Want To See More Real Agents At Your Home Builder Events? Stick To The Fundamentals
Forget thinking out of the box. Think what works. And what works for practically no cost is an ‘office caravan.’ Yes, there are still offices that caravan. If the office has regular sales meetings, there is a good chance they caravan.
These are those regular scheduled times, usually right after the broker’s sales meeting, that several agents climb into four or five automobiles and inspect the resale listings that have come into the office during the last week or so.
The next time you deliver your new homes flyers to your neighborhood real estate offices, ask to meet the caravan coordinator This is the person assigned to develop the caravan showing schedule. All you want the coordinator to do is put your community on the list last, so you can serve lunch in one controlled area, tell your story, show them your models and wish them on their way.
Why does this work? Because you are:
- Drawing agents who are active listers and sellers in your neighborhood in your price range.
- Your schedule fits theirs. This is nothing new. On this day, yours is just another home on the list. And the coordinators are always looking for good properties to list.
- Lunch works for you as well as them. It works for you, because you can control your presentation and make the introductions you should make
To get my detail comments on this idea, liten to this short audio. Sale Office Caravan
Internet Registration Manager’s Keep Finding New Ways To Help Realtors
What do you think the job description for a production builder’s Internet Registration Coordinator looks like? What authority does this person have? Yesterday I was talking with the internet ‘advisor’ (indicating indirectly that the industry is still trying to figure this position out) for a major production builder.
When I asked her what she did for the broker, she reminded me that she in fact is a licensed agent and had been on the broker’s side of the fence. Then proceeds to tell me that she in effect provides services somewhere between MLS information, concierge services, and appointment coordinator. What?! Sounds like a pretransaction management service to me.
Production builders are moving toward providing registration, appointment scheduling, product descriptions, pricing, finance info before the prospect visits the property and all of the transaction management services after the sale. Plus they write the contract.
Talk about a point of prospect info capture.
My guess is that what they do for the cobroker ranges from simple prospect registration to the types of services listed above. This s position could become one of the highest paid positions on a builder’s staff, or for new homes division’s within real estate brokerages. I can see an important professional designation, as well.
How can this position not become the dominant resource in sales, marketin, product design and pricing meetings? This is the person who asked the broker what the prospect is looking for in a home, price range, and all the rest, then can track which community they bough, type of home, from one source, who’s full time job is to capture information.
You know what this means? This means I am going to have to change my webinar presentation! Seriously, this has got be great news, especially for new agents who have so much to learn and for the those agents who always too busy complaining to do their research.
Coming soon: An interview with a national builder’s internet registration ‘advisor.’
Fractured Condominium Investors Still Active In Florida Market
Fractured Condominium Investors
If you are a fractured condominium investor, you may have come to the right place. I may be able to help.
First of all, I am a real estate broker who specializes in condominium workouts. Through the years I have sold more than $3 billion in condominiums, converted several rentals to condominiums, managed 16 condo associations with my own management company, and been involved with 27 lender workouts.
In today’s market, this experience is where the value lies in the fee paid to the broker. That is where my value is to you.
Fees are charged based on the services required.
Please note that I must have proof of funds or thoroughly understand your successful history before I make any lender contacts. Thank you.
This short video will help us get acquainted. CondoBulkInvestors
David Fletcher 407 352 5500 davidf@newhomesniche.com
President Obama: Please Make “New Home Construction” Your Housing Priority
Dear Mr. President:
On September 7, 2009 I wrote a letter to you , which was published in Realty Times, outlining the housing problem and recommending solutions. In that letter I outlined the impact of a new home sale vs a resale, and the enormous difference building a new home makes not just on jobs per se but on pay checks in general
We need to hear the sound of nails pounding into roof tops. No other manufactured product can match ‘new construction’ as a symbol of a recovering economy.
