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REality
Welcome to the REality podcast--the best podcast for real estate agents. Join us each episode as we talk with industry experts and top producing real estate agents to peel back the curtain and reveal what it takes to make it in today's ultra competitive real estate business. This is real life, in real time, sharing real experiences of industry professionals to help both new and seasoned agents achieve their goals and realize their potential. Are you ready to take your real estate business to the next level? Let's get started now. Sign up for Gary's weekly FOCUS newsletter, delivered right to your inbox each Monday morning: https://mailchi.mp/e3771e6a2516/focus-email
REality
Unlocking Success in Real Estate: Strategies from Top Agents
Top real estate professionals share practical strategies for success in today's changing market, offering insights on client communications, pricing strategies, and consistent business generation. These industry veterans reveal their systems for adapting to NAR changes while maintaining strong relationships with buyers and sellers.
In today's episode, we'll discuss:
• Implementing systematic transaction processes ensures every client receives consistent service
• How to polish your presentations to demonstrate professionalism and expertise to clients
• How to use real-time market data during listing presentations to educate sellers about true market conditions
• The idea of using a "marketing price" strategy to generate maximum buyer interest
• How to build relationships with listing agents and gather valuable insights that can strengthen your offer
• The importance of consistency in sphere communication is more important than finding the "next new thing"
• How to use available technology and CRM systems to maintain regular communication with your sphere
This is the reality podcast and I'm your host, gary Scott. With more than 35 years of experience in the real estate industry, working in 10 major markets from New Jersey to South Carolina and now as the president of the largest real estate company in the Carolinas, allentate Realtors, I know what it takes to be successful in this business. This is real life in real time, sharing real experiences of industry professionals to help both new and seasoned agents achieve their goals and realize their maximum potential. Allentate Realtors is a proud partner of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, the largest independent, family-owned real estate company in the country, with more than 13,000 sales associates and staff members across the combined companies. You'll have the opportunity to hear from the absolute best in the business. Hear from the absolute best in the business. Join me each episode as we unpack the reality behind what it takes to make it in this great business.
Speaker 1:Welcome to Tate Talk Live March 2025. Today, unlocking success in Real Estate, strategies for Staying Connected, marketing, managing Time and much, much more. We have an incredible team to share with you today, so we're going to jump right into introductions and I'm going to call on our esteemed panelists to give a little bit of background on them before we jump into unlocking success. Maggie Evans no one needs an introduction, but tell us about Maggie Evans.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow. Well, hello everybody. It's great to be here for Tape Talk Live in March. We have a lot to unlock today. Professional development I am today it's a little rainy here in Charlotte Kind of glad for that which we know, gary, that March showers will bring all the flowers. So I'm ready for flowers. That's a little bit about me Ready for planting the flower season.
Speaker 1:Awesome, awesome, you know. So it's kind of interesting in our business. It is about the law of the harvest, right. It's about planting seeds with our sphere, so we'll talk about that. We've got great regional coverage today. We we don't span the entire footprint of our company, but, boy, we have representation. So, from the triangle, jen Zek, welcome.
Speaker 3:Thank you, happy to be here, excited to represent the triangle. I'm Jennifer Zek and I'm here all falls of the noose Beautiful day here in Raleigh. I've been in real estate now for eight years. Came to Allentate in July. These months are flying by and I'm really honored to be on the podcast recently and now here with these rock star agents.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, we are excited about our conversation today. So I think we're going to move from kind of the Raleigh triangle down, come right through Charlotte. I'm going to go right to the upstate and then come back to Charlotte From the upstate of South Carolina. We've got Missy Rick. Hello, missy.
Speaker 4:Hello Gary, Hello everyone, it's an honor to be invited to this panel and I am glad to represent the upstate of South Carolina, represent the upstate of South Carolina. Yeah, I was part of the big buyout in 08, sat right beside Alan Tate when we were bought out and I've been in the business about 25 years.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, so we'll talk a little bit about branding. If you take a look behind Missy, clearly she's got a little brand going there. I shared with her and her husband that I had come back from a Clemson basketball game one evening and I was making my way from Clemson to Interstate 85. And I saw two or three Missy Rick team billboards. We'll talk a little bit about marketing. We're going to come down to Charlotte. Right smack dab in the front of my screen is Lauren Fox Lauren, welcome.
Speaker 5:Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. I have been in the real estate business this summer will be my 11th year and I have been with Allentate the entire time.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, it is great to have you all. I shared with you all that at some point I would take a break and share all of the viewing parties. I will tell you, it might be the largest viewing party audience we've ever had. I'm on like page three of scroll. I will come back and we will shout out to those that have gotten together to watch and to listen and to learn. So I'm going to hand this off to my colleague, maggie Evans, who's going to facilitate the questions and, as I told this great group, I reserve the right to chime in from time to time. Maggie, you're up.
Speaker 2:Excellent.
Speaker 2:Well, thanks, ladies, for being here. Gary, thanks for joining too. Can you believe, you all, that we are at about eight months since last August? And what happened last August? We had the new approach and we all are approaching business differently. It's been well over a year since we knew that everything was happening and there's been a lot of preparation and practice and execution and because it is at about that eighth month timeframe, it's like wow, let's revisit what has happened with your business. I know that you are all very high touch when it comes to working with your clients, very intentional about your business. So I'm going to start with that and as we lead into today, we're going to talk strategies. We're going to talk about execution.
Speaker 2:Gary, for this year, maggie's word everybody likes to have their word of the year. My word of the year is systems, and so today that was a little bit about. Let's get into the weeds a bit to really make sure what are the systems and share together. So I'm going to start with Missy. So, from when you look at how things have changed and progressed over the last year, with all the NAR changes that we've had, what did it look like for how you were working with your buyers and sellers. Maybe some changes that you intentionally made to shift from that potential threat to this is really a great opportunity for my business.
Speaker 4:So we took it as an opportunity and, honestly, it made the explanation of agency almost easier to us and I've got it went back to the way things used to be. So these were familiar. Some of the way we were interacting was familiar to me, so we weren't afraid of the change. No-transcript.
