Nurturing Relationships to Stay Ahead of the Competition

Above: Vince Leisey

For Vince Leisey—CEO of Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate—offering concierge-level service is mission-critical in today’s market. With inventory shortages continuing to put a strain on the housing market and fewer buyers than we’ve seen in a long time, Leisey points to his relationship with American Home Shield® (AHS®) as a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to elevating his firm and the nearly 1,100 agents who work there above the competition.   

With no “magic pill” to make new homes suddenly appear on the MLS or buyers queue up to hire his agents, Leisey sees now as the perfect opportunity for his team to maximize engagement.

“We need to make sure they’re doing everything they’ve got to do to stay in touch with their database, nurture those relationships and show value,” says Leisey, who notes that his No. 1 mission is keeping agents focused. “There’s no magic pill right now. We can’t control the economy, and we can’t control interest rates,” he adds. “We also can’t control how many houses are on the market or the number of buyers out there to any great extent.”

Experiencing the growing trend of homeowners in the more conservative markets across the heartland staying in their properties for longer periods of time—predominantly because of the lock-in effect—Leisey points to the importance of educating agents in order to stay ahead in today’s ever-evolving market.  

In fact, in addition to sending 20 agents a month to participate in 14 separate Mastermind sessions, Leisey also regularly brings AHS market managers into the office to educate them on the home warranty and the benefits a home warranty provides.

“It’s important for the AHS market manager and our agents to build a stronger relationship with each other,” says Leisey. “It gives AHS an opportunity to talk about changes or success stories they’ve seen that have helped our clients, and it also allows our agents to ask questions in order to gain greater clarity as far as the best way to communicate value propositions to clients.” 

While Leisey began including home warranties as part of the firm’s best practices back in 2015, a few years later, he formed a relationship with AHS—and he’s never looked back. 

“I think it’s important for our agents to make their clients aware of the home warranty,” says Leisey, stressing that first-time buyers or anyone strapped for cash should build a home warranty into the purchase price.

Leisey also appreciates the fact that the AHS team is readily available. “The AHS team does a great job supporting questions the agent or client may have about the home warranty.” 

For more information, visit https://www.ahs.com/realestate.