9 minute read
COOPERATION, NOT
Cooperation, Not Competition, Creates Mutual Success for Agents
When people get along during a business transaction, everyone comes out happier. And in a service industry like real estate, agents have the power deliver that happiness. By working cooperatively, sharing advice and helping each other help clients, agents not only enhance their own reputations, but that of real estate in general.
Matt Kobelski, with Credentials Real Estate Group in Massachusetts, points out that providing good service involves more people than the party you’re representing. “I’m not afraid to bring together all the parties in a deal and say, ‘OK, let’s figure out a solution that works best
for everyone,” he explains. “My goal is to avoid being adversarial.” Real estate, he believes, should always be a field in which each person can win. “It’s about working toward a mutual goal, shaking hands, and walking away happy that a seller sold, a buyer bought and everyone got what they wanted.”
But Is it that simple? Most agents have experienced the ways conflicting personalities and tension during a transaction can heat up even the most cordial relations. In reality, however, it’s more productive to let down your guard and work with others as a team than it is to allow stress and competition to preside. South Florida REALTOR ® and broker associate, Risë V. Siegrist, for instance, has zero interest in competing with other agents. “It’s more important to be professional and associate with competent, caring people,” she says. By serving others with a cooperative spirit, experienced agents like Risë set an excellent example for emerging real estate stars. Risë hopes to be a model for the next generation of agents, training people who may one day become part of her team.
Risë’s position on cooperation inspires more reasons for nurturing relationships with other agents. Over the decades, many agents change brokerages several times. Who knows if that agent across the table will one day work at the same brokerage you do? Perhaps you’ll even have an opportunity to partner on an exciting, future transaction. Good relations keep doors open to endless possibilities.
Co-listing cooperation
Teaming up with an agent from a different brokerage on a transaction is not as uncommon or complicated as it might seem. In fact, some agents cleverly capitalize on their collective attributes, rather than competing against one another. South Carolina REALTOR ® Kimberly Pannit is a perfect example of the universal benefits of co-listings. Although she has always been an independent agent, Kimberly works hard to form professional alliances that give her business the feel of a cooperative network across brokerages.
This cooperative approach may be nontraditional, but it benefits clients in unique ways. By working closely with agents at other brokerages, she shows how agents can improve client service while helping one another.
Kimberly’s cooperative approach began in her own neighborhood, where an agent friend from a different brokerage also lives. “Several years ago, I approached her because both of us were friends with our neighbors. I asked, ‘Why don’t we give our neighbors superior service and
co-list together? We both love our area and are passionate about our jobs, the location and schools.’” She also didn’t want to make their mutual friends choose between them when they could work together. “I said, ‘Let’s give them amazing service together!’” With their brokers’ permission, two weeks later the agents co-listed their first home and put extra energy into ensuring uninterrupted client service.
Networking and “Co-opertition”
When the ultimate goal is to match a client with the perfect home or create optimal terms of sale for a listings, networking with other agents can facilitate that ideal buyer-seller match. Nashville REALTOR ® and broker/owner Lisa Land embraced every opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the real estate industry and to her local market, even before building her own team. “Agents would frequently ask me for help or advice,” she says, noting that she shares, rather than guarding, the methods she uses to get through difficult or confusing transactions. “I was fortunate to have great mentors when I started in real estate, so I’m always willing to offer help, even to agents outside of The Luxe Collective.”
Meanwhile, on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, Janet Leigh Scott describes the climate between agents as relaxed and professional. “While the real estate market is highly competitive, we’re truly a ‘co-opertition’ market; agents work together and a have greater sense of community than you might experience in off-island brokerages,” Janet says. “If I have buyer coming into town, I’ll reach out to agents I’ve done transactions with to ask if they have anything coming up that might not be on the market yet.”
Even in hot, competitive L.A. real estate, independent agents such as Andrej Nagy of The Agency RE knows the importance of receiving and providing professional mentorship. “My relationships with clients are extremely important,” he says. “But my relationships with agents on the other side of a deal are also important.” For REALTORS ® like him, working smoothly with other agents is a privilege. Doing so builds rewarding relationships while ensuring win-win transactions for everyone at the closing table.
RHONDA PLAKE
RHONDA PLAKE
Top Agent Rhonda Plake — Broker/Owner of NextHome HeartLand Realty, leads a team of four agents and primarily serves the area between Stillwater and Tulsa.