Speaker 2:That's interesting so systematic transaction.
Speaker 4:Can you give one example of what you mean by systematic transaction, whether it's on the buyer or the seller side? So we have things set up on a calendar we eat and sleep that calendar, our Google calendar, and literally we we have things that go out on the exact time in the transaction. We're five days out, this is the letter that has to go out. We're two days out, this is the text message that has to go out. And so, just like our files are super organized and really always have been, now the transaction and our touches to people are the same, very systematic, in exactly what we do. So, for one, everyone gets the exact same quality, and that was a big concern of mine that all of our clients have the same experience.
Speaker 2:Systems are important because then you treat everybody the same. It helps you to be better, more consistent. Love that, Lauren. What about you? What's changed? What intentional changes have you made?
Speaker 5:Yeah, I think it was just really familiarizing myself with all the updated documents. And obviously in North Carolina we just recently changed our exclusive listing, our offer to purchase, so everything is really just changing and I think it's just kind of being knowledgeable of that and being able to speak to that very comfortably and very easy without actually having to reference it in front of them, just to kind of have that level of knowledge and just expertise and be able to do that. And then I said this on the podcast that I was on really just practicing my scripts, just thinking in my head every kind of hesitation or drawback that anyone would have and just how I'm going to answer that on the fly. So that way nothing really catches me off guard. I'm prepared for anything that I think is going to be thrown my way and I think that's really made a lot of difference.
Speaker 2:I appreciate you saying that around being comfortable and practicing and whether you're new to the business or you've been in the business for 30 years practicing. When things change and you have to change the language and sometimes our ego can get in the way a little bit of like I'll just, I'm good, because we have that fear of the practice and not sounding like we're confident. Can you give some encouragement for those that are not excited about practicing scripting until you're comfortable? How do you get past that block in your head?
Speaker 5:Well, I'm more fearful of not being prepared and being caught off guard and not knowing what to say. So I would say if you have ever been in a situation where you have been nervous, it's because maybe you weren't prepared enough. So for me it's just not wanting to be there supersedes any kind of ego or anything from practicing. And if you work it out and like we had talked about kind of on the podcast, like I'm lucky enough that I have a teammate that I can work it out with, and I mean I could call her as soon as we're done and say, hey, let's just. Let me just throw this at you. I've got another listing appointment this week. Let me make sure this sounds good and we know what we're going to say. And if you don't have that, get someone in your office, Get with your dick and just practice it. It's going to make you that much more confident and I honestly do feel that confidence is the number one personality trait that a real estate agent needs to have.
Speaker 2:And when we practice it builds our competence, which is going to build our confidence. Excellent, Lauren. All right, Jen, it's your turn.
Speaker 3:Okay, so I'm listening to you both, missy and Lauren. You know the word that comes to me and I was trying to it's not sharpen, it's polish, polish, and I think it was Phyllis that said back in July your presentation needs to be impeccable. I mean it needs to just speak to the client, right, so they just want to work with you. Polish it up. We've been doing this a while, but I knew that with these changes, I needed to be confident in explaining it. And that starts with the moment. I mean I've been real, real intentional. I always had buyer consults, I always did. But now I get I want to meet with them in person. I bring a copy of that and I kind of went through it before. But now I'm very intentional with it and it makes I brought to the forefront the and I I just say are you familiar with what happened in real estate last year? I keep it very light and I like to see what they say, I listen to what they say and then I gear my conversation that way and, honestly, it made the brokerage fee the 295, so much easier too by talking about that AT exclusive buyer agency and talking about that one line item that says what's the percentage plus the 295? I had always stumbled in previous firms. Some charged the brokerage fee, some didn't. I found it so much easier now to present it that way and oftentimes I go with the comfort level of the person that I'm with. They want to review it on their own time.
Speaker 3:I did that on Friday with a brand new buyer. Do you know? I got an email on Saturday morning where they had read everything in it. I was very impressed and wanted me to explain better because they weren't really listening to the brokerage fee and the percentage and why I put 3% and how we were going to adjust that. And I've gotten better and better because of these questions, because of that change that we had last year. So I think you know there have been extra steps in our job. Now we have to talk to agents calling us and what are you paying? But at the same time it's gotten me. I've gotten better and I've sharpened my skills at presenting that agency agreement. Wow.
Speaker 2:I'm already hearing three. So we had three big points there. Do you want to do the three big points or do you want me to, because I know you love?
Speaker 1:to. I got way more than three, so I'm going to let you go with three, because I've got a page of notes.
Speaker 2:Page of notes Three that I heard. If I'm going to single them out, one is systematic transactions checking your systems. Two is the practice builds the confidence. So building the competence, knowing the documents, practicing that and then polish, polish. So for those of us that are a bit of perfectionists, good is better than perfect, done is better than perfect, and then we can start to polish. And having that polished is allowing for to continue to become better and better and better. One thing, jen, that you said, that I always find fascinating Often, when we're working with clients, we want to treat them and let them process information like we would, and it's really important to recognize that the majority of our population is that peace personality, the steady personality and disc population is that peace personality, the steady personality and disc, and they really need time to process and perfection need time to process the document. So thank you for that. All right, I'm going to move on to the next, gadnew.
Speaker 1:I was looking for Gary's thing and Lauren also has something.
Speaker 1:Well. So I had your same three, but I've pivoted because I think that's another key word that we all had to do in 24. So we had to pivot and from time to time our industry comes at us and we've got to be very agile. So I love, missy, super intentional, not just intentional, I had to be super intentional.
Speaker 1:So I think that was number one, lauren, obviously I love the practice. Love the practice because I do think that's something that we don't do enough in our industry, considering how important it is in that moment of presentation, confidence, whatever it takes for you to be at your maximum confidence level market knowledge, know the numbers, be well prepared. And then last, and Jen said it, I think it's really important. I really piggybacks, maggie, off what you just said about understanding the personalities of your client and that is be intentional in customizing your response and your interaction with each client. In customizing your response and your interaction with each client, customize it in a way that what they want to get from it. And so I go to super intentional confidence and customize the experience for your client.
