In the real estate world, the ladder to success isn’t only strung with hard work and dedication. Cultivating meaningful and long-lasting relationships will also help you achieve your goals and stay on top. In the following interview, Sally E. Lapides, the President/CEO of Residential Properties Ltd., a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® in Providence, R.I., will give us insight into the art of building key real estate relationships.
Sally E. Lapides
President/CEO
Residential Properties Ltd., a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®
Providence, R.I.
Region served: Rhode Island, nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut
Years in real estate: 39. I opened Residential Properties Ltd. in 1981 after five years in the business.
Number of offices: 5
Number of agents: 170
Key to staying profitable: Pay attention to growth and control expenses simultaneously.
Can’t live without tech tool: My iPad with the best Keynote listing presentation ever!
Most effective recruiting hook: Not only are we high-tech and high-touch, but our marketing and agent support is unsurpassed.
Best professional advice you ever received: My mother was my mentor. She taught me that everyone you meet is a potential client and emphasized the importance of cultivating relationships in order to find success.
How does Residential Properties Ltd. position itself across Rhode Island and throughout New England as a go-to brokerage for relocation clients?
As a member of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® network, we offer relocation services locally, nationally and internationally. As the local expert, our fully staffed, non-selling relocation division focuses on providing full-service relocation in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts while utilizing our LeadingRE network partners at the departure site—remaining the one point of contact throughout each move. We are the only company in all of New England to have earned LeadingRE’s RELO® Quality Certification.
You said your company prides itself on being high-tech and high-touch. Let’s hear about a couple of your most recent technology innovations.
We have developed an iPad listing presentation that has put us head and shoulders above the competition, winning us listings each and every time. We also have in-house videographers producing original videos for our listings. In addition, our regionally superior website is ever-changing and constantly evolving. And we’ll be unveiling our new, fully responsive website later this year.
How do you train both new and veteran agents so they can maximize the advanced technology tools you provide?
That is one of our biggest challenges. Young agents were born communicating with computers. Older agents who want to remain relevant work hard to learn a new way of accessing information and communicating. We have an in-house trainer who attends weekly meetings in our offices and holds monthly Learn at Lunch sessions to help bridge this technology gap. And we provide full-time technology staff support to all of our agents.
In what ways does the firm support community initiatives?
Individually and collectively, Residential Properties Ltd. is highly integrated in the communities we serve. Our commitment to the arts, education and human services is decades strong. We volunteer our time and underwriting support to many organizations that help make our state a wonderful place to live and work. Not only have we built a house for Habitat for Humanity, but also, we’re mentors for Year Up, an organization that provides urban young adults with skills, experience and support as they work to develop professional careers and pursue higher educational opportunities.
For more information, visit http://www.residentialproperties.com.