When Rhonda Plake retired from the military after 29 years of service, it became clear it was time to follow her passion for real estate. “I always liked looking at houses, and I’ve spent my life in service to others, so it was a natural fit,” she says. “My son suggested I study for my real estate license and I decided to go for it.” She started her work as a Realtor in 2014, and is now the Broker/Owner of NextHome HeartLand Realty where she leads a
team of four agents. Rhonda lives in Stillwater and primarily serves the area between Stillwater and Tulsa, where she has a branch office. She and her agents also cover the area toward Oklahoma City. In the five years she’s been a Realtor, she’s earned her Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI) Certification, as well as her Residential Real Estate Council Designation (RRC, formerly CRS), Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR), and Military
Relocation Professional (MRP) Designations. She has also earned the Certified Real Estate Broker Manager (CRB) Designation, which is the most prestigious and respected designation available. “I am aware that, compared to many brokers, I am still new to real estate. Therefore, I felt earning the CRB designation would help give me credibility in the eyes of others. It was a great decision which has helped me in my real estate management, leadership, and knowledge.” Rhonda has earned production awards each year since 2015, including 2019 when she received the “Presidents Circle Award” for the third year in a row at the NextHome
Annual Conference. Through her affiliation with NextHome, Rhonda has earned the Certified Instructor Designation through the National Association of Realtors and is certified to teach the Accredited Buyers Designation (ABR) Course. Additionally, her affiliation with NextHome has provided Rhonda the opportunity to participate in the T3Sixty Fellowship, a Masters level program which will help attendees take their business to the next level. According to the T3Sixty website, it was founded by Stefan Swanepoel, and has an unwavering commitment to the Residential Real Estate Brokerage Industry. Rhonda is sincerely
grateful to be a franchise owner with NextHome. “The opportunities are endless and the leadership truly cares about us and our success,” she says.
An impressive 80% of her business comes from repeat and referral business. What keeps her clients coming back? “They tell me that they know I care about them and their outcomes, and not just about what’s best for me. I care about what’s best for them,” she explains. Rhonda takes the time to truly understand her clients so she can help them reach their goals. They appreciate her kindness and expertise, as well her fantastic organizational skills and drive. “My military background has helped me to be really driven,” she says. To stay in touch with clients, Rhonda stops by for a visit or to drop off a gift, calls, reaches out via social media, or gives their children a stuffed orange dog called “Luke,” who is NextHome’s official national mascot.
When it comes time to market listings, Rhonda starts with professional photographs to ensure that potential buyers see the home in its best light. “Quality pictures are everything,” she says with emphasis! Rhonda says pictures are what the customer sees first, and first impressions set the pace for the continued interest in the home. She then uses the broad marketing platform available to her through NextHome, so that the listing appears on hundreds of high traffic websites. Using the National Listing Distribution Platform provided by NextHome, she markets heavily on Facebook, Zillow, and other popular sites, and she also spreads the word through her broad sphere of influence.
Since becoming a Realtor in 2014, her number of units sold each year has steadily increased. In 2019, she closed 65 transactions, ranking number
five in her area in units sold. The average price of the homes she sells is $180,000.
What’s Rhonda’s favorite part of the job? “I love it when a client walks into the right home for them. Their body language and expression completely changes. I can see their dreams of their future flashing before their eyes. It’s just so exciting!” she says. To give back to the community, she has served on the Stillwater Board of Realtors as a committee member of various committees. She is on the Professional Standards committee for the Oklahoma Association of Realtors, and the Stillwater Board of Realtors. An animal lover, she is in the process of sponsoring Pete’s Pet Posse, which is Oklahoma State University’s pet therapy program. “It’s a great way to get involved with the community, because around here it’s all about
OSU, and it’s a great fit with our mascot Luke,” she says with a smile. In her cherished free time, she loves to travel and spend time with her family, and throw pottery. For the future, Rhonda plans to help start an organization supporting homeless veterans in her area. She’s also thrilled to announce
that her daughter, Lindsey, is working on becoming a realtor and has applied to take her real estate exam. Once she is licensed, she’ll join Rhonda in her business. “My daughter is a lot like me as far as her motivation and drive, so I think we’ll do great things together!” Rhonda says. “I hope to leave a legacy of drive, motivation, and genuine compassion for others that my family can carry on for generations to come.”
To find out more about Rhonda Plake,
contact her by cell at 405-385-2478
or by email at nhheartlandrealty@gmail.com.
You can also check her out online at
www.heartlandrealtyok.com.
or
www.facebook.com/plakesplaces
