Your key to success finding and buying your new home Welcome to First Look, an exclusive buyer satisfaction program available only through Envelope Real Estate Brokerage Inc/ Studies show that so far in 2009, 65% of the real estate buyers were definitely satisfied with their sales representative. Think about that – that means fully 35% were not! The same study indicated buyers expect their sales representative to perform very few functions. For repeat buyers: 1. 62% wanted their sales representative to find the right house, 2. 19% wanted their sales representative to negotiate the price after checking against comparable prices, and 3. 14% wanted their sales representative to complete the paperwork properly. This is not a long or complicated list! How one third of all buyers could be dissatisfied with the performance of their sales representative? Let me let you in on a little secret. Most sales representatives don’t plan to take care of their clients! No, I don’t mean they don’t intend to satisfy their clients. They do. They generally have the best of intentions. They just don’t have a plan to accomplish what they intend. Ever hear of the old phrase “A failure to plan is a plan to fail?” Well, welcome to the world of the average real estate practitioner. And it doesn’t matter how many letters or designations you can find after their name. It’s always the same. They have no systematic way of helping a client through the home buying process. That’s exactly why the First Look buyer program was made available. It’s a unique system specially designed to consistently deliver customer satisfaction by addressing the three primary goals of buyers mentioned above. More specifically, it’s a step-by-step blueprint to ensure client satisfaction – not a haphazard approach depending on the crisis of the day. Now some of you might be saying “I don’t want a rigorous program. The right house for me isn’t going to be the same as for someone else”. And you’d be quite right – the right house for you is going to be different. However, let me ask you this: Regardless of your destination, would you want the pilot flying your airplane to use a checklist or would you prefer they wing it because your destination is different? I think most you can see that only by employing a well-designed system do you have the best chance of consistently obtaining the results you want. So what are the components of First Look and how does it work? The exact details of First Look provide a competitive advantage and are therefore proprietary but we can look at how it generally addresses the principle item buyers want from their sales representative – finding the right home. Generally the first thing most buyers do when they start thinking of a new home is to start looking in the newspaper, the real estate magazines at the supermarket, and more and more, the internet. If you use this approach for anything other than to get a general feel for the market, I can almost guarantee you’re going to be frustrated! Why? Well, for the moment lets skip the fact we have not invested the time to analyze your requirements, wants, financial qualifications, etc., and just look at this approach to searching. And let’s further suppose we’ve already found nothing on the market that’s suitable. When a property comes onto the market where do the best “buys” go? Now I know everybody thinks the real estate sales representative gets the best buys, but let me assure you, they don’t have the money. So, where do they go? They go to the buyer who has the first opportunity to say yes! And guess who that is? It’s the buyer who’s’ sales representative is constantly checking for new listings that meet their clients criteria, the buyer who is already pre-approved for a loan, and who is ready move emotionally when that right property for them comes onto the market. Can you figure out which properties show up in the newspaper, the magazines, etc.? I’s either already sold or It’s a property my client has rejected! Now would you prefer to choose from the gems or choose from the leftovers? Does it take a lot of effort to constantly check for new properties for each client? Absolutely! Does it pay off? Absolutely! Is it available to everyone? Absolutely not! This is just one example of the advantages you’ll enjoy with the First Look system. There are lots more. If you tank you’d like to take the next step to explore the advantages and what’s involved here’s what to do now: 1. Call me at 519-435-1600 and let me know you’d like to take the next step and arrange an initial First Look meeting in my office. Ask any questions you might have and I’ll do the same. If we agree to move forward, we’ll set a time for the first meeting and I’ll contact one of my preferred lenders and ask them to initiate the pre-approval process. You’ll need to talk with the lender and begin the process prior to our meeting. 2. Prior to our meeting, please fill out the enclosed First Look Buyer Needs and Wants Sheet in its entirety. This is important because when the time comes, you will ultimately make your new home choice emotionally. This will give us a basis in fact. 3. When we meet, we’ll go over your wants and needs, special requirements, time table, etc. I’ll also be prepared to show you several homes based upon the Needs and wants sheet you’ve provided. I’ll be providing you with a First Look buyer’s kit. In that kit I’ll be providing some additional material includinga brief on negotiating strategy factoring in the current market trends, comparable prices, and personality styles. There’ll also be more detailed material on the anatomy of a sale so you’ll know exactly what to expect and when. I’ll include copies of a sample offer so you’ll have the opportunity to review it and ask questions before we find your new home. We’ll decide on the best means and frequency of communication. Phone, email, Fax, or a combination thereof. During our first meeting I’ll ask for several commitments. One of the things I will ask of you is a commitment to work exclusively through me as your sales representative. Now occasionally a buyer will balk at this request assuming they will have better odds if they are working with more than one sales representative. And I have no problem if someone wants to work with several sales representatives. I’m just not going to be one of them. Suppose you are a sales representative and you’ve just come across a terrific new buy. Who are you going to call? The buyer who is working with half a dozen sales representatives and could purchase through any of them, or the buyer you know if your loyal client? So what’s the downside from a buyer’s point of view – locked in forever? Not at all. Because I’m so confident with the First Look system, you’ll get my written guarantee: 4. If you’re not happy at any time, just let me know and fire me. I’ll take all the risk. I just need your commitment. My goal is to make you so pleased with my First Look program you’ll become an outspoken advocate for my business. And that brings us to the second commitment I’ll ask for – if you are happy with my services that you’ll definitely recommend me to your friends and relatives. At the beginning I related how fully one third of the buyers couldn’t definitely say they had a positive buying experience. As you approach this exciting task of finding your new dream home ask yourself: “Within which group are you going to find yourself”? The choices you make about which sales representative you use will determine your fate. Ty Lacroix |