North Carolina 10-16-17

NORTH CAROLINA EDITION

How to Recognize TRUE LUXURY PROPERTIES How to Send SMARTER EMAILS 7 Deadly Sins of PERSONAL BRANDING PRODUCTIVITY KILLERS: 4 Ways to Make Better Use of Your Working Hours

FEATURED AGENT

ASHLEY GRONEWALD COVER STORY

TIFFANY JOHANNES

NORTH CAROLINA EDITION

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TIFFANY JOHANNES

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ASHLEY GRONEWALD

CONTENTS 4) HOW TO RECOGNIZE TIFFANY 19) 7 DEADLY SINS OF JOHANNES TRUE LUXURY PROPERTIES PERSONAL BRANDING 13) HOW TO SEND SMARTER EMAILS

22) PRODUCTIVITY KILLERS: 4 WAYS TO MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR WORKING HOURS

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How to Recognize True Luxury Properties What to Consider Other Than Location When luxury home buyers are looking for a new abode, they are often advised to pay most of their attention to location, location, location. And it’s true that good locations often have better properties, but if you’re only looking at location then you might be forgetting what it is in a luxury property that makes it luxury. You could view a property in a great location, and because you completely ignored any of the other factors that make a property high end, you might find that once you move in, you aren’t as pleased with the actual house itself as you thought you would be. Here are the other things you should look out for when purchasing a luxury home: • Architectural Uniqueness: The simple fact is that good

architecture retains its value. Do your homework on architects and find the ones that have a good track record of designing beautiful, but practical homes. Don’t simply pay attention to how the building looks today. Consider how it will look in a few decades. Keep an eye out for the “bones” of the building, and decide whether they will stand the test of time or not. Things such as a solid foundation, high-grade materials, unusual details, and artistic components are good aspects to consider.

Will the structure hold up well or will it degrade and crumble without constant upkeep? That funky molding may look artistic today, but in ten 4 years will it be considered artistic or just plain weird?

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• Practical Layout: Make sure you have enough room to live

in comfort. As a buyer of luxury property, you probably have quite a busy social schedule. You want to make sure that the layout will lend itself to helping you maintain clear separation between your social areas and private ones. You don’t want guests having to go back into your bedroom to use the bathroom. Look out for places with stairwells, awkward columns, long hallways, and other wastes of space.

• Unobstructed Views and Light: You want to live in

a home that gives you lots of natural light, such as one that is open to the outdoors. That natural light will improve your mood, as well as the resale value. The openness of a space filled with natural light will make you feel more comfortable and happy in your new home. What about the view? Do you see a Do you park, a bridge, a river, or a skyline? Is the see a park, fantastic view out your window protected? a bridge, You’ll need to understand the surrounding air a river, or a rights and zoning allowances of neighboring buildings to understand the possible risks. skyline?

• Windows: Windows are the primary source of losing heat and

cooling. Make sure they are double-paned with good insulation that will protect your home against weather and noise. Unless the windows are already like this, it is unlikely that the condo or co-op board will allow you to install your own.

• Ceiling Height: Consider the cubic footage of the property.

You want to look for high ceilings that increase the openness of a room.

Of course, you don’t want to go too high. Above 14 feet will get you diminished marginal returns.

• Storage: If you’re a woman, you will understand this one. We need

lots of closets and additional storage room to fit all of our clothes, shoes, jackets, hats, purses, etc. However, lucky for you, your potential home’s existing closet square footage will not limit you from putting in more Topstorage Agent Magazine 5 space. Custom closet companies can create any kind of storage

space you desire. You will have to, however, make sure that your new home does have an area that you can turn into this storage space.

• In-Unit Laundry: In-unit laundry has become necessary for

any luxury home or apartment. Do you really want to have to trek down flights of stairs to use the basement laundry? If you still consider it wasted space, you can convert it into more closet space.

• The Gym: Having a fitness area nearby is an amenity that is especially

important, particularly in winter when you don’t feel like walking to the gym a few blocks down.

One thing to consider is the Do you really want of the gym in relation to have to trek down size to the size of the building in flights of stairs? light of common area fees.

• Move-In Ready: I’d advise against buying time-consuming and

frustrating fixer-uppers no matter how much you want to add custom kitchens, finishes, fixtures, and other characteristics. Choose a property that already has all of these amenities taken care of. These properties have already had the same designers you would hire fashion the house at a fraction of the cost you would pay to have them do it after you move in. In this light, it is worthwhile to pay a little extra for the move-in ready home.

• Reputation: Pay attention to the reputation of the building. A

property that has a good reputation tends to retain its value. You can easily find this out online on posts, and established locals are likely to have an opinion.