Speaker 2:Love it. We're going to continue to see changes. One thing we know about the real estate business all of you have had a lot of years in the business and that's one thing that we know there's going to continue to be changes. So you know, there was a quote that I sent Gary Gary helped me. It was a Jared James quote and it was to the effect that difficult becomes a lot easier when we get better at it, and last year was a great example of that. Gary's going to look it up and give the exact quote, but that really does help us as any changes we see going forward. We're seeing a shift right now in a lot of markets. Gary, do you have the quote?
Speaker 1:I do. She sent it to me on Wednesday, february 26th. Maggie will send me a quote at the exact time I need the quote. Well, you send a personal note or you do a pop by. Isn't it ironic that it's always at a time when your client needed it? That is not an accident. That's about that random, unexpected. Your problems will decrease to the size of your ability to handle them.
Speaker 2:That's good. Let's use that right now as we go into this next topic, as the market does continue to change and shift. When we're working with a seller, for instance, or a buyer right now, and they're watching change and they're making decisions, am I gonna move forward or am I not? So now I'm gonna start with, I'm gonna go back to Jen and I'm gonna ask the question with clients that you have right now, do you have any strategy, words, phrases, processes that you're using with buyers and sellers that need to have that counseling to get them to move forward and make decisions and not sit on the sidelines?
Speaker 3:Yes. So from the moment, and most of my businesses repeat referral probably 90 percent of it and I do believe it's because of relationships and getting in front of the client physically. So the moment I get the call, I'm we're talking, chatting a little bit and I say can you come into my office? I want them to see my office, I want them to see me. It's a little bigger than just me. I have a team. It's a professional environment and it's that's kind of the aura I want to give.
Speaker 3:So I use words like come on in. I want, I want to talk strategy, I want to see where you're at, I want to see what's important to you. Those are words that I use and and often I'll say and curious, how are you thinking of financing it? Nine times out of 10, they're going to need a loan and haven't spoken to someone. So that's the other thing. Now they know I'm professional and I'm serious by saying I'm going to have my lender pop in and say hi, no commitment, I just want you to meet him while you're here. I will tell you. That definitely weeds things out right. They're either really in it or not. So that kind of brings the decision to the forefront, just from the moment we've talked.
Speaker 3:And then we come in the office and it's usually a 30 minute to an hour meeting and we just talk about what's important to them, more about them than and then I talk about me as well, but I listen a lot have the lender in there and then I literally tell them what to expect. We talk about buyer expectations and we know that has changed a lot since, you know, with COVID and now where we're at now, things are just different. And have that conversation about the buyer agency agreement and I watch the body language and if I feel they're ready to sign sometimes they are. I've already got that warm intro because it was a referral most of the time and they're ready to sign Other times I can tell let me go home and look at this when I can think out, you know, think straight again.
Speaker 3:It's been a lot of information and they look overwhelmed. So you know, you kind of have to read that body language. But all those things I just mentioned, I get a serious person usually or someone that'll say to me Jen, you know what I need to push the pause button. It's a little much at the moment and I'm okay with that. But by being with them I can feel that right away. That's good.
Speaker 2:That's good, Thank you. Thank you very much, Jen Missy. Let me come over to you.
Speaker 4:So for the most part, for myself, I primarily work with just sellers. Now, I work with buyers occasionally, but my team works the buyers and I handle the sellers. Now, I work with buyers occasionally, but our, my team works the buyers and I handle the sellers and my thing I'm, I'm in front of them because I'm in their house and so I'm in their den, and so it does make it a little bit easier. But my goal was to be able to explain this whole process without missing a beat. That was my whole. I want to be able to explain it like your mama is fixing to make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and we're going to, we're going to have lunch.
Speaker 4:Very simple, simple, simple. And you know, y'all here explain it to me like I'm a fifth grader. Well, I'm, you know that. That's my goal, let me. Let me bring it on down for you, and if anyone else has gone in before me and they've explained it, then I come in and I explain it. They're like, oh, where do I sign? And it's, it's literally about that simple and that that's how we want it to be extreme. It is very simple.
Speaker 2:That's good. Are you breaking down when you're talking about educating them? Is it about the process? Because we're going to talk about pricing strategy in just a minute, so are you talking process? Are you talking about the actual what's happening in the market? Are you talking what your strategy is going to be? What do you see is most important with getting sellers to be able to move forward right now?
Speaker 4:Well, to get them to move forward, they want to know really my eyes, so they know that there's a lot of transactions that move across our desk, and so we do tell them this is what we're experiencing. I know what you're seeing on TikTok. I know what you're watching on the news. I know what your daughter, who's 16, came in and told you what's happening in real estate. Now let me tell you what's really happening in real estate, and for the most part, that's what they really want, what's really going on in real estate. And once you explain it to them, to me, we haven't had really any trouble. They're not really on the fence. They've already. If we're in the living room, they've committed to selling that property, that, whether it be right now or three months from now, they're going to sell it.
Speaker 4:As far as the buy side goes, when they pick the phone up and call me, they know that we're a team of action and so things are going to start moving as fast or as slow as they want it to be, but we're here to guide them through that whole process and all of them are like am I overpaying for my home? Is this going to be an over? You know, and we tell people every day this is a marathon, not a sprint. I know what happened during COVID it was a sprint. It's no, it's a marathon. It's for the long term. You're buying a dream. You're buying where you're going to put your Christmas tree. This is, you know, you're not going to. Don't look at it, as I've only got to stay here 24 months and I'm out of here and I'm running with my $100,000. That's not reality and we explain that to them.
