WestWords - May 2023

WESTWORDS

I AM WEST USA

WAYS TO AVOID HOME BUYER'S REMORSE

REAL ESTATE ISSUES FOR AGENTS FROM DEAN BECKER

TIPS & TRICKS FOR SUCCESSFULLY EMAILING CONTACTS WITH YOUR CRM

APRIL MARKET STATS

AGENT IN ACTION

BRENDA WEE

Saguaro Flower, State Flower of Arizona

I AM OSA HEMBERG

I AM PROFESSIONAL

I AM EXPERIENCED

I AM SERVICE-ORIENTED

I AM A PROBLEM SOLVER

I AM OPTIMISTIC

I AM WEST USA

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

We cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience with Osa! She was incredibly kind, honest, resourceful, intelligent, and responsive during our entire home-buying process. Since we were first-time home buyers, we were nervous as to what to expect in the unforgiving and chaotic market. Osa's knowledge and experience was definitely an asset and she was able to secure us multiple acceptance offers and our first home. We were living out of state, so constant communication through text, email, and FaceTime were necessary, and she definitely followed through on all of these fronts. Very thankful for her expertise and would highly recommend her in the future.

We were so lucky to have Osa as our REALTOR ® through this process. We were new to Arizona and needed help not only navigating the various areas in the valley, but also getting clear about what we really wanted in our next house. Osa was incredibly

knowledgeable about the areas that would fit the kind of lifestyle we wanted to lead (wanted to be near lots of hiking and outdoor activities), and provided such helpful counsel as we weighed our options. She's the kind of agent you want on your side as she always has her clients' best interests in mind—always. And to top it off, she's just a good, honest human. You're in good hands with her as your agent!

As first time home buyers, we were terrified and clueless on how to buy a home in this market. Osa was patient, kind, thoughtful, and so generous with her time to lead us in this process. Out of 19 offers, she was able to land us our DREAM home! She negotiated and advocated for us with precision and care, communicated clearly with us through the whole process, and went above and beyond to secure our purchase. I have and will continue to recommend Osa as the highest quality and caliber REALTOR® in Arizona.

REAL ESTATE ISSUES FOR AGENTS

As a real estate agent, there are several potential issues that you should be aware of. Here are some common ones:

1. FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE: Real estate agents who fail to communicate effectively with their clients can face legal action or negative reviews. It's important to keep clients informed throughout the buying or selling process and to respond promptly to their inquiries.

2. MISREPRESENTATION: Real estate agents who misrepresent the value or condition of a property can be held liable for any resulting losses. It's important to provide accurate information to clients and to disclose any known defects or issues with the property.

3. BREACH OF FIDUCIARY DUTY: Real estate agents owe a fiduciary duty to their clients, which includes acting in their best interests, maintaining confidentiality, and disclosing any conflicts of interest. Failure to uphold this duty can result in legal action.

4. VIOLATION OF FAIR HOUSING LAWS: Real estate agents who engage in discriminatory practices can face legal action and damage to their reputation. It's important to comply with fair housing laws and to treat all clients fairly and equally.

5. FAILURE TO OBTAIN PROPER LICENSING: Real estate agents who fail to obtain the required licenses or certifications can face legal action and damage to their reputation. It's important to ensure that all necessary licenses and certifications are up-to-date and in compliance with local regulations.

6. INADEQUATE MARKETING: Real estate agents who fail to effectively market their clients' properties may not generate enough interest from potential buyers, which can result in a longer time on the market and a lower sale price.

7. LACK OF EXPERTISE: Real estate agents who lack expertise in a particular market or type of property may not be able to effectively represent their clients. It's important to continually improve your knowledge and expertise in the industry.

Overall, real estate agents should be aware of these potential pitfalls and take steps to avoid them, such as staying informed about industry regulations, effectively communicating with clients, and maintaining high ethical standards.

