OREGON EDITION
6 WAYS TO GET YOUR CLIENT TO TRUST YOU
Uncommon Contact:
CONNECTING WITH CLIENTELE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Why Millennials Are Now The Hottest Segment of the Buyers Market
FEATURED AGENT
LAURA GILLOTT
COVER STORY
ALICE HEADLEY
OREGON EDITION
LAURA GILLOTT Laura Gillott first went into real estate in 1992. “I 9 home was finishing up the purchase of my second and enjoying the process,” she says. “So, I thought that at the ripe old age of twenty-two, I’d switch college majors, go to real estate school, and become an agent.” That’s exactly what she did.
Boys and Girls Club in town, an Humane Society pretty often,” passion for animals and a very Laura was happy to step forward the community needed a primar community dog park come to l for the recognition, however the Now, nearly two decades later, Laura operates as that the new park carries its nam Principal Broker of The Gillott Home Team which Park” Laura and her team also a works within Keller Williams Realty. Laura and her Chambers of Commerce in Leb thirty-eight team members service western Oregon Corvallis, Eugene, and Albany. T ALICE HEADLEY LAURA GILLOTT from Eugene to Salem along the I-5 corridor. Laura in Chamber activities. “Whene and her team members have established themselves as industry has a need,” says Laura, “we fill it.” Whe leaders through care, experience, and providing what they call work buying and selling homes, sponsoring relational real estate with heart. “In the last three years, we’ve or raising funds, Laura enjoys fishing, cam averaged around 500 families served each year,” says Laura. time with her friends.
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Those families are extremely satisfied with their experience. Looking to the future, Laura’s isn’t in any h Nearly all of Laura’s business comes from repeat and referral area’s outside of the Willamette Valley. clients. credits her clients’ loyalty to her extreme dedica4)Laura UNCOMMON CONTACT: 15) 6 WAYS TO GET YOUR tion to the community. “Before COVID, we would host about “ I want to grow my team,” she says. “But I’ CONNECTING WITH CLIENTELE CLIENT TO TRUST YOU two events a month and invite our database,” she says. “We building the best team possible so we can se THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA give them pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving and apple pies for the at a higher level. That’s my plan. We’re O 20) WHY MILLENNIALS ARE Fourth of July.” Another fun, recent event hosted by The Gillott we’re focused on Oregon. We want to build, Home was a do-it-yourself photoshoot. They set up NOW an old THE 6)Team INCORPORATING CHARITABLE SEGMENT be aHOTTEST great resource for our community.” truckGIVING with pumpkins, and invited community to comeOF take IN YOUR REALtheESTATE THE BUYERS MARKET family pictures at any time. Laura’s offices encourage commuPRACTICE nity members to reserve conference rooms or host gatherings in a larger event space. “We try to give them items of value or things they need,” says Laura. “We stay really connected.” When asked about her favorite part of working in real estate, Laura doesn’t hesitate to answer. love being the client’s advoPhone 310-734-1440 | Fax “I 310-734-1440 cate and being able to be their real estate resource. I protect mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com them throughout the transaction,” she says. “This is one of the No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner without largest financial decisions people will make in whatsoever their lives. We prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of want our clients to experience joy in their transaction. I have published materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. confidence that through oursend team’s high standards for education To subscribe or change address, inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com. and the experience of my team members, that we are protecting Published in the U.S. and providing the very highest level of service and care to our community.” 2
A true hometown business, The Gillott Home Team and its team members have deep roots in each community they serve.
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Uncommon Contact:
Connecting with Clientele Through Social Media Social media is one of the newest and most powerful tools in an agent or mortgage professional’s arsenal. With just a few keystrokes, you can stay top-of-mind with buyers, sellers, and borrowers near and far, past and present. The key is knowing how to use these mediums to your advantage, working smarter instead of harder to keep the thread of professional relationships intact. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can maximize the pull and power of social media by shifting just a few of your ideas and practices for the better. 4
Not everything has to be about business. While your relationship with a client or fellow vendor began over the course of business, your relationship going forward doesn’t have to be limited. One of the great things about social media is that’s it’s social. Not every comment, post, or communication has to revolve around your business, its metrics, or turning a sale. In fact, you should do your best to branch out and curate a brand and online identity that’s about who you are and
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the lifestyle you’re authentically interested in living. In that vein, consider interacting with clients in an organically-driven way, encouraging them during life’s milestones, reaching out with a local event, restaurant, or news item that’s relevant to their interests or neighborhood. The goal is to be a persistent presence in their lives without feeling like a talking head. Engage as you would like to be engaged with, as a human being with interests and needs and boundaries. Keep that personal thread in mind and your dynamic will shift from past business contact to present resource.
