Sarah Jarvis Team at One South Realty

at One South Realty

Marketing

Did You Just Hire a Realtor, an Agent or a Salesperson?

By

Realtor? Salesperson? Agent? You decide...I wish to start this article out with a disclaimer — This is my opinion only and I do not speak for anyone else. I also know that these comments will probably generate some level of disagreement with those in my industry and I am OK with that.

So here goes…

My industry is filled with three types of people

  • Realtors
  • Salespeople
  • Agents

Lets discuss the differences.

The Realtor

Technically speaking, a REALTOR is a member of the National Association of Realtors and is licensed either as a broker or real estate salesperson. A Realtor will (ok, should) always abide by the Code of Ethics and is versed in all of the complicated agency, disclosure, and fair housing laws as well as the protocol for how to handle the inevitable grey areas that lie on the edge many sticky situations.

I have been involved in many deals where the cooperating broker, a Realtor in the purest sense of the word, spent more time on protocol than they did on the analysis of the market value. Their client, in my opinion, made a poor financial decision.

That said, I have also been involved in deals where the cooperating broker spent very little time on the technical part of their craft (the Realtor side, if you will) and put their clients at risk.

It cuts both ways.

Understand that in no way am I criticizing being a ‘Realtor,’ rather I am simply pointing out a Realtor (once again, in the purest sense) sees their world and the conflicts that comprise it through the lens of very a strict interpretation of proscribed rules and guidelines. Sometimes this protocol focus ignores the larger picture.

It is unfortunate.

The Salesperson

In the real estate industry (or any commissioned sales industry for that matter) there are sales gurus.

Attend any Mike Ferry Organization or Brian Buffini seminar (or Matt Ferrara, or Ben Kinney, or any other one of many and, in the interest of full disclosure, I have paid to see them all) and you will hear their ideas on how to make more money.

All of the scripts, activity goals, scheduling, etc. are all designed to increase the attendee’s earning potential.

Usually, a combination of increased people skills, basic scripts, and a diligent commitment to prospecting for new leads (via calling people you know and/or those you do not) should lead to increased income. Their (correct) theory is simply if you find more people to talk to and do a better job of telling them what they want to hear, you will increase your income. More opportunities x more skills = more income.

But at who’s expense?

The true salesperson, while they are doing nothing illegal or even immoral, hold their own ‘lead generation’ activities in the highest regard. Many times the teachings of the sales guru strongly suggest to NOT take any phone calls other than those related to prospecting for extended periods time each day. Closing issue? Call you back at noon. Termite not ordered? Please leave a message. Loan package is wrong? I am sorry, but Mr. Salesperson is busy right now.

Needless to say, it is not a client-centric philosophy.

Am I saying you should NOT hire the salesperson? No. I am saying that don’t be disappointed when your salesperson acts like one.

When the metrics of deal count and sales volume become the sole measuring sticks of success, then the advice offered must always be questioned as to who stands to benefit most.

That said, I have always found that those who are busy are usually busy for reason –– they are good at what they do. I have also found that a certain level of detachment and objectivity from my advisor comes from a certain level of financial achievement. Much of the best advice I have ever received came from folks who had little need for my business. Any advisor who needs my business, well, I am not sure their advice is best for me, either.

While the advice from the true salesman should be filtered and vetted, it is many times very accurate and based on a great deal of experience.

The Agent

The agent is a combination creature who is part Realtor, part salesperson, and part trusted advocate. Agents get deals done.

An agent, in my opinion, has a loyalty to the correct outcome for their client.

Agents may be very aggressive and disciplined in their lead generation practice (like the Salesperson) but still hold their client’s interests above their own. Agents fully understand the Realtor Code of Ethics (like Realtors) yet manage to adhere to these principles without getting in the way of the best outcome for the client.  

At the end of the day, an agent will always try to help their client find the best available deal through the best available means.

An agent always asks themselves, is my client making a good decision? If they are making a bad deal, then they will try to talk them out of it.  If they are making a good deal, they will try to keep them engaged in it –– all of the while conducting themselves in a manner consistent with the Code of Ethics.

