious relocation, however, will prefer to be in touch more frequently. Customizing is key. If they prefer text messages and emails over calls, that’s a helpful detail to know from the outset. If they prefer face-to-face video chats or can only speak after business hours—those are also key parameters to work within. The less mystery and hassle, the better.

Be a local resource with vetted recommendations and vendors on-hand.

Relocating homeowners may not know the best neighborhoods and their amenities, or where the best school districts are, which areas are high-traffic, or where their dollar might stretch a little further. Identifying your clients’ goals can help narrow this field, but you’ll also want to be careful not to overwhelm them with information. After all, they’re taking on a huge life transition and making a move as an outsider. You’ll want to serve as a onestop-shop who can remove some steps and stress from their organizational obligations.

Have a contractor who can get a head-start on home projects while clients make the move?

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Excellent. Or, perhaps you can provide an out-of-state agent referral so that clients can sell their existing property in a timeline that works in conjunction with their new purchase. Make yourself a community expert and a connector, and you’ve won a client— and their referrals—for much longer than a single transaction.

Think outside the box when weighing variables.

Relocations aren’t your typical transaction.

You’ll need to do a bit more planning to avoid pitfalls along the way. For instance, have you considered how you’ll tour homes with clients if they live hundreds of miles away?

Are there time zone differences to factor in?

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If clients are relocating from another country, are there any special visa or naturalization considerations? How will their belongings travel? Are there pets to relocate? There are plenty of questions to ask and plan for, but the key is to be communicative and thorough up front. The more information and planning time you have, the smoother the transition will go.

There are certified real estate agent designations you can pursue that set you apart for your experience when it comes to relocations, but in lieu of those—arm yourself with the planning details and methods that will make your client a raving fan. In the process, you’ll up your game, create a happy client, and hopefully field similar business for years to come.

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SAMANTHA HUANG Over her nine years in the industry, Samantha has seen her career pass notable milestones. She is counted among the top 1% of REALTOR®s nationwide, and in the past year, she closed $58 million in sales volume. Her service has garnered recognitions including a Platinum Award in 2017 and Emerald Elite Awards for 2018, 2019, and 2020. Samantha also received a 5-Star Professional Award for two consecutive years; a recognition achieved two years in a row by only ten out of 20,629 REALTOR®s in the bay area. She is reputable not only amongst her clients, but her industry professionals all recognize Samantha’s negotiations and communication skills.

and open communication foster trust with any client, so by closing day, they thoroughly understand their contracts and feel confident in the process. Her great follow-through doesn’t stop at the close of a transaction. Samantha stays in touch with past clients, helping them continue to protect their interests with quarterly market updates, holiday cards, calls, and emails.

“I think what my clients love most about me is that I empower them to make the right decision. I don’t make the decision for them,” Samantha says. “I give them options and reasons why something could or couldn’t work, and they can choose the right path for themselves.”

In launching her real estate career, Samantha found a way to marry her love of architecture and structural design with over ten years of retail and customer service experience. “In combining these backgrounds, I can provide a high level of service I think was missing in the industry,” Samantha says. “It’s the biggest investment of someone’s life; whether they’re selling or buying a home, it’s a really exciting moment, and I get to be a part of that.”

When it comes to marketing, Samantha utilizes a variety of methods to reach the right buyer. Top-of-the-line production including professional photography and staging factor into customized considerations for presenting each property. She engages a robust digital rollout for each listing. Posts across a wide range of social media platforms and realty sites put Samantha’s listings right at a buyer’s fingertips, and clients can check out upcoming properties on the Better Homes and Gardens Network before they hit the market. Samantha also relies on traditional professional networking among fellow agents affiliated through realty associations like Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) and other associations to create exposure for a new listing.

Today, Samantha is a REALTOR® and broker with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Thrive serving San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Seventy percent of her business derives from repeat and referral clients. When working with Samantha, clients know their interests come first as she helps them to navigate the transaction process. For her buyers, Samantha structures competitive offers also designed to save them money.