If you want to buy luxury property that is really worth it’s price, then I would suggest adding these points to your list of things your new home must have.

If you want to get a high quality home that is a true luxury, you’ll want to watch out for these aspects as well as the location. Some properties might claim to be luxury based on their location, but when compared against this list, they don’t make the cut. So, don’t be fooled by imposters, and make sure you find a true high-end property.

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TIFFANY JOHANNES 7

TIFFANY JOHANNES Tiffany Johannes got her start in Corporate America. When she decided to make the switch to real estate ten years ago, her background actually created a solid foundation for her career as a Realtor®. “I realized at some point that I wanted to help people and make a difference. In my previous career I was developing business plans, creating budgets, and analyzing data in order to improve processes to better meet financial goals. I consider what I do to be less about sales and more about being an advisor to my 8Copyright Top Agent Magazine

clients. My goal is to give them the information and guidance they need in order to make the best decision possible when buying or selling a home.”

Two years ago, Tiffany transitioned her company to an independent brokerage, Charlotte Home Experts, which has quickly made a name for itself as one of the premier brokerages in North Carolina. Everyone who works for Tiffany shares her business philosophy of always putting client needs Top Agent Magazine

first while acting as their expert advisors. “I think the care and knowledge we provide has really been what sets us apart. We make sure our clients understand the process every step of the way and are on top of our game when it comes to communication. Because of that exceptional customer experience, we build strong relationships with our clients which not only keeps them coming back, but makes them 100% comfortable recommending us to their friends and family.�

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Another unique advantage Charlotte Home Experts offers their clients is their comprehensive approach to marketing listings that includes three essential sections. “At our initial consultation we do a complete overview of the home and determine what needs to be done to improve the property, define key features that we need to highlight, and then we determine how to best price the property. After the home is staged and we have professional photos Copyright Top Agent Magazine9

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Two years ago, Tiffany transitioned her company to an independent brokerage, Charlotte Home Experts, which has quickly made a name for itself as one of the premier brokerages in North Carolina. taken, we launch a campaign that gets the property as much exposure as possible and includes both online and print media. The final aspect is negotiating the best deal for our client. We always fight for their best interests and are with them at the closing table to celebrate the moment we’ve all worked so hard for.�

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Tiffany is very involved in her community as a member of the board of directors for both the Housing Opportunity Foundation and the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association, as well as volunteering in the local schools. She is proud to have been awarded Top Real Estate Agent/ Five Star Agent in Charlotte for the past six years. When she Copyright Top Agent Magazine 11

isn’t working, Tiffany enjoys spending time with her daughter and running Spartan races.

Tiffany couldn’t be more thrilled with how far her company has come in a short time, and is always improving systems in order to offer their above and beyond service to even more clients. “Real estate is such a wonderful

career. It not only lets me help people achieve their real estate dreams, but it’s given me the opportunity to give back to my community as well. I love having the ability to make a difference every day. It’s why I got into the business. I’m always looking for new ways to ensure I’m offering the best experience possible for my buyers and sellers.”

To learn more about TIFFANY JOHANNES call 704-837-0010, email tiffany@cltexperts.com or visit charlottehomeexperts.com Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

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How To Send

SMARTER EMAILS

Email is a great tool for agents to use when trying to stay in touch with their past clients, as well as for reaching out to prospective clients. However, used incorrectly it can make your attempts to reach out seem like spam. The secret to using email effectively is making sure that everything you send out does one thing: ensure that you remain relevant to your contacts. To do this you have to get personal. Personalization will go far to ensure that your contacts are actually clicking on your emails. This means that if you do reply on an automated drip email campaign to build business, you need to customize your content so that it delivers something meaningful to each individual recipient. Here are some steps that will help you do exactly that:

1. SEND A WELCOME EMAIL TO

NEW CLIENTS AND PROSPECTS Rather than simply add new contacts to your automated email drip campaign, make sure to send each new contact receives a warm welcome as well. Sending a welcome email along with adding new contacts to your drip campaign is proven to be 86 percent more effective at catching your contact’s attention. Let them know they are welcome and that you appreciate their interest.

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2. NURTURE YOUR RELATIONSHIP

THROUGH YOUR EMAIL To let your potential client know that you are thinking about them by sending them useful content that relates to the process of buying or selling a house. Some great topics include credit score information, ways to save money, regular market updates, what buying in your market is like, information about the neighborhood, tips on how they can prepare their home for sale, and other relevant information. A great way to

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add to these emails’ punch is to time them so that they coincide with what that individual is going through and dealing with at that time on their path through the buying or selling process.