They likewise are successful enough to be able to give competent advice without their own financial pressures influencing the recommendations.

Conclusion

I think it is pretty obvious by my tone that I feel the best person to hire in a real estate transaction is the AGENT. A good agent, like a good attorney, accountant, insurance broker, or mechanic, is someone who will be in your life for a long time. I know that those clients who consider me their ‘agent’ call me constantly with questions as mundane as ‘do you have a good leaf guy’ to as complex as ‘help me understand the legal aspects of non-compliance in a mandatory HOA.’

The all-time great speaker Zig Ziglar once said (and I paraphrase) that if you help enough people get what they want, you will always be taken care of.  There is a lot of truth in that statement, especially in the real estate business. The ‘agent’ community in Richmond contains a great deal of talent whose ability to positively impact a transaction is robust.

Interview many and find the one who you would consider putting on your team for life.

We Love Photography

By

I think that deep down inside, each Realtor is part frustrated architect and part frustrated photographer (ok, this Realtor is) and thus my obsession with extremely well done photography.  Nothing quite lends itself to powerful photography quite like people, nature and architecture.

Being lucky enough to work in a city with architecture dating back centuries, unique shots are everywhere.  And being lucky enough to work with some really talented artists (yes they are artists) only makes our job easier.

Here are some of our favorites.

osrg-couzie_opt

39_e_3rd_st_mls_hid891674_roomfamilyroom1_opt

andrea-office-view-copy_opt

biek-race-lift-web_opt

dinelights_opt

oakpark1_opt

newimg_7643_opt

interior02_opt

byrdpark06_opt

churchhill-11_jpg_opt

grove2_opt

parkave1_opt-1

clarksvilleforgebellonaarsenal7_opt

websize-5

A Chef, A Greenskeeper and a Realtor Walk into a Bar …

By

‘Why do we need a Realtor?’

In my early years, I used to get offended by that question. Probably the main reason was that I didn’t really have a good answer. Uhhh … contract … MLS …. Lockbox … you need us!

 

But as I have aged in this industry, I actually have come to enjoy being asked the question. Why? Because it gives me a chance to educate the clients as to our role and the value we add.

I can cook, but I am no chef…

Sometime in the late 1990’s, as a thank you gift from a client, a personal chef came to our house and cooked a meal for us. It was the first time I met Ellie Basch.

The fig an Prosciutto salad rocks. And her seared tuna is always worth the price of admission.
Ellie’s fig and Prosciutto salad rocks. And her seared tuna is always worth the price of admission.

Now, for those who have ever been on the receiving end of a Jarvis-prepared feast, we are pretty good cooks. I am not saying we are ready to compete on any cooking shows, but you will not feel cheated if you get to eat at Chez Jarvis. My wife’s tenderloin is restaurant quality and I am pretty adept anything grill related. So, as competitive as I am, I could not wait to see if the personal chef (Ellie) was that much better than we were.

Long story short, she was.

Ellie not only made us an absolutely awesome meal (and it was so awesome that we still use her for the One South holiday party some 10+ years later,) it was how she went about making it that was equally impressive. She made it in a stranger’s kitchen, wasted no food, created about 1/10 of the mess we would have and brought it all together at not only the exact same instant, but at the perfect temperature. Lastly, she did what would have taken us several hours and did it 30 minutes, tops.

In all honesty, it was not only fun to watch, it was a great life lesson about being an amateur and being a pro.

You can putt on my lawn, but it won’t be any fun…

I have another good friend who is the superintendent at an upscale golf course. Now, as he will readily admit, growing grass is perhaps the simplest form of agriculture imaginable. Everyone, at some level, can grow grass – seed + water + dirt + waiting – it is not that hard.

Golf, anyone?
Golf, anyone?

But just know this – golf courses, when at their best, are being pushed to their limits of health in order to create conditions most desirable to the golfing community. In key parts of the season, particularly the summer months, it his job to take the grass to the edge without killing it.

