Above, Carol Perry
Providing consumers a cohesive experience from contract to close–and beyond–is the name of the game for HomeSmart International Founder and CEO Matt Widdows, who recruited friend, business partner and confidant Carol Perry to be part of his team as he launched the company nationally. With nearly 20 years of experience in the home warranty industry under her belt, not only is Perry familiar with home warranties, but she also understands the importance of explaining their value to buyers and sellers alike.
In fact, upon joining HomeSmart, she and Widdows operated their own home warranty company–a valued “smart partner” to thousands of its own HomeSmart team members and clients in Arizona.
As HomeSmart’s chief business development officer, Perry is charged with helping manage all partner relationships for the roughly 26,000 agents working in offices across the country.
After simultaneously providing leadership at her home warranty company, HomeSmart and a couple other ventures, the home warranty venture was eventually sold. Finally free of that responsibility and solely focused on HomeSmart, one of the first relationships Perry reached out to form was with American Home Shield (AHS®).
“Having been in the industry for so many years, I had a lot of connections, and I knew the reputation of each of the companies, what they had achieved, and how they would handle us as a partner. Customer service was everything for the company I started with Matt, and that’s why I like American Home Shield. They’re big, but they have a great reputation, and a lot of great people working for them,” says Perry.
“American Home Shield has been able to help our agents serve their clients as we continued to expand, which is something we’re thrilled with,” she adds.
Perry’s experience in the industry also taught her the importance of elevating good relationships.
“When you treat them like a vendor, they’re just a vendor,” she says, “but when you treat them like part of the family—and make them feel like part of your business—they’re serving our clients and helping our agents grow their business.”
That means cultivating, engaging and valuing AHS team members while encouraging each and every agent associated with the firm to build a home warranty option into their client presentations.
“As far as best practices are concerned, we’re always recommending our clients get a home warranty. For one thing, it’s a risk-reduction tool,” notes Perry.
“American Home Shield has always exceeded our expectations,” concludes Perry. “That’s because they’ve got great folks on board, and they stand behind their products. I love the innovation, and I love the ease of use for our agents and clients, so it’s an easy option.”
For more information, please visit https://www.ahs.com/realestate.