3. CELEBRATE IMPORTANT DATES

Everyone loves to be noticed and appreciated.

Schedule emails to go to each client that celebrate their purchase anniversary or birthday.

Make sure you include a personal note and your own wishes that the year ahead goes well for them. If you’ve been a bit out of touch with your contacts, you might want to send them a friendly hello.

4.

MOBILE-FRIENDLY EMAILS With our phones being akin to mini computers, most people read their emails on their phone these days. So, it is particularly important to make sure that your emails are rendering well on the smaller screens. If you want to make any kind of impact, you have to run a mobile-friendly email campaign in today’s world. You are going to lose a lot of your audience if they can’t read your email on their phones.

5.

TRACK THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR EMAILS AND ALTER ACCORDINGLY The best way to make sure your emails are being read and making the kind of impact you desire is to consistently monitor the analytics,

and see what your readers are actually clicking on and what elements are most popular with your contacts. Going forward you can alter different elements of your email campaign such as content, images, graphics, and even smaller elements like your subject line to draw in more clicks from your readers, and cater to what grabs their attention.

You also want to follow a targeted email strategy. The best way to do this is segment your email list based on the data from your CRM and the demographics of your contacts. Different clients are going to be interested in different content. Long-time clients looking to buy a second home or possibly downsize are going to be interested in completely different content than your first-time buyers. A good way to filter your contacts is by looking at which ones are looking to buy or sell, how far along in the process they are, as well as other important information about them.

6.

DON’T SPAM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES You probably already know that flooding your clients’ emails is big no-no. However, different people have different ideas about what is too much contact. One great way to approach this problem is to ask your clients whether they would prefer weekly, monthly, or occasional emails from you. This way you can cater to each client’s preference.

The emails you send your clients can often be a double-edged sword when it comes to how well they work to bring in business. Following these simple rules will help your emails be as successful as they can possibly be, and will make your contacts much happier with you. So, don’t just send out emails without doing your homework about how to do it right. Your email campaigns can be a powerful tool if you know how to create and utilize them in the right manner.

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ASHLEY GRONEWALD Ashley Gronewald never anticipated a career in the real estate industry, but when her husband and friend—both successful real estate agents—encouraged her to explore her options, Ashley’s interest was immediately piqued. Seeking a better work-life balance that allowed her entrepreneurial spirit to shine, Ashley decided to earn her license. Soon enough, she’d made her mark in her new chosen field, discovering a genuine professional passion along the way. Today, Ashley is at the helm of a blossoming career, built by a commitment to people-first service, a keen eye for closing, and intrepid negotiating skills. In 2016 alone, she helped over 100 families buy or sell a home—a sure testament to her ability to deliver on her clients’ goals.

Ashley serves the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill greater metro region and is the top sales agent in her office. She benefits from the added support of other agents on her team who ensure several sets of accomplished eyes to safeguard each transaction. With 100% of her business driven by repeat and referral clientele, Ashley has cultivated a proven track record, which naturally keeps clients returning time and again. What’s more, reliability, organization, and steadfast communication define Ashley’s professional approach, inspiring a sense of loyalty and confidence in those she serves. “Everything is a proven system—we have a flowchart for every process we complete and it helps us sell houses fast,” she explains. “We know what we’re doing, and our clients know they can count on us for that.” While focusing on a systematic process has paved the way for Ashley and her team’s swift success, she also pays careful attention to the personal needs of her clients. By maintaining accessibility throughout the transaction, she keeps the lines of communication wide open to mitigate anxiety and doubts.

“We aim to earn our clients for the long term,” Ashley explains.

“We’re there for them long after closing, so they continue coming back. It’s all about building relationships.”

Ashley takes the same detail-oriented approach when it comes to listing each property. Upon meeting with clients, she completes an analysis on the home and suggests repairs and Improvements that would deliver a sizable return on their investment. To bolster 16

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her recommendations, Ashley has a carefully vetted list of vendors ready, and works actively to facilitate the renovation and upgrade process. From there, her capable staging team prepares each home for professional photography and showing. Depending on the property, Ashley also offers aerial drone photography to create a completely immersive viewing experience. Homes are advertised as Coming Soon before going live across an array of listings platforms online.

As for staying in touch with past clients, Ashley checks in by phone, writes personal notes and pops-by from time to time with a gift to show client’s her appreciation. In reflecting on her favorite aspect of her work, Ashley says: “I love negotiating—finding the middle ground for both parties. In a sellers’ market like we’re in now, coaching my clients on how to write the most strategic offer is so rewarding.”