Speaker 2:Very good. Thank you, missy Lauren. How have things changed for you? What's your current strategy and conversation for buyers or sellers, or both, and conversation for buyers or sellers or both.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so I do both listings and work with buyers. Probably I'm trying to focus a little bit more on listings now just because of everything kind of going on with the commission lawsuit and obviously wanting to control that transaction. But on the buy side kind of to go into what Missy said I really use my experience and the fact that I have worked in so many different markets and just kind of explain to them, especially buyers who may not be sure about buying, and I let them know yes, the interest rate is what it is, but I'm a data girl so I go through and I say you know, but during COVID we would have been spending this much more. And this is the difference with paying $50,000 more and paying the difference in the interest rate. And kind of going back to what missy said again as well, it's a marathon not a sprint and I think if you just educate them and you let them know the silver lining to where I would essentially feel like this is more of a buyer's market right now and the luxury that comes with that, where you can maybe negotiate different terms and different things that you couldn't have done in a very heavy seller market when there's multiple offers, and explain to them if you don't want to get into that, if you don't want to be able to buy a half a million dollar house and I'm most likely going to be able to negotiate you for a thousand dollar due diligence fee. Just the peace of mind that comes with that and, I think, just our knowledge and just being able to work in all those different times periods.
Speaker 5:And again, what I would say to the newer agents if you haven't worked through all those different phases like I got into the market right after the market crash of 2008, but you better believe I go to agents who thrive during that time and I'm like how did you do it? How did you survive that? How did your business continue to grow and you made it to the other side? Because, even if it's not my knowledge or my experience, I've taken the time to talk to agents who have done that to find out what they've done. And then you know, not just for the perspective of bringing that knowledge to my clients, but also God forbid it happens again we kind of already have that in the back of our head of what we're going to do moving forward.
Speaker 5:And one question that I wanted to ask to the other two panelists too. Obviously you know some of the newer agents may not have as many touches with clients or you know the ability to get in front of them and do our presentations. I personally have been very surprised at the limited pushback or really true understanding of the commission lawsuit and how it affects them and how really it's been like that the entire time. Everything was always negotiable. There was never a set standard. We always want to work with our clients, so I just wonder what the other agents have seen when they do that. And when I tell people that, they're like, oh really, and I'm like, yes, it's business as usual. Just unfortunately now it's out in the public and agents who weren't already doing this are being forced to. But this has always been the way that I presented it and the way that I've gone after my business.
Speaker 2:So who wants to take that first? Jen Missy, who wants to take it?
Speaker 3:I always presented it like we do now. I mean, I just did because I like to analyze things. I'm one of those processors, I like to understand it and I know when I wasn't in real estate it was Greek to me, like I really didn't understand how to pay. So I really break it down for them and when I explain the pros and cons like if I get any, like, well, explain to me why I need to do the competitive rate. You know, bo, you get the best pool of buyers and I'm going to bring you the most qualified buyer, right, and that's all it takes All my sellers, ok, great.
Speaker 3:But on the buy side, when I've represented some buyers, I have run across quite a few of them now where the listing agent is like well, I don't know, tell us what you want, bring it with the offer. And I've had to say to myself because of my, let's say, my client wants a good deal. Right, who's more important here? It's the client, not me, right? So I've had to give a little bit when they didn't offer anything up front to make the deal work. That's a new. That's a new feel in this business, right, I got to gotta make it's reminding you that it's about the client, it's not about us at the end of the day, right? So you gotta find that happy medium for everybody. So it just, it's just. It makes it another. It's another step for us and a whole other side of this business that I never saw coming, but I think in the end it makes people more intentional.
Speaker 4:Okay, thank you, missy do you want to add anything to that? I mean, we've always said, you know, when it comes to these commissions, I've told our clients for years we're not going to leave them to dig that ditch by themselves. We're in that ditch too. We're right there, right beside them every step of the way. And of course we've had to give, but we've all we've always had to give. It seems like somewhere something. I've bought more refrigerators in my career and wash machines and dryers, and you know, it's just part of it, unfortunately it's part of it. And now I will say now it seems that when we have to get beside them in the ditch and we do do something, they're like thank you so much. Before it was more of well, that's your job, now it's like thank you, thank you, thank you. The explanation of how commissions work has served us and our team way better than before.
Speaker 5:Yeah, right, yeah. So I think anyone who's nervous about that it's not the consumer isn't talking about this or thinking about this nearly as much as we are. Just be confident and know your value and go in that way, because I know I get a lot of questions about that just in my own office.
Speaker 2:Before we go into pricing strategy, gary anything you want to add to that I'm gonna do some shout outs because we got some watch parties gang.
Speaker 1:So hello from gastonia, watch party, kernersville, a happy monday with a smiley face. From Rock Hill, Blowing Rock, in the High Country, Davidson Lake, Lure, Concord. Now we got a special shout out from a Mr Brett Schoen, Hi, Missy. And hello from a watch party in South Park. And I'll come back to the rest of you that are in watch parties.
Speaker 1:But my takeaway from round two, Maggie, was a couple of things. I love the phrase that Missy used. You know, people get all their opinions from people that are not experts. You guys mentioned it. It's the friend, it's the daughter, TikTok, and I love this. My experience tells me from my experience, like just using those words very disarming, it doesn't mean that you know and that you know everything, it just means that from my experiences, let me share. So I love that. And then the other thing I love was Jen, and that's watching body language, Know when to pull the trigger and not to pull the trigger.
Speaker 1:And then I think Lauren said it in a different way but this whole cost of waiting that our mortgage team has shared with us.
Speaker 1:There's a real cost of waiting, regardless of today's interest rates, albeit we've got five, six, seven weeks of more favorable interest rates than we've had. But I think the cost of waiting because we are getting home appreciation Lauren said it she said it's a little bit more of a buyer's market. But I also know when I talked to Lauren 10 days ago she was listing three properties that week and she had 15 offers on a well-priced listing that ended up going under contract for far more than the asking price, and so I know these four experts on this panel understand that. But again, when we price it right and we prepare people and we educate people and we do it with confidence and belief, then we get great results. And I think that you know that's really one of the overarching messages from today is you know, if we do the things that this group shares, tomorrow is most likely going to be more successful than today is most likely going to be more successful than today.
