The Fall of Paula Dean-

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

The Fall of Paula Dean

If you’ve lived in Savannah for any length of time what so ever, you know about Paula Dean. Paula Dean and her sons are the owners of an incredible empire that includes local restaurants such as The Lady and Sons, multiple TV shows, and over a dozen cookbooks published as best sellers. As real estate agents we are given sensitivity training and ethics classes quite often. We are very sensitive to race based questions, inquiries or comments. Unfortunately the rest of the world, including mega super stars like Paula Dean may not be getting those classes.

I remember Paula Dean in Savannah back in 1990 with her sons selling sandwiches out of the back of a truck. What’s amazing about that Paula Dean against the one you see on TV and in public now is that she didn’t have the syrupy, southern drawl and the word y’all rarely came out of their mouths. Much like most people on TV, the Paula Dean that you see is an image. Her and her sons have given the southern way of life its own caricature. The comments that I’ve heard over the weekend about her using the n-word really didn’t take me off guard. Paula Dean grew up in South Georgia and unfortunately that word was used and is currently used quite often.

I can’t help but think that if Paula Dean and the rest of the world were given classes on Fair Housing, the Code of Ethics classes that we take, and the constant reminders to treat everyone equally and fairly, would they see things differently? I also heard over the weekend that Paula Dean, before she became Paula Dean Mega Star, worked at a bank and also tried to sell real estate. To say that she was likable is an understatement. Her charm and her rise has been an inspiration to all. If the comments that she made turn out to be true, should she be indicted in the court of public opinion as a bad person, or just insensitive? What if she was a real estate agent today? Those comments would certainly cause a repercussion in her holding a license. Chances are she’d lose her license and/or be required to take sensitivity classes. I read a quote from Bill Gates one time that has always stuck with me. He said, “Success is a dangerous thing, it makes smart people feel like they can’t lose.”

Hearing Paula Dean explain herself using the n-word after someone pulled a gun on her at the bank that she worked at had a tone of self righteousness and certainly anyone in that situation may have done the same thing. Whether the young lady who is suing her for sexual harassment and racial comments has a case or not is irrelevant. It has done one thing – It uncovered sores and possible feelings that are far outdated and uncalled for. If the scales of public opinion had good deeds on one side that Paula Dean and her sons have done for the city of Savannah and other places and inappropriate and insensitive comments on the other side certainly the weight of the good deeds would far outweigh the weight of the bad. In America we like to tear down our heros and our public people just to see if they can rise again. Not sure if Paula Dean has what it takes to recover from such a stupid mistake.

Richmond Hill Georgia Homes- In My Prime

In My Prime - Richmond Hill Real Estate (edit/delete)

 In My Prime - Richmond Hill Real Estate. I listen to a lot of sports talk radio. The talking heads often speak of a player's "prime". "Prime" is different in every sport. In pro football, prime is between the ages of 26 & 32. Pro basketball is similar and pro baseball players enjoy a little longer prime that can extend up to about 36. Have you ever wondered, "When is prime for a real estate agent?"

In Georgia, a person can get licensed at the age of eighteen. A person with their wits could theoretically sell homes until the day they die at a very ripe old age. For the sports guys, their prime is determined by physicality and mental capacity. In other words; at what age can a player's body most readily perform what the player's mind is commanding? And also when is the player's mental ability at its sharpest so as to tell the willing body what to do? We thankfully don't have to rely on our physicality as real estate agents though we must rely on our mental readiness.

That's the beauty of being a real estate agent I suppose and it's why so many people can be successful. We can all choose to have winning attitudes and therefore do well in this business. However, without a good bit of experience this business will chew you up in a hurry. I don't see many eighteen year old Realtor prodigies. Yes, they can get licenses, but finding a person who is willing to trust an eighteen year old is a different story. I don't mean for anyone to discriminate against a teenage agent, in fact we, as more experienced agents, should be quick to mentor a young person who is eager to learn.