She works to get sellers the highest price and best return on investments in a competitive market. Samantha’s fluency in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English creates a comfortable client dynamic with multiple generations of immigrant families. Her exceptional follow-through

When she’s not working, Samantha takes part in volunteer and community events and enjoys spending time with family, taking road trips to places like Lake Tahoe.

Looking to the future, Samantha is in this business for the long run. She plans to continue to grow with past clients and expand her referral business into the decades to come, maintaining the high level of excellent service that has been her trademark since day one.

Find out more at soldbysamanthahuang.com.

Connect with Samantha at 415-640-7602 and email at samantha.huang@gobhg.com www.

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CONNECT BEYOND

REAL ESTATE

to Attract Future Clients What kind of content are you sharing on your blog, website, and social media? Does most of it have something to do with buying or selling a home? While sharing the latest market information or tips on how to qualify for a mortgage, or when someone should buy or sell is important and demonstrates your value as a REALTOR®, it shouldn’t be the only subject you cover. If you only focus on real estate, you’ll be missing the chance to connect with future clients that might not be ready to move just yet. By sharing a lot

of industry-heavy content, you are only going to appeal to those who are currently in the market rather than a broad base of potential clients.

To pull in those other future clients you want to provide fresh, interesting content that will appeal to those possible future clients that aren’t quite ready to move yet. However, you also want to still tie this content back into your business goals.

So, how do you share content that will speak to a wider audience, but also still be relevant to your business?

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Talk About Your Philanthropic Activities

The philanthropic work you do to support your community says a great deal about who you are as a person. Many people will be attracted to working with you because of the charitable works you are involved with. While you may be hesitant to share these efforts because you feel it may come across as bragging, you also need to remember that sharing information about the charitable organizations you support will actually help those organizations. Many of them have small marketing budgets, so any free exposure you can give them helps to promote their cause.

In fact, they want and need you to promote them.

And you can promote them without coming across as a braggart. Focus your content entirely on the organization. Talk about why you support them, how they help the community, and how others can also get involved. This turns what could have been bragging into something that benefits everyone. n

Your Local Community

We humans are connected to each other through our community – our local sports teams, parks, churches, schools, and much more. What better way is there to connect with people in your community than to talk about your community? Demonstrate that you are an expert on your community, and bring that community to your followers. Share information about a local event; perhaps even share the actual event through live-stream video. Interview city officials to get the low-down on the latest development project. Share information with your followers about things they didn’t know about their community. Consult with local historians or the historical society to share interesting information about your community that your followers will want to read. You could even turn it into a series of podcasts or videos. n

Use Your Creativity to Connect

Find creative ways to engage your followers on the topic of real estate. Try engaging your followers in an interactive project such as posting photos of interesting front doors. Doors are the entry point into our homes as well as our private lives. The way we adorn our front door can give someone a sense of our style and personality. Ask followers to submit photos and choose one to post each Friday. Make sure to watermark each photo with your logo at the bottom and include an inspirational quote that ties back to the importance of home. You could also ask your followers to provide a little story or caption to go along with the photo that tells something about them and their home. These kinds of projects are interesting and unique, and clearly connect back to your business. n

Share Your Hobbies

Are you an adrenalin junkie who has bungee jumped from some of the tallest bridges in the world? Are you a foodie that grows your own organic vegetables and fruit? Do you have a Top Agent Magazine

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secret passion for photography? Everyone has hobbies that they enjoy outside of work. When you look past the surface people become quite interesting. People also happen to find interesting people interesting, and tend to remember people based on their distinctive traits. We humans love discovering a person’s behind the scenes story, the mind behind the face. While you don’t want to talk too much about yourself, sharing pieces of your personal life and things that interest you can be a great way to connect with followers. By sharing interesting facts about your life, you will find that many followers will feel a strong, personal connection to you based on your hobbies and personal interests. n

Divulge Interesting Experiences

This is somewhat similar to the idea of sharing your hobbies. Sharing some of your more interesting personal experiences such as a fateful conversation with a stranger or an exciting adventure you had while in another country can be a great way to connect with followers as long as it also relates to some kind of life or business lesson. Talk about experiences you’ve had with clients or purchasing your own home. Experiences that relate to your business are great ways to connect with future clients in a manner that goes beyond the world of business. n

