When they called to inquire about marketing their home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they were understandably concerned. They had heard the stories about how houses were not selling and were well aware of the large number of homes for sale around them. They had very different approaches to the process. He was more methodical and had laid back charm about him. She was practical and realistic; she wanted to focus on getting things done quickly.
They had been referred to us by their friends who had successfully sold their home with Audu Real Estate. Before I booked the appointment, I clearly spelled out what would be involved in a listing appointment. My marketing plan is very thorough and the listing presentation would involve a detailed review of their home to Stage it correctly. They needed to anticipate a 2-3 hour time frame. They were a little surprised but checked their schedules and we agreed to a date on the calendar.
Today, less than 65 days after that first meeting, their smiles of joy lit up the room during their Closing. Their home was sold in less than 30 days! I think in retrospect that 2-3 hours spent at the beginning was worth it's weight in gold....or at least dollars.
Marketing a home and creating a strategy to Sell and Stage a home is not an easy task. Prior to our presentation, our client specialist Ed Vogt and I spent several hours in painstaking research to determine the best possible pricing strategy for their area.
After the listing presentation, we re-toured the house with the home owners to show them how to "put the show on the road" from a Staging Perspective. Our final act before we left, was to ask them if we could ask for the Grace of a Blessing on their home. We explained that our best efforts could not yield the results that God's blessing would. We all joined in a simple request for grace.
The home was placed on the market and an Open House scheduled. The Open House yielded one Mortgage Broker who intercepted a potential buyer and apparently sent her fleeing. This is a trend that we are seeing more of in Grand Rapids...Mortgage lenders arriving unannounced at Open Houses to solicit real estate agents. We weren't really pleased by the prospecting tactics of this one.
Thankfully we explain to all our clients that you don't need 100 people to walk though your house to sell it. You only need one person...the right buyer! In this case this was especially true. After one canceled showing...the right buyer showed up and wrote an intelligent offer. And today, our seller's had solid cash in their hands from the Sale of their home!
After the papers were signed, we gave each Important Participant a box of Godiva Chocolates. This tradition is our way of saying Thanks for Making it Possible for Us to Succeed in Our Job! The other Realtor was shocked. She said that in decades of doing transactions, NO ONE had ever thanked her with a gift! She immediately began to think of how she could incorporate this into her business.
Sitting at that table I was struck by how far a little kindness can go. Simply being polite during a transaction and following through on your word can make a world of difference. Simply Telling the truth about what it will take to sell a home can save a lot of heartache. Simply Being willing to go the extra mile in preparing a home owner can make the difference between a sale or no sale. Simply Responding to professional counsel can determine success or failure. It's these vital, yet Simple things that make a big difference. And then again perhaps they are not Simple things at all!
Copyright 2007 Audu Real Estate All Rights Reserved
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Lola Audu, is the Designated Broker & Owner of Audu Real Estate. Our company specializes in helping people buy and sell homes in the greater Grand Rapids, West Michigan area. We've had the privilege of helping hundreds of clients succeed in their goals of purchasing and selling property including demonstrated success in the negotiation of Short Sale Transactions. You can contact us via e-mail @ info@auduhomes.com or by phone at 616-791-0511.
Lola,
Well written and you're right on all accounts. Being kind is the the best and the easiest part. Thank you for the wonderful post.
Lola,
Great Job with the sellers. I know that we can get weary and feel as if the time spent is overkil, but better to be like you and give them everything than not enough!
Congratulations!
Yes, a little kindness goes a long way ;) And chocolates too!
Cheers,
Cindy
That mortgage broker that tried to hijack your open house should be tarred and feathered. I have sympathy for a person who had no business, but there are better ways of getting business than killing the Golden Goose (you) to meet a buyer.
I can remember in the last serious real estate slow down here in the early 1990s, agent would hang out in front of new home models and open houses to snag buyers, give their cards, etc.
Good post Lola, as always.
Good job...though I know that a great many people would be offended by the "grace" portion of your presentaton...politics and religion are better left unmixed with business.
Good job on maintaining your attitude.
.
Hi Lola - a great plan, a well-planned process, cooperative and anthusiastic sellers, and viola, a great sale!! Congrats on that, to you and your sellers!
That mortgage broker certainly pulled a slimy move doing that at YOUR open house - yuk! Hope that isn't a trend that catches on here in my areas.
Congrats on the feature!
Ann
Kindness always makes our world a better place
Hi Lola: Excellent post. Unexpected little gifts and appreciation goes a long way. Thank you for pointing this our.
I know the whole mortgage broker going to the open house was not the point of this blog. But it does briing up an interesting point. I am curious WHY this sent your buyer fleeing. Did the mortgage broker actually solicit business from this visitor? Hand out cards? grab people at the front door? There really is no excuse for this behavior, if that is the case.
I often attend BROKER open houses in mid week but it isn't so much to meet real estate agents. It is a way I have of understanding values of properties which is a big help to me as a mortgage broker. This has never seemed to be a problem with the Realtors, and I NEVER discuss to possiblity of doing business with them at these open houses. Not the right time or the right place.
Please tell me more.
Lola:
This is a wonderful story. I just thought about how I would feel if my agent did what you did for them.
Hi Jack, Thanks for stopping by to read and comment.