The “Prime” I’m talking about is a combination of experience, attitude, knowledge, conviction and presence. It takes a few years of getting enough deals under your belt for an agent to possess these qualities and it takes a few years of life lessons and professional lessons to achieve those character traits. I've been successful selling Real Estate in Richmond Hill, GA for the past seven and a half years because I possessed a few of those characteristics from the beginning and for almost four years I've been teamed with another winner, Randy Bocook of Keller Williams Realty. That winner has tortured, I mean "tutored" me and helped me hone my craft so that I can say today, on my fortieth birthday, that I'm most certainly in my prime. In My Prime - Richmond Hill Real Estate

Mark Douglas, Lead Agent
The Randy Bocook Team

Richmond Hill Georgia - Showing Etiquette

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

Showing Etiquette

I recently had a seller call me and voice their disappointment and slight anger at a Realtor that had made an appointment to show their home. The realtor didn’t show up on the first day during the allotted time but showed up the next day four hours past their rescheduled allotted time. We’ve all had this happen to us in the business. Part of our job is to educate any new agents out there showing homes to the proper etiquette and what is expected to view a listing.

·         The showing window should not be longer than 2 hours in length and should be narrower if possible. Many times you have a stay at home mom or a home that requires dogs to be removed, so being late or not showing up at your scheduled time causes major headaches for the seller.

·         Never let a cat or dog out of the home while opening the door of a listing. Assume that ALL homes have a small pet that could dart out at any given time, you have to be aware of this.

·         Prior to opening up the lockbox, always ring the doorbell. The seller may be home and you may startle them by opening up the lockbox and opening up their house unannounced. Even if you think the home is vacant, ring the doorbell and knock on the door. There are many times that a seller has downsized, is waiting on a moving truck or military orders and they’re sleeping on an air mattress in the back bedroom. It’s also good practice when you walk in the door to announce yourself loudly, “REALTOR!”

·         Never cut across the grass or yard to go to the front door. Several years ago I had a client cut across the grass following me to a home. We were unaware til after we entered the home that the client’s son tracked in dog waste all over the home. Unfortunately it took us several minutes to stop the excited kid from running around the house to decide which bedroom was his. You can imagine the mess it left. Sidewalks and driveways are designed for entry into a home; it’s just common courtesy to use them.

·         Never adjust the air conditioning or heat system in a home. No matter how hot or how cold the home is, the temperature in the home is what it is. By adjusting or tweaking a system, you might be launching a problem that you are unaware of with a leaky system that causes a drain pan to flood later. In south Georgia, when it’s 200*, no air conditioner in the home means a quick showing.

·         Never go through a seller’s furnished home, their drawers, their furniture, or refrigerator.  There’s nothing in those items that will help the sale of a home. Other people’s belongings are off limits!

·         Never discuss price, value, or likeability of a home in the home. It’s too easy with today’s technology to be recorded and too many ooh’s and aah’s mean a higher price if you decide to buy that home.

·         Unless you have a dire emergency, do not use the restroom of an occupied seller’s home. It’s bad etiquette and tacky. If your client HAS to go, or they have a small child having an EMERGENCY, then absolutely allow them to use the restroom but you can wait til you get back to the office.

·         Make sure all the lights are turned off in a home when you leave. I also make it a point to blow out all candles that a seller has lit for effect.

·         Last, but not least, if you’re running late or need to cancel a showing appointment for whatever reason, contact the listing office right away!

Richmond Hill Georgia Homes

Richmond Hill Ga Homes- Credit Challenged Buyers

Credit Challenged Buyers

This business is all about knowing your numbers. Everywhere you go, every blog you read, all you hear is “Know your numbers, know your numbers!”  How many homes have you sold? How many homes have you listed? How many leads are you working with? The lowest common denominator in those questions is selling a home. What about the credit challenged buyer that may or may not have told you that they have credit issues? How long was the cultivation period to get them to come in to the office? The internet age allows us to cultivate a potential lead, buyer, or client for months, sometimes years prior to their arrival.

How much time should you give them? What is their FICO score? Is it worth your time and energy to show them homes? Some realtors treat a credit score as a personal profile report. That could not be further from the truth. With the real estate crash that we experienced over the last few years, many good people suffered a foreclosure or a short sale. These people are of such good quality that you’d let them babysit your kids. Yet their credit has been damaged or destroyed. We make connections in this business.

I recently had a single mom of two teenagers come to me and tell me that she wanted to buy her first home but her credit scores were not high enough. She told me that I was the fourth or fifth realtor that she had contacted, that once she mentioned her credit was low they discounted her and did not return her phone calls or emails. This lady was an active duty military soldier, stationed at Ft. Stewart, GA and did not know what her credit score was exactly. She assumed it was bad because of a divorce that she went through.