TIPS & TRICKS

BY WISE AGENT

FOR SUCCESSFULLY EMAILING YOUR CONTACTS WITH YOUR CRM

Staying in contact with your database is essential to your real estate business's success - emails are a great way to stay connected with past, current, and potential future clients. Through email, clients can quickly receive timely updates about their real estate transactions or other matters requiring their attention or input. Email also allows you and your clients to store important messages for future reference instead of wasting time trying to remember crucial details or sifting through lengthy phone calls and conversations.

3 THINGS YOUR CRM CAN DO TO MAKE EMAILING EASY FOR YOU

1. Sending Emails in Bulk

Bulk emailing allows real estate agents to easily contact large numbers of real estate clients at once, reducing the need for multiple emails with the same message to be sent out. This saves time and energy while also increasing the chances of engagement. Even with the large number of emails that can be sent out, real estate agents are still able to personalize their message to their clients, e.g., by using placeholders for clients’ first and last names.

2. Schedule Emails in Advance

Busy REALTORS® don’t always have much time to send emails, so your CRM allows you to schedule emails in advance to ensure they will be sent out at the right time. Scheduling emails allows real estate agents to plan ahead, eliminate forgotten messages, and prioritize the most important messages to send out.

3. Track Email Analytics

After sending out emails, you can also see how your clients engaged with the content you sent them. Your CRM provides statistics where you can see how many of your clients received a specific email, the number of times it was opened, or how often your audience clicked on a link inside the email.

3 TIPS THAT WILL HELP YOUR EMAIL STRATEGY TO BE SUCCESSFUL

1. Be Intentional

There is no set number for how frequently you should email your database. But with the overflow many people are experiencing in their email inboxes, it is imperative to be intentional with your emailing and focus on sending emails when you have something valuable to share with your database.

2. Segment Your Audience

When sending emails, it is essential that your message ends up in front of the right people. However, not everyone in your database might be interested in everything you say - some of your clients might be looking for information specific to their situation, e.g., as sellers or buyers. Therefore, it is more effective to segment your audience and only email those contacts who are genuinely interested in what you want to share.

3. Personalize Your Emails

Giving your emails a personal touch is an excellent way for you to stand out. One way to personalize your message to your contacts is to use placeholders in your email that allow you to address them by name, even when you are sending a bulk email to many contacts. Another idea for personalizing your emails is to bring in your personality, tone, voice, and sense of humor - and feel free to include pictures or videos! Your clients will appreciate individualized emails more than generic marketing emails that they already receive.

To learn more about sending emails from your CRM, visit our blog or watch our YouTube video!

WAYS TO AVOID HOME BUYER'S REMORSE - PART 2

BY DEREK RILEY

Moving on to part 2 of ways for your clients to avoid home buyer’s remorse, I’ll reiterate that sometimes it helps to go back to the basics. Today, we’ll focus on:

• Fixer-uppers, what to consider, and what to look for to make sure your clients are protected

• How to determine if a home has been flipped and hiring the right inspector to check their work

• The basics of a home warranty and how it can protect your client’s budget

• Always having your clients pay attention to their instincts

LET’S JUMP IN!

5. BEWARE OF FIXER-UPPERS.

If you have clients that been on the path to homeownership for a while and still haven’t found their dream house, they may be considering a fixer-upper home. Before buying a house that needs remodeling, it’s important for them to consider a few facts to avoid home buyer’s regret.

Construction companies are short-handed. Like many businesses after the pandemic, the construction industry has been hit with a major workforce shortage. That means the time it takes to finish a home renovation project may increase.

Materials are expensive. Building materials are pricey. For example, lumber prices have almost tripled since August 2021. Even though your clients may have saved money by buying a fixer-upper, building materials may end up costing them more in the long run.

Many materials are unavailable or on backorder. Due to supply chain issues, some building materials may not get to your clients for a while, which means they could be waiting for both materials and labor.

Buying a fixer-upper can allow your clients to transform the property into the house of their dreams. Just make sure they are aware of the potential pitfalls before putting in an offer.

6. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR FLIPPED HOMES.

