Behind the Scenes

Searching Homes For Sale in Northern Virginia

Most people like to search online to find homes at the same time I’m searching. Ideally they are using my IDX or a Brokers IDX solution. Some people though, can’t help themselves and search on one of the dozens of real estate-like sites and are always disappointed by the results.

There are lots of places to look for listings but unless it is a REALTORs or Brokers IDX solution, the data is highly suspect. Those other sites get their information from real estate agent advertising but they keep it for content even after the home sells. They don’t have access to the MLS, nor should they, so they have no idea when a house sells. I use those sites to market homes and meet new buyers as well so I guess I shouldn’t speak ill of it but once you meet me or your REALTOR of choice to represent you with the purchase of your home, stop using Trulia, Zillow, realtor.com and the rest and start searching with your agents search tools.

Just the other day, Google announced that from any Google map, you can click “More” from the map itself, not the “More” at the top left of the page but the “More” that’s actually on the Map between “Traffic” and “Map” “Satellite” and “Terrain” It’ll show listings that… Google has found from various advertising outlets. It’s fun to try out as long as you don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s accurate. By way of example, one of the homes I found as “Active” on Google had gone to settlement 3 months earlier.

Again, a lot of fun but not practicle when your home search turns serious. That’s what I’m for ; )

Real Estate Sales Funnel

OK… I’m not a graphic artist. The sales funnel is mental tool I use to help me stay on track with acquiring future business. It sounds very impersonal thinking of leads in a sales funnel but until you meet someone, they are a stranger and they don’t really exist

- Not to go off on a tangent but that is the main reason real estate can be so difficult. People hold you at arms length until that moment when your eyes meet, you shake hands and you get to know each other, even a little. Then all the trepidation melts away and a good and trusting relationship can occur. At least that’s how it happens for me. -

OK, back to the funnel. It can be applied for any time period but I apply it to what I’m doing right now. At the top are anonymous visitors, which are those people who find one of my advertisements or web pages, which for me have completely replaced print advertising.

When they register on my site, become a friend/fan, visit me at an open house, send an email or call me, it’s my hope that they move down into the communication part of the funnel. Some simply vanish but I always try for a little “back and forth”.

When I’m able to make appointments, that is by far, the most important part of the system. Appointments are with home sellers to see their home prior to listing it for sale or meeting with people as a buyers agent for either counseling or to actually look at homes. This is the most important step because it gives everyone a chance to get to know each other and more importantly, to decide if we want to work with each other at all – and yes… occasionally I decline business.

Of those people with whom I have appointments, we have occasional successes. We may have to find several to choose from and write offers on 3 or 4 different homes before we actually get one in this competitive market. As people go under contract, I’ve got to be nurturing the rest of the funnel to keep the appointment part full.

One of the most difficult things for many REALTORs is trying not to focus entirely on only one part. That causes an inconsistent business model. In order to be successful, I need to remain aware and stay focused not only on my wonderful existing client base but also on those wonderful people, I have yet to meet.

Today, the appointment part of my funnel only has 6 or 7 people in it. If you’re thinking about selling and/or buying a home, now is a great time to pick up the phone! (Whoa…Did you hear that hint hit the ground after I dropped it)

Good Relationships Gone Bad

No thanks… I have a _______ who’s a real estate agent. Every once in a great while, I hear these words after I offer to help someone with their real estate needs and all I can do is shake my head. Think about it, you’re going to buy or sell a house and your daughter-in-law, uncle or a best friend from high school is a real estate agent. On one hand you already know and trust the person but there could be several drawbacks.

The person you pick to represent you gets to know you very well. They learn just how much you make, how much and to whom you owe money, your credit score  and other intimate details of your life.

Another unlikely but possible drawback is the possibility that something might go wrong which could do irreparable damage to your relationship. If a detail is forgotten or something happens during the process that you perceive as being the REALTORS fault, things may never be the same.

Some time ago, I had a chance to represent a couple who were recently married and tied to me through family. They each wanted to sell a town house and then buy one big house together. Potentially a good chunk of income for me if I successfully participated in all three sales. It just wasn’t worth taking a chance, I put them in touch with another REALTOR who helped them sell their homes and buy a new one and everything was fine. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing because of what could have happened. For some problems there is no price tag.

Should I Become a Real Estate Agent?

Many people try to picture themselves in a real estate career. People who go through the process of buying and selling a home as well as people in other industries. I love my career choice and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else for a living, except for maybe owning and operating a Martial Arts school  : )

Being a REALTOR can be very rewarding and not just financially. One also has a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you help someone reach the goal of home ownership or help someone transition from one house to another or successfully relocate into or out of the area. The job has so many things on the plus side and really, only a couple of things on the minus side, if you’re a pros and cons type of decision maker.

Pro’s

• Real Estate is a very professional occupation, primarily filled with intelligent, ethical, business people. I think of real estate as requiring the same level of knowledge and commitment as any other specialized field. We are sales people but not typical sales people. We are not selling a product, we are selling our skill set. We wear many hats.
  • That of an educator, walking our clients through the home buying/selling process.
  • That of a trusted adviser, using our knowledge and experience to protect the safety of our clients wishes
  • That of an experienced negotiator, to help secure the best price, terms and conditions for our client
    and of course…
  •  the hat of a marketing specialist for the promotion of property and self
  • Using this skill set helps differentiate us from what is normally thought of as a sales person. OK… THAT was alot of sub bullets  ; )
• Your work is always different and you’ll continuously meet and help new people
• You set your own schedule and you are completely autonomous if you wish to be. It’s nice being the boss with a completely trustworthy staff.
• There’s no salary cap, with effort and discipline, you can make as much as you want to.

Cons

• There’s no bi-weekly paycheck, you only get paid when you successfully go to settlement.
• You will spend lots of, both money and time, with no income, doing the things that hopefully, should lead up to the settlements you require.
• You have to be a pro-active person and prospect. Prospecting is doing things you’re supposed to do to meet people and help them buy or sell real estate.
• The hardest part of the job, in my opinion, is meeting new people who want to buy and sell real estate. Once I meet them, we tend to bond instantly and everything is very comfortable.

They say that teachers and nurses can do well in real estate but there are many great agents who came from other professions. To be a Realtor you have to be of good character without a record. You have to complete 60 hours of training to prepare you to pass a national test. You also have to take and pass a state test. You have to meet the minimum hours of continuing education to maintain your license, most of us do that and more anyway. You’ll have to join your States Real Estate board and the Multiple Listing Service. There are many other organizations you’ll need to join and dues you have to pay The office you join will walk you through the steps. You can go it alone or hook up with a larger team to get your feet wet. You can start part time or throw caution to the wind and go for it full time. The best way to learn more is to meet with a career counselor at a real estate office of your choosing. Meet with a couple of offices or Brokers and make sure you “feel” good about being there and that the office or Broker meets your needs and/or offers you what you think you’ll need. Everybody’s different and every situation is unique but for me, I feel VERY lucky to have made the decision in 1994 to become a real estate agent and if I could go back in time, I’d do the same thing again. What is the best motivation for success? The need to support your lifestyle and more importantly, your family. If you have to make it work, you will. You’ll do the things neccesary to become successful. Open houses, cold calling people, farming and investing in internet leads (my personal favorite).

If you’re considering a career in real estate, give me a call or contact me. I would be more than happy to answer your questions and even put you in touch with a career counselor that I know and trust.