Given today’s unsteady economic climate, consumers everywhere are aiming to cut corners and budget themselves more than ever before. The same goes for when it comes to buying and selling a home in the current housing market. But thanks to a partnership between Lowe’s and the National Association of REALTORS® through its REALTOR Benefits® Program, REALTORS® can not only help their clients by providing accurate information about the dynamic market, but they can also provide savings for buyers and sellers with coupons, and better yet, gift cards, all for use in Lowe’s stores.
As part of the robust Lowe’s Program for REALTORS®, sweetening a closing real estate transaction has never been easier. REALTORS® participating in the program can purchase Lowe’s gift cards quickly and efficiently online and receive a 5 percent discount on all cards purchased. Each gift card is then sent to its recipients with a personalized letter congratulating them on their new or newly sold home. Not only are gift cards a fantastic gesture to thank clients for their business, they also serve to further help customers when they truly need it the most.
“I definitely use them if I have a buyer client,” says Millie Knight, a real estate professional in Montgomery, Ala. “I’m getting a discount of 5 percent and they get to benefit from the Lowe’s gift card.”
Knight has been using the Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® since April of 2007 after learning about it through an introductory package from REALTOR.com®. She began utilizing the program almost immediately. She also takes advantage of the gift card portion of the Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® for her own investment properties, finding them extremely useful for her other various endeavors.
“Who can’t use a Lowe’s gift card when they purchase a new home?” she asks.
Even at closing time, buyers frequently want to make changes or updates to the home they just purchased. Conversely, sellers may also be buyers themselves, upgrading or buying up to a much larger home. By giving a gift as powerful as a gift card, REALTORS® can continue to help their clients, all while keeping their names in the forefront of clients’ minds and in the best light possible.
Accompanying this offer is the ability for REALTORS® to also send homebuyers and sellers 10 percent-off coupons for use in Lowe’s stores. Along with the coupons are free, customizable direct mailings or email, in which real estate professionals can choose photos and messages to send out, all stamped with their own branding and arriving within 5-7 business days, again keeping the REALTORS®’ name in front of past and present real estate contacts.
“My clients love hearing they will receive a Lowe’s 10 percent-off discount coupon. I think they start making their shopping list with that added discount in mind,” says Linda Smalley, a sales associate in Tulsa, Okla. Smalley also gives gift cards to her clients at the close of a sale, noting that they especially love the surprise of a Lowe’s gift card.
“The 10 percent-off coupons are a great way to stay in touch with my clients,” says Knight. According to Knight, REALTORS® simply put a client’s email address into the system and each month that buyer or seller will receive Inside Out, a monthly enewsletter customized with her contact information and sent from Lowe’s on her behalf. “It’s a way to keep my name and face on their minds just in case they’re ever in a situation where they need a real estate agent again,” she says.
Along with these money-saving perks, Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® also offers the Lowe’s Daily Real Estate News business-to-business enewsletter, which delivers industry information six days a week. Thanks to this reliable resource, REALTORS® and their clients will always be on top of all the latest real estate information, industry news, trends, business developments and more. All of these features are included within the Lowe’s Program for REALTORS®, which is free for all NAR members.
With this impressive suite of tools that REALTORS® can employ, servicing clients has never been more efficient. “It’s a great service to provide to our clients and we get all the credit,” says Smalley.
For more information, visit www.lowesrealtorbenefits.com.
