Kent Anderson

In Part I of the AR Series challenge, I examined the importance of a Realtors® personal profile. A personal profile may reveal to a customer some of the unique qualities you possess that could weight the scale in your favor to earn him as a client.

In Part II, let’s look at the contents of your profile to find what is in there that can aid you at being the best Realtor® you can be. Let’s break it down:

1) Pledge to Clients. After you write your pledge, read it from time to time. If you are pledging a “passion” for this business or a “dedication” to your clients, then do it. As soon as you can’t live up to your pledge, it is time to re-examine your focus.

2) Education. You can never get enough education, whether formal or informal. In our industry, continuing your education is fundamental to representing your clients to the fullest. This is a no-brainer.

You keep this up with PASSION. This doesn’t mean just maintaining the required hours to retain your license…it means you are always looking for ways to augment that education…webinars, books, lectures, etc. Get creative. Learn as much as you can. ACTIVERAIN is one of the truly wonderful educational sources available. USE IT! Blog and comment! The ACTIVERAIN format is an unbelievable opportunity to grow…and at no charge.

3) Professional Experience. What have you done prior to being a Realtor® that could help you be better at what you do? Is there anything that you may have mastered that relates directly to your Real Estate?

Don’t be a Secret Agent. Make sure your potential clients are aware of how your professional experiences can help you represent them.

For me, my graphic arts background has been a lifesaver…especially given the difficult economic climate. It is my belief that it is during the business troughs that we must “plant our fields”. There are, of course, many ways to get yourself out there in front of potential clients. I have used my art background to both get my name out there and save money.

I create all of my own listing fliers, design all of my newspaper and magazine ads, design any 4-page listing brochures I need for the upper- end listings and create various custom promotion advertising as needed. I realize this isn’t necessarily rocket-science but for a good presentation, experience in the graphic design industry certainly helps…and doing it myself saves me a fair amount of money. (I also believe that my work is as good as anything available in the local Sandpoint marketplace).

As I stated in Part I, we live in difficult times. This is just one way that I can control some of my expenses as this economy struggles through the current downturn.

In Part III of the AR Series Challenge I talk about making money outside of our real estate industry just to stay alive.

REALTORS’ SURVIVAL GUIDE, PART 1. “What Do We Bring To The Table?”

We all know this is a DIFFICULT real estate market. Sandpoint, Idaho is no exception. Prices have declined to historic lows, personal financial portfolios have been trashed, home loan dollars can be difficult to secure (even though interest rates are also at historic lows), home sales are down, home sale prices are down, COMMISSIONS are down…LIFE IS DIFFICULT. Being a Realtor® is difficult.

Most of the Realtors® that I know are “reinvented”. They have “morphed” into the real estate industry by way of a rich and diverse career road. It is this very career road that has helped pave the way to their success. The majority of Realtors® in my MLS Association (The Selkirk Association of Realtors) here in Sandpoint have the most interesting, eclectic background of any group I have ever associated with regardless of what industry we are talking about. I thoroughly enjoy being a part of this group and I am duly impressed! (This is ONE of the reasons I love it here in Sandpoint. I don’t look at my fellow Realtors® as competition. These are the people that have done so much to enrich my life here in Sandpoint!).

We, as Realtors®, cannot forget about the path that got us into this industry. The tools we have gained through our career life experiences are the very tools that will help us get through these economic times. As a group, most Realtors® cannot survive this market on real estate sales alone. Sorry, but that is a fact. We work in a cyclical marketplace and if we have not cached away enough money to get through these times, we need to supplement our income. Our personal profiles reveal the tools needed to survive.

Our personal profiles need to be readily available to potential clients. The client/agent relationship is typically a very personal experience. Good clients tend to become good friends. It is important that a potential client has some background of the agent he/she is selecting when making a life-changing decision like buying or selling a home. I invite all customers to study my personal profile before selecting me as their agent. All of our classes on the Realtor® Code of Ethics, Core classes, Agency and the other yearly required classwork are immensely important but, so to is our work history both inside and outside the Real Estate world. It is my belief that the fact I owned a company of over 120 employees for 25 years has given me certain tools that may be unique to me that can help a client through a bumpy real estate transaction. The examples of how life experiences can help create an exceptional Realtor® are, of course, countless.

Our personal profiles also reveal tools that can directly bring in income to help survive this market. There are fall-back positions that we may need to take whether we return to doing some of the tasks we had mastered in our past work history, incorporate some of those tasks into our current real estate practice or resort to a consulting position based on our expertise from our “former life”, these tools need to be utilized from time to time.

Part 2 in The REALTORS’ SURVIVAL GUIDE will explore how this can work.

Kent Anderson is a Realtor®, sales associate with Coldwell Banker Resort Realty in Sandpoint, Idaho.

If you are considering buying or selling a home in Idaho, you deserve local expertise and advice to be provided by a professional in real estate. Kent Anderson, is a full-time Idaho REALTOR® providing full time, professional real estate services to home buyers and sellers in the cities of Sandpoint, Sagle, Ponderay, Kootenai, Clark Fork, Priest River, Priest Lake, Hope, Bonners Ferry, SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN RESORT and all surrounding cities in the Bonner County / Boundary County North Idaho area.

