David Weekley Homes’ Internet Advisor Services Represent Paradym Shift In Cobroker Marketing

We all know that a new homes sale is the easiest sale in residential real estate because it is ‘new’ and in today’s market the builder is much easier to work with, right? As important as they are, these reasons don’t scratch the surface when compared to the depth of Internet registration services offered by David Weekley Homes’ Florida division.

If you are working with Amber Williams, the Florida Internet Advisor for David Weekley Homes, all you have to do is register your prospect, and that’s about it, or close to it. She qualifies your buyer, determines which homes they should see, and schedules your appointment with her onsite sales partner. Builders,for years, have helped your prospect find a mortgage, written the contract, and provided all transaction management through closing and move-in. Now they are offering pre-contract prospect qualifying and sales services. Incredible.

Disclosure: I have no relationship with David Weekley Homes and was not paid to write about their Internet Advisor services. I write about what I consider to be workable ideas, services or needs to help agents sell new homes. Some of it standard and proven. Some of it new and untested. Some of it so exciting, I can’t help myself. This is one of those ‘can’t help myself’ blogs.

The new homes industry is on the cutting edge of a service for the real estate agents that will change the way real estate agents think about prospecting for and selling new homes, the way they are trained to show them, and the way broker/owners begin to train their agents.

Some ways it will change:

• Realtors will contact the builder’s Internet Manager, not just shop the internet looking for homes to show.
• Realtors will get a lot more interested in prospecting for new homes prospects and discussing “new homes’ with their resale prospects.
• Realtors will make more new home sales, because the Internet Advisor helped qualify the buyer, find the homes best suited for the buyer, and coached their the onsite partners to know what the buyer’s qualifications and lifestyle requirements are.
• Broker/Owners will be forced to include ‘new homes’ in their training programs. Like inviting asking a new homes internet advisor to participate in the training, for instance.
• Builders will finally have the control they want and need, while providing Realtors with the commission protection they must have.

After reading the following process used by David Weekley Homes, see if you don’t agree with my predictions:

To put a frame around this service, it is part concierge, part MLS, and part administrative assistant performing precontract services that the Realtor would normally be providing.

According to Florida Internet Advisor Williams, here is how it works:

Step 1 Realtor calls Williams to register the prospect.

Step 2 Williams enters Realtor’s prospect name and contact information into the David Weekly Homes internet registration system. “This protects the Realtors if
their clients call, email, or visit without mentioning that they are working with a Realtor,” Williams said.

Step 3 “I then contact the prospect for the Realtor and capture the information needed to help determine which of our communities meet the prospect’s requirements. During this conversation I find out if the prospect prefers to build or has a need for an inventory home. Then I confirm what they have told the Realtor regarding price range, purchase date, and get answers to the types of questions an MLS listing would show. I also ask for view and site location preferences.

“During this conversation I try to learn something about the family profile and if there are any special needs, so that our onsite Sales Counselor knows to have detailed information available about schools, playgrounds, and the like, and to have refreshments ready in the model when the family visits.

‘Potential buyers will typically want to visit more than one community while they’re searching, especially if they are relocating to a new area. Instead of the Realtor calling several different model homes hoping that the Sales Counselor isn’t busy helping someone else, the Realtor simply contacts me and I take care of everything,” Williams said.

Step 4 Once Williams has this information she contacts the Realtor to advise them of the properties selected and establish preferred appointment times for both the Realtor and prospective buyer to visit the model centers. I then set the appointment for both, or for just the prospective buyer, if the Realtor cannot meet at the preferred time.

Step 5. A calendar invitation is emailed to confirm showing dates, time and location for each appointment, and to let them know that my onsite partner will be assisting them when they arrive. “Of course, I include my contact information if the prospective buyer needs to reach me for any reason.”

Step 6 After they meet with her onsite partners, Williams follows up with the Realtor to see how the appointment went and if there is anything else the David Weekley Homes team can do to help. Williams continues to check on the Realtor and her prospect throughout the process, “giving her peace of mind knowing that we work as a team and they can always get the information they need from us.”

“Cobrokers sell about seventy percent of all of our homes in Florida. They are obviously a very important part of our sales success. and we want to help them to be succesful. Our entire team is passionate about helping Realtors make sales. If we provide them with services that make their job easier, more productive and more profitable they are more likely to bring their prospects to us throughout their career,” Williams said.

As a closing note, based on the services let’s review what home builders like David Weekley Homes and others are doing for real estate agents today, not counting lavish parties and great food:

Qualfying for lifestyle, qualifying for mortgage, providing the most saleable FSBO’s in your market, making the model demonstration, writing the contract, providing a team of professionals to handle transaction management, coordinating the closing, handling all moving your buyer into their homes.

Agents need to know one thing (NO! It’s not construction). They need to know how to prospect for new homes buyers, because they are out there. More on this in future blogs.

To be fair to other home builders: If you are providing internet services like those outlined here, let me know by September 25, and I will post your name with an email link on my website.

In the meantime if you are a Realtor, spread the word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Comment

• 
  Amber Williams, David Weekley Homes September 18, 2011 at 11:05 am

  Realtors, what are you waiting for? Call, text or email me – I’m standing by and ready to help! AWilliams@dwhomes.com 904-662-9524

  Reply