NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 7-25-22

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

7 REASONS WHY

YOUR PROSPECTS AREN'T TURNING INTO CLIENTS

3 EASY AT-HOME

DIY PROJECTS TO INCREASE PROPERTY VALUE

MAKE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Your Calling Card

FEATURED AGENTS

The Daily Schedule of a SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE AGENT

RICH GIBBENS ALI GILMARTIN DAVIS ALEX LAM GILLIAN PERKINS JESS YOUNG COVER STORY

LUCAS SORAH

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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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7 Reasons Why Your Prospects Aren’t Turning Into Clients Real estate experts suggest prospecting daily so that your sales pipeline never runs dry.

But sometimes all that effort doesn’t translate into results. If your prospects aren’t becoming clients, there’s a reason, which is better than it sounds because that means you can fix the problem.

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1. You’re Too Slow The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials estimates that there are about 2 million active real estate licensees in the United States alone. Of course, not all these individuals are working in the same markets. Nonetheless, that

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If your prospects aren’t becoming clients, there’s a reason, which is better than it sounds because that means you can fix the problem.

means that realtors face a lot of competition. If you are slow to respond to messages from prospective clients, someone else is sure to beat you to it. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to return calls and emails within 24 hours.

If you’re too busy working with active clients to return the phone calls and emails of prospective clients, consider hiring a real estate assistant who can help take administrative or marketing tasks off your plate.

2. They Don’t Trust You There are different reasons why a client might not trust you, some of which overlap with others on this list. When a client asks you a question, do you answer it directly or do you sidestep it?

Do you have testimonials and reviews from happy clients publicly available? Do you have an online presence? Social proof of your skills and knowledge is key.

3. You Don’t Seem Knowledgeable Enough Is your client constantly coming to you with new listings or marketing ideas rather than the Top Agent Magazine

other way around? Do they mention real estate and finance terms you’ve never heard of or ask you questions you’ve never thought to ask yourself? Every agent starts somewhere, but if this seems to be a pattern, it’s one clients will pick up on too.

Your clients want to know that you will add value to their home buying or selling experience, and part of that value is your expertise and passion.

4. You Have No Web Presence It’s not enough to be on Zillow or have a Facebook page. There are clients who don’t use these platforms, and at the end of the day, you don’t own the content or your access to it. Both platforms could suddenly go out of business and any following you’ve gained could be lost.

It doesn’t cost much to create and maintain a website today. If customization matters little to you, sometimes you can even get up and running for free. At the very least, it’s a good idea to invest in a domain name because yourwebsite. wordpress.com looks a lot less professional than yourwebsite.com.

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5. You Don’t Seem to Care When clients don’t think you care, it usually means they don’t feel like you are listening.

You may have systems, processes, and a proven marketing strategy. You may like to get right down to business, but to your client, this isn’t just business—it’s their life and their family’s livelihood.

When your client tells you what’s important to them, they want to make sure that you really hear them. Make sure your body language conveys that. Slow down. Shut your office door.

Make eye contact, nod your head, and pause before you speak so that they understand that you’ve put thought into your words—that they aren’t simply lines from a script.

6. You Use Too Much Jargon Remember that your clients don’t speak real estate. At most, they might buy or sell a home once every few years. They hired you to be their advocate and may even expect you to be a bit of a teacher too. Use layman’s terms so that your

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client fully understands how the two of you will work together.

7. Your Target Audience Is Everyone Your clients are home buyers and sellers, yes, but who is your ideal client? Some specialties you might consider are college students and recent graduates, working professionals, military families, seniors, CEOs, or other high-profile clients.

As a newer agent, your target audience might be anyone who will hire you, but over time, you might find that you click more with certain clients, that their lifestyle is similar to yours, or that their goals align with your mission. Whatever the reason, marketing your business to this “ideal client” rather than every potential client will make selling your services easier.

