MISSOURI 4-18-22

MISSOURI EDITION

The Daily Schedule of a SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE AGENT COVER STORY

ASHLEY KEY

Welcome Home: WORKING WITH RELOCATORS IN TRANSITION

GOOGLE ADWORDS:

HOW TO MAKE GOOGLE DO THE WORK FOR YOU FEATURED AGENTS

ALLIE COURTNEY TODD STOLTE

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Incorporating Charitable Giving in Your Real Estate Practice

As real estate professionals, taking part in the community and serving others is central to a long-lasting practice. After all, agents are in the business of homeownership, building a financial future, and helping their clients begin new and fruitful chapters. With that in 4

mind, how might an agent deliver that spirit of service in a broader sphere?

The truth is, charitable giving offers nothing but upsides. Contributing to a worthy cause is a noble and meaningful endeavor, but it

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Contributing to a worthy cause is a noble and meaningful endeavor, but it also presents positive byproducts for the giver: tax write-offs, name recognition in the community, and the ability to expand your network.

also presents positive byproducts for the giver: tax write-offs, name recognition in the community, and the ability to expand your network. If charitable giving is an idea you’ve toyed with, or a practice you’ve engaged in only now and again, here are a few ways to make it a foundational element of your business and a win-win for all.

Find causes that speak to you.

Donating funds or resources can feel anonymous if you’re divorced from the organization you’re working with. While national and international charitable organizations are certainly effective and worthwhile, you might consider partnering with local chapters of those organizations, or identifying hyper-local organizations that address need in your state, county, town, or even your own neighborhood. The first step to establishing a charitable relationship is to find a cause that you genuinely care about. For many, animal rescue is a tangible cause where resources and volunteership are always welcome. For others, children’s health and advocacy is a calling. Regardless Top Agent Magazine

of your personal passion, participation can be big or small. From sponsoring a local youth sports league to partnering with an area animal shelter for their annual spay-athon event—there are all sorts of ways to make a difference.

Unite your team for the common good.

One way to make charitable giving a staple is to do it in arm and arm with others. Supporting a local cause is a great way to bring your team together in a unifying capacity. Hosting coat drives in winter, blanket drives for local animal shelters, or backpack drives for needy students at the start of the new school year— all are straightforward and highly useful, direct ways to give to your community as a team. It’s also important to set collective goals as a way of keeping people motivated and accountable over time. Offices are productive, but often hectic spaces.

Injecting a collective goal with a positive, tangible result can create an ambiance of goodwill and generosity—both of which are worthwhile attributes to cultivate as

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the leader of your team. Lastly, consider timely giving as a way of connecting your team to their community. Natural disasters, local fundraising drives, and improvement funds are all direct ways your team can contribute, while they themselves reap the benefit in the community.

Include clients in the process.

You’ve likely heard of charitable donations made in the name of your client as an alternative to the classic closing gift, but there are a few ways you might update this method of giving. For starters, consider including your clients in the selection process. Do they have a special cause that’s close to their hearts? Likewise, you might

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consider making regular, consistent giving a part of your routine post-closing. Instead of following up with your yearly poinsettia plant or pumpkin, you might find a cause in their neighborhood or township that you can support in their name. It’s wise to choose something apolitical, but a cause that’s hyperlocal to their area demonstrates unique thoughtfulness.

There are plenty of ways in which society as a whole can benefit from charitable causes that build goodwill in the world, support those less fortunate, and bolster a positive future. Incorporating charitable giving in your business model is a generous way to make this mentality a central tenet of your team and a defining characteristic for your clients to remember.

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ASHLEY KEY Top Agent Magazine

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As a representative of residential homes in and around Lincoln County, Missouri, Top Agent Ashley Key’s business is completely made up of repeat and referral clients, which she attributes to the high level of attention she pays to each person she works with.

After years of working in corporate America as a market manager for a major wireless retailer, REALTOR® Ashley Key decided to switch industries by becoming a property manager. She quickly realized that she was not only interested in property, but had a lot of ideas about how to make the processes of buying and selling homes more efficient. From that role, she became a new home coordinator for new builds before finally moving into residential sales. With knowledge and experience in every area of the industry, Ashley thrives as a representative of residential homes in and around Lincoln County, Missouri.

ASHLEY KEY 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

Now in her 4th year in real estate, Ashley’s business is completely made up of repeat and referral clients, which she attributes to the high level of attention she pays to each and every person she works with. “I like to develop intentional relationships with people.

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In the tortoise and the hare narrative, I’m the tortoise. I spend time getting to know people, educating them and advising them,” she says.

