It’s early into a new year, which is a great time to assess your business, including your business relationships. All successful real estate professionals form relationships with related parties, as all real estate deals require a team of service providers to bring a transaction to fruition. Real estate professionals, investors and homebuyers rely on these providers to conduct inspections, procure financing, clear titles and conduct closings. Now is a good time to consider these relationships and upgrade your team. Here are a few things to consider.
- Technology. Are all the service professionals you rely on utilizing the latest technologies to keep your deal moving along? If you are making accommodations for a home inspector, lender or other service provider because they have not embraced the latest technologies, it may be time to find a new provider.
- Image. Your team is a reflection of you. Are the communications from your providers always professional, timely and branded? Do the service providers you work with answer their phone professionally? For providers who physically interact with your buyers or sellers, this is even more important. If, for example, the home inspector you recommended arrives on site looking disheveled or otherwise unprepared, that will not inspire confidence in their service. Zoom interactions also require professionalism. It doesn’t take much to look professional over Zoom, so there is no reason not to require it.
- Communication. We live in a fast-paced world, which has never been truer when it comes to selling real estate. Failure to get a response from one of your service providers could mean the difference between getting the deal or not. If your service providers don’t respond in a timely manner, and via the form of communication that works best for you and your clients, you may need to make a change.
Good relationships are built on good communication. If your favorite loan officer, real estate attorney or home inspector shows the flaws, let them know. Give them a chance to accommodate your needs and make these simple changes, which will ultimately strengthen the relationship. If they can’t adjust, then it may be time to pursue a new relationship.
Kathleen Kuhn is president of MooveGuru. For more information, please visit MooveGuru.com.
