Feb 12, 2011
Before I go into detail in this blog, first you need to know that although I am a licensed real estate agent, I do not help customers buy or sell. I serve as a middle man between the relocating customer and a licensed agent. My job is to make sure that our incoming or outgoing referral customers are taken care of by the agent that best suits their needs.
I’m posting this blog because I feel that no matter where you are there are key factors that play a very important role in your choice of a real estate company and agent. So, now, on with my story:
Yesterday my phone rings and I recognize the number as Lendingtree, or realestate.com as you may know it. They are referring to me a new buyer looking at the Destin and Sandestin area, particularly an area we call “scenic route 30-A” . They connect the buyer to me and the first question from the potential buyer is “Tell me why I should use you as my agent?”. Whoa, right? I proceeded to explain that I don’t actually work with buyers or sellers in finding them a home or selling theirs – that I connect each of them with a sales professional from our company to work with him or her in this capacity. But, I did want to answer the “Why”. So, I then took a deep breath and started speaking, hoping that I would not tongue-tied and spill out things like, uhhhhhhhh, well, ummmmm, etc. Was I surprised that once I started I almost couldn’t stop – and for one who is not much of a talker I was shocked!
First off my tongue was the celebration of our 30th anniversary in April and, well, that speaks for itself. Longevity like that is not common in any business. I told him these thirty years were successful because the foundation of our company is to ensure that the agents we send out in the field are highly trained, not just straight from the Florida real estate school with a license in hand. They are straight from our personalized training program we offer here at ERA American Realty. Our agents learn everything in our ROTC training program: how to write a contract and any needed addenda; effective marketing including staging ; ethics and professionalism; being a team player; and so much more. These are not easy classes, and they are mandatory, and they are time consuming for an eager agent – but they are worth it. I went over the fact that our agents also know how to do the formulas and ratios to help you make the best decision when purchasing a property, in this case a second home, that you might plan to rent out as a vacation rental or a long term rental. This is so important.
Our agents know how to work short sales, foreclosures, auctions, and of course a traditional transaction. We are team players and use each other for guidance and mentoring. So, our buyers or sellers gain the advantage of a team of 80 qualified professionals. Our agents are proud of what they do, and making people happy is their goal. Lastly I made sure he realized that no matter what company has a home for sale, our company can show and sell it. I could have gone on but figured my point had been made.
In the end, he did pick our company and the agent I assigned to work with him. Wouldn’t you?