In addition, her strong network of contractors and industry professionals makes her stand out as a REALTOR®. “I work with a lot of amazing businesses, like CMS Homes LLC who are a local semi-custom home builder. They Top Agent Magazine

have some of the best project managers in the business who offer stunning quality finishes in some of the most beautiful communities in our area.”

Ashley has a variety of fun ways of keeping up with her clients. To start, she’s very active on social media, using infographics Copyright Top Agent Magazine 9

“It is our mission to be a resource in the communities we serve. Our goal is to help people buy and sell homes with integrity while building lasting relationships as a friend and area expert.” and high-quality photography to educate and inform. She also loves snail mail and does both just-listed and just-sold cards. Her team has many advertising partners in the community, including Ultimate Fitness Plus, Cornerstone Coffee, and Street Beanz. On the more personal side, Ashley likes to send handwritten notes and host events throughout the year to show her clients her appreciation. For example, she organizes three block 10Copyright Top Agent Magazine

parties per year as well as a big city-wide pool party in the summer. At the block parties, there is always a lineup with local small business food trucks, picnic tables, chairs, and bounce houses.

“On my team, we believe in staying as busy as we want to,” Ashley says. This philosophy allows Ashley to not only do her work, but to also have a sense of balance where she can Top Agent Magazine

spend time helping others and relaxing with her family. She’s a major supporter of Habitat for Humanity and was formerly a board member with the organization. Her office also fundraises for local causes and are currently organizing a blood drive in the community.

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On the weekends, Ashley loves to go kayaking and hiking with her husband and three daughters. They are also big fans of game night!

As for the future of her business, Ashley plans to continue to build deep relationships with Copyright Top Agent Magazine11

her clients and grow in an organic and considered way. They will add one more new team member and commit to doing one coaching program this year. With everything she does, Ashley refers back to her original reason for

starting her business: “It is our mission to be a resource in the communities we serve. Our goal is to help people buy and sell homes with integrity while building lasting relationships as a friend and area expert.”

To learn more about Ashley Key, please call 636-290-6990 or email ashley@keylivinghomes.com Powered by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties

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Google AdWords:

How To Make Google Do the Work for You There is no denying that the internet is the first place a buyer begins looking for a new home in this digital age. Knowing how to put the powerful tools available on the internet to work for you can give you a decided advantage when it comes to attracting prospective buyers to your listings, as well as you as an agent. Google is easily one of the major superpowers of the internet, and they have one of the most powerful advertising tools available. Knowing how to utilize Google AdWords in the correct manner can make your internet advertising immensely powerful and possibly your best way to reach prospective buyers.

Google AdWords is also extremely cost-effective. This multifaceted tool gives you much more control over your advertising campaign than other more traditional methods. You can target specific audiences, choose the specific search terms, also known as keywords, that will bring up your ad in someone’s search results, and you can set a budget for each campaign that will dictate it’s reach and how long the campaign will run. Here are some tips for how to put Google AdWords to work for you.

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ent websites. You want to set yourself apart from every other real estate website users are viewing in their search for a house.

MAKE SURE YOUR ADS ARE GOING TO SEND USERS TO A SITE THAT WILL CAPTURE THEIR ATTENTION

You can spend an infinite amount of money on Google advertising campaigns, but if those ads don’t send users to a site that will capture and hold their interest, then you’ve just wasted all that money. Don’t put your cart before the horse. Make sure you are considering exactly where these ads are going to send users. To set up your website for success, at the very least you want to make sure users are greeted by clear call-to-action, such as a message that will encourage them to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog. You want to set up your website to maximize and capture the leads the ad campaign sends your way.

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BUILD CUSTOMIZED OR CUSTOM-MADE WEBSITES RATHER THAN TEMPLATE WEBSITES It is easy and tempting to use template websites, or to offer your agents template websites if you are a real estate manager or broker. While this offers a cost-effective solution to providing every agent with a website, it does little to set you or your agents apart and capture the attention of users that are used to seeing a wealth of differ-

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MAKE SURE YOU ARE OFFERING VALUE ON YOUR WEBSITE

Don’t simply use your website as a kind of brag sheet. Let users know what makes your particular services valuable to them. Highlight your expertise in a certain location through tools such as blog posts, providing market updates, or giving pertinent information on a unique type of property. This will ensure that your online advertising campaigns are much more successful.

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LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!

