Edie Israel
Prudential California Realty
Years in real estate: 8
Region served: Orange County, California
How are you using information technology and marketing to generate more business in today’s market?
One of the most important aspects of generating new business is to stand out from the pack. You simply cannot afford to be invisible. Certainly, information technology is the best way I know of to make myself very visible. I try to define myself online and communicate exactly what a client can expect. My team is professional, honest and we provide exceptional service. We also know how to have fun. I write an article for the Orange County Register every week. I use everything available to me and to our team. We just started a Yelp program. The bottom line is we try to communicate continuously in all online formats so that when it comes time to buy or sell a house, people immediately think of The Edie Israel Team. That all comes from our online presence and capturing people by giving them information.
How are you using a team to market and build business?
The team is very important in today’s market. We all have a good education, which has taught us to learn to learn. Education allows us to stay ahead of the curve, to know what is new and different. And the reality is you cannot make it as a single agent today. I do the marketing while my partner, Jim Allen, does a lot of the lead follow-up and also follows up with the lenders. Today, it is very important to micromanage the lending and appraisal process. Jim does that so we have a very successful rate of closing. My husband manages our finances and June Wong produces the contracts, highlights them, coordinates listings, etc. All I have to do is sell! This way, we give superb service and each of us handles the aspect of service that we are best at performing.
What is the most unique thing you do to differentiate yourself?
Our team is run like a very professional business. We have developed a visual and well-syndicated brand, which we market just as any business—Coke, Pepsi, McDonald’s—does. We have a business model and a business plan for the year. We also have very sophisticated systems in place for buyers and for sellers. One good example involves sellers. When they list with us, we bring in a staging professional who we pay to stage the house. That’s on our dime and our clients appreciate that. People want us to put some skin in the game. We also bring in a professional photographer and then the listing goes on YouTube. When you list with us, we try to make sure that your house is the best looking, best serviced, best priced house on the market.
What is your most creative marketing idea?
We try very hard to stay ahead of what anybody else is doing. We do this by networking with vendors and other brokers. We try to listen to what everybody says. We are also doing some very creative work with social media. Some people believe email is old hat these days. We stay in touch using Facebook, Yelp and all of the various online avenues available to us.
What is the biggest hurdle you have to overcome in today’s market?
The biggest challenge is to continue developing multiple sources for business while maintaining the fine detail work that got us there in the first place.
What is your best idea for time management?
I write down the top ten things I have to do each day and then refer back to the business plan to make sure I haven’t forgotten something.
What is the key to a successful life in real estate?
There are four things that are key. First is a positive mindset. I cannot believe there are agents out there who complain about how bad the market is. How can you be in business with that mind set? In addition to a positive mindset, it’s important to plan, network and continue to develop your skills. If you do all that, you can’t help but succeed.
