Become a Neighborhood Expert - ELEVATE Magazine

Buying a home can be a stressful event. In this fast-paced and highly competitive real estate market, homebuyers are depending on their Realtor® to be a trusted community expert, now more than ever before. Having a strong understanding of the market, the community, and the local neighborhoods, will help set apart the successful Realtor® from the competition. When your network of friends, family, and colleagues choose to buy or sell a home, does your name immediately come to mind as a neighborhood expert they can trust? How do you become known as the “go-to” person in your communities? We’re breaking down some helpful tips and advice from real estate experts to help set you apart as a trusted authority in the neighborhoods you serve.

FIND YOUR NICHE

Realtors® are truly the heartbeat of the community. Seasoned Realtors® understand the need to have a wide range of knowledge on the many communities they serve. However, finding your niche, the communities where you feel the most confident, the most knowledgeable, and the most at ease, is where you’re going to excel the most. A neighborhood and community expert needs to be familiar with everything within that community. Ideally, you will want to choose a neighborhood that you either live in, or one that you frequent regularly. You should be in that neighborhood often enough to breed familiarity,

know the residents, and be comfortable answering any questions your client might ask, questions such as:

• Styles of homes

• Average home value

• How often homes sell

• Schools in the area

• Places of worship

• Demographics

• Major employers

• Restaurants

• Community activities and events 1

BE THE GO-TO PERSON & BECOME A ‘LOCAL’

Being a neighborhood expert requires immersing yourself into the community, researching the area, and building strong ties to the community where you live.

“I was born and raised in Anna Maria Island; I am a true area native,” said Barry Grooms, Realtor® and Co- Owner, along with his wife, Sherry Grooms, of Florida SunCoast Real Estate, Inc. “How does another agent compete with a local like me? Simply put, you need to live like a local. You need to be a tourist in your own town and do all the touristy things. Visit the museums, the beaches, the businesses, and the restaurants. Know

your community inside and out. You need to know the areas that locals frequent, that vacationers seek out. The most common question I hear is ‘where do the locals go to eat?’ In order to answer that question with authority, I would eat at many different places I got to know the menu, the service staff, and the managers, and have a mental list of every restaurant from casual to fine dining. For example, if someone wants the best seafood restaurant, I can talk with confidence and personal knowledge of the three best places on the island. When you talk to people like a local, with solid information, you gain their trust and confidence. Being a local neighborhood expert is gaining the trust of someone because when you display competence and skills, and they’ll always do business with you,” said Grooms.

Being the go-to person really is a personal job. Different clients will relate to different aspects of your personality and your brand.

“I believe being involved and staying knowledgeable of every aspect of my community is a key to being a go-to resource,” said Lisa Shepard, P.A., and Realtor® with Better Homes & Gardens Realty Atchley Properties. “I build relationships with business owners and residents by sponsoring events and being involved with youth athletics. Growing up here and being a Realtor® for 16+ years has helped to build genuine trust. I connect my clients who are business owners with other local business owners so that they can benefit each other. It creates a strong referral network, which is vital to continuing to grow their business and mine. My clients rely on me for recommendations of local businesses, doctors, etc. I love being their ‘go to’ agent; it is such an honor.

SOCIAL MEDIA

When used correctly, social media is a great marketing tool. It’s important to balance your work posts with your personal posts, but everything should be done professionally and scrutinized before you post. Even your casual dinner or event-related posts work to brand you as an active member of your community.

“Everyone who knows me both personally and professionally knows how passionate I am about our area, our residents, and our community,” said Shepard. “I post a lot of professional videos on local communities, events, and business.”

It’s especially important to post the most flattering and positive images and be careful to avoid controversy. Stay positive but remember to be authentic and relatable.

“Use social media to your advantage,” said Grooms. “When you are out in the community, take good quality photos of touristy things like downtown, and the farmers market, local events, fairs, businesses and restaurants. Tag area businesses and locations. Being active in your community shows that you’re connecting with your community. Get to know the area business owners personally, restaurant managers, even the mayor! Having those key individuals acknowledge you when you’re in public holds a lot of weight and brands you as a respected community expert.”

DEMOGRAPHICS

What makes your community so important; what sets it apart from others? You don’t have to know every fact about the area but knowing key demographics and staying on top of the trends will brand you as an experienced professional.

“You must know the demographics in the community you’re going to serve in,” said Grooms. “I research the demographics the same way I have for the last 20 years, by being mindful and observant. I ask the business owners, I do my research. We need to know our community’s age groups, ethnicities, religions. We need to know how our community is wired. Just like every other major marketing corporation in the world, data is important. When we’re researching demographics, we need to be especially careful and professional - we need to research for the right reasons, to know our community and to serve others – and never profiling, steering or blockbusting. It’s a big responsibility on behalf of the Realtor®.”