Beyond the office, Ashley runs a women’s networking group called She’s Connected. There, professionals gather to share business strategies, problem solve, and help each on the path to success. She and her husband are also involved with their church, The Summit, where they marriage mentor engaged couples. As a lover of all things fitness, Ashley leads group classes at her local YMCA. As for her leisure hours, she loves to spend time with her daughter Ellie, hang out in the sun, swim in the pool, or bury herself in a good book.

Considering the future, Ashley hopes to deepen her roots in the area and integrate her real estate practice with her husband’s. The couple was just picked up for an HGTV pilot and hope it will become a series—adding another dimension to their real estate practice. Considering her enthusiasm for her work, dedication to her clients, and overall strategic proficiency, the future holds certain prosperity for Ashley Gronewald.

To learn more about Ashley Gronewald, visit HunterRowe.com/Ashley, e-mail Ashley@HunterRowe.com, or call (919) 633 - 4760 www.

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Congratulations!

Ashley Gronewald on being featured in Top Agent Magazine

Sherry Green

Mortgage Loan Officer • NMLS# 99230 North State Bank Mortgage 919.645.2746 SGreen@NorthStateBankMortgage.com

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NMLS# 411971

and they don’t care for sudden changes in procedure or lifestyle. They also like activities they can start and finish.

Compliants are thinkers. They’re always wondering how things work.

They want practicality, logic, fairness and a systematic approach. When talking to thinkers give facts, documentation and data. They seek accuracy.

They’re motivated by standards of high quality, limited social interaction, detailed tasks and logical organization of information.

7 Deadly Sins of Personal Branding

some personality assessment tools can cost thousands of dollars, but at Corcoran Coaching, we’ve opted for a much more affordable offering: a free DIsC assessment. Just visit www.corcorancoaching.com/behavioralstyle. php and you’ll be guided through a quick questionnaire to learn your own What is a style ‘personal Just likeothers com- as sistently dominant andbrand’? how to read well. (across all marketing platforms), pany or product branding, it’s built around a well-defined brand can elevate agent recimaging and messaging that is designed to ognition and help to establish credibility Yes, understanding people, listening to their needs and wants and responding create a feeling. And in the case of personal and authority. However, when executed appropriately all takehow work But because realare estate is a people branding, it influences you and wantattention. others incorrectly, the effects lackluster at best, business, it’s simply a must.

And the better at it you become, the to feel about you. From your photos to other and harmful at worst. To help you better avoid living as an or broker. brandyou’ll images,make elements andagent even content, theI promise. pitfalls of personal branding, we’ve there is a lot that goes into creating your compiled a list of what we feel are the 7 unique brand.to Displayed Best of luck you! correctly and con- deadliest sins.

Copyright©, 2015 BubbaNO Mills.

All rights reserved.

DIFFERENTIATION Branding about being known forvicereal estate agent who expressed to us that Bubba Mills isis not co-owner and executive president of Corcoran Consulting and Coaching Inc. (www.corcorancoaching.com/programs, 800-957-8353), an in international your profession.

It’s about being known she was already well branded her area. consulting coaching that performance coaching and for being and different in yourcompany profession.

If specializes She stated,in“When I walk into a restaurant theallimplementation sound systems Real Estate Companies, Mortgage agents were the of same, howbusiness would your in into my community, people already know Companies and Small Businesses. Bubba Mills is a nationally recognized inspirational customers know who to choose? Lack of I’m a real estate agent.” And while that and education speaker, coach and mentor to the top real estate agents and mortgage differentiation is out by more far the #1 personal is a great start, it’s nowhere close to succompanies.

To find about Corcoran Consulting & Coaching, call 1-800-957-8353 We love to tell the story of a cessful branding. Let’s assume I walked or branding visit us at sin. www.CorcoranCoaching.com.

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into that restaurant and noticed her. But I also noticed two other agents in the same restaurant. Now, who do I choose? Which

‘brand’ stands out to me? What lets me know that one of them is uniquely positioned to serve my needs?

and they don’t care for sudden changes in procedure or lifestyle. They also NO FOCUS like activities they can start and finish.

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Best of luck to you!

NO CONSISTENCY

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All rights reserved.

rable brand, but if you don’t display those ple don’t see them nearly as often, so don’t branding correctly consis- viceapply or compare your own habits and Bubba Millselements is co-owner andand executive president of Corcoran Consulting and Coaching Inc. (www.corcorancoaching.com/programs, 800-957-8353), an international tently across all of your marketing plat- exposure to theirs. Repetitiveness in marconsulting andyou coaching company in only performance coaching and forms, it does little good.

