OHIO 11-14-22

OHIO EDITION

If it’s Good for the Soul,

BE THEIR REALTOR® FOR LIFE:

IT’S GOOD FOR THE BUSINESS How to

How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients that Will Last a Lifetime

SPEED UP FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER TRANSACTIONS

4 WAYS TO WIN THE BATTLE AGAINST PROCRASTINATION

FEATURED AGENTS

DAN AMARO DARIAN THOMAS COVER STORY

KIM MERCKLE

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How to Speed Up First-Time Homebuyer Transactions Working with first-time homebuyers can be among the most rewarding real estate transactions an agent can embark upon.

Not only are you helping guide newcomers into the housing market, but you’re also witness to the excitement and triumphs along the way, including handing over those keys for the first time. While 4

helping first-time homebuyers navigate the transactional process can be a reminder of real estate’s benevolent power, it can also come with its own bumps and bruises.

So, what’s the best way to streamline the homebuying process for first-timers, while maintaining the magic and keeping your sanity along the way?

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While helping first-time homebuyers navigate the transactional process can be a reminder of real estate’s benevolent power, it can also come with its own bumps and bruises.

Set expectations upfront and often.

It’s no secret that communication is a cornerstone of a successful real estate practice and client relationship. Amidst a transaction as complex as buying (or selling) a home, it’s important that no wires get crossed, no questions go unanswered, and no information gets lost in translation. To accomplish this, create communication parameters with your clients up front. Inquire about the communication medium they’re most comfortable with—a text, a call, an email, etc.

Then, tailor your outreach accordingly.

Also, consider setting a weekly time to check in, even if no official progress has been made. This helps clients and agents touch base, float questions and concerns, and get ahead of any problems or developments. Another helpful tool is to draft a transaction timeline for your client that outlines the major milestones along the way, what sort of information will need to be gathered, what steps taken, and what outcomes are possible. This might seem like exhaustive work, but in the era of digital research, clients will come to their own conclusions and biases Top Agent Magazine

whether you like it or not. To stay on the same page and timeline, be the foremost resource for your client, and don’t leave their questions up to chance.

Know your first-time homebuyer programs and perks.

There are a variety of national, state, regional, and local grants and programs that aid first-time homebuyers as they pay their down payment, shop for home or mortgage insurance, and otherwise deal with the financial implications of becoming a homeowner. Sometimes these programs are neighborhood-specific in certain cities, with incentives to buy in up and coming areas. In some cases, there are grants that support underrepresented minority communities breaking into homebuying, and these can go a long way in making the burden of a down payment and associated fees doable. In other words, do your research.

The right program or grant could make the difference in nabbing a dream starter home for your client, while setting them up for future financial success.

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Get pre-approved for a mortgage—and shop around for the best rate.

Not all mortgage rates are made equal. As an agent, you likely have good relationships with area lenders that you trust, but it’s still important to complete your due diligence when helping first-time homebuyers find the rate that suits their longterm housing goals. Also remember that first-time homebuyers are new to this process, and while real estate transactions are complex in their own right, the borrowing and lending processes can be alienating in their complexity. As an agent, it’s your job to play intermediary and teacher, ensuring your clients know their options, are prepared to make an educated decision, and

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feel confident that they’ve chosen correctly. Talk with your preferred mortgage partners to best outline options for your clients’ understanding, laying out a framework that’s informative, projected into the future, and allows them to feel empowered by knowledge.

All in all, working with first-time homebuyers can be an exciting and joyous occasion, as long as you’re adequately prepared for some hand-holding and instruction along the way. Aside from the enthusiasm of successful first-timers at the closing table, you’ll also enjoy the lasting benefit of strong referrals to their friends and family, many of whom will be shopping with you for their own first dream homes.

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KIM MERCKLE Top Agent Magazine

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Top Agent Kim Merckle leads the Supreme Team at Cutler Real Estate, where she assists clients throughout Wayne County, Holmes County, Ashland County, and the surrounding areas.

