You know beyond a doubt that you are a successful real estate agent. You have been asked by AgentHarvest to give a listing presentation to a homeowner in a neighborhood that you’ve sold lots of houses in. You have done your homework, you know the neighborhood, and you have a great reputation in the real estate industry. Basically this listing is in the bag. However, you discover that you couldn’t be more wrong. The homeowner chose another real estate agent. Where did you go wrong? Why did they choose the another agent?
I’m in a unique position to see successful real estate agents lose listings all the time, which is why I am writing this article. Our company, AgentHarvest, introduces homeowners to top producing agents that have a track record of selling houses in the client’s neighborhood. After our clients meet with the agents we select, we get their impressions of each agent they interviewed. The most popular reason one agent is chosen over another will surprise you. In most cases, it’s not the agent’s famous name, real estate team, big-name brokerage firm, hi-tech tools, color charts and graphs, pages of stats or even the unrealistic promise of an unobtainable listing price that wins them over. In our experience, the most popular reason one successful real estate agent is chosen over another equally qualified agent all boils down to one thing … ENTHUSIASM.
Some of the feedback I’ve received from various clients about their favorite agents includes phrases like, “They were all good, but this one seemed like he’d work harder to sell our house” or, “We thought he would be the most aggressive” and, “We feel he’d do a better job.” Notice I didn’t say, “Wow he had impressive slides,” or, “Great color handouts,” or even, “It’s an honor to be represented by The Petrey Team, I am in deed fortunate to have his sign in my yard.” No, it’s not the tools, the polished presentation or the smooth way you schmooze the clients. Really, none of that matters. Homeowners only care about two things. Are you successful at selling houses? And, how enthusiastic are you about selling mine?
Be enthusiastic you say? What does that mean? I don’t mean walking in with a fake smile while proclaiming, “wow, what a beautiful home you have.” Believe it or not, homeowners see through that fake sincerity crap. Instead, be enthusiastic about selling homes and serving your clients. Enthusiastically market them, show them, and put them in the best possible light. Let your enthusiasm show in the smallest of details, in the pictures you take, your knowledge of their neighborhood and home, buyer followup and in your communications with your client.
During your next listing presentation, don’t rely on your pretty listing presentation or your big name, team name or agency’s name. Show them you can sell houses then show off your enthusiasm about selling theirs.
Are you an enthusiastic agent? If so, share examples of your enthusiasm with us in the comments below. AgentHarvest is always looking for ENTHUSIASTIC agents to refer to our clients.
AgentHarvest's Top 20 List for November was released on December 1 and it lists the top ranked agents in DFW based on the highest number of residential sales for the month.
To see if you're on the list, go to http://www.agentharvest.com/top20agents.html
Congratulations to all agents that made the list.
Agents making the list may use the following badge with our permission:
<a href="http://www.agentharvest.com/top20agents/top20agents11-10.html"><img src="http://www.agentharvest.com/images/agentharvest-top20logo.jpg" alt="AgentHarvest Finds Top Producing Real Estate Agents" style="border: 0;">Listed As One Of The Top Real Estate Agents In DFW for November, 2010</a>
Real estate is a hard career to transition to if you don't have enough savings to last you through the initial dry spell. To ease the transition, some agents like to start out in real estate as a part-time agent. Is this part-time devotion really fair to your clients and should you really expect a full commission for part-time devotion to your client?
I think the following article raises some interesting points about part-time agents and how they do a disservice to our industry and their clients.
What are your opinions about full-time -vs- part-time agents? Do you think they can effectively represent their clients? Is it fair?
Original source: http://blog.agentharvest.com/real-estate-industry/realtor-vs-real-estate-agent-when-is-it-appropriate-to-use-the-term-realtor/
Shortly after launching our Really Rotten Realty website last month, we were reminded of the difference between Realtors and real estate agents. That reminder came in the form of a friendly request from the National Association of Realtors’ legal department about the correct use of their trademark.
Find out how we used the term Realtor incorrectly and find out also how the term should be correctly used. The original article referenced above was assembled from an interview we had with the Trademark Administrator for National Association of Realtors, Mary Newill and our staff at AgentHarvest.
Please go to The AgentHarvest Blog to continue reading about AgentHarvest's conversation with the NAR Trademark Administrator regarding the use, or in our case, the misuse of the term Realtor.
Find out if you are in trouble for trademark infringement, like we were by misusing the term Realtor instead of Real Estate Agent.