So imagine managing 200 acres to its limits each and every day, with multiple types of grasses growing in varied soils, varied shade conditions, highly varied air circulation conditions and varied moisture conditions all while trying to anticipate Virginia’s schizophrenic climate. If the National Weather Service gets it wrong by 5 degrees, especially during the peak summertime, you can kill an entire golf course.

Talk about pressure …

The short version is that my friend is equal parts scientist and artist.  He takes what are an infinite number of variables (nature) and makes sense of them all. He not only has to answer to himself, he answers to those who only see the results but rarely understand the constraints. His work is so good it is considered elite not just here locally, but at a national level.

And you know what else? He makes it look easy.

But real estate is easy …

For anyone who has even been through a real estate transaction, it can appear easy, especially if the agent you are working with is an accomplished pro.  Realize that the biggest part of the reason the transaction is easy is the advice they are providing and the work they are doing that you never see.

Doctors, mechanics, accountants, stylists, PR people, architects, graphic artists … and yes, chefs, golf superintendents and Realtors … we all do things that the public rarely sees and consequently doesn’t fully appreciate.  Yet thanks to HGTV, Zillow, Trulia, Houzz and Pinterest, the myth that real estate is a D-I-Y endeavor is perpetuated.

It is unfortunate because it is just not that easy.

So you can be your own Realtor, but should you?

It didn’t take Ellie 30 minutes to make my meal, it took her 10 years and 30 minutes to make my meal.

It didn’t take my golf buddy a few hours to lay out the protocol for maintaining green speeds on 97 degree days, it took him 15 years and few hours to lay out that protocol.

And guess what else, despite how it sometimes seems, it didn’t take me (or any other Realtor) a few hours to sell your home or find you the perfect home – it took us far longer.

The information and knowledge that we convey to our clients each and every day may seem like we just went to MLS and pushed the ‘meaningful statistic’ button … we didn’t.  Odds are the analysis we did was pulled from the latest market data and created exclusively for you.

While getting a real estate license is relatively easy, becoming a true pro is not. A good pro agent has a feel for values, trends, appraisals, incentives, geography, contract structure, marketing, data, analysis, competition, human nature, staging, design, construction, schools, zoning, finance, rental rates, law and negotiations (and yes, this is an abbreviated list.) We also have to keep up with changes in technology, continuing education, both local and national development and what goes on in Washington, DC.  It is not easy.

When a good agent makes a recommendation, it is based on far more than you can find on one of the thousands of websites dedicate to D-I-Y real estate.

Hire a pro. You will be happy.

What Are You Going to Do to Sell My Home?

By

It is probably the most asked question by the selling public when interviewing agents for the sale of their home.  I think it is often misunderstood.

how are you going to

Each agent has a standard response to this question (it is usually some type of list) where they will tout all sorts of activities designed to impress the seller.  Some are these actions are critical and some, well, not so much.  As a matter of a fact, I once saw an agent that had broken down the home selling process into ‘113 Simple Steps’ (I kid you not.)  I always wondered if skipping a step meant failure, but I honestly didn’t have the heart to ask.

While choosing an agent to represent you in the sale of your home is important, it is not simply about tasks (otherwise ‘Mr 113 Steps’ would win every time), it is about applying the correct tools to the correct situations.

Below you will find some questions to ask and a list of things we can do for you.

What Type of Sale is Required?

In theory, all housing is unique.  In realty, much housing is very similar.

Selling contemporary infill, high performance new suburban and 20 year old town homes all require a different mix of tools.
Selling contemporary infill, high performance new suburban and 20 year old town homes all require a different mix of tools.

How an agent would approach a sale in Founder’s Bridge is largely the same as in Tarrington.  That said, selling a condo in a historic warehouse will differ greatly from selling a home on 15 acres in Goochland. The key is knowing what works in which segment.

The geographic location, the time of year, the price of the home, the type of property, the buyer’s likely profile and the age of the home all drive the correct mix of techniques.  A spring open house in the Museum District for a property priced below $400,000 might mean 100 people or more touring the property in a 2 hour period while an open house on the same day in rural Hanover County might not generate a single tour.  Similarly, putting a vinyl sided colonial built in 1992 in Estates and Homes magazine is probably not money well spent.