A lifelong resident of Ohio, Kim Merckle has always been passionate about helping others. In her early 20s, she would get her start in sales, but soon found herself seeking a new opportunity that better spoke to her entrepreneurial spirit. At her dad’s recommendation, she decided to switch tracks and pursue her real estate license, and in the 21 years since, she has gone on to author an accomplished career as an agent, drawing 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

from her tireless work ethic to establish a network of satisfied clients that spans the region. After launching her own team in 2018, she would take her work to the next level and later join Cutler Real Estate in 2020. The rest is history.

Today, Kim leads the Supreme Team at Cutler Real Estate, where she assists clients throughout Wayne County, Holmes County, Top Agent Magazine

Ashland County, and the surrounding areas. There, she has built her business on a strong foundation of openness, integrity, and client service, which allows her to meet the needs of any buyer or seller.

When listing a property, Kim leverages the award winning marketing team at Cutler Real Estate to give each client an added advantage. Starting out, she provides her sellers with a suite of complementary cleaning, staging, and professional photography services, as well as a Seller Home Warranty which covers their mechanicals while their property is listed. An early adopter to these services in her area, she believes strongly that everyone deserves the same quality of care, regardless of their price point. Since

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she developed this boutique model, statistics have shown that her team is beating the industry averages in both list-to-sale price and days-on-market—results Kim attributes to the remarkable time and attention that her team pours into each seller’s property, whether it is occupied or vacant.

As the market continues to shift and competition heightens between sellers, these resources will prove even more important to her clients.

At Cutler Real Estate, Kim has been able to grow her business alongside one of the best companies in Ohio. With its owner and management team all local to the area, they can align with their REALTORS® as business partners, rather than simply

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“At Cutler, I formulated a team to benefit my clients first,” Kim says. “Rather than simply bringing on more agents, I wanted to create a set of services that would raise the bar both in our industry and our area. treating them as numbers, making sure their agents have all the tools they need to best serve their clients. Sure enough, Kim has upheld those core values with her own Supreme Team. “At Cutler, I formulated a team to benefit my clients first,” she says.

“Rather than simply bringing on more agents, I wanted to create a set of services that would raise the bar both in our industry and our area.”

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Now celebrating 75 years as a family-owned, independent brokerage, Cutler Real Estate has been a game-changer in Ohio and Northern Kentucky real estate markets.

Possessing a wide array of in-house printing, marketing, branding, and technological resources—including tools like Zavvie, an all-cash modern bridge solution; or LOLO, which showcases local businesses through its client gift program—the Cutler team Top Agent Magazine

can develop genuine and lasting partnerships with their REALTORS®, helping them better connect with their communities on a local level. “We are always looking for agents who share our vision to join our company,” says Andy Camp, President of Cutler Real Estate. “Here, you’ll get the best of both worlds: the perks of a corporate atmosphere, but the values of a family shop.

Most of all, we genuinely care about your success. That’s why we have been able to reinvent ourselves through the years, evolving our platform with an eye towards being the modern Broker of choice.”

Over the years, Kim has earned a fantastic reputation throughout Ohio, with the

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vast majority of her volume coming from repeat clients and referrals. And the key to her success? “When people know you’re in it for their best interests, you make clients for life. While I like to keep things fun and lighthearted, my clients know I can be a pitbull for them when they need me to fight for their position. I’m always looking to go above and beyond.”

Outside of real estate, Kim is dedicated to her community, contributing to a monthly gift-giving initiative, LoLo, through Cutler Real Estate, which supports local businesses in Wooster. When she’s not with clients or giving back, she can be found playing golf or bowling with friends, attending her kids’

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sporting events, or spending quality time at home with her family.

With Cutler Real Estate’s Wooster location looking to add more agents to its elite team, Kim is excited to expand her mentorship work with newer agents while scaling the standards of service that continue to set her apart in the region. “Two sayings have been

the pillars of my career,” she says. “First is ‘Trust your crazy ideas’ because I feel like we all have so many great ideas, but too few are followed. Next is ‘Don’t forget to be awesome.’ After all, our personalities invite others to join us on a personal and professional level; and if you truly love what you’re doing, people will always want to work with you.”

