Colorado 4-9-17 by Top Agent Magazine

COLORADO EDITION

GOAL CONTRACTS (A Life Skill from the Old School) Why Millennials Are Now the HOTTEST SEGMENT OF THE BUYERS MARKET

FEATURED AGENTS

MONICA D. ANDERSON RACHEL CHILDS & AUSTIN SCHMIDT COVER STORY

TIFFANY CANADY

Developing Your PRICING PHILOSOPHY

COLORADO EDITION

TIFFANY CANADY

TIFFANY CANADY 4) GOAL CONTRACTS (A LIFE SKILL FROM THE OLD SCHOOL)

MONICA D. ANDERSON

RACHEL CHILDS & AUSTIN SCHMIDT

RACHE

When lookin chase a hom area, there is in-demand t and Schmidt Rachel Chi Schmidt bri ten years of over 130 m production. in luxury rea of Denver’s

Rachel, who got her license in 2011, com ground that includes sales and marketin CONTENTS brings with him a true expertise in all aspect including commercial and new construction met, 19) they soon realized that they complem DEVELOPING 14) WHY perfectly, and both had the same dedication t MILLENNIALS ARE clients YOUR PRICING with a level of customer service tha They quickly became one of the top NOW THE HOTTESTpassed. PHILOSOPHY according to Rachel, there’s a key reas SEGMENT OF THE and ship has been so successful, “We do ever BUYERS MARKET Every client is basically getting two sets of opinions throughout the whole process, for We both bring different experiences to the are really getting the complete package.”

Austin agrees completely. “We both know vice business. With our diverse backgroun Phone 888-461-3930 | Fax 310-751-7068 advise clients on the financial and legal as mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com great at listening to clients and getting an id want,ofand then with No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent the publisher. Top her Agentdesign backgroun Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken present to ensure them the accuracy published with aof vision of what they m materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. create. I’ve been in this market so long, I re To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com. Published in the U.S.

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Goal Contracts

By Barry Eisen

(A Life Skill from the Old School) A few months ago I spoke at a real estate sales meeting in an office where Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve spoken and taught seminars for many years. As soon as I was finished, an agent, who had transferred into this office about a year before, standing in the back of the room, graciously offered a glowing testimonial about my seminar he had taken ten years ago. He talked of a number meaningful changes for the better he had experienced in his life since that seminar. Then he took out 4

of his pocket a small number of 3 by 5 cards and held them up like he was holding the Holy Grail. Of all the internal and external techniques he was exposed to in the seminar, these cards (Goal Contracts) were his game changer. I stopped guessing years ago, which ideas or systems I teach will be best or most appreciated. We all perceive ideas so differently. Generally, feedback I get in coaching sessions is Top Agent Magazine

that the biggest issue for most, who are not fulfilling their own personal promises, is lack of focus, not lack of ability or planning. There are lots of good ideas available to shake a person out of the Limbo they’ve created. Here’s one that has worked for many. If you like the idea, don’t just acknowledge it as a “nice idea.” Do it for a month. Get past the initial new/awkward/judgmental stage. Then decide whether this is an idea worth continuing or not. Come from KNOWING, not second-guessing. 3. On the second line, answer the You have everything to gain and time question. What is the specific nothing to lose. TARGET or DUE DATE for that goal to be accomplished? (A specific The Goal Contract date creates a sense of urgency.) Get as many 3 X 5 cards for as many 4. On the third line of each card selected personal/business goals answer the HOW? question. This is the action step, where the rubber you’d like to accomplish. meets the road. How are you going 1. Create 4 horizontal lines across to get from where you are to where each card with a few spaces in you are going? Dig deeper than the lazy answer: “If I knew what to do between each. I’d be doing it!” If you’ve crossed the street by yourself a few times You have everything to already, chances are you know what gain and nothing to lose. you need to do. Write this down in a few words on the third line. 2. On the top line of each card answer the question WHAT? What 5. On the bottom line of each card, is that card’s goal? Write that goal SIGN YOUR NAME. As simple and on the top line (e.g. Weigh 150 lbs., perhaps silly as this may seem, we $200,000, run a 42 minute 10K, etc). have been conditioned to live up to Top Agent Magazine

responsibilities we sign for (mortgages, insurance, credit cards, cars, etc). Personal and business goals don’t generally fall into that category. A small action can have a huge impact. As you sign your name, feel the responsibility of your commitment. 6. Stick a small piece of double sided tape on the back of each card.