Just know that the ‘one-size-fits-all’ technique employed by many agents is the wrong way to go about it.  Find an agent with not only a big tool kit, but an understanding of when to use each.

To Team or Not To Team?

One of the trends in our industry over the last decade has been the rise of the real estate ‘Team.’  Teams named for the lead agent or for some esoteric concept have sprouted up everywhere. In my opinion, teams are a good thing.

It seems like all pictures of teams require the 'arms crossed' pose. Why is that?
It seems like all pictures of real estate teams require the ‘arms crossed’ pose. Why is that?

The rise of the team is important because it acknowledges that at each level of real estate, increased specialization is beneficial.  From pricing to marketing and syndication strategies to contract administration to understanding the nuanced requirements of selling in historic or mixed-use environments, the more specific knowledge a team can bring, the better the level of service for the client.

At the end of the day, the collective value brought by a team based approach is generally better than the ‘one agent island’ employed by the majority of agents in any given market.

How Important is Zillow to Selling a Home?

When Zillow was launched in the 2006 (and cousins Trulia and Realtor.com soon thereafter), it changed our industry.  By bringing the home search process out from behind the MLS curtain and putting it on public display, it forever changed the public/Realtor dynamic.

The percentage of buyers and sellers using agents is as high as it has ever been. Zillow and Trulia seem to think otherwise.
The percentage of buyers and sellers using agents is as high as it has ever been. Zillow and Trulia would like you to believe otherwise.

The narrative that Zillow, Trulia and Realtor would have you believe is that they disrupted the SALES process … which is, in fact, untrue.  The percentage of For Sale By Owner is at its lowest point in history and the percentage of buyers employing a Buyer’s Agent is at its highest.

What Zillow changed is the SEARCH process … not the SALES process.  It is a subtle, yet an important distinction.

This is the key takeaway –  these platforms that allow Realtors to promote properties almost instantly across a network of websites have changed how we, as agents, acquire new clients, but it has not really changed how properties are sold.  When we (Realtors) adopt an aggressive digital strategy that heavily leans on Z/T/R, the reality is that we benefit more than you do.

Be careful in mistaking an agent’s Zillow strategy as a marketing plan for your home – they are two different things.

Word_Cloud_GeneratorSo How Can You Tell the Professionals?

When you know how to correctly apply the tools, your metrics improve.

We will put our metrics up against any other company in the Metro:

  • Our marketing times are low
  • The pricing to our sellers is above the Metro average in terms of price AND of ‘price per foot’
  • And the ratio of the sold price to list price is nearly a full percentage point higher than the market average

You can read more about the way One South compares to our competition here…

Examining how well a brokerage performs on these metrics will go a long way in determining how well they know which tools work best for any given situation.