Prior to sending her to my lender, I made a commitment to her to do whatever I could to help her find a home no matter how long it took. She was very grateful and I was proud of myself for seeing past an immediate closing and the chance to help someone who helps our country. To my surprise when I got her with the lender her credit score met the minimum number to qualify for a VA loan! We put a beautiful new construction home under contract, far grander and nicer than what she thought she could afford. With the low interest rates her payments are $150 less than what her rent was, so to say she was over the moon is an understatement.

I certainly know that you cannot make a living working credit challenged buyers. Sometimes you have to stop and see that there’s a need and there’s a reason that their credit score is low. Good quality people need our services more than ever. Now that we’re coming out of this deep real estate recession there are going to be millions of people climbing out of a bad situation and wanting to buy a home. Our professionalism will be tested, our patience will be tested, and the term delayed gratification is something we need to get used to. But guess what? That wonderful lady that I just sold her a new construction home for her and her family is going to want to sell that home one day and her being in the military she’s going to tell many people about the great experience that she had with me that should, in turn, result in more closings. Success breeds success, but don’t forget failure breeds failure as well.

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

Richmond Hill Ga homes for sale- Pain in Weakness Leaving the Team

Pain is Weakness leaving the Team

You have all heard the statement   ‘slow to hire, quick to fire’.   The real estate profession is an ever evolving and changing business. We work long hours, we work weekends, we miss family functions at times. We work when other don’t.  So because we put so much into this job, we need to make sure that we surround ourselves with the right people. You did not hear me say surround yourselves with like-minded people. But the right people.  Working with a buyer or Seller is really just the finish part of a long process. We have to cultivate the relationship. Your Team must learn the buyer or seller.  What make a Great Real Estate Agent from a good one is this process of learning and knowing the client.  Not everyone can do this effectively  .

     Your team needs to be diverse with ideas and opinions but must have one goal making the Team better.  I have a Lead Agent who is a great part of my team that sees life on a different level. He has often surprised me with his take on a person or situation. There is no right answer sometimes just a way to see things differently.  Many times I have had to talk him down from a ledge, and he has done the same thing for me. I am scared for the day that we unite with disdain toward a situation. Strap in!!!

I just had to let a team member go. I had many conversations with this person prior to hiring her and thought that she would be a great fit, I was wrong, After 100 days I knew this wasn’t the place for her. She did not fit in. Nothing wrong with her. She did not live up the expectations that we laid out in our conversations prior to her coming on board.   You have to have the right team members in the right positions.  I heard that Talent sometimes takes time to reveal itself.  But you have to know if a person is talking a good game or will be able to perform on the playing field. She did not have that passion. The Pain of letting a team member go is less than the pain of keeping them on for the long haul. The cost of a bad hire can be very large and painful.

Richmond Hill Georgia Real Estate

Richmond Hill Georgia Homes- I want to do my own Home Inspection

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

I Want To Do My Own Home Inspection

Are you kidding me? This is 2013, right? I have a buyer who wants to do his own home inspection! I know all of us have had that request but normally we can talk logic in to the buyer with some simple facts.

First, our contracts are written so that if an item is found or an issue is found during the inspection that a licensed contractor, preferably one in that specialty, has to diagnose and assess the problem. Not Joe Homeowner.

Secondly, who really has 3-5 hours of their time to go through a home and look at all of the mechanics, structure, roof, appliances, you name it.

This buyer of mine insists on doing their own home inspection. His statement to me was that “I have bought and sold many homes, I even helped my brother build his home.” As you can guess I had to bite my tongue, the little devil on my shoulder wanted me to say “Does that give you the knowledge to inspect a home for all potential defects? Are you knowledgeable in all the local building codes? Do you know about temperature differentials on a HVAC system? What about water pressure? Can you eye the flow of pressure from a faucet to know what the water pressure is?”

What I did ask is for him to explain why saving himself $300 was so important. His cockiness, and I would assume pride, must be the answer. I told him that even on the homes that I personally have purchased I always get a home inspection. That had very little effect on this gentleman. Oh, I forgot to mention the most important part. This is a foreclosure home that he is writing an over 6 figure check to buy.  I sarcastically said to him, “I’m pretty sure that the home owner took very good care of the house during the process of the bank taking it from them. Those threatening collection calls that they receive nightly, probably many times a night, must have inspired them to go check the air filters and clean the baseboards.” Humor had little effect on him.