MOJO COYOTE CAFE is a landmark at Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho. ...and for good reason! Cassandra, Julie and Therese (baristas extraordinaire) are simply the best at what they do. They make the perfect drink and are unparalleled in engaging customers. We only get so many days in this life and to start your day at MOJO COYOTE CAFE is pretty tough to beat.

Mojo, nestled in the corner of the spectacular Selkirk Lodge on the Schweitzer Mountain Village Commons, is the regular morning home to the Schweitzer Ski Patrol, Ski School Instructors, local ski racers, bike racers, mountain climbers, huckleberry pickers and anyone else who understands the importance of the mountain ambiance to fill the breadth of their life.

Living in the mountains is about immersing into the magical atmosphere of the alpine environment. Sitting in front of a fire sipping a 16 oz. mocha on top of one of the truly great mountains in the Rockies is pretty tough to beat. This is what Mojo is all about.

As an added bonus, MOJO has some great food! I just found out yesterday that their pre-prepared sandwiches and burritos are created next door in the award-winning kitchens of the CHIMNEY ROCK RESTAURANT. This is BIG! The Chimney Rock Restaurant (named after THE Chimney Rock - one of the most famous climbing faces in the Selkirk Mountains) is a culinary masterpiece. Incredible food! Not surprisingly, the MOJO breakfast burritos are to die for.

As an added bonus (from a very personal perspective), MOJO COYOTE CAFE looks directly across the Schweitzer Mountain Commons Area directly at my office: COLDWELL BANKER RESORT REALTY. As much as I enjoy my office, meeting clients at MOJO is a pretty fun experience. It's a great way to immerse a potential new home owner into the "mountain experience".

So, here is a big thank you to the baristas at MOJO! Thank you for making my life what it is. You are the BEST!

PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS ON REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITIES IN SANDPOINT AT ski7b@coldwellbanker.com. I am ALWAYS available to answer your questions!

Kent Anderson is a Realtor®, sales associate with Coldwell Banker Resort Realty in Sandpoint, Idaho.

If you are considering buying or selling a home in Idaho, you deserve local expertise and advice to be provided by a professional in real estate. Kent Anderson, is a full-time Idaho REALTOR® providing full time, professional real estate services to home buyers and sellers in the cities of Sandpoint, Sagle, Ponderay, Kootenai, Priest River, Priest Lake, Hope, Bonners Ferry, SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN RESORT and all surrounding cities in the Bonner County / Boundary County North Idaho area.

TRINITY AT WILLOW BAY (formerly called Cafe Trinity), located between Sandpoint and the town of Priest River and on the shores of the Pend Oreille River is a REAL culinary pleasure!

TRINITY AT WILLOW BAY was formerly located right in Downtown Sandpoint, Idaho and loved by all. They took the "Divide and Conquer" concept to the extreme and created 3 distinct Trinity-inspired restaurants: TRINITY AT WILLOW BAY, TRINITY ON THE BEACH & 41 SOUTH. All three have become Sandpoint destinations.

TRINITY AT WILLOW BAY offers the same Southern Cuisine we have come to love at the original Cafe Trinity. Now we get to sit right on the Pend Oreille River while enjoying their great food! ...and best of all...TRINITY AT WILLOW BAY is located just under 1 mile from Salishan Point by car or boat. What a fantastic addition to the Salishan Community! In the words of TRINITY AT WILLOW BAY:

"Nothing beats sitting on the deck enjoying a Damn Good Burger, a cup of Spunky Crawfish Chowder or a succulent filet mignon with friends while taking in fresh Idaho air and watching the sunset over the lake. Trying to get out the sun for a while? Treat yourself to a scrumptious meal in the shade on our covered patio before getting back to your marvelous summer tan. After a long, tedious day of fishing, water skiing, wakeboarding, and swimming, you can boat on over and finish the day off with Northern Idaho’s finest cuisine. In addition to the fine cuisine, Trinity at Willow Bay has two fully stocked bars to satisfy our spirit thirsty patrons. Whether indulging in wine, beer or mixed drinks, Trinity at Willow Bay has the selection and staff that are second to none.

Save time and headaches as Willow Bay Marina can take care of all your gas and ice needs. Our dockhands will assist you with filling your tank and get you ice without you even having to step foot on dry land.

Trinity at Willow Bay is located at 520 Willow Bay Road and is accessible by car via Hwy 95 south of Sandpoint and heading west on Dufort Road for approximately 9.5 miles. Trinity at Willow Bay is open seasonally from mid-June to mid-September . We are open seven days a week from 11:00am to 9:00pm."

At last week's Salishan Point Sales Event, TRINITY AT WILLOW BAY provided us with two $50.00 gift certificates to give away to customers as part of our free drawings. What a great addition to our celebration! We are very grateful to Trinity and look forward to a long association with them!

If you are considering buying or selling a home in Idaho, you deserve local expertise and advice to be provided by a professional in real estate. Kent Anderson, is a full-time Idaho REALTOR® providing full time, professional real estate services to home buyers and sellers in the cities of Sandpoint, Ponderay, Kootenai, Priest River, Priest Lake, Hope, Bonners Ferry, SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN RESORT and all surrounding cities in the Bonner County / Boundary County North Idaho area.

You may be relocating to or from Sandpoint, Idaho due to any number of reasons... whatever the case, when searching for a real estate professional outside the state of Idaho, please feel free to Contact Me or call me at 208-610-1201. I have associations with fantastic agents throughout the U.S. and I would be happy to help you get connected.