Are your clients wondering how to avoid buyer’s remorse as a first-time homebuyer? First, make sure they are aware of the signs that a house has been flipped. When looking for real estate, study the selling history. It might be a flip if it was bought a year ago and put back on the market.

Not all flipped homes are bad; however, their quality and craftmanship can vary wildly. The quality of a flipped home depends on the flipper’s skill, techniques, and ethics. If your clients decide to invest in a flipped home, make sure they hire a well-reviewed inspector with a lot of experience, and make sure they take action if the inspector recommends a specialized inspector for a follow-up.

7. PROTECT YOUR CLIENTS WITH A HOME WARRANTY. What is a home warranty? It’s an affordable investment your clients can make to help with the costs of repairs on systems and appliances. Unlike homeowner’s insurance, a home warranty helps protect their budget when home systems and appliances break down due to normal wear and tear.

Investing in an American Home Shield® home warranty can protect your client’s budget and help them avoid home buyer’s remorse. Check out our pricing and plans at pro.ahs.com for more details.

8. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR INSTINCTS.

When your clients are in the homebuying process, always have them trust their gut. A little bit of stress is expected when making such a large purchase, but if something is nagging at them, let your clients know it’s okay to take a step back and reassess.

In a competitive real estate market, taking too much time to put in an offer can mean losing out on a property. However, rushing into a home that doesn’t feel right isn’t the answer. If your clients are in a situation where they’ll be without housing soon, they might have to make sacrifices. But, if your clients have time and a roof over their head, have them listen to their instincts and pass on homes that give them a bad feeling, are too pricey, or aren’t filling them with excitement.

Derek Riley, Market Manager Cell: 480-286-1996 • Email: derek.riley@ahs.com

TODD MENARD’S REAL ESTATE MARKET STATS

APRIL 2023

NEW HOME INVENTORY VS. ARMLS RESALE

BRENDA WEE

If you would like to nominate an agent that is doing great things in the community or making a difference, please fill out the nomination form on the Mywestusa.com website under the downloads tab and the Cares button.

Brenda Wee out of the Chandler office is this month’s Agent in Action. Brenda is the co- founder, Director and President of Hanging On to Hope.

Hanging On to Hope is a 501.C (3) Non-Profit that offers help to those with all forms of Abuse.

Wee started out to help one person and has taken her life story and turned it into an organization that is helping thousands around the world facing some type of abuse. Wee said “I am a survivor of domestic violence/physical, verbal, emotional, and spiritual abuse from my 22-year marriage. My goal for establishing a non-profit is to help others heal and escape from abusive situations/relationships. Also, to help others not go through what I did by offering free resources and educating victims, family members, friends, and advocates.”

Hanging On to Hope provides a free weekly podcast, Hanging On to Hope, that is listened to in 65 countries and has over 60k downloads and a 5 star review. Wee added, “We interview the top trauma therapists, authors and real survivors to educate and help in the healing process. Hanging On to Hope also provides immediate assistance and advocacy to emergency abuse victims in the community and work with other non-profits who share the same vision. We are working with other non-profits in our community to address the shortage of domestic violence shelter in the East Valley. In December, we helped provide Christmas gifts to the women and families in New Leaf Domestic Violence Shelters and provide blankets to the homeless.”

Hanging On to Hope recently garnered two awards from The O'Tahirah Foundation, Inc., and The Western Bank community award for their work in their community and worldwide. Thank you, Brenda, for everything you are doing locally and around the world… You are a true Agent in Action.

To learn more about Hanging on for hope please visit www.hangingontohope.org

WE CAN HELP YOUR CHARITIES!

Do you volunteer or have a charity that is dear to your heart?

Nominate them for our monthly giveback program where your local charity can be eligible for a financial donation from West USA Cares in your name. The application is available on your dashboard under the downloads and then under the West USA Cares tab or ask your Office Ambassador or Office Staff.

FREE REMOTE CE CLASS - High Fiduciary Representation (3Hrs Fair Housing)

10:00am - 11:00am @ Ahwatukee O ce Navigating New Build Issues with Patrick McQueen

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