RISMEDIA, August 5, 2009-The buyer’s market that we are in right now is the perfect opportunity to get buyers off the sidelines and into a new home. While many buyers are content waiting for even lower prices than we are seeing today, George Faucette, President, Coldwell Banker Faucette Real Estate in Fayetteville, Arkansas works closely with his buyers to make sure they understand that now is a perfect time to buy a new home.
George Faucette
President
Coldwell Banker Faucette Real Estate
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Region served: Northwest Arkansas, which comprises three counties: Washington, Madison and Benton; northeast Oklahoma and southwest Missouri
Years in real estate: 45
Number of offices: 3
Number of agents: 120
Average sales price: $160,000
When it comes to communicating with agents today…E-mail is a primary communication tool for us, whether it’s person-to-person or mass e-mails to our agents and staff.
Is getting back to basics still relevant? Absolutely-more so now than when the market started its rise six or seven years ago.
Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? We’re beginning to participate in more social networking. Personal vs. business-that’s the question, really. For example, if you’re on Twitter, how do you make yourself business-relevant locally? How do you get people to “follow” you?
What does it take to get the best possible price for sellers?
To get the best price, you have to make sure that everything else is taken care of. You have to put the house’s “best face on,” so to speak. Our agents always hold a home enhancement meeting with their sellers to go over what might cost the least to stage the house. The key issue is knowing the market; know your comparables-what others have sold for.
What’s your biggest challenge in your market and how is your company taking it on?
We have to work hard to coax buyers off the sidelines; if they’re secure in their jobs and have the ability to move up, it’s a matter of convincing them to do so. Waiting for interest rates to fall to 4% is not going to happen. If it works and they’re making a good buy, why not do it now?
What are the advantages to being able to offer your clients a home warranty through American Home Shield?
AHS is a great company; in my opinion, they’re the strongest home warranty company out there. They have a good plan; it’s not the cheapest, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s very comprehensive and branded with Coldwell Banker as the Coldwell Banker Home Protection Plan. It’s exclusive just for us, so we do not allow the marketing or promotion of any other home warranty company in our offices. AHS is great about always looking at the gray area-what’s between the client’s claim and the company’s general guidelines. They’re always willing to say, “Let’s look at this.” The line is not drawn in the sand, which is great for us because it helps the client and reflects very well on us.