In orderthat to specializes keting is not a good thing, it’s essenthe implementation sound systems Real Estate Companies, Mortgage accomplish this taskofwell, youbusiness must step tialinto for retention.

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NO CONTENT The ultimate goal of personal branding is comfortable producing is the key to keeping to become known as an authority in your it simple. No one wants to be bogged down andchosen they niche. don’t That caremeans for sudden or lifestyle.

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CALL TO

You’re spending money to market across using other people’s money’. Your call some personality assessment tools can cost thousands of dollars, but at multiple platforms, so why not take the to action may change with different marCorcoran Coaching, opted for more affordable offering: keting channels or purposes, buta free you opportunity to extendwe’ve an invitation fora much DIsC Just with visityou? www.corcorancoaching.com/behavioralstyle. your assessment. prospects to engage It can should always, always have one. If you want people to do something, tell them a simple call be to action, such as ‘call me phpbeand you’ll guided through a quick questionnaire to learn your own you’d like them to do. That’s how you first’ or more ‘contact me others for a aswhat dominant stylespecific, and how to read well. free home staging assessment’ or ‘download my e-book and learn how to invest

move prospects one step closer to becoming customers.

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Bubba Mills is co-owner and executive vice president of Corcoran Consulting and Coaching Inc. (www.corcorancoaching.com/programs, 800-957-8353), international ® Tonya Eberhart is the Branding Agent to Business Stars and founder ofan BrandFace , LLC. ® consulting andMichael coaching company that specializes in performance coaching Carr is America’s Top Selling Real Estate Auctioneer & BrandFace partner. and the implementation of they sound systems into Real Estatedesigned Companies, Mortgage Together, focusbusiness on personal branding and marketing to help real estate ® professionals become theBubba face of their & a star in their market. BrandFace Companies and Small Businesses.

Millsbusiness is a nationally recognized inspirational Real Estate Professionals is a book, speaking and and an exclusive and educationfor speaker, coach and mentor toprofessional the top real estateseries agents mortgage workshop for agents, and is currently active in 18 U.S. states, Canada and New Zealand. companies. To find out more about Corcoran Consulting & Coaching, call 1-800-957-8353 For more information, visit www.BrandFaceRealEstate.com. or visit us at www.CorcoranCoaching.com.

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Productivity Killers: 4 Ways to Make Better Use of Your Working Hours

Even on the busiest of days, it can be hard not to get distracted by social media, smartphones, chatty colleagues, or personal to-do list items. So how do you keep your professional blinders on and power through your tasks with efficiency? Practice these four tips and witness your productivity skyrocket—easing stress and bringing renewed energy to your daily duties.

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1. Create a sense of peace and quiet The office may not be your idea of a tranquil oasis, but for most, focus requires quiet and calm to best lend attention to the task at hand. If you find yourself seated next to talkative coworkers or in the center of a bustling office atrium, consider noise can-

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celing headphones, earplugs, or carving out an empty conference room for your work day. Turning the volume down creates fewer chances for disruption, allowing you to make the best use of your time.

4.Take your smartphone off the table

2. Organize your workspace A messy work area breeds anxiety and distraction, but a clean and organized desk inspires efficiency. If you’ve got a busy day ahead, take fifteen minutes and organize your workspace: gather miscellaneous papers into their proper place, dispose of out-of-date or unnecessary documents, or give your keyboard a dusting. Not only does cleaning and organizing your workspace prepare you for the work ahead, it also helps you transition to a productive, goal-oriented mindset.

3.Create a goal-oriented reward system Coffee breaks, coworker catch-up, and social media check-ins tend to break up our workflow on an hourly basis. Instead of trying to go cold turkey on these workplace routines, reframe them as rewards.

For every to-do list item you complete, allow yourself a fives minute treat, whether that’s a fresh cup of coffee or a walk around the block. Not only will creating a reward Top Agent Magazine

system help you stay motivated throughout the day, it will also provide you with much-needed mental breaks that actually boost long-term productivity.

The number one productivity killer in this day and age? Smartphones. With access to endless social media portals, web browsing, text conversations, and games, smartphones are one-stop shops for distractions. While you may not want to delete apps from your phone, try leaving your smartphone in a locked desk drawer until your next break, or safely in your car. By simply putting your smartphone out of your line of sight, the impulse to distract yourself is muted.

Even though technology and the modern office create ample opportunity for distraction, making these few small adjustments can go a long way in safeguarding your productivity. After all, a productive day allows you to enjoy your time at home and outside the office, without the worry of incomplete tasks and looming deadlines darkening your day. Keep these productivity tricks in mind as you mount your daily to-do list and you’ll be thanking yourself tomorrow.

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