you feel self conscious), on your office and home office desk, etc. Just the physical act of moving the cards, subconsciously reinforces what the cards represent. Since most of our attitudes and actions are subconsciously motivated, you will feel more immediately compelled to make the better, usually more productive decision.

This is a little idea that can play 7. Carry these cards with you big in getting you to another level. through the travels of your day. In Because it’s easy to do, it becomes your pocket or handbag, carry case, easy to NOT do. Do it, you’ll like it! on the dashboard of your car (not when you have others with you, if Copyright©, 2015 Barry Eisen. All Barry Eisen teaches personal development seminars and coaches Southern California top producing rEALtOrS®. “Your business will never grow more than you do” is the theme; self hypnosis and behavior modification are the tools for playing a bigger game. barryeisen.com, barryeisen@LA.twcbc.com 818-769-4300 6

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TIFFANY CANADY Top Agent Magazine

Tiffany Canady is a Peak Producer 3 years in a row, ranking in the top 10% of all Colorado Springs Agents.

TIFFANY CANADY From a young age, Tiffany Canady was surrounded by real estate. “I grew up in construction, as my father is a builder. So it’s in my blood,” Tiffany explains. Although her father encouraged her to become an agent at 19, it wasn’t until years later that she decided to pursue it. At the suggestion of a friend, she joined a property management company and obtained her license in 2013. It’s safe to say she hasn’t looked back since. “I don’t regret any moment,” she says. Today, she works with Premier Real Estate Group in Colorado Springs, with partner and husband Brian Canady by her side. They also have a team of people working with them, includCopyright Top Agent Magazine 8

ing three buyer’s agents. Together, they all have one goal always in mind: to be the ‘concierge’ of all things real estate. “We want to give great service and get our clients’ questions answered,” Tiffany says. Rather than focusing on selling, they focus on building strong relationships. “It’s more about building rapport and trust with them, that’s very important.” This has resulted in most of their business being made up of referrals from past clients. “It’s all in the way you treat people. We follow the ‘Platinum Rule’ of treating others as they would want to be treated,” she explains. “We listen to what their needs are and we do our best to meet them.” Tiffany and her team understand how serious buying or selling a home is, and they take every step possible to ensure their clients are making the best decisions. “We’ve educated Top Agent Magazine

ourselves so we can better serve our clients. We want to give them all the resources that we can so they can make these choices,” Tiffany says. They have even built up a list of vendors to provide their clients with should they need any extra services, like repairmen, mortgage professionals, and more. Ultimately, they want to make the process as easy and enjoyable as possible, so their clients leave with a memorable experience. Undoubtedly, this superior service is what prompts many to leave glowing reviews about their time with Tiffany and her team. Top Agent Magazine

One recent seller said, “Very good experience. Tiffany and Brian are the consummate professionals. Their service, and willingness to do whatever it takes to do what is best for the customer during the sale of your home is second to none. The fact that they offer services to help get small needs taken care of is outstanding, especially for an out-oftown seller such I was. Excellent customer service!” And one buyer raved, “Brian and Tiffany were absolutely amazing through our lengthy arduous first home buying process. They were on point with communication, honesty and professionalism as well as perCopyright Top Agent Magazine9

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“Tiffany and Brian Canady are the consummate professionals. Their service and willingness to do whatever it takes for the customer during the sale of your home is second to none.” sonable, passionate and very knowledgable in what they do.” Though real estate takes up much of Tiffany’s day, she also makes sure to stay involved with the community through various organizations. She has made blankets for homeless veterans and their pets during the colder months, and also works with HBA Cares Workforce Development, which helps high school students learn work skills. During any free-time, she is hanging out with her family. Top Agent Magazine