Speaker 2:Well, let's continue that conversation, gary, you alluded to, which is around helping our sellers to correctly position their home in the competition. We know that it's not about price only. It's condition and price compared to what the buyer is willing to buy it for as things shift at different price points. We know that we have to be experts and really understand what's happening at the different price points, because it's not the same across the board. It's not the same in every market.
Speaker 2:When you're talking to a seller and let's get more specific maybe it's a seller that it has started to get to where the listings are maybe on the market a little bit longer. That's where I want to sit for just a minute. Listings are maybe on the market a little bit longer. That's where I want to sit for just a minute. Homes are on the market a little bit longer. Maybe they're not getting 102% of list price. What is your conversation, words or phrases that agents can hear today, that they can implement when they're talking to that seller? In those situations, lauren, can I come to you first for that?
Speaker 5:Yeah. So I recently had an opportunity to speak with an agent at a market who's been doing it for 40 years. So I was just kind of picking her brain because obviously she's lived through everything. And she said, lauren, in markets like this there needs to be a marketing price, which isn't really something that I was super familiar with and again, I'm going into my 11th year. So she said sometimes you need to get the house ready and you have to have it at a price that the seller would like to sell it at. And again, this is going to go a lot to just you understanding your CMA, you knowing your market, you analyzing all the data and really feeling comfortable with that. But she said sometimes you need to do a marketing price just to kind of suck those buyers in and just get the interest and get the traction and get the showings. And then you know, kind of the pendulum shifts and then you get the opportunity where, even though you're listing the house and you're kind of relying on a buyer to bring you the offer by doing that marketing price. And again, what I always counsel my sellers, especially in a market like this, the biggest thing that I see the difference between the interest rates and luckily for all of us and all of our markets because we're in the Carolinas and we're still very strong people can still afford the home and get the loan and do everything. The issues are the discretionary money afterwards. Whereas before you could maybe purchase a home and you would have $10,000 left over to go through and get everything painted, now you're having to use that for our down payment. So now it's just kind of educating the seller of what we need to do on the front end to be able to get our house position. So buyers want to do it. So I've really been leaning into that and it's been really successful for me.
Speaker 5:Like Gary said, I had the one that I listed with you know what I would absolutely call a marketing price. We would have been happy to sell it at. You know, now that house is closed we were able to sell it for $40,000 more with 15 offers in this market. This was just a few weeks ago. I then subsequently listed another one, again with the price that we would have been very happy selling it at. But again it was that marketing price and we took a month beforehand to really get that house ready, get all the vendors in there, do everything. After the weekend we had five offers. We're still under contract. We have includes, but significantly more than that list price, market price. So I think as far as that goes, it just goes with our education, our understanding of the CMA, practicing before you go to it, and just that confidence to be able to execute it and really live up to what you're telling that client that you're going to be able to do.
Speaker 2:Because the fair market value is not just what the seller wants to sell it for. It's also what the buyer's willing to buy it for.
Speaker 5:And I go through that and I yeah, and I have a full printed, like Missy said, like I feel super confident in my listing presentation. I've done it and of course I've like, fine tuned and changed it, but I feel very confident and several of my slides and my listing presentations speak to exactly that point. So by the time we get to the end and we're getting ready to sign the listing paperwork and solidify what that listing price is going to be, we've gone through all those things of what the buyer is thinking of, where the seller's head needs to be. So there's no surprises and we're in pretty much lockstep when we get to that point and especially when we get to that pricing point.
Speaker 2:So the marketing price? Okay, good, that's new words. Not new words, but kind of new concept.
Speaker 5:Really it is a concept.
Speaker 2:We just really haven't had to do it before. Another way I've heard it also in the past is having a compelling price, something that's getting the buyers excited, gets them that piranha pool of buyers, as Mark Bardo likes to say, that piranha pool of buyers and really get their attention early. Missy, what about you? What about pricing strategy? Anything specific that's really important when you're talking to your sellers about positioning their home for those buyers.
Speaker 4:So I take well, of course I'm sure everybody does. I take my laptop with me when we go on any listing appointment and when we start digging through the numbers and we're trying to set up exactly where we're going to list this house for, then I literally pull the report straight from MLS that shows what percentage these houses are coming in in the past three months or the past four months. Whatever the case is, it's a super easy little report to pull and it will tell you everything how many were conventional loans, how many were FHA, how many were VA. So we can look at the probability of what type loan they're going to be getting with the offer on their home and then what percentage closeout these actually come in at. And I'm I'm telling y'all it's a two second report and the light bulb goes off.
Speaker 4:It is the biggest, it's probably one of the biggest tools I use when I go on a listing presentation and none of that is pre-pulled.
Speaker 4:I take it straight into their house in the den on the floor, pull it straight up and let them see for themselves, because once they see, they have a better understanding of exactly what's going to take place. And then they, by the time they call us. Most of the time they've already they've heard of us, they know who we are, so there's a little bit of credibility there already. It's just proving to them that their house, you know, sometimes isn't worth $100,000 more than what they think. Sometimes we go in and say, no, actually it's worth $50,000 more. But it's a simple you know, I tell all the agents, my buyer agents, for sure it's one of the first reports you need to pull because it gives you an indication of what is going on right now, today, and it's simple so that you can help them, your buyer, make a realistic offer, seeing as how they think that they're going to get everything in the brand new car that's sitting in the garage might not be the case. So it's a very good report.
Speaker 2:Is that report? Is that just a? Are you using the quick CMA from your MLS?
Speaker 4:Well, it's literally a market report and it's pulled for each specific. You can do it neighborhood area, however you want to do it. Upstate, you can do it however you want to do it. And we can dial it in really tight and I use it. I've used it for years to do it, and we can dial it in really tight and I use it. I've used it for years and it's it. It seems like here lately I've used it a whole lot more because there are people who think still that they should get these numbers for their property because you know, their neighbor did a year and a half ago and our market has changed. It's softened some it really has and it's values are still up and holding well, but just because they did it may not mean that we're going to get it, because the last three sold say something different.