The List of Stuff We Do

All that said, if you just want a big giant list, here it is …

  • The MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE is a big part of our every day.  Keeping the database current takes time and know that agents are fined or otherwise punished for non-complinace.  Oh, Zillow and Trulia would not exist if it was not for the data contained in MLS.
  • We spend an inordinate amount of time on the VALUATION of properties.  We help sellers understand values and we help buyers understand values.
  • We PROVIDE INSIGHT, GUIDANCE and PERSPECTIVE.  Of all of the things we do, trying to explain how we are going to help you navigate an unforeseen issue before it arises is hard.  Sometimes, problems are easy to predict  (short sales are more likely to have title issues, old houses are more likely to have inspection issues, condos are more likely to have lending issues) but being able to handle the last minute issue that can derail closing is what we do every day.
  • We hold OPEN HOUSES for our clients and we will often do OPEN HOUSES for the brokerage community to introduce new properties to the marketplace.
  • One of the primary ways we raise awareness  is via the E BLAST where we send new listings, price changes and other updates to the brokerage community.
  • ZILLOW – see the section from above.  Managing Zillow, as well as TRULIA, REALTOR.com and the hundreds of other sites vying for the public’s eyeballs takes a great deal of time and effort to do right.
  • People still love a well done PRINT BROCHURE.  Despite the digital movement and the ubiquity of online information, the public wants one … so we continue to create them.
  • PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY is a must.  While cameras, cameraphones and a host of other ways to capture and improve images exist, when the pros shoot it, it just looks better.  Use them.
  • The LOCKBOX helps record who goes in when and reports a ton of information.  We should place one on your front porch/door/railing to provide protection for your key.
  • Often, on the sign, we will place an INFO BOX so that when someone walks/drives by, they can grab a shortened version of the brochure and find out some basic info on the house.  The Zillows and Trulias of the world have largely rendered the need for the info box obsolete
  • Some swear by the VIRTUAL TOUR while others are more ho-hum about it.  Well done photography can often times be stitched together to create the VT, but nothing replaces an actual tour.
  • Individual PROPERTY WEBSITES can be very important, especially when the property rises to a certain level.  If the home is architecturally important or very specific details are required to tell the story, the a site dedicated to the property should be created.  We do this in-house, typically.
  • The rise of VIDEO in our industry is unmistakable.  The problem is, well done video is hard, expensive and time consuming.  In a market where properties are moving quickly, video may not be worth the effort.  It depends on the goal.
  • In any given day, especially in the spring, ANSWERING INQUIRIES thoughtfully and correctly has consumed the day.  An agent’s job is to answer the inquiry (from both the public and peers) in such a way that generates showings.  It is an art.
  • You would be surprised how much time is spent SCHEDULING.  Life goes on despite a For Sale sign in the front yard and trying to coordinate everyone’s schedule (buyer, seller, agent, family, inspector, contractor, insurance agent, appraiser, running late, running early, need to reschedule) can be as time consuming as any activity we do.
  • Any good agent is also adept at SHOWING.  A typical showing will take close to 2 – 3 hours ‘all-in’ when you include preparing, printing, travel time, actual demonstration of the property, turning lights on (and off) and locking up.  And often times, we show up, meet the client and show the property only to find out afterwards that they are already working with a Buyer’s Agent who they never called to show them the property.
  • Obtaining FEEDBACK that is relevant and valuable is also an art.  It takes time and you have to be diligent.  Buyer’s Agents are busy and don’t normally have the time to stop what they are doing and tell you why their client did not like your home.  Good listing agents are diligent about the feedback loop.
  • We NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS and then we NEGOTIATE INSPECTIONS.  Remember, contracts are combinations of a price AND terms.  Many tend neglect the terms in exchange for price and it is a shame.  So much seller benefit can be gained by focusing on the terms of a deal.  Without going into too much detail and giving away all of our secrets, we firmly believe in negotiating with a plan in mind.  Know where you stand.  Know the market.  Know your goals.  Negotiate accordingly.
  • Lenders/Loan Issues delay closings more than any other reason.  COORDINATING WITH THE LENDER is the most critical thing we do while the home is under contract.  Making sure the lender has copy of all of the paperwork, contract, addendum, pest report, necessary inspections, addenda, HOA Docs and every other piece of paper they need in order to get the loan underwritten and in the closing queue to make sure we do not miss a date.  As a matter of a fact, One South views this piece as so critical, we have an entire staff dedicated to making sure that the lenders have what they need from us.
  • COORDINATING WITH THE CLOSING ATTORNEY is as equally important.  They need the same things as the lender (plus a few others) and with the volume of sales flowing through the system right now, getting everything to the closing attorney promptly (or making sure the Buyer’s Agent did) is a big part of representing you client.

Pricing a Home is Predicting Buyer Behavior

By

Dear Property Owners,

The entire real estate world is doing you a disservice.

Sincerely,

Past Sales

Beautiful cyber woman with silver ball

Our industry is set up to determine values of homes based on the sale of other homes considered to be ‘similar.’

The determination of what is similar is largely based on location, size, features as well as timing. Sales occurring in the recent past are weighted more heavily than those in the distant past. This method (commonly referred to as the ‘Comparable Sale Method’ or using ‘COMPS’) is the primary basis upon which home values are estimated.