As Tiffany looks towards the future, she is excited to add more agents to the team and hopefully grow their property management side. “I also want to build storage units,” she says. They recently purchased a moving truck to help out with their clients’ moves, which proves just how committed the team is to going above and beyond. “We constantly learn how to add value and be resourceful,” she explains. “We love the people we serve, and it’s amazing to have the opportunity to grow every day in this business.” Copyright Top Agent Magazine 11

For more information about TIFFANY CANADY, please call 719-999-5789 or email tiffany@buysprings.com Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

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Tim Chase is proud to congratulate

Tiffany Canady

on being featured for the state of Colorado in Top Agent Magazine! “I’m so privileged to be able to call Tiffany a business partner. Not only is she an amazing Realtor she’s an amazing person. The local Real Estate community is lucky she is a part of it!”

LO NMLS ID #868175 | Company NMLS ID #1599 Top Agent Magazine

Why Millennials Are Now the Hottest Segment of the Buyers Market

and How You Can Attract Them to Your Home There are many factors when it comes to knowing how to sell your home to the Millennial generation. Millennials are becoming an important part of the buyer market, and to fail to cater to their needs will cut you off from a large and important segment. But, why have Millennials all of a sudden become interested in buying houses when they were perfectly content to rent for the rest of their lives? 14

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A number of factors contribute to what has recently made Millennials the hottest segment of the Buyers market. One factor is the improved job outlook for Millennials. Millennials took a serious blow during the recession. Unemployment in this group soared to 14 percent, compared to the 9.6 percent for the population as a whole. But, in recent years that number has been decreasing, with unemployment for Millennials being 9.3 percent this past year. Rising rents are also contributing to making Millennials more interested in purchasing homes now. Rents have risen so much that buying a home now just makes more sense. Half of all renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Millennials are becoming increasingly stressed over the constantly increasing financial obligation to something that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even theirs to own. The near-historic low mortgage rates are luring Millennials towards purchasing a home with their promise of affordability. When compared with the skyrocketing rental rates, buying a house looks even more enticing. Another factor helping Millennials get over the hump of purchasing a house is the lower down payment requirements. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now offering new loan programs that require as little as a 3 percent down payment. This may just be the last push the Millennials needed to turn toward buying a home rather than rent. So, now that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve established that Millennials are finally joining the Buyers market, the next thing that it is important to understand is what exactly Millennials are looking for in a home. What kind of floorplans do they prefer? What locations are they interested in? Here are some of the essentials that Millennials are looking for in a home: â&#x20AC;˘ Updated Kitchens and Baths: Almost everyone wants to buy a

home with new kitchen and bath fixtures, but this is especially true for Millennials Buyers. Millennials are going to spend most of their savings on the down payment and furnishings, leaving little room to update the Kitchen and Bath, which are also the most expensive parts of a home to

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update. Millennials who are on a budget simply won’t have the money to sink into those areas. An updated Kitchen and Bath is sure to bring in a younger crowd. • Big Kitchen with Open Floor Plan: For Millennials, the kitchen has

become the room where they hangout in addition to the family room. This is why having an open space that can transition easily from the kitchen to the TV room is high on the list of things Millennials are looking for in a home. Along a similar vein, Millennials are attracted to an open floor plan rather than one that compartmentalizes the home. This has to do with how Millennials entertain. Millennials want their guests to flow through the rooms and mingle together, rather than be sectioned off in different rooms.

• Home Office: More than 13 million Americans now work from home,

and if you look at the trend, that number is only going to increase as the time goes on. With technology steadily increasing, more Millennials than ever have the flexibility to work from home. But, the home office isn’t just for someone working from home full time. Having a separate space dedicated to work helps people concentrate and focus on work while they are at home. They can separate themselves from the activities going on around the house and have a quiet space where they can set up their workday, plan a presentation, hold a meeting on Skype, or even pay bills.