Remember: It’s within your power to alleviate your client’s concerns, but understanding why your prospects aren’t turning into clients is a good start.

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LUCAS SORAH

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Top Agent Lucas Sorah provides each of his San Francisco clients with a custom experience because each person, each transaction, is unique. “They’re all different,” he says.

Having grown up in a real estate family, Lucas Sorah absorbed the industry’s workings as a young man. After a brief run plying his trade in public relations, he came back to the field where he is most fluent. “It was kind of like a second language to me,” he says, “I fell into real estate naturally.”

And now, 12 years later, it means so much more than a way to keep the lights on. “It’s not a job,” he says. “It’s my life. It’s my lifestyle.”

Lucas understands that his clients are also buying a lifestyle. “It’s not like they’re going to shop for a handbag, or something like that,” he says. “It’s much more involved, personal, and for some people, the largest transaction they will ever be involved in.”

The San Francisco agent provides each of his clients with a custom experience because each person, each transaction, is unique. “They’re all different,” he says. “It’s Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10

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important to me to make sure they know I have heard them and that I have their best interests in mind from start to finish.” His clients seem to feel safe in his hands, with 85 percent of Lucas’s business coming from

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repeat or referral customers. “I think the first thing is trust. Without trust, there’s really no good working relationship there,” he says.

“And then also, results. They’ve all had good transactions and good results with my help.”

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Real estate is not about the money for Lucas, it’s about the people. “I honestly, I love working with my clients,” he says. “For me, I enjoy it. I enjoy talking with my clients, I enjoy collaborating on things. It’s really the personal aspect of what we do.”

Lucas feels lucky to work in the Bay Area, where homes sell fast. Still it is important to touch all the bases, he says. In addition to Facebook and Instagram, Lucas will market through email newsletters, postcards, and to his network of Bay Area top agents. Reaching out directly to his network, Lucas is able to give some sellers the ability to sell their homes off-market if they need to go that route for whatever reason that may be. “Maximum exposure” is what sells a home, he says. The system works. Lucas has sold $38 million in the last year.

Real estate is not about the money for Lucas, it’s about the people. “I honestly, I love working with my clients,” he says.

“I’m in a position in my career now where I Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

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have the ability to make sure my clients are a good fit for me and vice versa. I want us to enjoy working together. So every experience is fun and unique. For me, I enjoy it. I enjoy talking with my clients, I enjoy

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collaborating on things. It’s really the personal aspect of what we do.”

Lucas plans to keep that personal approach in the future. “I just want to continue on

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3 Mental Tricks That Will Take Your Business to the Next Level It’s no secret that running a successful business requires careful planning and a tireless work ethic. Beyond those obvious ideals, it also takes the right mindset in order to capitalize on professional opportunity. In the world of real estate and mortgage lending, mental fortitude is a major component to reaching the next Top Agent Magazine

level and achieving longevity in a sector that requires so much self-discipline. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a few key mental tricks you can employ to reinvigorate your working philosophy. Incorporate these techniques into your daily mindfulness routine and your business will surely benefit.

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Visualization helps you work efficiently and keep your cool.

This may sound like one of the oldest tricks in the book, but there’s a reason why Olympic athletes and those serving in first-responder positions use visualization as a time-honored mental technique. Not only does visualizing your daily tasks help you organize your mind, but it amps up your ability to focus on what’s important. Visualization also helps reduce stress in the moment, since you’ve already created a mental expectation of the task ahead. Whether you’re preparing for a negotiation or a pitch to new a client—visualization primes your brain and affords you an extra sense of control as you tackle your day.

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Distill concepts into their simplest terms for ultimate understanding.

As an agent or loan officer, you’re likely juggling numerous clients and commitments on any given day. That’s why it helps to distill your responsibilities in clear, definitive terms. Let’s say you have a meeting set with a client to outline a marketing approach for their property. You may understand the broad strokes, but beforehand, try verbalizing the exact takeaways you’d like to impart to your client.

