Voodoo Agent

I was featured on Peter Lorimer's Podcast where we talked about how to find clients in the luxury bracket, how to follow up, and best techniques of the real estate trade. I also shared my background including how and why I got into real estate.

It has been a Seller’s market for years and it is impossible to accurately determine when that will change. Regardless of whether it is a Buyer’s or Seller’s market, there are always opportunities to get a great buy if you play it correctly and you are prepared. Here are my best practices to make a great buy. Know the market. When you really know the market, and a great opportunity comes up, you will recognize it, not hesitate to act on it and offer the right price. Lots of inexperienced Buyers just low ball any offer regardless of how good of a buy it is and that Buyer does not have a chance. See if the Seller has a problem you can fix. I once had a Buyer offer to lend the Seller $1,000,000 on the spot and in turn got a great deal and beat out a number of other Buyers. Numerous times I was able to offer a long leaseback to the Seller which made a great deal happen. Look at properties that have been on the market for a long time. Often the best deals are Sellers that overpriced their home and now 6-12 months later or longer they are anxious to sell and don’t have the same attention as a new listing on the market. Make sure Agents know that your Buyer is interested in their property, even if they don’t write an offer. If their Seller gets very motivated and the Agent knows your client is circling, you’ll get the call.

Selling luxury real estate is a full contact sport and it is over the top competitive, especially in Beverly Hills. I have had CAA talent agents say that luxury real estate agents make talent agents look like crossing guards. Despite the competitive nature we are also in a collaborative business where agents rely on their fellow agents heavily for intel, access to property and working together on deals. Most sales involve two agents working together. I go out of my way to help agents. Why would I be making these Voodoo Agent videos? There are those Rogue Agents that operate in their own little bubble, but for the most part, Karma is in full swing amongst your fellow agents.

So you have converted that lead into a hot Buyer or Listing by connecting dots, pushing buttons and you are in play heading towards a sale. All Good? Not so quick. Buying or Selling a home puts even the most hardcore and experienced buyers and sellers in a very vulnerable position. At best selling or buying a home is complicated and tedious. Often it is all consuming and your clients fight or flight responses are stuck in the on position. It is critical that we check in and make sure our clients are getting love and attention from us. It is not enough to be doing a good job for them, they need to know it. We also need to let them know what is happening between the lines whether it is the results from advertising or showings for a Seller or letting your anxious Buyers know about the homes that are new on the market but not for them. It does not matter whether your Buyer or Seller is an old repeat client, a new lead or your brother, if they feel you are taking them for granted it is not going to be pretty. We also need to be teachers and have some patience. We are in a business to consumer business for the most part and our clients do not know what we know. Just because clients are sharp in their own field, they are often are clueless in ours and it is our responsibility to educate them. Buying and Selling a home is a big deal.

There has never been an easier time to communicate with leads. In luxury real estate I used to work thru people’s lawyers and business managers and assistants. Today people deal with me directly for the most part no matter how pricey the homes are. There is also multiple ways to connect with person via phone, text, e-mail and social channels. It can be very satisfying to reach out to buyer and seller leads by firing off a bunch of e-mails and texts and see if you catch any lead at the right time ready to look, list or transact, however most of the times you are just being too lazy or fearful to pick up the phone. I use all forms of communication and communicate how my clients want to, but initially and on occasion you need to talk on the phone and meet them in person or they are not your client and they can easily forget about you. When the so called experts say that millennials text and don’t want to talk on the phone it does not apply to initiating a relationship. You can maintain a relationship with text and e-mail but you are not going to forge a relationship that way.