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• Less Maintenance: Many Millennials work different schedules that

don’t conform to the 9 to 5 workday, as well as full social calendars. This doesn’t leave them much time to clean a big house. Lawn services and low-maintenance front yards are particularly appealing, as they take less responsibility to still keep the curb appeal high.

• Energy-Efficient Appliances: Millennials have been educated on

keeping the Earth clean from the time they were born. They want to do their part to help the environment and appreciate the long-term cost savings that come with it. Energy-efficient appliances and greener ways to heat and cool the home might end up being the tipping point that makes them choose one house over another.

• Hardwood Floors: Millennials don’t have the time or patience to clean

dirty carpets, especially those that own pets. Hardwood and laminate flooring is easy to mop up if there’s been a mess. The more time they can conserve, the better.

• Good Location: Millennial buyers are looking for homes that are in

proximity to public transportation and have a good walking score. Young Millennial buyers without children are more likely to want a location closer to the action of the city, while Millennials with children would prefer more residential areas.

• Technology: Technology rules the Millennial’s life. They do work on

their computers through an Internet connection and solely use cellphones for communication. They are going to ask about how strong the cell service is and about the Internet service provider. While these amenities are out of the seller’s hands, Millennials are still going to ask these questions, and you will need to know how to answer them.

Knowing what Millennials are looking for in a home will ultimately help you make the necessary changes that will attract these buyers to your home. Since they are the a serious segment of the market now, updating your home to fit their needs will lead to more buyers and better offers. So, get with the times and embrace the Millennial buyer. Top Agent Magazine

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MONICA D. ANDERSON Top Agent Monica D. Anderson of RE/MAX Peak to Peak in Winter Park, Colorado has spent the past fourteen years carving out a reputation as one of the best realtors not only in rural Grand County nestled in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, but in the entire United States. A Nebraska native, Monica graduated from Midland Lutheran College with degrees in both Business Administration and Spanish. Falling in love with the Rocky Mountains during a ski trip, she relocated to the picturesque town of Estes Park Colorado, where she began working as a Personal Broker’s Assistant. In 2003, she obtained her real estate license and moved to the equally scenic resort town of Winter Park to pursue her selling career. Monica’s commitment to excellence soon became her trademark and she developed her reputation for integrity and trustworthiness that has continued to serve her well, resulting in a thriving business consisting of 70% referrals from satisfied clients. Monica’s relationships and dedication to her customers does not end at the closing table. She continues to maintain these client relationships even after the transactions are completed. “I continue to keep in touch after closing and provide my clients tools that have a shelf life beyond the closing table,” she says. “From house cleaners, to contractors, to local nightly rental companies, my clients have lasting referrals for any of their Grand County needs during their future visits to the area. Working in a 2nd home market, the majority of my clients are 2nd home buyers. These buyers are not from this area and need referrals to equally trustworthy service providers in our County.” Staying in touch takes other forms as well and Monica makes yearly phone calls, sends out quarterly mailers and a bi-annual magazine. When possible she also likes to meet her clients for coffee or even a happy hour cocktail when they’re in town.

While other REALTORS are content to rest on their laurels once they achieve a certain level of success, complacency has never been Monica’s style and she is dedicated to continuing her real estate education in order to better service her clients. One of her proudest achievements in her career is having been awarded the Certified Residential Specialist Designation (CRS), an achievement of which only 3% of all realtors in the United States can boast. “It is my proudest accomplishment,” says Monica, “other than becoming a mother. I feel the professional education it gave and continues to give me is far beyond what I received getting any of my other designations. It is a great network of Realtors to be involved with.” Among her other achievements are the Graduate of Realtors Institute Designation (GRI) and Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource (SFR) certification. Giving back to her community is important to Monica, and each year she sponsors the Bert & Ernie Golf Classic which benefits the Fraser Learning Center in Fraser, CO. She has also served for the several years on the Grand County Board of Realtors as their Secretary-Treasurer and Community Outreach Liaison. She is presently the Membership Liaison for the Council of Residential Specialists and the incoming President of the CRS Colorado Chapter for 2018. When she’s not working, Monica enjoys spending time with her young son and her husband. Avid outdoors people, in the winter they can be found availing themselves of their town’s wide variety of activities, including downhill skiing at Winter Park Resort. Cross-country skiing with her son in tow is another favorite winter pastime. In the summers, the family loves camping, mountain biking and whitewater rafting on the Upper Colorado River. As for the future, Monica looks forward to growing a team. “Right now, I’m pretty close to max capacity as a solo agent,” she says. “Ideally I’d like to bring on a buyer’s agent and assistant as a support network so I can spend more time focusing on my present/ past clients and obtaining new listings.”