This may seem obvious, but one of the best ways to clarify your communication and ensure your com-

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plete understanding of a subject is to explain it aloud in its simplest terms. This crystallizes your main point and can come in handy if you drift off-topic or need to double-down on your message.

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Accept that mistakes will be made.

While it’s natural to fear failure, sometimes the dread of making an error can overwhelm your ability to perform. As the saying goes: don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.

If you accept in advance that set-backs will occur, challenges will come, and things won’t always go accordingly to plan—you’ll be less confounded when hurdles do arise. What matters is keeping an even keel as you sort through unexpected delays or mishaps. Accepting that mistakes will happen allows you to shift your focus towards a solution or contingency plan. In other words, don’t spend your energy trying to achieve perfection. Aim high and work hard, but be in touch with reality: upsets are bound to occur. Accept this and you’ll be ready when they do.

The path to lasting success is ongoing, and there are bound to be challenges along the way. It takes mental fortitude to make it to the top, so keep these tricks in mind as you continue to grow as a person and a professional. Seeing situations in a new light can make all the difference as you adapt, evolve, and take your business to the next level.

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RICH GIBBENS Rich Gibbens is a former electrician that transitioned to real estate and became a top-selling agent. After falling in with a new group of friends outside of work, Rich was introduced to real estate and it sounded appealing. Six months later he was a licensed Realtor® and has been licensed since 2017.

After earning his Journeyman electrician’s license in 2018, Rich resigned from the union on July 31st, 2019, and began his full-time real estate career the following day.

In 2020 Rich sold 15 homes, and later partnered with his office Team Leader to run his business. Leading a team of his own, Rich serves the area of Sacramento, CA, and its surrounding counties. Offering a lower cost of entry and more value per sq foot, Sacramento affords buyers a busy city and parcels of land.

Attributing his social media presence to some of his success; Rich’s repeat clients and referrals account for at least 50% of his business. He provides a lot of added value to his followers online. What keeps his clients coming back is the care and concern he has for his buyers and the professionalism and meticulous planning he enlists with sellers. His military background reassures people that his ethics and values are always at the forefront. It helps Rich’s clients feel confident and safe under his guidance. “They know that I will work hard and know that I always have their best interests in mind.”

Rich likes to engage in F. O. R. D scripting (Family.

Occupation. Recreation. Dream) with his clients. He keeps in contact with past clients by making quarterly calls and managing a campaign set up that sends alerts for upcoming events to his database. When marketing a listing, Rich uses a strategy called circle prospecting and knocks on at least 100 doors in the vicinity of the property. Once front and center, he invites potential clients and neighbors to the open house. He also leverages a wide range of digital marketing tools as well as Keller Top Agent Magazine

Williams’ nationwide network of listing agents in search of anyone looking to relocate from out of state. Under Rich’s leadership, his team sold $20M in volume in 2021. Now, in his second year running the team, their goal is to produce over $30M in closed volume this year.

As an Army Veteran and foster youth, community service is important to Rich. He enjoys serving people and being of help the most. As time goes on, he is looking to get more involved in helping those who are homeless or down on their luck. “I’m looking into what it takes to end homelessness for Veterans and am building up this team to provide leverage for time to do that.” When not working, Rich enjoys spending time in the mountains in search of peace. “Society moves so fast so when I need to connect with myself I’ll [hike] to the rivers or the mountains and take some time to gather my focus and remember what it’s about.”

Looking ahead, Rich wants to continue to build the foundation of his team and hire more talent. His plans include expanding into Los Angles and San Diego. He has several investor clients he helps regularly and plans on serving their needs more with his knowledge in flip properties, multi-family homes, opportunity zones, 1031E, and commercial units. His steely focus, big heart, and humble mindset reminds him each day that this industry is about serving others.