Speaker 2:It goes back to the showing and not just telling and trust me, trust me, I've seen this but actually saying let's get into it. So what? I'm hearing, Missy branch leaders that are here, any agents? This is a great activity for just for your office, for your MLS, to not only see what reports are out there that we need to be using today and get really comfortable with what's happening with those reports, and then let's practice. Let's pull one and let's practice communicating where, how we're going to communicate that. So Missy is down in the upstate, so you're probably in the greater Greenville MLS, Is that right, yeah?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're going to put that as a pin and a takeaway to take back into the offices for your specific MLS. Jen, I want to hear from you, okay, gary.
Speaker 1:I apologize, but if I don't say it now, I probably will forget, and so I didn't want to do it. I think the other thing that Missy brought up and I really think it's important is the report she pulls up on her laptop is in real time, not pre-prepared. There's something about that that speaks to the moment in time. And then the other piece of it I wrote down here, Missy, is this data that you, as a seller, have. Potential buyers have the exact same data.
Speaker 4:Exactly.
Speaker 1:Exactly. So just understand, as you navigate this pricing positioning, that this data that I pull up in the moment. I think that really resonated with me just thinking back about how we come in so well prepared and confident, as we've discussed, and we've got a presentation and we do a listing of buyer and all that. Here we're adding a little bit of real time and it's hard to debate and dispute, so I thought that was a real takeaway for me.
Speaker 2:Good. Thank you, Gary Jen pricing strategy, conversations with sellers.
Speaker 3:OK, good point. I'm glad you brought up paper versus computer, this kind of thing. So I come in with my paper printed out because the Internet has let me down a few times and I have not. I don't enjoy that feeling and my mentor that I learned from always had paper. So if nothing else, I got my paper.
Speaker 3:And they can't argue with me because I tell them I did it that morning. I always do it the morning of because something may have closed. You know what I mean? I got my tax records with me because somebody was a for sale by owner and I didn't catch them in the MLS. I mean, I've got all that neatly prepared and I tell them you want to talk about marketing or you want to talk about price? And they usually want to talk about price first. I say don't tell me the number you got yet in your head, let's see if we're the same, because numbers will tell a story and I share with them. You know you can't argue with what I'm seeing here and I always say what do you think, right? So this is the range I'm thinking and usually I get that, yeah, yeah, you're right, we're kind of what we were thinking.
Speaker 3:I said, well, let's talk about what the strategy looks like in that price point. If you know, I got the stage are coming and I've got the handyman coming and we're going to have a party, we're going to walk the house Right and if you do all those things that we've talked about, we'll go on the higher end. I feel like we can do that. If you say you know, jen, I really don't want to do anything, I really just want to, just want to load the house, then maybe we'll go for the lower end. But at the end of the day, I want your house to shine, I want it to be dressed up for the dance and I want to get you top dollar. And when I explain it that way, usually I get them on board. And after that first time of meeting, the next time is the party. I've got my handyman and I've got my stager, we're back to staging here in the triangle to keep the house from sitting.
Speaker 3:I want to maximize that first week, first week or two, and I also set the expectation up front. Okay, you want to go with the higher number? Fantastic, let's do that. But if we don't get an offer in the first couple of weeks, this is the number I'm thinking we go to next, are we in agreement? And usually they're kind of like, but at least I have the conversation.
Speaker 3:And then that, following Monday, after we've gone on the market for a week, I print out the same CMA that we saw and I look at what changed and I call them missed opportunities. If there was a missed opportunity, right. So look, look, this one on this street just went under. Let's look at what that one had that we don't. They can't.
Speaker 3:That, to me, is what my people just resonates with people you know, and I tell them OK, for a minute, let's be the buyer. We're looking at your house versus this house that just spoke. What do you see? I pull them in on the conversation and I've had my share of difficult conversations with pricing strategies and I have flat out said to them when it comes down to price, you know we've done all the cards, you have staged it. She looks beautiful. The only card we have left to play is price and I'll be patient.
Speaker 3:But my gut serves me well. My gut says we need to go here and at this point, if they don't, I just say well, what are your ideas? I'd love to hear what you have. I'm trying everything I can at Sherylter. So it starts with that expectation from the first meeting and then I do every Monday a call with my sellers. Thank goodness I've been selling them pretty quick. I don't have those very often anymore, but if they do all that we talked about in the beginning, we shouldn't have to be two or three, four months in, shouldn't Right?
Speaker 2:That's good. So when we're talking strategy, I'm hearing we need to look at the trends. So where have we been? Where does it look like? We're going for that particular market, educating our seller to really understand. So if we do a good job with educating them, they should be able to tell us where their home should be positioned. They should be able to see that. And then it's looking at what has been happening in more detail from that detailed CMA and also competition. So putting on the buyer's eyes and what is our competition, because that is the balance.
Speaker 2:Don't we wish we could only do a competition conversation, but the reality is we need to make sure we're going to get it appraised and so really making sure that your strategy, pricing, strategy is all three of those. Where have we been? Where are we going? What does the CMA look like and what's the competition? Where do you want to fit among your competition?
Speaker 2:I wish we were going to be here for another two hours because I would love to go into the weekly update conversation, because we've got to get better, not hiding from the seller, making sure that we are doing those weekly updates, whether we have nothing or a lot. So maybe we'll put that into a future conversation and I want to make sure we have enough time to also talk about the buyers and how we're helping our buyers to really negotiate well and counseling them in that process. So, jen, I'm going to come back to you. When you have a buyer, we know that there's a really good buyer consultation and I imagine you probably are having a similar conversation around the market as you do with a seller to educate them. What are some of the negotiation strategies that you're using right now for buyers when they're going to go in to win the deal?