To learn more about Kim Merckle, call (330) 464-1464, email kim@thesupreme.team or visit cutlerhomes.com www.

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If it’s good for the soul,

IT’S GOOD FOR THE BUSINESS

Visibility, name recognition and knowing you’re supporting the community that makes your success possible are good reasons to take part in community service. But how is it that some people seem to be able to give time to charities while running their own businesses, managing their own families and households, exercising regularly, attending sporting events and concerts, eating well and sleeping seven or eight hours a night?

The truth is, not all agents are able to do everything so easily. But more important is the fact that no one needs to do everything all of the time. The trick is to make sure that, whatever you do holds meaning.

REALTORS® and mortgage professionals who seem the most gregarious in their community outreach are those whose giving seems to fill their own souls. When their Top Agent Magazine

volunteer efforts or donations directly impact causes they or their clients care deeply about, “giving back” becomes energizing.

Jason O’Quinn of Prime Lending in Dallas Texas, for instance, says that his family’s ongoing work building homes for some of the poorest families in Honduras fills him immeasurably. “It rejuvenates me,” he says.

“There’s quite a dichotomy between the houses we build there and the houses we finance here,” he says. “It refocuses me, going from financing $1 million homes in Dallas to physically laying cinderblock for $10,000 homes in Honduras. Everything has more meaning when we sacrificially give of our time, talent and treasure.”

The longtime “big picture” for Colorado REALTOR® and property manager, Linda

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Todd, for instance, has included giving back to the community, whether serving as a lead carpenter for Habitat for Humanity, making deliveries for Meals on Wheels, or pitching in for the sake of baseball. And through her lifelong passion for baseball, she harmoniously blended her personal interests, her work and her community service. For many years, she was so involved Little League the local league named a new field after her. “I cried for 3 days after they told me that!” She and her husband also started a scholarship fund for junior college baseball players and serve as a host family for the rookie league of the Colorado Rockies, putting up newly drafted players in their home.

For Florida REALTOR® and property manager, Mario Gonzalez, neither his business nor his primary community outreach would exist without the other. A retired U.S. Navy pilot, Mario formed his brokerage, Navy to Navy Homes, when he saw a need for military personnel to find affordable homes to purchase. “We got into it to help, but that led to a full-blown real estate business.” Besides providing opportunities for investment and homeownership, the company donates 35% of every commission to Homes for Heroes, veterans’ groups, or organizations benefiting fire, police, medical organizations, churches and homeless shelters. “We’re small, but we give so much back that we were the top Homes for Heroes company in Florida and

top-five nationwide.” But he does none of this for the attention. His friends may call him the “Humble Hero of Heroes,” but helping is Mario’s passion. “To be such a small business and be the top Homes for Heroes affiliate is mind boggling!”

Like Mario, for many, the best service takes place in simple and quiet ways. Illinois REALTOR®, Susie Scheuber, for example, takes a humble approach to giving back. Although she donates a portion of every commission check to the Children’s Miracle Network, she doesn’t discuss this with clients unless they happen to ask. “I do it because I want to and because, to me, giving back is the right thing to do when you’ve been fortunate in business and life,” says Susie.

We all know how inertia works; the more energized we get by certain behaviors, the more likely we are to continue those behaviors. For some top agents, community outreach has become such a natural routine of their daily lives that they never find it burdensome. A good way to add community service into your life, therefore, is through the causes that mean the most to you. For starters, consider giving a small donation after closing to the charity of your client’s choosing. Learning the different causes that they care about just might foster a new mission for you.

If you have a unique story to share about how your community outreach has impacted your life and your business or inspired others, click here for consideration in our magazines: www.topagentmagazine.com/nominate-a-real-estate-agent-to-be-featured 14

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DAN AMARO Top Agent Magazine

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DAN AMARO

Taking a risk in a new career as an inspector sparked an unknown interest in Real Estate.

Twelve months after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad and listening to every Bigger Pockets Podcast, Dan figured out a way to creatively purchase an investment property. It was through that process Dan realized he found his new career and a way to make a true impact on others. With his background in sales, customer service, and experience with buying multiple homes, and new found early success, dedicating himself to Real Estate full time was an easy decision June, 2022.