Location is everything in real estate, and the same holds true for Google AdWords. You can target specific locations in your ad campaign. While one approach is to focus on the area around your location, a more advanced approach would be to link AdWords campaigns to your Google My Business account. This is a Google service that includes your address in the ad, allowing people to then click on it and see exactly where you are located on a map.

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USE GOOGLE ADWORDS IN YOUR CAMPAIGN TO EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS IN GENERAL

Focus an AdWords campaign on expanding your business by incorporating specific zip codes and neighborhoods that will help you establish a presence in an area where you would like to increase your real estate business. Making sure that your ad appears in search results that are related to the real estate in a specific area will help shape the image and brand of your business as well as bring in new leads.

HARNESS THE POWER OF DATA

When you run a Google AdWords campaign Google Analytics captures a wealth of information about your target client demographic.

You can gain real insight into your online visitors, such as when they visit, what they do and look at on your site once they get there, and what search terms they use. You can use all of this information to grow your business. Use Google Analytics to determine which users (location, gender, age) are utilizing specific aspects of your site, such as looking at multiple listings, reading your blog, etc. You can then use this information to target these specific demographics in your AdWord campaigns, Gmail ads, the Google Display Network, and other advertising.

Using the internet to help advertise your business and your listings is one of the smartest moves you can make as an agent in this modern age. However, you don’t want to simply go into the process blind or you’re wasting a lot of potential resources and data that could make all the difference. To reap the benefits of Google AdWords, you must apply an intelligent strategy to using these campaigns.

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The Daily Schedule

of a Successful Real Estate Agent Everything you do should be intentional. A busy schedule isn’t the same thing as a productive schedule. Sometimes people write things like “find clients” on their to-do list, but finding clients isn’t actually a task. It’s a goal. Your daily schedule should be created with your goal in mind if you want to be a successful real estate agent, but a goal is too broad to add to your calendar.

Instead, you can break your goal down into projects, break those projects down into tasks, and schedule time in your calendar to complete each task. You’ll find that some of these projects will have an immediate impact on your business, and that those are the tasks that should be completed first.

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The fact is that as a real estate agent you can set your own schedule—if you’re not productive until 10am, then you don’t have to start your day until then. But having a daily schedule means that every day you have a running start on all those other agents who just “wing it.”

You don’t want to feel burned out and busy but like you’re simultaneously not getting a whole lot done. You can only keep up 70+ hour weeks for so long before your body breaks down and both your performance and income drop as a result.

Since every real estate agent’s operating hours look different, the following daily schedule is broken up by the suggested amount of hours you

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should spend on each task rather than specific times of day. However, certain tasks, like prospecting, appointments, and listing presentations should be performed at times when it’s most convenient for clients. If you’re an agent who likes to end their workday at 5 o’clock, remember that this is also the same time your clients are likely ending their day, meaning you might be unavailable for showings during the only time their schedule allows.

3.5 hours – This is that time of day that you should schedule all your appointments and listing presentations. If you are a newer agent, you might use this time instead to do more prospecting and appointment setting.

1 hour – Spend this time waking up, exercising either at home or at the gym, and eating breakfast.

2 hours – Now it’s time to unwind. Use this time to have dinner and spend time with you family. If you have children, this is usually the time of day when they are wrapping up homework assignments and getting ready for bed.

It’s important that you make time for these moments the same way you make time for your work.

2 hours – Use this time before you head to the office to develop a morning routine, if you haven’t already. You can meditate, journal, practice affirmations, or read personal development books to prepare for the day ahead.

1 hour – Once you’re at the office, spend this time to review the day’s schedule, catch up with your assistant or other colleagues, and check the latest industry news. This is also the time of day that you can role play to prepare for appointments.

1.5 hours – Spend this time prospecting and appointment setting.

1 hour – Now it’s time for a lunch break. If you’re a multitasker, you can also use this time to prepare for the afternoon and any meetings you have scheduled or connect with followers on social media.

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.5 hours – Look over the day’s schedule again and ensure you’ve checked every task off your to-do list. While you’re at it, be sure to review tomorrow’s schedule and goals too.

2 hours – Spend these last couple hours before you fall asleep to have quality time with your spouse or perform your self-care routines.

8 hours – Now it’s time for sleep—getting a full night’s rest is crucial if you want every day to be productive.

As you can tell, there’s still some wiggle room left in this schedule, but the important thing is to block out time every day so you can achieve your goals and help your clients.

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Area Specialist ALLIE COURTNEY

Top Agent Allie Courtney discovered her passion for real estate at 23 years old when she took a leap of faith and purchased her first rehab multi-family investment property. Shortly after obtaining her real estate license, she became a proud member of the National Association of Realtors® – a group of real estate agents held to a higher standard. Allie has been in the business for almost 5 years and, in the beginning, worked as an agent part time while working in property management full time.