Speaker 3:So I remind them you know, hey, that house looked great. I totally agree with you. But because I know that you love it, you know a handful of others love it. So what can we do to make you stand out? And you know, if going higher in the number isn't always the case, I mean that's wonderful, they'll immediately go up higher. But if they don't, then I say, ok, let's look at some other strategies, like about you know, the house is only a couple of years old, so why don't we do as is? I've seen a lot of houses. The house looks good to me. There can't be that much wrong with it. Or maybe we can move up the closing date a little earlier.
Speaker 3:Your lender said he could do three weeks, not four. So I kind of work with the person again, the body language, the, their comfort level and they're willing to take risks, right. But at the end of the day, I remind them, your appraisal is your double check. That's the double check, right? So you're not going to pay too much, I'm not going to let you pay too much and we're not doing the whole. You know what's that form? We did during COVID, where they agreed to pay the different.
Speaker 3:I'm not seeing those. I haven't seen one of those in a while, have you ladies? No, we're not really doing that. So it's kind of like, like I said, that appraisal is your double check and I haven't even had to go back and try to get anyone to lower anything. We've been doing good with that. So that's kind of how I guide them is. And the fact that I work with 50-50 sellers and buyers I'm literally, if you look at each year, I tend to go 50-50. I'm always able to say this is what a seller is thinking because I work with them a lot. And on the flip side of that, I work with buyers all the time and it really adds some depth to the conversation and from my experience, I like that. My experience has shown me.
Speaker 2:Good. My experience has shown me that's good Missy. What about you?
Speaker 4:We pull that same report for everybody. Yeah, it just. It shows them exactly what's taking place. It, I mean it's, it's, it's black and white, it's very simple and and you can even show when you pull the report, which I'm sure other MLSs have. The same report, but it lists the properties and what percentage they came down, every single one of them, and so you can literally say you know.
Speaker 4:All right, I understand you want to make this low offer, I get it, I get it. But understand, on this sheet of you know, 50 homes, only three negotiated that way. One was a foreclosure, One was on the market 600 days. I mean we can literally educate, educate, educate, and that's that's all I want you to tell these folks. And they're still the people who want. You know they want a good deal, they want a good deal and we're going to help them get that good deal, even if we have to write 10 contracts before they find that good deal. But those reports are so important. Knowing your MLS and knowing what is given to you through your MLS is incredibly helpful, incredibly helpful.
Speaker 2:Good Lauren, anything to add to that, anything different that you're doing?
Speaker 5:Yeah. So obviously you know, before my buyers and I make an offer we always run the CMA so we obviously know what other people are paying, you know what all that looks like. But on a more case by case basis you know I am that mean. So I will actually call the agent and just get them talking the listing agent and just kind of find out their buyer situation and just say just tell me a little bit more about what's going on, why they're selling, and let them open up. And obviously I learned this from lenders and insurance agents. They always say no matter what you're doing with getting you know approval or getting someone with insurance you pick up the phone and you call that client because they're just going to do the talking and you're going to do the listening. And so by doing that I really get to find out a little bit more about that seller situation. Even you know on the sell side there's going to be a pain, like there is a reason why they are selling.
Speaker 5:And it's my job as a buyer's agent and I do have the full fiduciary duty. I don't do dual agent and my sellers know that, my buyers know that. So I'm calling them just on their behalf and I kind of find out what that seller's position is. And then I go back and I work through the buyer and, like I've talked about before not everything there's more things that are valuable sometimes to a seller than money that could be a seller possession after closing with no charge.
Speaker 5:That could be finding out exactly when they need to be out of there Maybe it's a shorter time, maybe it's a longer time and really crafting my offer so it works for the buyer but then it also works for the seller and that way it's a win-win situation and then we're maybe able to get more. That doesn't necessarily cost the seller the money, but we're able to negotiate and do that. So I think that's really, really important as a buyer's agent to make that phone call and don't let them throw you off and do a text. If they're texting you, it means they have your phone, you pick up the phone and you call them yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 2:I find it fascinating that so often agents can win the deal by calling the seller's agent, calling that listing agent, because you're developing a relationship, they're hearing your voice, they're hearing that you're going to be good to work with. That can really make a difference. We saw that a lot. Yeah, yeah, you sell yourself and Sell yourself.
Speaker 5:Talk about your history, talk about the kind of volume you do, talk about how you bring people to the table. This is your chance to let them know they are working with a professional, and your goal is to make this as seamless and as smooth as possible and get that by my. What I always tell them is my goal is to get my buyer and your seller to the closing table, get a smile on their faces. Let's make that happen, cause that's how you then get the repeat business, that's how you then get the referral and that's how you get another friend in the industry that is going to be looking if they get a pile of offers. Remember, ooh, lauren Vons is good, she's a professional, she does what she's going to say and she got us to the closing table.
Speaker 3:So yeah, and Lauren, it's like I was saying earlier. It may not be. Even if you, let's say you're one offer, they're not multiples, but just having that conversation with the listing agent, you may be able to strengthen that offer and it doesn't involve more money.
Speaker 5:Right, exactly, it's not always money that's as value to the seller.
Speaker 3:It's not always money.
Speaker 5:It doesn't always have to cost them anything. There could be other things that are important.
Speaker 3:And I've had had, I've had sellers turn down the let the the offer that wasn't as high right yeah, it's not about the money for me at the end of the day, you know, you told me that, just yeah, the agent might have mentioned something to me in the conversation that resonated with my, my client, right, oh, I would love for them to have the house.
Speaker 5:Girl. I got my buyers an offer accepted. I mean, this house was blockbuster and there were multiple offers. Immediately I called. I talked to that listing agent. She called me back and she said I just want to let you know we selected your buyers because I had told them that they had gone to the neighborhood the night before with their dog and walked it and they just felt like this could be a neighborhood that they walked their dog in. The people selling the house were animal lovers and that's what got them the deal. I would never have had done that if I hadn't picked up the phone and just built rapport with the listing agent and be able to sell my buyers and what they were going to bring to the table. That stuff is important to sellers. This is especially if it's a house that they loved in and they have memories they want to see. You know that's not violating any fair housing. That's people walking around with a dog. You know it's just what they did.