While he has been licensed less than a year, Dan has ambitious goals for the future of his business and is already seeing great success as an agent.

provides market reports on every property as well as conducting personal walk-throughs on site. His passion is to help people make their dreams come true and he strives to provide them with peace of mind as they go through the real estate process.

As a solo agent with e-Merge Real Estate Champions in Mount Vernon, Dan serves a large area of central Ohio from Columbus to Cleveland.

He prides himself on going above and beyond for his clients. He conducts thorough research on market comps, runs the numbers and 16

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As he builds his client base, Dan makes sure to keep in touch with clients, texting them to follow up on home projects and reaching out through a holiday campaign. He has already garnered several referrals through this communication. In addition, he has won the trust and repeat business of an Israeli real estate investor who interviewed 100 agents before hiring Dan. Dan uses a variety of tools to market new listings. With a background as a performer, he’s comfortable in front of the camera and creates professionally-edited video tours of his properties, something he sees as under-utilized in his market. Dan also sends postcards and promotes properties online via social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. In his first year in business, Dan has already closed 31 transactions totaling $4.8 million to date. His future goals include building his own team and being Mansfield’s Top-Producing Agent in 2023. He is already in the process of creating the systems and strategies to launch his team in December and is actively recruiting promising agent prospects.

When he’s not working, new-dad Dan loves spending time with his wife and oneyear-old daughter. As a musician who used to be part of a touring band, he also loves attending concerts, sometimes networking with other musicians who he sees as potential future agents! He is also actively-involved in his church and volunteers as a youth instructor for Vacation Bible School. Dan is looking forward to building his real estate business and is already off to a stellar start with a passion for helping others to improve their lives.

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Contact Dan at 419-845-8928, email Dan.amaro@e-merge.com, or visit danamaro.e-merge.com https://

Photo credit: Michelle Noilene Photography Copyright Top Agent Magazine 17

Be Their REALTOR for Life: ®

How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients That Will Last a Lifetime In the world of real estate, an agent’s relationship with their clients can make or break their career. This industry revolves around working well with people, and being able to develop a strong relationship with your clients is the foundation that you business is based upon.

Just like with a house, if that foundation is weak, the rest of the structure is also going to be unsteady and fragile. The mark of a good REALTOR® is their ability to build up a good referral network and following of loyal clients. This isn’t something that just happens by accident. Building healthy, strong relationships with your clients takes work and knowing how to gain another person’s trust, respect, and friendship. Here are some ways to make sure you are building the right kind of relationship with your clients.

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1. Use Your Friendliness and Optimism to Win Them Over: No one wants a pushy, overly confident salesperson for a REALTOR®. Clients are much more inclined to put their trust in the hands of someone who is friendly when it comes to one of the biggest financial transactions of their lives. A pleasant, outgoing disposition will win you more clients as well as friends. You want to establish rapport in the first few minutes of first meeting prospective clients. Rather than starting with business right off the bat, begin your meeting with some small talk such as similar interests, hobbies, and family life. This will immediately help to put your clients at ease, and show that you are not simply trying to “sell” them something.

People also respond well to optimism. During what can be a very stressful time, clients need someone to help them stay positive when a situation looks difficult and challenging. Optimism also tends to radiate charisma, and people want to be around and do business with charismatic people. You want to learn how to understand, motivate, and inspire people.

2. Be an Inquisitive Learner and an Empathetic Listener:

On the other side of this coin is knowing how to listen empathetically. Empathy involves actually putting yourself or your mind in their shoes so you can genuinely understand their concerns, needs, and opinions. That understanding and empathy is then reflected in your conversation with that client. Your clients want to know that you care about their situation, and that they’re not just another sale for you to make. People are much more willing to put their trust in you when they can sense that you are actually making an effort to feel what they feel in order to understand their situation.

Showing your interest through questions, and then thoughtfully listening goes a long way towards gaining trust. Showing empathy and acknowledging the feelings and emotions involved in your clients situation helps build a relationship founded on genuine care and trust.