Expand your medium. Many Realtors are comfortable on Facebook as an interactive meeting to connect with clients, but there are several other mediums where you can connect with clients both past and present, as well as future. Particularly when courting Millennial clientele, the fastest-growing segment of the buying market, a presence on Instagram and Snapchat are key to finding new faces, demonstrating hot properties, and creating an interactive brand as an agent. Not only does this help when you’re listing a property and seeking potential buyers, but it also serves as a perusable portfolio of your work and real estate prowess. You can also use these mediums to interact with clients on an outlet they might feel most comfortable in. Liking pictures, commenting, streaming Instagram Live home tours and Stories are all ways you can build engagement by simply spreading your social media presence around. Likewise, Top Agent Magazine
these photo and video driven mediums are popular for home design ideas, and before and after renovation pictures. When you expand from Facebook into these new platforms, you’ll already have plenty of visual content ready to be transferred and consumed by an expanded audience.
Don’t just react. Create your own content. It’s easy enough to post a link to a new listing, or retweet a helpful article on real estate news. Creating your own organic content is a different story, but worth its weight in gold when it comes to luring engagement, ranking higher in search fields, and overall crafting an interactive presence for yourself and your business online—which is where more than 90% of homebuyers and sellers begin their process. Creating your own content can seem risky, or else like no one is listening in a digital world already crowded with information. However, original content is sure to boost personal engagement with your social media pages, guaranteed. Instead of recycling content, consider posting a video with a Q+A theme for first-time homebuyers, or perhaps posting a live tour of a new listing will perk up your clientele surfing at home. No matter how you decide to expand your social media presence when it comes to interacting with clients, consistency is key. Find the ways that work best for you and stick to them, and you’ll watch your audience and business grow in tandem.
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Incorporating Charitable Giving in Your Real Estate Practice
As real estate professionals, taking part in the community and serving others is central to a long-lasting practice. After all, agents are in the business of homeownership, building a financial future, and helping their clients begin new and fruitful chapters. With that in 6
mind, how might an agent deliver that spirit of service in a broader sphere? The truth is, charitable giving offers nothing but upsides. Contributing to a worthy cause is a noble and meaningful endeavor, but it
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Contributing to a worthy cause is a noble and meaningful endeavor, but it also presents positive byproducts for the giver: tax write-offs, name recognition in the community, and the ability to expand your network.
also presents positive byproducts for the giver: tax write-offs, name recognition in the community, and the ability to expand your network. If charitable giving is an idea you’ve toyed with, or a practice you’ve engaged in only now and again, here are a few ways to make it a foundational element of your business and a win-win for all.
Find causes that speak to you. Donating funds or resources can feel anonymous if you’re divorced from the organization you’re working with. While national and international charitable organizations are certainly effective and worthwhile, you might consider partnering with local chapters of those organizations, or identifying hyper-local organizations that address need in your state, county, town, or even your own neighborhood. The first step to establishing a charitable relationship is to find a cause that you genuinely care about. For many, animal rescue is a tangible cause where resources and volunteership are always welcome. For others, children’s health and advocacy is a calling. Regardless Top Agent Magazine
of your personal passion, participation can be big or small. From sponsoring a local youth sports league to partnering with an area animal shelter for their annual spay-athon event—there are all sorts of ways to make a difference.
Unite your team for the common good. One way to make charitable giving a staple is to do it in arm and arm with others. Supporting a local cause is a great way to bring your team together in a unifying capacity. Hosting coat drives in winter, blanket drives for local animal shelters, or backpack drives for needy students at the start of the new school year— all are straightforward and highly useful, direct ways to give to your community as a team. It’s also important to set collective goals as a way of keeping people motivated and accountable over time. Offices are productive, but often hectic spaces. Injecting a collective goal with a positive, tangible result can create an ambiance of goodwill and generosity—both of which are worthwhile attributes to cultivate as
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the leader of your team. Lastly, consider timely giving as a way of connecting your team to their community. Natural disasters, local fundraising drives, and improvement funds are all direct ways your team can contribute, while they themselves reap the benefit in the community.