For more information about Monica Anderson, please call 970-531-9680 or email Monica@MonicaDAnderson.com 18

Developing Your Pricing Philosophy By Dirk Zeller

Ask a dozen agents to explain their home pricing philosophy, and you’ll

hear a dozen different approaches. And if the talk reveals frank responses, you’ll also learn that the most common pricing strategy is no strategy at all. Here’s my advice: Break out of the ranks by establishing and following a specific strategy for arriving at the ideal selling price for each home. Adopt the philosophy that, in real estate sales, price is king. Price trumps all other factors—including marketing approaches, home condition, market competitiveness, and sales approach. I believe that, in the end, marketing and condition of the property are controlled by the price. The alternative, advocated by many agents, most sellers, and even some sales trainers, is to emphasize marketing over pricing. Rather than working to set the ideal price, they believe success will come from optimizing the home’s condition and presentation and then marketing it with skill and savvy.

I take the opposite belief, based on years of experience working with sellers who wanted unrealistic prices for their homes and who experienced firsttime sales failures as a result. Over my sales career, I resurrected and re-listed more than 600 expired listings—nearly 75 a year. Among all those transactions, I never met an owner with an expired listing who thought that an unreasonable price had anything to do with the home’s failure to sell. They all blamed the previous Top Agent Magazine Copyright Top Agent Magazine

agent and that person’s approach to marketing. Each sought some magic marketing strategy to change the reality of the law of supply and demand. There is a magic strategy: Price the home correctly. Price is the only factor that can overcome sales obstacles, compensate for a home’s deficiencies, and motivate a purchaser even if the condition of the property and your marketing approach is less than perfect. Getting the listing at any cost Does this scenario sound familiar? An agent (usually a newer agent) is short on business or maybe even desperate for the chance to stake a sign in someone’s yard. The agent wants a listing at any price – even if the chance 20

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to seal a deal erodes the likelihood of selling the property. To gain a seller’s nod of approval, the agent makes a flatteringly high pricing recommendation, throwing out a number the client wants to hear and then hoping something good will result from the bad situation. I can think of few examples, if any, where this philosophy works. Hope isn’t a successful pricing strategy. Worse, the please-the-client mindset is a hard one to abandon. Agents who achieve listings with unrealistic prices find it hard to later counsel their clients honestly.

If you take and price a good listing competitively, it will sell. You can’t keep a good price a secret! The pitfalls of a “please the buyer” approach are many and significant. By overpricing, you can practically count on a reduction in your productivity, profitability, and salability, and here’s why: It’s impossible to keep your productivity high when your time is spent in conversations with an unsuccessful seller who lacks motivation to take corrective action. The seller’s negativity, concerns, and phone calls will only increase with each week or month the house remains on the market. Top Agent Magazine

As time goes on, you’ll devote more and more time unsuccessfully trying to create a sale not only for your seller but also for yourself. This will pull you away from activities that are more likely to deliver income. The ensuing frustration will de-motivate you and stunt your ability to secure better appointments that create other income opportunities. An unsold, overpriced listing negatively impacts your profitability because it costs you time and money to service while it delivers no revenue to your business. And the situation only gets worse the longer the listing languishes on the market. You’ll end up deducting the expenses of this in-limbo listing from the proceeds generated by any revenue-producing deals you manage to close in the meantime, reducing your net profit and business success. Unsold homes that linger on the market seriously diminish your salability, which is the term that describes your sales success track. Your salability is based on such key statistics as your average ratio of listing price compared to sale price and the average number of days your listings are on the market. Obviously, these statistics, which prospects rely on when choosing one agent over another, can be crushed by a “get the listings at any cost” philosophy. They’re also harmed by the “start high and reduce later” tactic. If you take and price a good listing competitively, it will sell. You can’t keep a good price a secret! Dirk Zeller is an Agent, an Investor, and the President and CEO of Real Estate Champions. Copyright© 2014, Dirk Zeller. All rights reserved.