3. Watch for Nonverbal Clues:

Don’t be afraid to show your curiosity and ask your clients a lot of questions. Some of these questions may even be difficult and uncomfortable. You want to discover and learn as much as you can about your client. Don’t make the mistake of jumping straight into the role of the know-it-all. Every different client has unique needs, so you want to learn as much as you can about their specific situation before trying to propose a solution. You want to uncover their primary motive for buying or selling, and flush Top Agent Magazine

out any potential concerns they might have.

After you’ve gained as much information as possible, you can then gauge their interest in your possible solutions by asking “what if” questions. Being inquisitive also demonstrates to your clients that you are genuinely interested and invested in their situation.

Most communication happens nonverbally, so knowing how to interpret your client’s body language can be incredibly helpful. Here are a few things to pay special attention to: Eye contact: Be careful with the level of eye contact you use with clients when first meeting.

Too much and too little eye contact can send the wrong impression. You want to try and maintain eye contact around 70 percent of the time. That is the amount that most people are comfortable with. Pay attention to your client’s level of eye

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contact to determine how comfortable they are.

When someone avoids eye contact that could mean they are not engaged in the conversation.

A good way to quickly build a feeling of rapport when first meeting clients is to make eye contact when you first meet them and then start nodding yes to what they’re saying. If the client reciprocates the eye contact and nodding, you’ve established a connection.

4. Prove your honesty and credibility:

Choose the right handshake for each client: One handshake does not fit all people, and that first handshake can be crucial to making a good first impression. The way to do a good handshake for each client is to try and mirror the other person’s handshake in strength, keep your shoulders aligned as you are preferably standing when you shake hands. While you shake your client’s hand make sure you make eye contact and give them a sincere smile.

Showing a little weakness can actually be to your advantage in this situation, and will actually make others more inclined view you as honest. You don’t want to come across as too good to be true. When revealing this weakness, however, the key to coming out on top is turning what sounds like a weakness into a strength. For example, your service may be more expensive, but that’s because you offer more personalized and extra services than your competitors.

Honesty and integrity are the two traits that 98 percent of buyers and sellers report are qualities they consider “very important”. The thing is you can say you have these traits all you want on your website, bio, etc., but trust has to be earned, and the only way to do this is to prove your credibility.

Here are a few tips for how to sound more credible:

When you talk to your clients avoid using filler words such as “um” and “uh”, which can decrease your credibility. You also want to watch the tone of your voice. People tend to translate a deeper tone as sounding more credible.

You want to develop a relationship to last a lifetime when interacting with your clients. There are many things you can do to accomplish this, and using these tips can take you from getting just a few referrals and repeat customers to gaining a loyal client following. Taking the little extra time to make sure you are projecting the right attitude and making sure that you are doing things to gain your client’s trust can make a world of difference for your business.

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DARIAN THOMAS With a love of people, Darian Thomas knew real estate would be the career for him. He decided to take the course and earn his license, and instantly fell in love with the path. Today he serves northeastern Ohio, with a growing percentage of his business consisting of repeats and referrals. By going above and beyond expectations and doing everything possible to achieve his clients’ goals, Darian is thriving and showing no signs of slowing down. His extroverted personality and ability to connect with others has helped him form lasting bonds with those he serves, setting him up for endless growth.

As an investor himself, Darian always advises his clients on what he thinks is best for their individual situation. He never shies away from asking deep questions to understand what his buyers and sellers truly want. “I’m talking to my clients and trying to determine what makes them happy,” Darian says. “I want to know what motivates them and what they see for their future.” Once he knows his clients on a personal level, he’s able to devise a plan to get them towards their dreams. This applies for both his buyers and his sellers, though his approach for each of these clients differs. For his buyers, he patiently shows them properties that meet their needs, and once the right home is found, he negotiates to get them the best deal possible.

Meanwhile, his sellers enjoy extensive marketing of their properties through social media, the MLS, and all the top real estate websites. Darian also ensures he sends out new properties to his database. “If I have something off market that I know a past client would enjoy, I definitely reach out to them first.”