Include clients in the process. You’ve likely heard of charitable donations made in the name of your client as an alternative to the classic closing gift, but there are a few ways you might update this method of giving. For starters, consider including your clients in the selection process. Do they have a special cause that’s close to their hearts? Likewise, you might
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consider making regular, consistent giving a part of your routine post-closing. Instead of following up with your yearly poinsettia plant or pumpkin, you might find a cause in their neighborhood or township that you can support in their name. It’s wise to choose something apolitical, but a cause that’s hyperlocal to their area demonstrates unique thoughtfulness. There are plenty of ways in which society as a whole can benefit from charitable causes that build goodwill in the world, support those less fortunate, and bolster a positive future. Incorporating charitable giving in your business model is a generous way to make this mentality a central tenet of your team and a defining characteristic for your clients to remember.
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ALICE HEADLEY Top Agent Magazine
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ALICE HEADLEY Top Agent Alice Headley co-owns Signature Realty LLC with her business partner Don Dixon—they serve the southern Oregon region. With a passion for helping others, Alice Headley has reached great heights in her career as a real estate agent. She entered the industry when a friend urged her to look into it. “I was in the medical field at 10 Copyright Top Agent Magazine
the time, and once I had my second son I decided I wanted a more flexible career,” she says. So she earned her license and hit the ground running. Ending her 14th year in the business, she now co-owns Top Agent Magazine
brokerage Signature Realty LLC with her business partner Don Dixon, serving the southern Oregon region. “We decided three years ago to start our own company, where we could train people and teach them how to have their own successful careers,” she explains. Today they have 11 agents and truly take their Top Agent Magazine
time training each one, ensuring that they have all the tools they need to flourish. With the vast majority of their business consisting of repeat clients and referrals, it is clear they go above and beyond to make their buyers/sellers happy. “We really care about them, so we always provide good 11 Copyright Top Agent Magazine
“We really care about our clients, so we always provide good customer service. We want to be there for them forever, not just for one transaction.” customer service. We want to be there for our clients forever, not just for one transaction.” They follow up regularly after the sale, making sure to congratulate past clients on major life events and say happy birthday. “I remember one time a client needed someone to babysit their kids for them as they were going through a rough patch, and I said, ‘What time do you need me there?’ We are just there for them whenever they need us.” Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12
Alice and her team are down-to-Earth and love building relationships with people, but they also take their jobs very seriously. “Whenever I teach a new agent, I say, ‘You have to know your stuff, know what you’re writing and having your clients sign, know what you as an agent are responsible for.’ It’s a huge deal as it is one of the biggest purchases someone will make in their lives. You have to do your job and understand the laws.” Top Agent Magazine
When Alice, Don and the team aren’t working, they’re giving back to the community. They work closely with St. Vincent Paul, an organization that helps feed the homeless. They also regularly donate to local schools, sponsoring swim teams, track and cross country. “We’re looking at doing a scholarship for the high school,” Alice says. And during any free time, they’re working on getting Top Agent Magazine
another business off the ground, this time in screen printing. Looking ahead, Alice is excited to continue growing. “We want some good, competent agents that are motivated to grow their business. We encourage them to work smarter, not harder, and it’s rewarding to watch our agents figure out what works for them.” Copyright Top Agent Magazine 13
Eventually they hope to expand their reach in the area, but in the meantime they’re enjoying every minute of the present
moment. “We are committed to finding a way to make things happen for our buyers and sellers.”
For more information about Alice Headley, please call 541-646-2295 or email alice@headleydixon.com
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Top Agent Magazine
6 Ways to Get Your Client to Trust You The word “REALTOR®” can leave a sour taste in some people’s mouths. Many of today’s home buyers and sellers grew up during the 2009 recession. They are wary of anything Top Agent Magazine
or anyone who comes off as too salesy, and they want to work with individuals who they can trust. But how do you prove to someone you’ve likely never met that you can be trusted?
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Put Testimonials or Case Studies on Your Website
When something goes wrong, own up to your mistakes. Don’t hide bad news from your clients. Be upfront and responsive.
Testimonials and case studies are social proof that you have both the experience and the skills to do the job your clients are hiring you for. People often leave testimonials when they are either incredibly disappointed or extremely happy with the service they were provided, so they’re a good indication to prospective clients of the treatment they’ll receive. Case studies, which you can post on your blog or website, have much of the same effect, but even more than testimonials, case studies demonstrate your real estate and finance expertise because they explain how you achieved a specific set of results.
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Be Responsive and Accessible
Can your clients reach you easily? That doesn’t mean you need to be available 24/7, but you should respond to your clients within a few hours of receiving their message. When agents don’t respond to their clients’ calls or emails for days on end or fail to provide them with a direct line of contact, their clients’ experience can quickly become frustrating. Agents are busy but so are their clients. If you constantly show up late to or reschedule meetings, your clients won’t feel like their time is respected or their business is valued. Make sure you set a realistic schedule for yourself rather than spreading yourself too thin.