It's always been my stand that if you can't change what you don't like about our industry then at least try to avoid it and expose others to it so they can too. That's why the Really Rotten Realty agency was created. They are exposing the absurd and shady practices of our industry by making an example of it in what I think is a very memorable way.. humor.
The site, http://www.reallyrottenrealty.com at first impression looks like it is highly critical of all real estate agents and the industry as a whole until you read closer to get the real meaning. While promoting all of the illegal, unethical and just plain lazy practices of their agency, they wear things like shady practices and ethical misconduct as a badge of honor. They even brag about using the "Do Not Call" list because it's a great list of phone numbers that are not only freely available, but are also competition free because most real estate agents don't call those numbers.
The site, while mentioning these horrible and sometimes illegal practices, also provides links to a blog that have articles that illustrate why those practices are bad for the client. It's a pretty smooth way of making a point, outrageous at first, but logical afterwards.
It looks like this site exposes all of the bad things that are wrong with this industry and airs it for all to see and hopefully avoid. Looks like a funny attempt to expose some of our industry's worst tendencies. I hope you will agree.
>>> Go to ReallyRottenRealty.com >>>
Bill Petrey
AgentHarvest - a free real estate agent finder service
AgentHarvest is a real estate agent finder service. Let us introduce you to top performing Realtors in your neighborhood. Serving the entire Dallas / Fort Worth area
Use Our Free Real Estate Finder Service To:
Want to know more about our service? Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Get valuable tips for finding the best real estate agents
Go to the AgentHarvest Website to learn about our real estate agent finder service.
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Real Examples of Really Rotten Realty Blog
All the really rotten news that real estate has to offer. Stories about naked agents, dead bodies, scandals, acts of God, etc. The darker side of real estate that the major news media doesn't cover. We have them all right here.
The AgentHarvest Blog
Confessions of a licensed Realtor. Learn the secrets of finding a top producing real estate agent and working with that agent to get your house sold. We tell you the things most real estate agents don't want you to know.
The Robo-Descriptor 9000 - MLS Description Generator
Thanks to the connections I gained in ActiveRain, I was able to find great Realtor tools like The Robo-Descriptor 9000 - MLS Description Generator. This tool saves time by creating great MLS descriptions by using the client information I input into the system.
Gillian Wu, Dallas, Texas
We found our agent through your service in June, and we worked together to sell our listed property on 9/18/09. The agent we found through your service worked hard to communicate with me, the buyer's agent, and other involved parties. He thoroughly explained things to us and told us what he would do if he were in our position. He fought hard while representing us during negotiations and we really appreciate his effort. Our story may not be a good candidate for testimonial, but overall, we had a positive experience in finding a agent through AgentHarvest. If I have the opportunity, I'll recommend your service to anyone I know who wants to use a Realtor in a real estate transaction.
Thank you!
Gillian
Sarah S., Plano, Texas
AgentHarvest quickly and objectively selected for me 3 of the top-ranked real estate agents for the area around my home. After interviewing each, the one I selected did an outstanding job and sold my home in a week! Thank you AgentHarvest for taking the guesswork out of choosing an agent.
Thanks,
Sarah
Sandra Tames, McKinney, Texas
In my field, you learn that hiring an expert pays off. And believe me, it's the same with selling and purchasing a home. I want everyone to know about AgentHarvest.com. They saved me time, money, and stress! AgentHarvest.com really came to the rescue. It's the best way to find an expert in residential real estate.
Before I found AgentHarvest.com, nothing was happening with the sale of my home! When I first decided to sell I contacted real estate agents from their direct-mail pieces. I hired a married couple, thinking that two is better than one – but it didn't work out that way.
We signed the contracts and they stuck the sign in the yard. It was rather dark when they took pictures, but their credentials showed they had so much experience. I priced myself in the middle of the range they gave me. They accepted my price with no feedback, just an OK. I thought, whew, that was easy! Yes, a little too easy.
My experience included:
With all this frustration, and the fact that my immaculate home wasn't getting any action, I went out and discovered that other homes in my area were priced from $8-12K lower! They were in great condition, staged correctly, and some even had their own website. I was beside myself; I couldn't compete with this!
I e-mailed my agent (because I could never get her on the phone, and he had just disappeared) and sent her the information. Her lame response was, "I suggest you lower your price." My agent wasn't updating me with market comparisons on a weekly, bi-weekly, or even a monthly status. She just wasn't watching the market. There was no communication – this confirmed that they were doing nothing to sell my home. It felt like a nightmare. I was neglected, poorly serviced, and trapped in a contract; this couldn't continue!
