How Do You Select The Right Realtor?
April 24th, 2009 Categories: 4S Ranch, Brookside Escondido, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Real Estate News, Santa Fe Valley
As a Branch Manager for Windermere Exclusive Properties it’s my job to spread the word on why our brokerage is a great place to work. With all of the “consolidation” going on in the San Diego real estate world, it’s been hard for me to get out because our phones are starting to ring off the hook.
Our phones are ringing because we are the company that is different than the rest and agents are looking for better, more innovative companies to hang their license with.
I had a really good interview today with a recently relocated broker associate who is considering joining our company. As always, I try to convey an accurate portrait of our company and what it’s like to work with us while getting to know the potential new agent.
I always end up saying the same things… “It’s our culture that makes us different” and “we’re like a family”, which sound sort of cliche’ish ( I know this isn’t a word!)
When I interview for our offices, I look at the person in front of me and try to visualize how they will “fit” within the office. Most often, I end up apologizing for talking too much and going on too long (I do love my company!) instead of being a good interviewer and asking lots of the boring traditional questions. When I do get to the questions I like to ask, I’m usually able to bring to the top what the agent is really looking for in a brokerage, and what they need to succeed.
REALTORS are starting to get that it’s not all about us anymore. People don’t care what million dollar clubs we belong to. They’re not impressed with our image websites with pictures of our dogs and cats or our beautiful families. People want the local info, the stuff they can’t find on Zillow or Trulia. They will gravitate to those agents who can provide them with this type of service. We teach this everyday!
At one point in my interview, I told the interested agent that at our brokerage, every agent donates a portion of their commission on every transaction we close to the Windermere Foundation. The amounts vary but every closed transaction results in money going to a good cause.
I was asked where does the money end up, and while I answered the question, it made me think of a video we produced that answered the question far better than I ever could. Watch The Video.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4yJeeQ3LWs[/youtube]
The real estate professional of today needs the support, resources, and tools that a company like Windermere Exclusive Properties can provide them with.
Marketing in general and online marketing especially are critical for today’s homeseller.
Providing the right information to buyers today is hugely important, who now have the capability to know just about everything about a property before it’s ever seen in person. We provide the support and the tools and the education to our agents that consumers need today.
What our professionals are looking for, even in tough economic times like we’re experiencing today, is to feel good about what they do and how they help people.
It is The Windermere Way.
If you are looking for a professional real estate representative, you can count on Windermere.
My interviewee today was that professional, and would fit right in to our family. I hope she joins our team!
To find an experienced agent who can help you navigate today’s ever changing market, click on this link.
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Escondido Real Estate Prices Lure Buyers Not Newspapers
May 25th, 2008 Categories: Escondido, Real Estate News
Here in North County, especially in the inland corridors of communities like Escondido, buyers are resurfacing in large numbers. The reasons are simple…prices have declined significantly and interest rates are really low, and it adds up to more buying power for those in the market for a new home or investment property. You would think the opposite if all you did was read the newspapers. 
Today I got up and read the headline in the business section of the local Sunday paper, headline reading “Real Estate Crisis About To Get Worse”. The story went on and on about how the number of foreclosures are expected to rise and continue to rise throughout 2008. The story continued on two additional pages and the secondary headline on the next page read “Crisis” continued from page one. The author talks about real estate agents being at odds with “analysts”.
Further, I was confused by the quote attributed to their “analyst” that went as follows; “I am more wondering when is this thing going to blow up, and you’re already talking about light at the end of the tunnel”. Huh? (No, I did not misquote or mistype, this is actually what was printed). The quote was attributed to “an investor and former real estate broker” (actually still a real estate broker…I looked him up). But just as I was trying to find the meaning of this utterance, I realized what this was; just another opinion from someone who is probably not active in today’s market standing on the sideline barking negative information. Oh yeah, and the newspaper’s attempt to sell more papers.
I’m feeling less and less sorry for my local paper, as they are quickly being put out of their misery by the internet. What was once three sections and maybe 15-20 pages of real estate advertisements has shrunk to practically nothing. Why? It’s an old school medium that is frantically trying to turn all of their former print advertisers into advertisers on their internet portal. For years and years, many great local real estate brokers paid lots of money for what is essentially “presence” advertising in local papers, and are now being assaulted on an almost daily basis with three month old news and random predictions.
Next month, the National Association of Realtors “2008 Internet vs. Traditional Buyer Survey” will come out and it is expected to show that over 80% of us use the internet to help us with the search for real estate and related information. Listing aggregation websites like Trulia are seeing huge growth in their number of monthly users. 
We’ve all determined that putting our listings online where we can display dozens of photos, virtual tours, satellite images, school information, walkscores along with just about anything else you can think of that runs 24/7 all over the world at a fraction of the cost…is more valuable than one picture (sometimes blurry) and very small for a one day run with a declining readership in a limited area.
Today I helped my wife (who is a local Escondido Realtor) hold an open house in Brookside. We had over twenty five people show up for it, and by the way she did not advertise it in the local fishwrap. We met several nice people, including three different couples looking to buy in Brookside since prices have come down and made it an incredible value. One couple owns another home in Vista that they intend to keep as an investment property, and move into the Escondido home.
The market is the market. And today’s buyer has an incredible opportunity. Prices have dropped significantly and interest rates are still at historic lows. Bank owned homes that need to disappear from their books are selling like wildfire, some with multiple offers over asking price, and many to investor buyers who know San Diego County real estate will rebound.
If you you’re a doom and gloomer, read the newspaper. If you want relevant information, talk to a local Realtor and mortgage loan representative. Talk to your CPA and invest for the long run. Like that guy on the radio says, “and now you know, the rest of the story”.
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