I urge you to read my letter if you have not. We need to be thinking ‘new homes’ as a phase one recovery strategy. Foreclosures and short sales will be with us for a while, but we need to see a goal as a country, say 1 million new homes in 12 months and give the home builders the tools they need to help you rebuild the housing market.
Please read the letter. It is based on my 35 years experience as a new homes broker and the veteran of four recessions in this country.
Thank you, sir.
NAHB: Don’t Let The Numbers Cloud Your Vision
Could it be that the National Association of Home Builders is so busy putting out the spec in the governments eyes that they lost their vision because they have a log in their own?
Every single day they are lobbying at local, state, and the national level on behalf of potential homeowners.
They are totally focused on working to keep mortgage rates down, reducing the amount of down payments required, offsetting new laws that will add expense to implement, and convincing those in power to revise appraisal guidelines to some thing that makes sense. It is an incredible organization with invaluable work to do.
But one has to wonder if during what has to be the most difficult time in years, the NAHB hasn’t lost its vision among the charts, studies, and proposals.
Our country needs to see homes under construction and hear hammers driving nails into rooftops to start to believe that a recovery is underway. Speeches, talking heads, and even what we read, will not do it.
The NAHB needs a vision, a goal in terms of housing starts. Regardless of the market, housing needs to be proactively marketed.
How many home starts have they targeted for the next 12 months? Not projected. Targeted.
Lets say, for example, that a state association targets the selling of 20,000 new homes in the next 12 months.
Can this be done? Without a marketing strategy and tactics, the answer would be ‘no’.
But a strategy and production goal would create focus and urgency and help home builders and others think creatively.
Here’s a thought. According to the National Association of Home Builders about 50 percent of those who are buying new homes are first time home buyers (unencumbered renters).
Let’s assume that 500,000 new homes will be sold in 2011. According to the National Association of Home Builders about 50% (250,000) homes are purchased by first time home buyers. They also tell us that about 50% of all homes are sold by cobrokers.
Now, lets say that in 2112 the NAHB sets a goal to increase sales to first time home buyers 20% (50,000) and set another goal to increase cobroker sales by 50% (50,000).
Now they have a vision they can share with Washington that makes this understandable and maybe a little emotional, especially when they tie the fact that more than 100 familes get pay checks every time a new home is constructed.
To make this work, it would take a smart marketing campaign and ‘all in’ support from the National Association of Realtors. Buyers fear what they don’t understand and today they do not know if they can or should buy a new home or a resale for that matter.
Give the country a vision, because it will take a vision as well as hope and knowledge to get the undecides to move from renting to ownership and real estate agents to bring their ready, willing and able prospects to new homes centers.
The Most Saleable FSBO In Town Is A New Home
Needed: New Homes Sales “Best Practice” Guidelines
Should Builders Pay More Than Market Rate Commission?
Don’t Assume Short Sales Prospects Will Not Purchase A New Home
About David’s Blog
We base it on our more than 30 years as a new homes broker of record for more than 70 communities and $3 billion in sales. Before this year is out, we will be announcing a blockbuster program for home builders and real estate agents that will solve sales problems for both.
Production builder cobroker sales are sixty percent or higher, much higher. This tells us one thing: Cobroker sales are the dominant resource of new homes sales today. We know from being one, however, that the real estate industry has a long way to go to really understand how to train general agents to sell new homes.
That’s the need we fill.
Now, what about the blog?
We write about new homes sales tips, issues, opportunities, reminders, etc. You will see guest blogs at times. We will mention names when we discover something we believe the real estate brokers need to hear about, without charging or asking the vendor or builder to pay us. We want to help as many as we can as often as we can for as little expense as we can.
From time to time you will find one of 50 mp3′s files on our blog, and announcements about out webinars geared to general agents and onsite agents. Or you may see an old idea that worked ‘back then’ and will work today that you overlooked. You will also read about new ways of doing things, some proven, some being tested, but always out there for ‘somebody.’
Thank you for your time and interest.
David