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Be Honest and Transparent
Sometimes you don’t have the answer to a client’s question. Be honest about your strengths, weaknesses, and the limits of your knowledge. A good response might be, “I don’t know, but I can find out.” Be transparent with your clients, and they’ll respect you for it. You should always act in their best interest. 16
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Go the Extra Mile
If you do the bare minimum, that’s what your clients will remember. Their experience won’t be memorable, and they won’t gush about you in online testimonials or in real life to people they know who could use your services. It’s that simple.
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Put Yourself in Your Client’s Shoes
Clients understand that you need to earn money, but that doesn’t mean they want to feel like they’re just a dollar sign to you. Be empathetic to your client’s concerns, even if you’ve heard it all before. Your clients should know that you are there for them.
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Be Consistent
Being responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable shouldn’t be an act. If you “turn on” your personality for clients and then suddenly become a different person when they leave the room, it’s likely that the cracks in your mask will eventually become apparent. But “faking it till you make it” is so common it’s become a cliché. When we are starting out, we don’t always have the systems or resources in place to create a smooth client journey, from onboarding to closing, so instead we constantly try to reinvent the wheel. Give yourself time to pause, slow down, and reevaluate your workflow. Creating systems creates
consistency, and those systems can and should be constantly updated.
Developing trust between you and your clients will take time, but doing these things can give you a running start.
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LAURA GILLOTT Laura Gillott first went into real estate in 1992. “I was finishing up the purchase of my second home and enjoying the process,” she says. “So, I thought that at the ripe old age of twenty-two, I’d switch college majors, go to real estate school, and become an agent.” That’s exactly what she did. Now, nearly two decades later, Laura operates as Principal Broker of The Gillott Home Team which works within Keller Williams Realty. Laura and her thirty-eight team members service western Oregon from Eugene to Salem along the I-5 corridor. Laura and her team members have established themselves as industry leaders through care, experience, and providing what they call relational real estate with heart. “In the last three years, we’ve averaged around 500 families served each year,” says Laura. Those families are extremely satisfied with their experience. Nearly all of Laura’s business comes from repeat and referral clients. Laura credits her clients’ loyalty to her extreme dedication to the community. “Before COVID, we would host about two events a month and invite our database,” she says. “We give them pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving and apple pies for the Fourth of July.” Another fun, recent event hosted by The Gillott Home Team was a do-it-yourself photoshoot. They set up an old truck with pumpkins, and invited the community to come take family pictures at any time. Laura’s offices encourage community members to reserve conference rooms or host gatherings in a larger event space. “We try to give them items of value or things they need,” says Laura. “We stay really connected.”
Boys and Girls Club in town, and we work with the Humane Society pretty often,” says Laura. With a passion for animals and a very dog friendly office, Laura was happy to step forward with support when the community needed a primary sponsor to make a community dog park come to life. Never involved for the recognition, however the team is very proud that the new park carries its name “ The Gillott Dog Park” Laura and her team also are a member of the Chambers of Commerce in Lebanon, Sweet Home, Corvallis, Eugene, and Albany. They are very active in Chamber activities. “Whenever the community has a need,” says Laura, “we fill it.” When she isn’t hard at work buying and selling homes, sponsoring community events, or raising funds, Laura enjoys fishing, camping, and spending time with her friends. Looking to the future, Laura’s isn’t in any hurry to expand into area’s outside of the Willamette Valley. “ I want to grow my team,” she says. “But I’m more focused on building the best team possible so we can serve our community at a higher level. That’s my plan. We’re Oregon people, and we’re focused on Oregon. We want to build, e, and continue to be a great resource for our community.”
When asked about her favorite part of working in real estate, Laura doesn’t hesitate to answer. “I love being the client’s advocate and being able to be their real estate resource. I protect them throughout the transaction,” she says. “This is one of the largest financial decisions people will make in their lives. We want our clients to experience joy in their transaction. I have confidence that through our team’s high standards for education and the experience of my team members, that we are protecting and providing the very highest level of service and care to our community.” A true hometown business, The Gillott Home Team and its team members have deep roots in each community they serve. They are passionate contributors both financially and in service to countless causes, believing strongly to give where they live. Whether it is the free mini library located at the Gillott office, sponsoring the local dog park, booster clubs, or the numerous non-profit organizations, if there is a way that the Team can make a difference, they will be involved. “We do a lot with the Top Agent Magazine
To learn more about the Gillott Home Team, visit TEAMGILLOTT.COM or give them a call at 541-451-2211 www.
