Austin Nielsen
Broker/Owner
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Sioux Falls Real Estate
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
https://www.bhhssiouxfalls.com
Region served: South Dakota and small portions of Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska
Years in real estate: 15
Number of offices: 1, with two coming soon
Number of agents: 36
Favorite part of your job: Helping agents understand that they’re running a business. I also enjoy helping someone who may be struggling to find their way.
Motto/work philosophy that you live by: Make sure you’re adding value to everyone’s life, because enriching their life will help you grow and change.
Talk about what brought you to the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network.
What brought me to the network was their standards, as well as what the brand and name stands for. There’s a lot to be said about trust, loyalty and longevity. I love the camaraderie of the network and the power of the brand. When you become a relationship-based real estate agent and firm, it changes the whole dynamic. Instead of looking at everyone as a transaction, you actually look at someone as a whole—and that’s when you get to start building your client database.
What strategies do you have in place to help first-time buyers?
The best strategy by far is having a buyer consultation so you can completely understand what their needs are—not just for today, but for the next three, five, 10 years. With interest rates being so volatile, we have to understand what a buyer’s plans are. If their plans are to start a family and have three or four children, we need to make sure they’re upsizing the property so they can afford the same payment when they have children. Or maybe their lifestyle entitles them to lock the door and go south for the winter or travel more in general. These are the conversations we need to be having.
What is your top strategy for closing a transaction?
Disclosure, disclosure, disclosure. It’s also important to over-communicate, under-promise and over-deliver. It’s being honest upfront and making sure you provide all parties the correct timeline, ensuring that everyone is aware of the process. People want transparency, but you don’t always have to tell them every single high and low of the transaction—especially if it’s a fire you can put out on your own.
What is your best tip for dealing with a picky buyer?
Never be scared to fire somebody, but also, understand that it’s a two-way street. You’re going to work with me and I’m going to work with you, so it’s setting expectations. I think everyone wants a perfect house, but during that first conversation, set expectations by asking, “At what point do you pull the trigger on a buy? Is it a six? A seven? An eight?” And then remind them throughout the shopping process by asking, “Where does this fall?” If we decided anything over a seven was a buy, and they say a listing is an eight, you have to remind them of the conversation you had where you established their parameters for buying.
What is one of the challenges your market faces, and what are you doing to overcome it?
For my market, it’s going to boil down to inventory issues. There’s just not enough housing. Prices have remained high, and we’re still seeing multiple offers on $500,000 listings. It’s not an issue with qualified buyers, but rather, a lack of qualified sellers. To combat this, we’ve gotten creative with Airbnb’s and reverse leases on properties so people can sell now and move later. It gives sellers ample time to buy a home without contingency.
For more information, visit https://www.BerkshireHathawayHS.com.