What and Who Inspires You

No matter what you’ve chosen to spend your life doing, you didn’t get there alone. You may have had a mentor that made a special impact on your life or someone already in the business that you looked up to and who perhaps inspired you to get into real estate. You may have found inspiration through a love of architecture or design. People want to know why others do the things they do. Sharing who or what influences you in your personal and business life is a great way to connect with followers. Recognizing that you didn’t get to where you are now by yourself shows humility, and talking about those people that had an influence on you shows others that you stay connected to the world and people around you.

Connecting with potential clients is something that is essential to any REALTOR’S® business. If you’re doing the work to create interesting blog posts and make those connections, you want to make sure that you’re sharing the right kind of content to draw in those future clients. It takes a lot more than simply providing the latest market news. To get the most out of what you share, you need to provide a wide array of interesting content

that will draw in a broad range of followers.

Providing the right kind of content can make all the difference when it comes to connecting with future clients and building the right kind of relationship with them right from the start. Connecting through your website or social media and sharing more than just real estate advice will help you build confidence and trust with future clients before you even meet them.

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SPENCER YUAN Top Agent Spencer Yuan – of Momentum Realty in San Jose, California – is a hardworking, dedicated and deeply knowledgeable real estate professional who truly cares about achieving stellar results for his many grateful clients. Spencer’s consummate approach to customer service has endeared him to all who have worked with him, and he has certainly earned his solid reputation as a trusted real estate advocate for buyers and sellers alike in Northern California’s Silicon Valley.

Spencer began his lengthy journey in real estate in 2006, though he did not begin selling full time until 2013. “My mother was a Realtor®, so growing up I saw all hard work she put in and the lives that she touched,” he recalls. “I wasn’t feeling fulfilled in my previous career, so she suggested that I try it out to see if I liked it, then the rest was history.” Spencer, who previously earned his B.A. in Economics from UC Davis, also worked for eight years prior in the financial services industry, where he found great success. That success was greatly magnified when Spencer began selling homes, something he discovered he loved and thus built a thriving business on a solid foundation of trust, honesty and deep local and industry knowledge.

Currently, a significant portion of Spencer’s overall business is based upon repeat and referral clients, a sure barometer of the excellent customer service he is providing his clients. “I think the reason for that would have to do with my ability to make the process easy by finding my clients their dream home quickly, while negotiating the best deal for them,” explains Spencer.

“On the listing side, I’m able to creatively market the home and get them sold quickly.” Spencer’s abilities translate into homes that sell fast and for top dollar.

Another reason for Spencer’s amazing success story

would be his experience with new construction, home restoration, building spec homes, and real estate development. He also runs his own successful property management company, all of which provides exceptional value to his clients.

Another factor that has played a large role in Spencer’s continuing and ever-growing success story would be his thorough, intelligent approach to marketing that includes old school technique like flyers and hosting Broker’s tours, as well as cutting edge strategies that deftly leverage social media to provide maximum exposure to his many listings, generally resulting in a swift sale – and happy clients.

Spencer – who services the Silicon Valley counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo and Alameda – is currently selling over 40 million annually, an impressive statistic, but even more so for a solo agent. Much of that has to do with Spencer’s true passion for his chosen industry. “I love being able to help families,” he enthuses. “I get to help a lot of first-time home buyers achieve their dream of home ownership, and I also get to help people who are retiring and moving on to a new chapter in their lives.

When he’s not working, Spencer enjoys basketball, golf and tennis, and is an avid supporter of local canine rescue organizations.

“As for the plans for the future of my business,” says Spencer thoughtfully, “I want to continue to serve more people.” He also plans on building a team to support his rapidly growing enterprise. Above all, however, remains his overarching objective: to continue providing his many grateful clients with the full-service, excellent customer care that has become synonymous with his name.

For more information about Spencer Yuan, please call 408-892-1720 or email spencer@momentumbayarea.com Top Agent Magazine

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