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Laughs!
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Why Millennials Are Now the Hottest Segment of the Buyers Market
and How You Can Attract Them to Your Home There are many factors when it comes to knowing how to sell your home to the Millennial generation. Millennials are becoming an important part of the buyer market, and to fail to cater to their needs will cut you off from a large and important segment. But, why have Millennials all of a sudden become interested in buying houses when they were perfectly content to rent for the rest of their lives? 20
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A number of factors contribute to what has recently made Millennials the hottest segment of the Buyers market. One factor is the improved job outlook for Millennials. Millennials took a serious blow during the recession. Unemployment in this group soared to 14 percent, compared to the 9.6 percent for the population as a whole. But, in recent years that number has been decreasing, with unemployment for Millennials being 9.3 percent this past year. Rising rents are also contributing to making Millennials more interested in purchasing homes now. Rents have risen so much that buying a home now just makes more sense. Half of all renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Millennials are becoming increasingly stressed over the constantly increasing financial obligation to something that isn’t even theirs to own. The near-historic low mortgage rates are luring Millennials towards purchasing a home with their promise of affordability. When compared with the skyrocketing rental rates, buying a house looks even more enticing. Another factor helping Millennials get over the hump of purchasing a house is the lower down payment requirements. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now offering new loan programs that require as little as a 3 percent down payment. This may just be the last push the Millennials needed to turn toward buying a home rather than rent. So, now that we’ve established that Millennials are finally joining the Buyers market, the next thing that it is important to understand is what exactly Millennials are looking for in a home. What kind of floorplans do they prefer? What locations are they interested in? Here are some of the essentials that Millennials are looking for in a home: • Updated Kitchens and Baths: Almost everyone wants to buy a
home with new kitchen and bath fixtures, but this is especially true for Millennials Buyers. Millennials are going to spend most of their savings on the down payment and furnishings, leaving little room to update the Kitchen and Bath, which are also the most expensive parts of a home to
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update. Millennials who are on a budget simply won’t have the money to sink into those areas. An updated Kitchen and Bath is sure to bring in a younger crowd. • Big Kitchen with Open Floor Plan: For Millennials, the kitchen has
become the room where they hangout in addition to the family room. This is why having an open space that can transition easily from the kitchen to the TV room is high on the list of things Millennials are looking for in a home. Along a similar vein, Millennials are attracted to an open floor plan rather than one that compartmentalizes the home. This has to do with how Millennials entertain. Millennials want their guests to flow through the rooms and mingle together, rather than be sectioned off in different rooms.
• Home Office: More than 13 million Americans now work from home,
and if you look at the trend, that number is only going to increase as the time goes on. With technology steadily increasing, more Millennials than ever have the flexibility to work from home. But, the home office isn’t just for someone working from home full time. Having a separate space dedicated to work helps people concentrate and focus on work while they are at home. They can separate themselves from the activities going on around the house and have a quiet space where they can set up their workday, plan a presentation, hold a meeting on Skype, or even pay bills.
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• Less Maintenance: Many Millennials work different schedules that
don’t conform to the 9 to 5 workday, as well as full social calendars. This doesn’t leave them much time to clean a big house. Lawn services and low-maintenance front yards are particularly appealing, as they take less responsibility to still keep the curb appeal high.
• Energy-Efficient Appliances: Millennials have been educated on
keeping the Earth clean from the time they were born. They want to do their part to help the environment and appreciate the long-term cost savings that come with it. Energy-efficient appliances and greener ways to heat and cool the home might end up being the tipping point that makes them choose one house over another.
• Hardwood Floors: Millennials don’t have the time or patience to clean
dirty carpets, especially those that own pets. Hardwood and laminate flooring is easy to mop up if there’s been a mess. The more time they can conserve, the better.
• Good Location: Millennial buyers are looking for homes that are in
proximity to public transportation and have a good walking score. Young Millennial buyers without children are more likely to want a location closer to the action of the city, while Millennials with children would prefer more residential areas.
• Technology: Technology rules the Millennial’s life. They do work on
their computers through an Internet connection and solely use cellphones for communication. They are going to ask about how strong the cell service is and about the Internet service provider. While these amenities are out of the seller’s hands, Millennials are still going to ask these questions, and you will need to know how to answer them.
Knowing what Millennials are looking for in a home will ultimately help you make the necessary changes that will attract these buyers to your home. Since they are the a serious segment of the market now, updating your home to fit their needs will lead to more buyers and better offers. So, get with the times and embrace the Millennial buyer. Top Agent Magazine
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