TOP 5 IN REAL ESTATE NETWORK, July, 2009-Ben Trobaugh
Access E* Realty
Years in real estate: 12
Region Served: Northeast Florida coastal region
Average sales price in your market: $185,000
Average number of days a home spends on the market: 100-110
What are the biggest concerns home buyers and sellers have today?
Security of their investment. They’re also wondering if the worst is yet to come? People hesitant to move and to buy. Sellers, on the other hand, are not willing to face the fact that the real estate bubble is gone and we are not coming back to those levels any time soon.
How do you help provide clients and consumers with positive real estate information as opposed to the doom and gloom they hear in the news?
I utilize information and let the numbers speak for themselves. I know the market data and know what it means for the future. A great resource for information is RISMedia and Top 5. Top 5 seems to present very balanced views and encouragement without fluffing out the information.
How do you market the opportunities that exist for buyers in today’s market?
I network and am involved in a number of organizations. I don’t force the conversation. I advertise online providing links to articles and I send a consistent message that real estate is still the best investment long-term. I rely on historical patterns to show that this is true.
How do you work with sellers to get the best possible price for their homes?
You have to first determine timing and motivation. How anxious are they to sell? You need to analyze your market information and show them that these are the prices where homes are selling. I show them homes that have not sold in years and I let the data speak for itself. As a real estate professional, I cannot in good faith tell a seller something that I do not believe to be true and if they do not want to price their home at the correct price I simply cannot help them. I am able to convince the seller that pricing right at the beginning is the right way to sell a home. I try to show information that proves if a home is priced right from the beginning, it’s going to sell for more.
Which Top 5 marketing tools have you found most useful?
The print brochures like The Four Rs of Short Sales and There’s Only One Reason Why Your Home Didn’t Sell. I clip the daily news article from RISMedia and e-mail the hyperlinks out every day. I also use the viral e-mail campaign, The Real Estate Social Networking System(sm) to send out to my database, and I use the Top 5 Media Center on my website. I have the Top 5 logo in my email signature. For me, my Top 5 membership is a point of differentiation tool.
What is the key to a successful life in real estate?
Balance. It is so easy in this business to become consumed with it. #