For more about Rich Gibbens please call (916) 790-0660, email rich@jbrealtygroup.com, or visit jbrealtygroup.kw.com https://

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ALI GILMARTIN DAVIS “I think we really have made a name and reputation for ourselves being born and raised here. We understand that real estate is a microbusiness. We know if one side of the street is better than the other side.

We know all the nooks and crannies of a neighborhood that are going to fit or not fit for our clients. We have such expert local knowledge. We’re very well connected in the community,” said Ali, who has a 70 percent repeat and referral business. She is also the mother of two daughters and said she just enjoys using her free time to spend with her family.

If you’re looking for a home in the MidPeninsula area, South of San Francisco in northern California, and you don’t know the name of The Gilmartin Group real estate agency, there are likely two reasons for that. One, you are so brand new to the area that you haven’t even spoken to a single person yet. Or, two, you went to bed and instead of putting on a blanket you instead slept under a rock.

That’s how present in the community Ali Gilmartin Davis’ family is.

“I’m a third-generation REALTOR® from a family brokerage. When I graduated college, I was in that kind of limbo phase on what to do, as some of us are. I had studied international relations and minored in English, but my uncle, the president of our brokerage, told me they were expanding and why don’t I give it a shot for six months,” Ali explained. “I just grew to love the business. My grandfather started it in 1963 and at one point had 100 agents working for him. I just loved it, gravitated toward it, and learned from my family. I was 22 years old. I’ve been licensed for over 10 years now and I haven’t looked back since.”

Ali is the next in line to run the brokerage. She called it an interesting dynamic in that agents work individually and as a team. She herself works with her own clientele but also partners with her grandmother, Maureen Gilmartin, who has been a luxury home specialist for decades. Ali said she learns every day from her grandmother, especially being in the center of the tech world, where people are drawn to San Mateo, Hillsborough and especially Burlingame, with its thriving downtown and family-oriented vibe.

What sets Ali and The Gilmartin Group apart is that rare combination of experienced brokers who have closed over 7,000 transactions – which, as Ali said, means they have seen everything that can possibly happen during the process – with the fresh perspective of younger agents. Another big plus?

The Gilmartin Group has a secondary business in which it loans money to clients who would like to freshen and update their homes to put them in the best position to sell. It’s just part of the driving force for Ali to take the family brokerage into the next generation.

“My goal is to just keep our brokerage around as long as we can. I think it’s unique to have our own brokerage at a time when there’s all these massive brokerages eating up the smaller teams. My goal is to keep a presence in the community and for myself to expand into the luxury market,” she said. “But also to help first-time home buyers and folks like myself who were born and raised in this area and teach them how to navigate a transaction and how to get into a home and how we can help with all the resources we have. The goal is to keep doing what we’re doing and do it bigger and better.”

Ali Gilmartin Davis can be reached by phone on her cell at 650-454-0575 or in the office at 650-348-2622. Her email is ali.gilmartin@thegilmartins.com and you can visit Ali’s website at Ali.thegilmartins.com http://

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Make Social Media Marketing Your Calling Card These days, it’s no secret that buyers begin their home search online. As the industry continues to take a digital turn, Realtors in the know must learn to utilize a whole new range of tools available to them—and for good reason. Social media is a dynamic hybrid of personal contact and targeted marketing. To make the most of this new medium, agents can’t settle for the occasional post and expect results.

Instead, let’s consider a few techniques that will make your social media presence Top Agent Magazine

interactive, unmissable, and effective in generating business.

Your Profile is a Portal Ideally, you’ll have profiles across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and otherwise—but no matter what portal you’re utilizing, make sure your profile page is up-todate, well-curated, and easily navigated.

Consider your profile a landing page.

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Your photo, location, contact information, homepage, and a brief bio should all be readily visible so that potential clients can get an immediate sense for who you are and what your voice is. If a client wants to connect with you, it should be obvious how to do so. You might also incorporate a few savvier tools that make your profile more engaging—like hashtags. These searchable tags can help you lure potential clientele and give your audience a chance to explore deeper. #DreamHome #JustListed and #HomeInspiration are popular, existing tags to choose from, but you can cultivate your own hashtag by consistently tagging posts, which gives clients an extensive thread to comb through.