Using Google, I found AgentHarvest.com. I was on a mission to locate a top-quality agent who could help me find my next home. Clearly, the existing agents were not interested. I read the information on the website, filled out the form, and requested that someone contact me. I got an immediate response! I told the AgentHarvest representative all about my situation, and he assured me that AgentHarvest could help me find a professional, successful agent for the purchase of my new home.
I got calls from AgentHarvest agents the very next day. Each was extremely professional and very knowledgeable. The agent I chose counseled me on the market value of my current home so it would be priced correctly. Since there was no effective communication with my first agent, I let her know what the new price would be. I asked her to notify the agents who had been through my home that the price had changed. Thanks to the information provided by my AgentHarvest.com agent, I had a contract on my home literally within two hours of the price change!
I was thrilled, and with my home finally under contract, and armed with my new agent, the search was on. I had become so stressed after weeks of stagnation, but my new agent gave me the time and support I needed. He tackled things right away, and the customer service was top-notch. We found my new home and had a contract to purchase after only two weeks! I could not have achieved these results without my AgentHarvest.com agent.
In addition, the rep from AgentHarvest.com stayed in touch. He made sure the process was going smoothly, and also let me know he had other resources available when I needed them. If I had known about AgentHarvest.com from the beginning, I believe my house would've sold much sooner. My home sales experience began in the depths of poor service, but finished at the height of customer satisfaction. To start out on the right foot, my advice is to contact AgentHarvest.com.
— Sandra Tames, McKinney, Texas
Robert W., Dallas, Texas
From day 1, our agent took the ball and ran with it. Last week she informed us that a buyer was ready to jump on the short sale of our property, she has been working with the bank and is negotiating a greatly reduced Promissory Note for us to sign, The Promissory Note will be at "0" % interest, and she even informed us that after a period of 1-2 years, we might even be able to renegotiate a final, reduced payment on the note. Other than the serious affiliated "dings" on my Credit Report, I wish I knew about this option several months earlier. Had I been able to save the $3500/month toward a lost cause earlier, I would be in a better position now - but - we are VERY grateful that this opportunity availed itself through your company - AgentHarvest.
Your services were timely, professional and - in working with you, we found a person who was kind, understanding and compassionate during a time of tremendous stress and difficulty for us. Having NEVER missed any kind of payment in my life prior to this, it was very embarrassing to have admit that I was in way over my head. Through your help and understanding, for the first time in a long time, I felt that we could breath again. The process is going forward expeditiously and we will soon be on our way to recovery.
I would recommend you, your company and its services to anyone who is "stuck between a rock and a hard place" to work directly with you and with any of the real estate agents you endorse to them. In our case, it seemed that a short sale was the only viable route to go to and your screening and recommendation of our agent has proven to be EXCELLENT for us, all around. Thank you very much!!!
Sincerely,
Robert W.
CLIENT UPDATE:
Bill:
Thank you for all your help. Our agent did a GREAT job. For the 1st time in many months, CitiMortgage isn't calling us up to 8-10 times a day and we are feeling some peace returning to our lives. With that "millstone" off our necks, we can breath a bit better and look forward to getting back on our feet.
We had been approached by many "vultures" out there regarding our property in Dallas - then you came along and nothing but good started to happen from then on. Thank you again for all of your help, advice and support. Without you, none of this would have happened!
Sincerely
Robert W.
Agent names withheld for promotional reasons.
Agent - Coldwell Banker, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
I have my first assignment, and am awaiting a time from the owner to visit the property to do the listing. Your referral system is perfect for me. I am happy to pay the referral fee, and not have to sign up for a zip code or pay a montly fee for clients that are not motivated. Thank you very much.
Agent - Keller Williams, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
I have enjoyed working with Bill and have been impressed with his professionalism, responsiveness and knowledge of our current market conditions. I appreciate the relationship and know that AgentHarvest is a "win-win" for agents, buyers and sellers.
Agent - Century 21, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
We get so many "opportunities" for referrals that never turn out. This was not the case with AgentHarvest a real referral that actually ended up with a listing.
Thanks for the referral.
Agent - RE/MAX, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Great idea you have Bill! I of course asked the seller referral you sent me how she found AgentHarvest. She explained the steps she took and her expectations. Seems to be what the future of referrals might look like!
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