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Like any job working with the public, building trust and relationships are essential to success. Realtors® have a huge responsibility to their customers and to the community. Building strong relationships with customers and businesses creates strong name recognition and ultimately, referrals. Word-of-mouth is an excellent marketing tool; it’s a reward essentially for the hard work you do for the clients and community you serve.

“Experience does matter, especially in today’s current marketplace,” added Shepard. “My clients know that I will always do what is in their best interest and I will always give my honest opinion. Approximately 95% of my business comes from referrals from past clients. To me, that says it all and I am so grateful for those relationships. Many of my clients have become dear friends. I treat my clients as if they are family and recognize the importance ofthose relationships.”

KNOW YOUR HISTORY

A local community expert should know the community’s history. A great way to learn more about the community is through our local Historical Societies. The Historical Society of Sarasota County, for example, offers significant information on are area’s history. In addition, both the Sarasota and the Manatee Chamber of Commerce sites unique historical information. It’s a good starting place for getting a feel for the way our community has evolved, especially if you’re not a Florida native. The Chambers also provide excellent information on area businesses, neighborhoods, zoning regulations, roadwork, infrastructure changes, and insider news that can make you stand out from the competition. Of course, these sites also share upcoming community events that help keep you involved.

“Having lived here in the Bradenton and Sarasota area for 32 years, I have watched tremendous growth over the years,” said Shepard. “When I moved here from Ohio, University Parkway was just a two-lane road! I have become extremely familiar with our local neighborhoods and community events. Knowing the local history makes me feel more connected and sharing that knowledge is a valuable community resource.”

Taking the time to learn about your community’s history is important to give your clients a foundation. It shows that you are committed to the area and want to know all about its rich heritage. If your clients are moving to Bradenton or Sarasota from out of town or out of state, knowing historical information helps build a sense of belonging, along with dedication to the community.

“Knowing the history of your area is important,” added Grooms. “It’s intriguing and compelling. Some people will love to hear your detailed knowledge of the community more than others, so read your audience. But regardless, knowing your area history will always brand you as a local expert. It’s not enough to just know a few facts, you need to become a storyteller. I love my community, so I take the time to learn all about it.”

VOLUNTEER AND GIVE BACK

Volunteerism is another way to serve your community and be viewed as someone who truly cares about where they live. However, it’s important to choose those volunteer positions carefully. Volunteer in the areas where you are truly passionate about and be authentic.

“Serving and community involvement are important to me, it’s giving back,” said Shepard. “I truly feel so blessed and fortunate to live and work in this beautiful community. I volunteer in areas that I love and that I’m passionate about, such as golf tournaments, blood drives, and my kids’ school functions. We live in such an incredibly beautiful area and I love being outdoors to soak up our FL sunshine, and serve my community.”

“When you volunteer in your community, make sure it’s your passion. When people see you in a nonreal estate role, you’re viewed more as a ‘human’ and

not just as somebody looking for their business. If you’re not authentic, it will show. So, pick and choose your volunteer hours wisely, and be consistent. For example, with me, I’m known as the guy who’s connected politically. I’m a passionate person, protecting my community and private property rights, taxes, and business. I am an advocate for my community, so it’s my job to know everything about it and protect it, and there’s no greater privilege than that,” said Grooms.

HOT REAL ESTATE MARKET

Everyone knows that our local and national real estate market is hot right now, so is it even necessary to brand yourself as an expert? Often, sellers are presented with multiple offers, so why put in the extra effort? There is an ebb and flow to all things, and whether the real estate market is hot or mild, your brand is valuable and worthy of refining and protecting.

“If you think you’re ‘good enough now,’ I can guarantee you, you’re not,” said Grooms. “We need to be better now than ever before, and never stop gathering information. There are times when the deals are flying and there are times when they’re not, and we need to be on top of our game at all times. Pay attention to ‘your neighborhoods;’ study them. Build a portfolio of ‘parallel’ neighborhoods that you’re comfortable in and watch the activity. When the market is hot, be the agent your clients turn to, and be grateful for their business. If home prices falter, be the professional who doesn’t panic, who doesn’t disappear, who remains the consistent community expert – and you’ll still be the one your clients rely on and refer to others over and over again,” Grooms added.

LOVE YOUR JOB AND BE AUTHENTIC

It’s often said that the best job is the job that you love. Being authentic is essential when working with the public and having a genuine love for your community and your responsibility as a Realtor® is essential for long term success.

“I love helping my clients sell their homes/buy their homes. I truly cannot imagine doing anything else. My clients rely on my availability, my passion and my ethics. We live in one of the greatest areas in the country. Introducing newcomers is always a blast. I love watching them engage and fall in love with our paradise. It is truly magical. I have been so very blessed over the years as I have been coined by my clients as ‘the rain maker!’ I’m not sure that I am, but I just love what I do and share that passion with them. They know that “#Shepardsells” and they know that I do it with 100%. Being a Realtor® has been so much fun. When you love your community and you love what you do, it shows in everything you do,” said Shepard.