Hi Diane, Selling real estate has been one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. There is never any guarantee on any transaction. I KNOW I need God's help & I'm honest with my clients about my limitations. With regards to the mortgage broker interception...we're not sure what happened, but the buyer drove away and he came into the Open House and said "he didn't think she'd qualify for the house." Can you believe that!!
Thanks Cindy!
Hi Missy, Thanks for your comment. I always request a client's permission after I've explained that I will do my professional best, but God's blessing completes what is beyond my ability. Most clients deeply appreciate the gesture and I am never offended if they prefer not to.
Hi Judy, It would be great if the chocolate idea caught on! I think that real estate agents should begin to be more appreciative of each other. :)
Hi Simon, Another real estate agent brought the buyer...hence the chocolates at the closing.
Hi Al, Thanks for your comment.
Hi Ann, Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. I'm glad that his "interception" ultimately did not prevent a successful sale!
Karen...Kindness is a very powerful thing! I once taught a class on it. The research that I did was life changing to me.
I agree with what Debbie Cook stated above - I'd love a Mortgage Broker to go along with me to an Open House, if invited and/or it's one that I've done previous business with and felt comfortable recommending to these potential clients. I had this same thing happen last week at an open house with 2 Brokers (who hesitated to tell me who they were with) but at least they didn't scare anybody off.
But on a happier note - the other parties of the transaction at the closing really were impressed with the little act of giving Godiva's. It was a wonderful moment!
Hi Kelly, Thanks for stopping by to read and comment.
Thanks Deb...It was our pleasure to be of service. Thanks for your comment. I'm glad that this type of experience with a mortgage broker is NOT the norm. We have worked with excellent professionals in the lending industry for many years. This is the first time that we've had this unusual and disconcerting experience.
Hi Doug, Thanks for your comment. Our clients were very appreciative of our efforts. And we were thankful that it was a successful result for them.
Hi Diane, Humility as a real estate agent is not something you hear a lot about. In fact almost all of our marketing efforts are geared towards touting our success. But,in the real estate industry it soon became quite clear to me that apart from God's grace, all sorts of things can impact a business in a negative way. Sometimes things happen that are outside our control and sometimes they are mistakes that we make.
I am humbled to know that I need God's wisdom, guidance, strength and provision every single day. With reference to the mortgage broker...well, he couldn't steal our peace...we could choose to loose it...which we decided not to do!
Lola,
Thanks for sharing. This is the only way to do business and to do life.
Kristi
Lola, Wonderful post, in sitting in some of the closings with you the giving the chocolates and seeing all the parties of the transaction glow is just one of the graces God rewards us with. It is the simple things like a little time spent in the beginning to receive the smiles in the end.
I also enjoy having Mortgage lenders at the open houses, to show potential clients you cover all the bases. There answers can be answered quickly. In fact my first home listing was sold that way. The Mortgage Lender could give them information that night, so they could go back to there lender to see if they would qualify for the programs and purchase the home. In which they did, again just the little things.
Renee
Hi Lola,
Just wanted to say Hello. We moved from Grand Rapids just over a year ago. We were scared to death that we would never sell, but because we did things that I now know were "staging", we had a definite advantage. We totally remodeled our bathroom; turned it into a spa, totally remodeled the kitchen, and had totally repainted the house inside and out. We just felt we HAD to do it to sell. We prayed a lot, too!
We were blessed to be able to sell our house to the first people who looked at it, just 2 weeks after it was listed.
We loove Grand Rapids- lived there for 5 years and, if our families were closer, we would have stayed for sure! It is a great place to raise a family and so beautiful. I recognize some of the homes in your listings.
Great work! Thanks for the post!
-Susie
Hi Lola,
This was a good blog and kindness is also an indication of professionalism which really stood out in this case.
Thank you for that simple post............
Duane Hosek in the Black Hills of South Dakota
Hi Lola: Wonderful post...you are so right in that it is the "simple" things that that are truly appreciated and how far kindness can go. These "simple" reasons are why you are so wonderful at what you do.
Thanks for sharing the gift.
Therese
Lori, Thanks for your comment. What you said actually happened to me. The buyer didn't ask for my card but kept copies of newsletters I sent to him after the sale and observing how poorly he had been treated. We ended up serving him in 3 transactions! Kindness is powerful...and it can even be profitable. :)
Kristi, Thanks for your comment.
Hi Renee, Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. Your patience with difficult situations is an example of the grace of kindness. Your comment about working together with a loan officer is an example of how this can be done in a way that benefits all concerned. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Thanks for your comment Gurjit!
Susan, Thanks for stopping by to read and compliment.
Monica...Thanks for your comment.
Victoria...good insight..."kindness is a mark of professionalism" thanks!
Yes Bob & Carolin...another persons kindness has often made my day and been remembered long afterwards!
Duane, Thanks for your comment.
Hi Therese, I appreciate your stopping by to read and comment. Thank you.
Hi John, Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. I always inform people about the time for a listing appointment and combined staging appointment. It's well worth the investment of time to do both at one time rather than scheduling an additional appointment.
Thanks Karen.
Kathleen,...kindness and politeness are qualities which we would all do well to cultivate more of. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Patricia...Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. The chocolate idea is an excellent way to say thank you. Best wishes in using it to grow your business and say thanks at the same time!