What is a Comp?

The logic behind the use of the COMP goes something like this – if House A sold for $X, House B sold for $Y, and House C sold for $Z, then your house should sell for some weighted average of the three, provided the COMPS used are the most appropriate ones available.

The Competitive Market Analysis (or CMA) that a Realtor performs to determine pricing uses this ‘COMP-based’ method, as does the formal appraisal performed by your bank to determine loan conditions. The Assessor’s office uses a similar method when it assesses your home for tax purposes (they look at neighborhood sales) and Trulia and Zillow use a combination of COMPS and assessments to (incorrectly, usually) arrive at their estimate of the value for your home.

But is this the best method?

The Future or the Past?

Lets ask this – Do you drive a car by looking in the rear view mirror? The answer is obviously ‘No’ as most of us spend most of their time looking out the FRONT window (or looking down at their cell phones, but that is a different issue.) We look out of the front window because we are concerned with where we are going and the dangers our journey presents. Stated simply, we are more concerned with future events than past ones.

We (Realtors, Sellers, Buyers, Bankers, Appraisers, Homebuilders) have all been trained for so long to look at the COMPS for guidance and COMPS are events which have occurred in the past.

Take a look at the chart below – it tracks the trailing 24 months of homes going under contract.  

Do you notice any seasonality? Yeah, me too.

What happens if the three COMPS you used to price your house in June were from April? Or December? Do you think you have made a correct pricing decision?

Comps are Easy, Unfortunately …

The core issue is this – COMPS are easy to measure and thus prevalently used.

It is unfortunate.

The COMP is not a fact, per se, it is a result. The reasons someone else paid a specific amount for a home at a point in the past is a combination of many complex inputs which do not lend themselves to easy analysis. Inventory levels, interest rates, consumer confidence, seasonality, the ‘Wealth Effect’ created by the DOW and NASDAQ, mortgage rules, Dodd-Frank, job growth (regionally/nationally/internationally), population trends … all combine to influence buyer behavior.

When you look at the number of pending sales generated in 2010 (chart below), do you think think that April did a good job of predicting May?

This is not to say that using COMPS to help price a home is without merit as understanding what has happened recently is a good place to start. If you can determine a point from which to begin your analysis, it is of great help. Establishing patterns in past behavior has value…it is just that using COMPS exclusively falls short, especially in a dynamic market. The quicker the market shifts, the less value any individual COMP has (see the example above.)

Pricing Should Look Both Directions

Ultimately, a pricing model is not complete without some projection of future events and relatively simple tools exist to help drive the analysis. While predicting the future is far more challenging, it is not impossible, especially given the almost universal access to information we all have. The tools we use for analysis are cheap and easy to use and some level of predictive intelligence is achievable in almost all situations.

Pricing any asset for sale SHOULD be undertaken with the mindset of ‘what behavior from our audience are we EXPECTING?’ and that can only be achieved by looking into the future, as murky as the view may be.

804.201.9683

How Do I Schedule a Showing?

I am Kendall C. Kendall, Client Care Coordinator for the team. I am a licensed Realtor and it is my job to answer questions and schedule showings for the properties shown on our sites. Here's our call policy.
kendall@richmondrelocation.net

804.305.2344

How Do I Determine What I Can Afford?

We offer competitive mortgage solutions with a commitment to exceed your expectations. We’re local industry experts who are also your friends and neighbors. Whether you want to communicate online or in person, we’re just a call or click away.
www.cfmortgagecorp.com
C&F Logo

Equal Housing

The Sarah Jarvis Team agrees to provide equal professional service without regard to the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin or sexual orientation of any prospective client, customer, or of the residents of any community. Any request from a home seller, landlord, or buyer to act in a discriminatory manner will not be fulfilled.

IDX Disclaimer

All of the information displayed here is deemed to be gathered from reliable sources but no warranties, either express of implied, are made part of this site. Additionally, the IDX Feed for listing information may contain descriptions of properties not represented by One South Realty, its agents or staff and any violations or misrepresentations are the sole responsibility of the listing brokerage of the subject property in violation.