Plan B! His wife seems like a pleasant person, I’ve talked to her a few times during this process, I will be able to talk her in to thinking logically on this! Her response “He knows what he’s doing; he’s all the time watching HGTV.” My attempts were over. HGTV, they might as well have told me it trumps me going to space camp as a child and therefore I’m qualified to be an astronaut! Sometimes you have to get out of the way of the client. I offered to pay for the inspection myself to no avail. This guy just doesn’t want to have a home inspection. Hopefully that won’t be the most expensive $300 he never spent.

Richmond Hill Georgia Homes for sale

Richmond Hill Georgia - Can You hear Them Coming?

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

Can You Hear them Coming?

Can you hear the roar of crowed getting closer? No, not the Marines storming the beach at Normandy, the noise I am referring to is all the new people or past realtors getting in to or returning to the real estate business. You know it is coming, several good months of real estate recovery – The perception, the news, the media, and frankly the numbers; they all say real estate is back or well on its way to recovery.

With this news you know we’re going to have an influx of stay at home moms and dads coming in to our business. Realtors who have allowed their license to go inactive are now in the process of reordering business cards. For all of us that have weathered this storm over the past 5-6 years, we know that this recovery has been a long time coming. We have the scars to show that we have weathered the worst real estate market in the history of America, and we’re still here.

There’s nothing we can do about that person who is uninformed, who tells their spouse “Hey, 6% of $200,000 is $12,000, I can make us a good living on that!” The good news for all of us warriors that have toughed it out, thrived and overcome is that the real estate market has changed. New agents are coming in to a very tech savvy business with complex layers.

The learning curve for the new agent stepping in to this market trying to make an immediate impact is several years of learning at best. Teaching the new agent how to sell a home and buy a home is a lot more difficult than it used to be. For the agent returning to the business, he or she is going to be shocked at what they see.

Depending on when they left the business, buyer agency is almost a certainty on most transactions. The ability to get a loan for a buyer is as tough as it has ever been. The buyers are represented now more than ever. Teams have sprung up and the leverage of having multiple team members permeates the business. Technology is now a must for any agent, new or returning to the business. Yard signs used to account for most sales in any market. Print ads used to be a prominent way to advertise listings.

All of these things have changed.

Telling a returning agent that they need to blog every day is not going to be easy. In a lot of ways the real estate crash cleared out the old, brought in the new, and made us more efficient, more customer friendly, and more productive. New agents need to learn our systems and returning agents need to adapt to the times.

Richmond Hill Georgia Real Estate

Richmond Hill Ga- Are Builder Ready ???

Are Builders Ready in Richmond Hill, GA?

Are Builders Ready in Richmond Hill, GA? For two and a half years, I've been basking in the glow of interest rates that have hovered in the "threes" and a few times dropped below three. It was a warm glow that made me as a Buyer's agent feel good and toasty. My buyers could afford thirty to fifty thousand dollars worth of house more due to the historically low interest rates. This new-found buying power was not lost on many builders. The builders in our area had adjusted their inventory to reflect the higher amount of affordability. It was a slow adjustment though and only a few of them saw it coming.

The latest news is of rising interests due to good economic growth indicators. Yay America!

Wow! I just felt a chill, is it getting cooler? Where's that glow? Will I be able to bask in the glow of interest rates in the four percent range? What will builders do? That's right, builders. Like appraisals, builders tend to lag behind the market due to construction times. They need a crystal ball worse than most of us Realtors! Many builders have just pulled all their incentives off the table in reaction to this Spring's jump in activity. I recently asked a builder what happened to all the incentives that made selling their homes a "no-brainer"? The answer I got was, "We don't need incentives at this point in time."

Okay. I'll remember that in a couple of months when you're finishing those spec homes that are fifteen thousand over what the average buyer can afford. I hope the adjustment from builders happens sooner rather than later. I really hope the adjustment doesn't mean a product of lesser quality. Let's hope we can fall in love with this coming market and the new rates. Maybe I should get a tan in the sun as opposed to trying to bask in the glow of a low interest rate.. Are Builders Ready in Richmond Hill, GA?