Speaker 2:Gary, we have eight minutes left and I want to talk marketing strategy. All of that was so good in helping our buyers. Where are the opportunities? The other thing is there's a difference from when a home has been on the market let's say, longer than 10 plus days versus it's fresher on the market. We know that there's different strategies that we go through. And the other thing I want to remind folks that are listening is being sure to do that buyer's net sheet, so that cost sheet for them before they make an offer. It's a great opportunity to make sure that we're doing that cost sheet so they really understand the cost of the purchase. Gary, anything you want to add to this before we go into marketing strategies?
Speaker 1:to wrap it up, I think all of that is great. I think building the relationship with the listing agent that Lauren just described, you know, just super impactful. You know it's all about the comfort in the transaction. So much more goes into it, which all of you have shared, and I think we have to remember that. And when we put relationships first, whether it's CoBroke, whether it's our client, you know we will always do better when we keep the relationship at the forefront above the transaction. So I love that. Thank you.
Speaker 2:All right, we've talked shifts over the last year. We've looked at strategies of helping our buyers and our sellers. Let's go into the other part of our business. We have two jobs. I always tell the agents that are new with us we have two jobs one's to generate the business and one's to do the business. We spend the bulk of the time on doing the business, so let's talk a little bit about the generating the business side, coming into 2025, I want to go a little bit quicker on this. For your particular marketing strategy for you, what's one? Let's go with one strategy that you are really focused on for 2025 to help you to stay engaged and bring in more business. And let me also I'm going to assume that the bulk of the business for all three of you is coming from either Sphere or referrals from Sphere. Is that probably right for you? So, what's one or two strategies, lauren? Let me go with you first if we can rapid fire this a little bit.
Speaker 5:Yeah, just staying exactly. Don't recreate the wheel. Stay in lockstep with your sphere, let them know what you're doing. I reach out directly to them and I make sure that they remember that I'm a real estate agent. I make sure that they remember the experiences that they had with me and make sure, make sure, make sure, make sure you let them know you're never too busy to take a lead, to take care of their client, to make them have their house hunting successful, with you at the lead.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we need to be careful a little bit, Lauren, with sometimes we post on social media that we're exhausted. I've had never, never post that. I didn't want to bother you with that. You're like, oh, you were not bothering me. Yeah, we definitely don't want that, so I would love to have that opportunity. That's really good, missy. What about you?
Speaker 4:The same thing Lauren said is consistency, constant consistency, over and over, doing the same things again and again, and again. And if we add something to what we're already doing, we consistently add it to what we're doing. We don't stop with one and done. It's never going to work that way. You have to do it over and over and over. It's like the billboards. One of those billboards have been there since 07. Now we've had to change it out, come on y'all, but it still has been there since 07. And so that consistency, it just works. We keep doing, you know, and there's new agents that come on the scene who try to do what we do, and then they're gone and we're still here doing the same thing we've done, and it just it works. So if you do something, don't think I'm going to do bread at Christmas and then I'm done. Oh no, you're doing bread for the next 15 years at Christmas. It's got to be that way, the way you think of it.
Speaker 2:I was at the Leading RE conference a couple of weeks ago. Missy and I was watching an agent panel. Actually, robbie Brady was on the agent panel and it was said about the strategies, the habits that we have. They said, actually, if what you're doing day in and day out is kind of boring, that's actually the ticket, because it's not the newest and exciting thing. It's the thing that you're consistently doing all the time, all the time, all the time. Jen, what about you? Strategies for 2025?
Speaker 3:You know, I came to Allentate in August July, August and one of the first things I wanted to do was get up and running on H Suite and understand it and use everything available. And Spencer here locally got me up and going. I got my neighborhood news. I mean, I sat with her. She said to me I congratulate you for doing this. Not everybody does this. I want everybody on neighborhood news, I want the holiday messages going out, I want to use everything available to me that I don't that just, you know, set and go. So that's number one.
Speaker 3:The second thing I've done recently is every time I get an email from a new client referral, whatever, personal, whatever they go right into my CRM. I've gotten much better intentional about I'm doing right now. I'll take a minute and get it done so that they're getting those touches right. They see it not as annoying but as more of a. I want to be professional out the gate, Okay. So those are really two things. And also I'm doing a customer appreciation event on March 20th here I've got a little downtown place in Wake Forest that I'm hosting and I've invited my entire client base and I did not realize how many in my eight years, Wow, I've done fundraisers, but this time I just wanted fun. I wanted to just show up Conversation. There's no agenda, it's just enjoy each other and meet people. So that's kind of what I'm doing, More intentional about those things right there.
Speaker 2:Well, I hope you're going to take Missy's recommendation. So now you're going to have a March 20th event every year, every month. Gary, here's what's so cool. What was my? Anybody remember what my word of the year was? The systems. And Missy's first answer was about systematic transactions. And then Jen put in the tail end there about systems and using systems. Gary, I'm going to hand this off to you.
Speaker 1:Well. So I'm not going to let any of these watch parties with one minute left go without getting a shout out Because huge crowd today, well-deserved content, content, content. Simpsonville, burlington, asheville, north Asheboro, pittsburgh, davidson, greensboro, lake, norman, greenville, lake, norman again. Hendersonville, cary, gastonia, waxhaw, burlington again. And hello from raleigh, falls of noose go, jen uh and then missy uh.
Speaker 1:Somebody uh wants to hear lauren's presentation. And most, ah. Here's a quote for us to end with. Most people never succeed because they can't handle boredom. Mastery isn't exciting, it's consistent and repetitive. Very, going to close on that one. Thank you all. Amazing, give yourselves a big round of applause, awesome. My takeaway for everyone listening is it will be a link on weekly update. It'll be on tate university. I think this is one you want to watch again with a notepad. I've got five pages of notes and I think you guys hit it out of the park as we thought. Maggie, thanks for running the run in the railroad. We appreciate you all. Thanks to all that viewed in and those that will be viewing it in weeks to come. Have a great day and a great week.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