Interacting with Your Audience Posting regularly is great way to appear in feeds, but engaging with your audience is just as important—and it helps you reach a new audience in the process. It’s a positive start to like your audience’s posts, pictures, and statuses, but commenting takes your engagement a step further and separates you from typical respondents. It’s also important that you diversify your engagements. In other words, don’t center every communication around your business, propositioning your services, or trying to sell. If applicable, present your value-add, but otherwise steer your engagement towards the personal. Let your clients know that you’re there, you’re human, and 20

ready to work at their pace. Which leads us to our next point...

Blending the Professional with the Personal Engaging with your audience is one thing, but what about generating original content?

How do you strike the right balance between a Call to Action, industry updates, and a personal touch? Think of it this way: any post you create should provide a point of connection for your audience.

Sometimes, you might be sharing a family photo, or commenting on some unifying current event—like the Super Bowl! Other times, you may be sharing a Coming Soon listing, or providing tips to spruce up a home for spring. Regardless, you should focus on quality. Is your copywriting engaging? Does it express your unique voice and personality, while maintaining clarity? Are you giving your audience something to connect with, even if you are sharing property photos or advertising an open house? Instill some fun and some personalization to every piece of content you make, so that clients can picture the voice and person behind the post.

Things are always changing on the social media frontier, but some rules never shift.

Adding clarity, consistency, and personality to your online presence are three surefire ways to grow your business and make social media second nature.

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ALEX LAM REALTOR® Alex Lam has always been customer-service oriented. Before embarking on a career in real estate, he worked for many years at a car dealership. At a certain point, he was ready for a new challenge. With many clients who were real estate agents, Alex was able to learn a lot about real estate before getting his license eight years ago. He started working at one brokerage part-time and then made two company moves, eventually ending up at Compass, where he currently works full-time on a team with his wife, Kristle Lam. Together, they represent buyers and sellers in the Peninsula region of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Lams live in Foster City and love all that the Peninsula has to offer families. “People move to the Peninsula for the great weather, top rated schools and tight-knit community culture. Although we service many areas of the Bay Area, we primarily focus in the Peninsula,” he explains. When it comes to finding new business, Alex relies heavily on referrals from past clients, friends, and family as well as people in his sphere of influence.

When working with Alex as a buyer, you can expect him to be constantly networking with other top producing agents to find you the best available properties. “And for clients that aren’t able to view a listing in person, I often do a FaceTime with them to show them the property that way,” Alex says. For sellers, Alex strives to make the process as easy and streamlined as possible for the client. “I will visit the property and provide recommendations on upgrades that can help maximize their return. From simple fixes like re-painting and replacing flooring, door knobs and light fixtures, to complete interior design and remodeling jobs, there are certain changes that can make a house much more attractive and desirable to potential buyers.”

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While Alex juggles a busy workload, he and his family are very tight-knit.

He and Kristle have three daughters with the younger two still in elementary school. “We try to attend their events and donate to school causes whenever we can,” Alex says. “I’m so thankful to have a family who has stood by me and motivated me to build this exciting career.”

As for the future of his business, Alex has plans to continue to build a team with Kristle as his partner.

He’s concentrating first on supporting her as she just got licensed last year. After that, they want to hire an assistant, a showing agent, and a buyer’s agent.

“Hopefully by the end of the year, we’ll have assembled a small team,” Alex says. “That way, we can service more clients with the methods I’ve developed over the years, from our marketing efforts to the selling process. Building this business is an ongoing adventure that is very rewarding.”

To learn more about Alex Lam please call 415-860-5092, email Alex@TheLAMTeam.com or visit TheLAMTeam.com www.