Currently a solo agent, she recently transferred over to Realty Shop – a top 3 brokerage in St. Louis and top 5 brokerage in all of Missouri where she serves St. Louis and surrounding areas. St. Louis, Missouri is a tight knit community with top rated school districts, incredible ‘Midwestern’ 18

atmosphere and top rated sports teams.

It is the kind of city that honors its great American roots and Allie is proud to have been born and raised here.

Allie quickly found that she had a passion for being out in the field assisting people in purchasing real estate. 95% of her business is a repeat or client referral. “What separates me is that I’m just very trustworthy and put myself in other people’s shoes and ask myself what would I want?”.

Allie always has her clients’ best interest in mind and they can feel it throughout the process. She keeps it simple and stays in touch with past clients by phone calls and texting. Allie looks forward to sending more postcards and personalized mailings this year. “It is more about the relationship than the sale.”

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When marketing a listing, Allie prefers to post it on social media. She is a part of private Facebook groups where she posts her “Coming Soons” and other properties. Last year, on average, she consistently closed one home per month. Just this month of March alone, she closed on 5 transactions and Allie is anticipating this year to be her best year to date. What she likes most is getting to set her own schedule, getting to travel, networking and advocating for her clients.

The new brokerage Allie has recently joined, Realty Shop, is very active in the real estate world. Through her new brokerage she looks forward to giving back through acts of service and donations in the near future. As an animal lover, Allie has her eyes set on the APA for this year’s charitable contributions. When not working, Allie enjoys hitting the gym to try different classes. “My happy place is working out or lounging on the couch with my fiancée, Gabe and our chocolate Labrador, Buster and cat, Benny.” She also enjoys the lively nightlife and restaurants that St. Louis has to offer.

In the future, her career goals include consistently closing 2-5 transactions per month. Allie also plans on getting married this year and, using her equity from the duplex she purchased earlier on to reinvest into more income producing properties. “I really want to own more investment properties and I hope to get other people started with it too.” See, it pays to invest early! Allie and her team are excited to meet you and help you achieve your real estate goals.

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To learn more about Allie Courtney email Allie.Courtney@realtyshopstl.com, call C: (314) 256- 9798 or O: (314) 372-0324 or visit realtyshopstl.com/agent/Allie_Courtney www.

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Welcome Home:

Working with Relocators in Transition People stage moves for all sorts of reasons.

From the joyous and pre-planned, to the unfortunate and unexpected, new chapters begin with the help of an agent. When you’re working with buyers from a different region, state, or country, the typical complications of a transaction can be compounded. So, what’s a savvy agent to do?

For starters, envision the big picture. Relocators have extra obstacles between them and 20

their dream home. They don’t necessarily know which neighborhoods are ideal for their lifestyle, what they should budget for utilities, what type of homeowner’s insurance is ideal, or how they can tour, let alone close, on a house from afar. All in all, it’s a tall order, but if you can manage a relocation transaction successfully, you could tap into a sizable pool of clientele. Think of it this way: if you’re the shining star of a relocator’s moving process, their word-of-mouth praise could be

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exponential. Likewise, a winning reputation within that client’s corporate sphere could lead to lucrative, stable referrals and partnerships for years to come. Here are a few key ways to help clients navigate the relocation process with minimal stress and maximum results.

Create a full-scale timeline for you and your client that makes expectations clear.

Moving is already one of life’s biggest stressors, but relocations have a dozen more moving parts that your average deal. Consider creating a master-plan of sorts to help you and your client visualize the steps required to achieve success in the midst of a relocation.

Even from afar, your client will be able to refer to the roadmap you’ve set. Likewise, this makes sure you and your client are on the same page regarding expectations, timelines, and checklists. Assemble an articulated, overarching gameplan also helps demystify the process and lower stress. Instead of clients wondering what’s next, what’s needed, who to call, and when to be ready—handy guidelines of your own devising will be at their fingertips.

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Attune your communication style so that nothing goes overlooked or miscommunicated.

Establish early on how your client prefers to communicate and which methods should be excluded. Also, make sure to outline what timeframes are ideal to communicate in, and how often they expect to hear from you with status updates or follow-ups. Some clients might prefer a more hands-off approach that lets you manage most details behind the scenes with updates only when progress is made. Most clients in the midst of a serious relocation, however, will prefer to be in touch more frequently. Customizing is key. If they prefer text messages and emails over calls, that’s a helpful detail to know from the outset. If they prefer face-to-face video chats or can only speak after business hours—those are also key parameters to work within. The less mystery and hassle, the better.