Mark A Douglas, Realtor
Keller Williams Realty Richmond Hill
(912) 659-0096

Richmond Hill Ga Homes- That Little Voice

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

That Little Voice

If you’ve been in real estate for any length of time, you know about the little voice. The little voice that you hear is the one that wakes you up in the middle of the night or you hear while you’re driving down the road. This little voice is the voice that tells you that you’ve forgotten about a client that needs follow up or it’s about time to call that buyer that was thinking about buying but wanted to wait awhile. That voice that tells you, I probably should go check the house right now instead of waiting til the weekend. More times than not, if you ignore this little voice, you run in to problems. You call that buyer and they tell you, “Oh, I’m sorry, I just bought a home yesterday.” or you call the For Sale By Owner and they say “I listed the home earlier today with another realtor.”

I’ve talked about this little voice with other realtors with a wide variety of opinions on what it is. Some say it’s God telling you what to do, others say that you’ve filed in your mind an important task that pops up as a reminder from time to time. Whatever it is, it’s true, and it does exist. The little voice will remind you not to take or assume something is happening on a closing. The little voice will tell you “I should check my website and make sure that the listing was added to it properly.”, the little voice will tell you to contact a past client just to see how they’re doing. Rest assured that if you do not, you’re going to get “I wish you would have called me sooner, I needed your services.”

One thing about the little voice, it doesn’t have much of a time delay. When you get that thought/little voice to do something, you should give it immediate attention and do it. I’m not sure why but if you wait a day or two it’s when it becomes the most costly. If you spend any time around me you’ll see me spontaneously grab a piece of paper or note book and write down a person’s name or number or something that I need to do right away. I have learned to listen to that little inner voice. It has kept me out of trouble multiple times and made me very productive at other times.

One piece of advice when dealing with the little voice – It’s hard to explain to others what it is, and certainly don’t talk to the little voice in public.

Randy Bocook  Sells Richmond Hill Georgia.

Richmond Hill Ga- Home Some See Us

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

How Some See Us

I had a statement said to me over the weekend by a family member and I’ve had the same comment many times throughout the years but never put much thought in to it. The comment was simple; “I couldn’t do what you do.” The tone was that what I do is some kind of impossibility for this relative. You know that tone, something similar to that of a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist. I did remind the relative that I was in the real estate business; it’s pretty basic when you think about it. You find a home for a buyer and sell it to them. You list the home for a seller and sell it to a buyer. No one’s life is at risk here as far as I know!

That comment sparked a day long self imposed debate on how others see us as Real Estate agents. We’ve all heard the statistics that we are very low on the trust meter for the average consumer, right above insurance sales men and used car sales men. I never really thought about us being in the sales business. Others image of what we do harkens back to someone in a short sleeved white shirt with a tie pacing around a lobby or a parking lot, smoking a cigarette, looking for that next buyer to pull in to buy a home. I think this relative thinks I used the statement “What’s it going to take to get you in this home today?”

Most people that have not been in the all commission world fear it. We’ve all been approached by people saying, “I just couldn’t work on commission only, I need some certainty in my pay.” What I should say to these folks is that you will have certainty if you do the right things in this business. If you post a blog every day, send out your hand written thank you notes, take incredible pictures of your listings, return every phone call and email, and treat every individual client as though he or she is your only person that you’re working with at the time. Most of the top producers realize that this is not a money business. This is a people business, we happen to get paid well if we do a good job.

This relative that made the statement to me could not see that the clients that we work with need our services. We’re not talking anyone in to buying a home. Frankly me and my team’s system is that the buyer has to convince us that they have the warm fuzzies about a home before we let them buy it. There’s no high pressure selling involved. The only high pressure stress we have is making sure that our systems are in place and we’re consistent with them each and every day.

I guess after thinking about it, it’s good in a sense that there’s a large segment of the population that feel like they can’t do what we do. That just makes it all the better for us.

Richmond Hill Ga homes

Richmond Hill Georgia Real Estate

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

Richmond Hill / Ft. Stewart Real Estate

Selling homes in a small coastal town has its advantages and disadvantages. Richmond Hill, GA, is a town of approximately 18,000 people and it is located just a few miles south of Savannah, GA. It is a bedroom community between Ft. Stewart, GA and Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA. One of the big advantages of selling in such a city is that the town is small enough that you will see and recognize people at local restaurants and stores. Often I see couples that I have sold their home or families that have bought a home from me around town.