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GILLIAN PERKINS Approaching real estate from a place of genuine compassion and a desire to help others, Gillian Perkins sets herself apart by providing personable, individualized service to her clients. She first came to real estate through investing, and soon found that it was her passion. “I took an interest in the investment side of real estate and started going to meetups around my city with other investors,” Gillian recalls. “I’m a life learner, so I took it upon myself to go through the schooling and get my license just in case. At first I did it without the intention of being a salesperson, but I started meeting like-minded people I identified with, and I decided to pursue real estate full-time.”

Gillian serves the East Bay area, from Hayward to Vallejo, and she has an intimate referral network of amazing agents that she can match clients with should anyone need assistance outside of those areas. Her business is heavily based on repeat and referral clients, and it’s easy to see why people keep coming back to work with Gillian again. She doesn’t pressure her clients, instead opting for an approach that empowers them to make their own informed decisions. “When I started, I was humbled by the fact that I was not the typical salesperson, and I felt out of place with high-powered agents I would come across. But I realized that I could help people by being natural to who I am, which meant being up-front and honest,” Gillian explains.

Her clients appreciate Gillian’s transparency. “I’ve sometimes talked people out of buying houses instead of into them!” she says. “I’m someone who will listen to people’s needs and be their partner in the process, rather than someone who’s trying to convince them to do something. It took a long time to see the benefits of that, but gradually the word of mouth spread that I am going to take care of you as if you were my family.

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Trusting that value that I can bring to someone has been key to the referral business I’ve gotten over the years.”

Gillian becomes friends with her clients, staying in touch with them long after the closing. “I like to make sure I’m doing everything I can to stay top of mind and be of service to my clients who support me,” she says. “Community is a big part of my life, and I love having that with my clients. I’m fortunate enough to attract some really amazing people whom I’ve kept in touch with on a personal level, and I’m very flattered to be able to keep that connection with them.”

Looking toward the future, Gillian says she would love to expand her own team while still maintaining the balance that allows her to best serve her clients.

“I’ve gotten the best out of my business and been able to give the best of myself when I collaborate with other agents,” Gillian says. “I credit my office and the support of my fellow agents and mentors for helping me be successful in what I do, and I look forward to doing more of that in the future.”

Contact Gillian Perkins, at (510) 776-3794, email Gillian.Perkins@bhghome.com or find her online at zillow.com/profile/realtorgillianp www.

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3 Easy At-Home DIY Projects to Increase Property Value Most homeowners have a lengthy list of chores and bit projects they intend to accomplish around the house. Oftentimes, those to-do items are completed piecemeal over a long stretch of time, or else sometimes not at all. However, when it comes time to prepare a home for market, all those tasks begin to pile-up and overwhelm. The Top Agent Magazine

list of things to do before the photographer comes or the first open house is held might seem endless, but not if you tackle just a few things here and there as you go. These sorts of projects—easy, DIY, at-home tasks you can accomplish in a few hours or less, with tools you most likely have on hand— go a long way with marginal effort.

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Complete a quick rehab of closets and storage areas Many agents advise clients to declutter and depersonalize their spaces ahead of professional photography and home showings. The idea is to provide prospective buyers with a neutral palette. Not only does this allow them to imagine their own lives unfolding within those four walls, but it also helps make a home’s square footage stand out. One way to add visual space to your home without calling in the contractor is to declutter common storage areas and closets. When buyers can get a complete look at a closet’s capacity, or a pantry’s depth, or the garage’s full functional potential, they get a better sense of a home’s potential and thus, its value.

In that vein, consider decluttering and cleaning your high-traffic storage spaces: the garage, pantries, closets, attics, and basements. Besides, organizing and discarding unwanted items help you prep for a move anyway, while giving potential buyers a peak at how spacious your home really is.

Add easy curb appeal with a bit of sweat equity Sure, curb appeal can arrive in the form of a new mailbox, pathway lighting, or updated house numbers, but it can also come cheaper than that. Curb extends to the upkeep of your lawn, landscaping, and home’s façade, and there are plenty of ways 24

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you can give these zones a refresh without spending anything but time. Keeping your front and back yard green and uniform adds a lux layer to exterior square footage.