After the transaction, clients leave glowing reviews about their time with Darian. One recently said, “My experience working with Darian Thomas was honestly unmatched, I was a first time home buyer and it is a learning curve within itself starting out. From day one he was very professional, always available and Top Agent Magazine

respectfully very honest with every transaction we’ve had. One of Cleveland’s best REALTORS®. From my experience with purchasing a home, communication is key with your agent when choosing a home, and Darian started with and upheld outstanding communication the entire way, which isn’t as common as it should be with other agents. Can’t say enough about my experience working with him.

Highly recommend!”

Darian is extensively involved in his community through networking events, as he’s always looking to connect with new people. He’s also a volunteer hockey coach on the weekends. He spends any free time looking for and investing in his own properties. “I want to continue scaling my business and making a difference in the lives of others.”

He is confident he’s found his ideal profession, as he loves everything about his work. “What really motivates me is knowing I am helping people achieve their dreams.”

To get in touch with Darian Thomas, please call 440-328-5709 or email DarianThomas@kw.com 21

4 Ways to Win the Battle Against Procrastination One of the most common professional afflictions is procrastination. The funny thing is, everyone knows that procrastination is negative—it’s a waste of time, a creator of stress, and is entirely a problem of our own making.

Still, knowing all of this doesn’t necessarily decrease our odds of procrastination. There are plenty of explanations we give when putting 22

work off until the last minute. Perhaps you convince yourself that you work best under pressure, but it’s truer that you’re used to working under pressure by necessity. Maybe you’re a perfectionist and the fear of getting it all wrong puts you off from the task. Whatever the justification may be, overcoming procrastination requires some willpower and technique. With

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that in mind, take a look at a few tricks below to jumpstart your motivation and nix the lastminute time crunch. After all, you owe it to yourself and your business to operate like a procrastination-free professional.

1. Make Your Intentions Known As realtors and mortgage professionals, you may serve as your own boss. So, when the time comes to complete a task and you put it off—perhaps you’re only disappointing yourself. This is easily remedied by making a new promise to try again tomorrow. On the other hand, it’s much harder to break promises and commitments to others. Try verbalizing your intent and commitment to your team, or to an assistant who can hold you accountable, or better yet—to a business partner or to a client.

Make a hard deadline public and you’re likely to perform for fear of embarrassment or losing face. In a way, this puts the pressure of expectation on you, instead of the pressure of the ticking clock.

2. Take a Baby Step When tasks pile up, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you’ve got a number of items on your to-do list, including some heavy hitters that require a lot of attention and time, begin by taking on something simple. Identify an easily completed job that needs attention and put it first in your queue. Duties that are straightforward and aren’t time-intensive can lead you to the rest of your to-do list, fueling you with the satisfaction of a task already complete. Even if it’s as small as returning e-mails, or dropping off your dry-cleaning, one simple thing off your Top Agent Magazine

list can inspire you to continue on to the next item in the spirit of productivity.

3. Work in Windows If work is the last thing you want to do and you can’t seem to self-motivate, make a compromise with yourself. Agree to work just fifteen minutes, and mean it. This tiny window of time is easy enough to complete, isn’t overwhelming, and you’ve already agreed to move on once time is up. The truth? Odds are that just fifteen minutes of active work will inspire you to keep going. After all, the most difficult part of procrastination is getting started. By putting in those fifteen minutes, you’ll trick yourself into diving into the action.

4. Switch Up Your Environment If you’re stuck in rut when it comes to procrastination and productivity, try changing your surroundings. If the office feels stale and stressful, take your work to the nearest coffee shop and try to tackle your tasks there. Perhaps the quiet, studious ambiance of a library can make you focus, or a picnic table outside the office can stimulate the senses. Sometimes changing your scenery can breathe new life into your routine and give you the extra push you need to get work done.

There’s no one way to overcome procrastination.

In fact, it’s likely a lifelong process of building discipline, finding techniques that work for you, and simply prioritizing your time more effectively. Don’t lose hope—remember these tricks and winning the war will be possible, even if you lose a few battles along the way.

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