One of the disadvantages of selling in a small, coastal town like Richmond Hill, GA is that the number of homes on the market at any given time is pretty small. From time to time we have 400-500 active homes on the market in our town. There are neighborhoods in Atlanta or other neighborhoods in major cities that have more homes on the market than Richmond Hill, GA. So when a young buyer comes in to town we typically have only around 15-25 homes in their price range to look at.

Ft. Stewart is a large military installation that feeds us a constant variety of wonderful military professionals of all ages, occupations and backgrounds. The average price of a home in our city is $200,000 and the average age of a home in our city is right at 10 years since it was built. Many times a buyer will come to town and say I want an older home with a little bit of character. Their definition of older might be something built in the 1800’s and for me it’s a 1995 home in a planned unit development. We do have older homes that were built in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, and a few older than that. For the most part, 80% of our population and growth has occurred over the past 20 years and has been new construction homes in planned communities.

When I was a teenager, I remember Richmond Hill had a population under 2,000 people. So in the last 25 years you can see the major growth of this community. Richmond Hill does not have industry to speak of but we do have many residents that work at Gulfstream Areospace in Savannah, JCB, Great Dane Industries, and several other large manufacturers in Savannah and surrounding areas. I don’t think I would change anything about selling homes in such a small town. I have to realize that sometimes being a big fish in a small pond is the best way to go.

Richmond Hill Georgia Real Estate Richmond Hill Georgia Homes

Richmond Hill Ga Homes - Buyers on The Clock

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

How Much Time Does It Take

A running theme in real estate is a sense of pride when you can show homes and close a client in a short period of time. How much time does it take to meet a new client, show them homes, and get them to write a contract? That’s the million dollar question. Not everyone is the same. Every situation is different.

I take pride with my team to prepare for a client before they arrive, and have a pretty good idea of what home they’re going to buy before they get here. You know you’re becoming a really good Real Estate agent when you can narrow it down to one to three homes that you think they’re going to buy. Of course, you’re going to show them as many homes as you can to assure value, and you’ve probably been given a list from the buyer that they want to see the following homes.

Here are a few tricks for our system that we use to make the process more efficient.

1)      Assess do they want to buy or do they have to buy? Is this a corporate relocation or military move?

2)      What is their report date or start date for their new job?

3)      Do they have a home to sell?

4)      Have they gone through the process of not just getting pre-qualified, but getting qualified and knowing what it will take for them to buy a home in their new city.

5)      How much internet shopping have they done? Most of our systems now will allow us to see how many homes they’ve viewed and saved.

6)      How active have they been on the website?

7)      Have you sent them a relocation packet?

8)      Are they receiving listing alerts several months before they arrive?

9)      Have they made a realistic list of homes that they want to see that fits the profile of their price range and family needs?

10)   Who’s in town shopping? Is it the husband and the wife? Or just the husband or the wife? We have a rule as a team that we will never sell a husband a home without the wife giving her blessing on it, either looking at a high def video or making a trip to town just to ok the decision. Never believe the husband when he says I know my wife and I know what she likes. The funny part is the opposite is the wife does know her husband and does know what he likes.

11)   When they arrive in town, are they respectful of your time? Did they arrive on time to their appointment with you? What is the family dynamic? Is it a partnership or a dictatorship? Are the kids present? I’m a proud father of many kids and would never make a decision without my kids involved.

A very important question that you need to know the answer to is what is their mind set on real estate in general? Are they coming from a market where a seller discounts his home by 20%-30%? Are they realistic in looking at the numbers and understanding what the market is and what it will take to buy a home in this market? A lot of the time, either the husband or the wife, most of the time it’s the husband, after looking at homes steps in to the restroom, comes out with a mask and cape on and calls himself Super Negotiator! He’s often saying, “Don’t worry, dear, I’ll take it from here!”

Warning: Kryptonite or a big dose of reality won’t affect this person.

All these factors will determine how much time it will realistically take to get the buyer to contract. If you don’t have answers to the above questions and you try to learn as you go, you’re in for a very long week, weekend or several weeks of home shopping.

Fort Stewart Ga Homes

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

Working with Military Clients

I have the pleasure and privilege to sell in a great, small town called Richmond Hill, Georgia. This town is about 15 minutes from Fort Stewart, Georgia, which is the largest military installation east of the Mississippi River. Fort Stewart has about 20,000 active duty soldiers on their base. As you can imagine we get an influx of military personnel transferring in and out throughout the year.