Likewise, polishing the outside of your windows, trimming hedges, and sweeping the walkway can make a tidy and wellcared for first impression. There are other measures you can take too. Planting wildflower seeds in empty beds, or collecting some landscaping rocks to frame mulched areas can add a bit of character to your residence. Repainting the front door, ensuring trees are trimmed, and keeping back patios Top Agent Magazine

neat and uncluttered also underscore a home at its finest, which is ripe for buyers to snatch up.

Transform tiled spaces into sparkling clean surfaces.

Bathrooms and kitchens are where sellers can stand to add plenty of value in the process of selling a home. While pricey renovations might be out of the question for some, there are still affordable and time-effective ways you can transform for these spaces for the better. Cleaning,

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bleaching, or redoing your tile grout—in either kitchens, bathrooms, or other tiled spaces—can give these high-trafficked areas a new lease on life. Ensuring windows, mirrors, stainless steel appliances and backsplashes are streak-free and polished also demonstrate to buyers that your home is well-cared for and practically move-in ready. Sometimes, the devil is in the details. You might consider relining drawers, changing out knobs and fixtures,

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or else decluttering cabinets and shelves for a fresher look.

No matter the challenges ahead as you prepare your home for sale, completing a few small tasks every weekend or so can put you miles ahead of the competition.

Without spending a dime, you can add serious value to your home’s bottom line, setting you up for success as you begin your own home-shopping adventure.

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Sonoma County Area Specialist JESS YOUNG After some soul searching and a chat with a close friend who was a REALTOR®, Jess Young decided to go after his real estate license eight years ago. His penchant for numbers and strong people skills made him a great fit from the get-go and by his third year in the business, he was the top sales agent in his office. Even at that early stage in his business, he had agents with more years of experience coming to him for advice. “I like being the guy that people can count on to get things done. It gives me a sense of purpose when I can help others achieve their goals, whether they are other agents in my office, families, or investors.”

Working on a team with five licensed agents, Jess represents buyers and sellers of residential homes in Sonoma County, California. “It’s a luxury destination for national and international travelers,” he says. “There’s a rural feel with lots of vineyards and orchards as well as beautiful stretches of coastline.

It’s home to me.” As his business is comprised of 95% repeat and referral clients, it’s safe to assume Jess provides a top-notch service to keep people coming back. “I’m the go-to person for many families and all of their friends,” he explains.

a new space to lease. Supporting local businesses is really important to him and he takes time to highlight at least one small business in the community each month in his mailer. “I’m a connector in the community for my clients and businesses,” he says. For fun, Jess loves exploring and hiking in the great outdoors. He also enjoys traveling and schedules at least one overseas trip per year as well as many trips closer to home.

Last year, Jess did $20 million in sales and he expects that number to grow this year. His plans for the future include opening up a small boutique brokerage with a team of agents. He’s really involved in training young agents and enjoys being a mentor and guide in the industry. “I’ve helped a few people get licensed and I’ve trained them to build their own databases so they get their own leads,” he explains.

At some point, he plans to step back a little from sales and concentrate on educating other agents. “There’s no limit to how high you can fly in this industry.”

To show how much he cares about his clients, Jess throws fun client appreciation parties, like a gypsy jazz barbecue and hot pepper eating competition. He’s a lifelong piano player and often serenades guests at his parties. Then there are the smaller gestures he makes, like sending a personal note to say thank you for doing business with him.

In his spare time, Jess volunteers at community outreach events in town. He has served as the auctioneer for a fundraising event for low income housing.

Recently, he helped a nonprofit dance troupe find Top Agent Magazine

To learn more about Jess Young please call 707-318-3166, email jess@YoungREGroup.com or visit sonomacountyluxuryproperty.com www.

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