Be a local resource with vetted recommendations and vendors on-hand.

Relocating homeowners may not know the best neighborhoods and their amenities, or where the best school districts are, which areas are high-traffic, or where their dollar might stretch a little further. Identifying your clients’ goals can help narrow this field, but you’ll also want to be careful not to overwhelm them with information. After all, they’re taking on a huge life transition and making a move as an outsider. You’ll want to serve as a onestop-shop who can remove some steps and stress from their organizational obligations.

Have a contractor who can get a head-start on home projects while clients make the move?

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Excellent. Or, perhaps you can provide an out-of-state agent referral so that clients can sell their existing property in a timeline that works in conjunction with their new purchase. Make yourself a community expert and a connector, and you’ve won a client— and their referrals—for much longer than a single transaction.

Think outside the box when weighing variables.

Relocations aren’t your typical transaction.

You’ll need to do a bit more planning to avoid pitfalls along the way. For instance, have you considered how you’ll tour homes with clients if they live hundreds of miles away?

Are there time zone differences to factor in?

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If clients are relocating from another country, are there any special visa or naturalization considerations? How will their belongings travel? Are there pets to relocate? There are plenty of questions to ask and plan for, but the key is to be communicative and thorough up front. The more information and planning time you have, the smoother the transition will go.

There are certified real estate agent designations you can pursue that set you apart for your experience when it comes to relocations, but in lieu of those—arm yourself with the planning details and methods that will make your client a raving fan. In the process, you’ll up your game, create a happy client, and hopefully field similar business for years to come.

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Area Specialist TODD STOLTE About 5 years ago, the timing just seemed right for Todd Stolte. What began as a casual observance of a family friend as she progressed in her own real estate experience, quickly developed into the birth of his own journey. Todd started from scratch in the Fall of 2017 by enrolling in a real estate course and by January 2018 he was a licensed Realtor® and on his way. He spent his first two years learning the ropes as a part of a large team but then decided to bet on himself and become a solo agent, thriving in this role ever since.Todd does most of his business in the South St. Louis City/South St. Louis County, Missouri areas but also serves West St. Louis County, Jefferson, St. Charles, and Franklin Counties. Todd would be considered an expert and specialist on the charms of both city and county life. For clients seeking the best of both worlds, he mentions Affton, just outside of St. Louis City, as a perfect example of what many clients want. It is close to a major highway leading into St Louis and is very affordable. This location provides convenient access to the city without being right in the hubbub of a major city itself.

Among his favorite things to do is spending time with his wife, Christina, their 7-month-old daughter, Madalene, and Maveric, the family dog! Family time spent outdoors is his passion whether spending time in parks, fishing, or just enjoying the different events and activities available in the St. Louis area. He is a huge animal lover and has been involved with the Open Door Animal Sanctuary outside of St Louis.

Relying exclusively on referrals, Todd works to stay

in touch with previous clients through several means, but predominantly through social media. He uses Facebook and Instagram to tag them in relevant posts or send birthday wishes and other greetings. In this way, he brings his client and agent relationship to a deeper level. Whether to celebrate a baby’s birth or send condolences, he lets them know he is involved with them in their lives, as a friend. He is never too busy to reach out in a personal way to cheer on their kids making the soccer team, responding to posted questions about home renovation advice, or just offering a hand in any way he can. Todd’s business continues to grow with referrals from past satisfied clients. This has brought his average volume of business to 24 units sold and $5 million per year.

His business plans are to continue to enjoy his solo practice and commitment to his clients but may look to seek out opportunities for mentoring and coaching in the future. The passion to serve is something he brings with him from his years serving in the United States Air Force. Regarding his success with his solo practice, he says it is his honest and relaxed attitude that seems to appeal the most to his customers. He asks his clients to give him a chance to earn their trust. “I want my clients to know I am here to serve them and they will be in good hands with me. We are here to enjoy ourselves, not for them to feel pressure from me. I am here to facilitate and guide them to the finish line. There is enough stress and pressure when it comes to buying or selling a home. The last thing my clients need is extra pressure. They need to be educated on the process, gently guided through each tricky step, and also listened to. I tirelessly advocate for my clients and will always go to bat for them with strong negotiation skills. Those are the main aspects of my service to my clients. I love what I do.”

To learn more about Todd Stolte, please call 314-974-5786 or email tstolte87@gmail.com Top Agent Magazine

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