Real Estate is full of specialties. Luxury home experts, REO/Foreclosure experts, First Time Buyer experts … Add “Working with the Military” on that list of specialties. There are certain things that you need to know when you work with the Military.

First and foremost, the government gives a housing allowance called “BAH” or “Basic Allowance for Housing”. This supplement is in addition to their pay and the amount of money they receive is based on the Soldier’s rank.

When the soldier is given orders, this means that they have to report to a new duty station by a certain date. When they arrive in town and sign in, they are given 10 days to shop for a home. Many of my savvy soldiers parlay leave time ahead of their report date, arrive in town, find a home, secure the home, and then sign in and use the 10 days as vacation time or family time.

It is critical to NOT sell a Soldier a home that he or she cannot afford. Most of the soldiers now are very young and impressionable. Sometimes it’s our job to save them from themselves. It’s also critical to make sure that you ask yourself, “Is this the home they should buy?” The chances of them staying in a home longer than 5 years is next to nil so the end result always has to be in mind; can I sell this home for this person and them not lose money 3-5 years down the line?

One of the things about any military community is that they are a tight group that spends a lot of time communicating either in chat rooms or Facebook, or even word of mouth. If you do a poor job for them, it won’t take long before everyone knows it. The up side is if you do a great job for them, you will have an incredible amount of repeat business and referrals.

Assess every situation independently. It is cheaper for a soldier to come in to our town and buy a home than it is for them to come and rent a home. That does not necessarily mean he or she actually needs to buy a home. I talk to my team and remind them from time to time that in the lives of the military, if they make a mistake or if they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, they could die. The stress factor on their lives has to be 100 times what ours must be in selling real estate. Making the home shopping process easier and less stressful is just a small part of saying “Thank you” for what they do.

Richmond Hill Ga Homes- The Closing

Richmond Hill GA Real Estate

After the Close

Let’s be honest with ourselves, it’s hard enough to maintain great service from time of contract to closing table. I’m going to present an idea today that may be new to you. Most people when they buy a home are in what I call the honeymoon phase. At closing, everyone should be happy – Buyer, seller, buyer’s agent, and listing agent. They’re getting a new home or selling their old home. Who wouldn’t be excited about that? The National Association of Realtors came up with a statistic that said over 70% of clients that were polled would use the same realtor again down the road when they needed to either sell or buy again. But the reality is only 18% of them actually do. Why is that? It’s simple. We fall in love with the deal and we feel like once we put them under contract and close them that our job is done.

Sending a client a post card from time to time isn’t enough. Within the last year I’ve implemented a system that has worked beautifully and has generated referrals from my past clients. At the time of closing we will give or send a very nice hand written note to the client. A lot of times if you bring a gift basket or cookies or any kind of closing gift at the closing table, the affect of the gift is watered down by the excitement of the new home.

So here’s the fix.

30 days after closing my clients get a gift. Either a gift card to a local Starbucks, movie theater gift cards, a gift card to a nice restaurant, anything that you can think of that would have a positive response from your client. A handwritten note is sent along with the gift card thanking them for working with me.

60 days after closing another gift, maybe another gift card, maybe a gift basket, or maybe tickets to dinner and a movie, and another hand written note is sent to the client telling them that I really appreciate them being a part of my real estate family, thanks so much for your business.

90 days after the closing, you guessed it. Another gift. This time the hand written note in the gift says “I was just thinking about you today and thought about how wonderful the experience of working with you and your family was. I would love the opportunity to work with your friends or family that may need to buy or sell, here’s a little gift for you guys to go out and have some frozen yogurt or ice cream on me. Thank you, your Realtor for Life.”

I will tell you the difference between spending $100 for an initial gift basket at closing and staggering $100 worth of gifts over the 90 days after closing is the difference in night and day responses from the clients. I’ve received more thank you notes because of this, positive referrals, Facebook posts saying that I was the best realtor they ever worked with and the only thing I’ve done differently here is staggering the joy.

I have a calendar on my wall that every time we have a closing we write the client’s name on the month that they closed and the next 3 months after. You will see amazing results by doing this one small thing. Sometimes it takes us thinking outside the box a little bit to make us stand out for great service or creative new ideas. Try, it. It works.