Real Estate Concierge

I love how our Broker/Management is always thinking of new innovative ways to create new opportunities for our agents.

Village Properties currently has a Real Estate Concierge Office in one of the best new upscale hotels in Santa Barbara...The Canary Hotel. Located in the heart of our beautiful downtown, with a great restaurant and bar, super meeting and wedding facilities and a rooftop deck with pool, bar, fireplace, entertainment area and KILLER views...this is the place to be! www.canaryhotel.com

Weekdays, this office, located right next to the registration area services the wedding and events sales office for the hotel; on Fridays and Saturdays it becomes the Village Real Estate Concierge Office. The wedding pictures on the wall are changed to photos of beautiful area homes, our laptop is turned on, real estate magazines, maps and information of local interest are placed in our office and the lobby along with an easel and a large professional Open and Welcome to Village Properties sign is placed at the entrance of our office...and we are in business.

We find ourselves making many dinner and activity reservations which is a fun way to connect with visitors to our beautiful community, and we have created some successful business connections both with visitors, and hotel personnel. One of the most fun ways to market this innovate idea to my local clients is to invite them one by one to have lunch with me at the hotel restaurant before my shift or dinner after my shift. I'm finding myself reconnecting with old clients in a fun and lighhearted social setting. Of course we talk business...but mostly I'm reconnecting personally which is what our business is all about.

Our Management felt that this program should be agent driven. We have about 12-15 agents rotating into our weekly schedule. I am one of the team leaders. My co-leader and I take turns monthly for all Concierge responsibilities such as floor schedules, making sure there is ink and paper for the printer and that the laptop is working properly and covering emergencies. I have created an Activities Book filled with information about Santa Barbara Activities and hand-outs. Each of us brings personal and invidual marketing material to give to our visitors, and of course our MLS is on-line.

Management pays a monthly lease fee for the space, provided us with the lap top and we share the cost of any print advertising with management. The team leaders share a small referral fee from any agent making a successful sale originating from the Concierge office. We recently placed a beautiful display ad in a local high end Magazine catering to locals and visitors alike. Currently in production is the creation of CD's featuring Villages' monthly Television Showcase of homes to hand out to visitors..with a lovely Canary Concierge Team cover!

What innovative ideas are you and your fellow associates working on to reach customers in creative ways?

Carla Reeves, CRS, Concierge Team Leader

Carla@SantaBarbaraDreams.com

http://SantaBarbaraTalk.blogspot.com

www.santabarbaradreams.com