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RACHEL CHILDS & AUSTIN SCHMIDT When looking to buy or purchase a home in the Denver area, there isn’t a team more in-demand than the Childs and Schmidt Team. Together Rachel and Austin bring over 10 years of experience combined and over $130 million in production. In addition to retail brokerage, Rachel & Austin specialize in luxury real estate & new construction in some of Denver’s hottest neighborhoods. Rachel, who grew-up in Denver, comes from a sales & marketing background, while Austin brings with him a background in construction and design as well as commercial real estate and is an expert in all aspects of the business. When the duo met, they soon realized their varying skill sets complemented each other perfectly, and both has the same dedication to providing their clients with a level of customer service that is truly unsurpassed. They quickly became a top producing team and according to Rachel, there’s a key reason their partnership has been so successful, “Every client that hires us gets to work directly with us rather than passed on to an associate or an assistant. Between the two of us, we are always available for our clients – night or day, weekends or holidays if need be. By hiring a team, we feel it gives our clients a huge advantage; they have two experts that are basically willing to go into battle for them by negotiating on their behalf and looking out for their bottom line. On top of that, they also get two sets of eyes and ears, between Rachel’s talent of listening to clients and helping them nail down exactly what they want and Austin’s eye for design which enables him to present a vision of what they might be able to create, nothing is missed.” Austin agrees completely. “We both know that in a business transaction like real estate, service and market expertise are key. We understand that when a client hires us, they have entrusted us to help guide them through what is likely one of the most important, exciting and at times stressful transactions of their life, we take that very seriously. I’ve been in the market long enough to know every neighborhood like the back of my hand and because of that we are

able to direct people to things they might not have considered otherwise. Whether it’s their first home, an investment property or their dream house; we pride ourselves on doing all the leg work in the background and adequately preparing our clients for every step of the process, which can at times get emotional. We’ve had many clients tell us at the closing table that they were surprised but thrilled with how seamless and stress-free the process felt, after they’d heard stories from others, and this is exactly what we aim for every time.” In October, they joined Madison & Company Properties, one of the premier boutique brokerages in Denver where they are now one of the top producing teams in the company. Their brokerage gives them all of the resources they need to live up to their motto “White Glove Service Comes Standard.” Not only do we have an incredible level of market knowledge and experience, with Austin’s background in construction & engineering, we have access to fantastic vendors and contractors, that our clients can use as a resource during the transaction as well as long after. Austin adds, “We want to be seen as advisors. We want every client to say at the end that we took them through the steps and educated them the whole way through making the process as simple as possible.” Both Rachel and Austin believe strongly in giving back. Rachel is involved with animal rescue, as well as several local organizations that help underprivileged children and victims of domestic abuse. Austin focuses most of his charitable work on helping children, and for the past eight years, has helped to make the holidays special for children in need, as well as for terminally ill children. “Rachel and I both believe that it’s not only important to give to others, but it’s rewarding as well.” Rachel and austin are both thrilled with how successful their partnership has been and look forward to many more years of continued growth, and are always looking for new and innovative ways to best serve their clients. “Rachel and I both love earning our clients trust. As cheesy as it may sound, when it’s all said and done, all the hard work pays off ten fold when we see the look on our clients faces as they realize we have just helped make their real estate dreams a reality, and that is what we love about this job the most.

To learn more about Rachel Childs and Austin Schmidt call (303) 710-9044, email Austin.Schmidt@gmail.com or Rachel@Rachelchilds.com, and visit childsandschmidt.com www.

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