Southern California 1-29-17

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

FACEBOOK: Q&A WHY MILLENNIALS ARE NOW THE HOTTEST SEGMENT OF THE BUYER'S MARKET FEATURED AGENT

JACKIE SMITH COVER STORY

IVY BROOKSGHERSCOVICI

BE THEIR REALTOR® FOR LIFE: HOW TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CLIENTS THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME 3 TIPS FOR MASTERFUL TO-DO LISTS

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

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IVY BROOKSGHERSCOVICI

JACKIE SMITH

CONTENTS 4) BE THEIR REALTOR® FOR LIFE: HOW TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CLIENTS THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME

17) WHY MILLENNIALS ARE NOW THE HOTTEST SEGMENT OF THE BUYER'S MARKET

14) FACEBOOK: Q&A

21) 3 TIPS FOR MASTERFUL TO-DO LISTS

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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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IVY BROOKSGHERSCOVICI

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IVY BROOKS-GHERSCOVICI

Ivy Brooks - Gherscovici had a passion for film, went to NYU to pursue that dream and went on to have an outstanding career as a director and producer receiving numerous important awards in the industry.

Her father had a Masters in Mathematics, worked in the aerospace industry, and after an impressive career he retired at forty years old to become a successful broker and real estate investor.

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Inspired by her father, Ivy left the film industry and became submerged in Real Estate.

After getting her license, she was a top producer at every firm she worked. She started her own successful brokerage eight years ago, Ivy Brooks Real Estate Inc. Interested in the psychology of Real Estate and genuinely understanding the motivating factors, personality traits and driving forces that play in any given transaction, Ivy got her Top Agent Magazine

“I want clients for life, not just one transaction.

Whether it’s a new buyer or a seasoned investor, I treat every client the same.”

Masters in Psychology as well as becoming a Broker, Probate Specialist, and Senior Real Estate Advisor.

The key to her success has been Ivy’s business philosophy which her father ingrained in her from a young age. “My father’s word was as good as gold. I operate my business with that same sense of integrity. I earn my client’s trust and respect. If it’s not a good investment, I tell clients to walk away. I Top Agent Magazine

want clients for life, not just one transaction. My job is to educate and guide them successfully. Whether it’s a new buyer or a seasoned investor, I respect every client and listen to their goals and dreams so I can be instrumental in making it a reality. I treat each deal as if it was my money I was spending.”

Born and raised in LA, Ivy covers the whole city, everything from the beaches to downCopyright Top Agent Magazine

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“Every house and every seller is different. I take a look at all factors and then figure out the best way to tell the story and strategically market the property.

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town, the valley and even the South Bay. Not only does she negotiate Residential and Commercial sales, but she specializes in the Property Management side of the business as well. “We tailor our package for our clients.

We can be as hands on or as hands off as they want. We also have an online virtual portal that tenants as well as owners can access to make payments, create service tickets and view maintenance history.”

Ivy has a customized approach when it comes to marketing her listings. “Every house and every seller is different. I look at all factors and then figure out the best way to tell the story and strategically market the property.

I spend a lot of time up front finding out Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10

exactly what my sellers want, and tell them how to achieve that goal.”

Ivy is active in her community, she is especially focused on organizations that help families, and creating green livable spaces.

As a mother of two young children she perfectly understands couples with newborns and toddlers, navigating the school system and purchasing property to fit a families needs now and in the future. As a wife of a successful athlete, business consultant to fortune 500 companies and world renowned speaker on the healthcare industry she knows how to get the job done. As a dog lover, she can relate to those who buy and sell strictly for their pets.

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She spends her free time with her husband, children, and Ruby and Hunter, their 120 pound Argentinian Dogos. As a family they enjoy gardening, cooking and educating their kids about living a balanced and healthy lifestyle, getting in contact with nature as well as being responsible with the environment and the community they live in.

Ivy Brooks Real Estate Inc is growing constantly. “If you are a proactive agent looking for better splits, interested in technology, more independence and want to join a successful brokerage this company may be the right home for you.�

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To learn more about IVY BROOKS REAL ESTATE INC. call 310.910.9379 email info@IvyBrooks.com

www.

or visit IvyBrooks.com Top Agent Magazine

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Facebook: Q & A Top Agent Magazine Asked, You Answered: Finish this sentence: You know your clients think you are the best when…

• They give you a Tiffanys key necklace as a gift at closing!

• You get calls from past clients' family and friends saying that they heard you were the best agent in the business and that they want to meet with you.

• When two past clients without knowing both referred you to the same person.

• You are the family REALTOR® for several generations.

• They send referrals and bring a gift for me at closing!

• They hire me again!

• They need someone to call that they can truly trust and rely on.

• Promise little but deliver over and above.

• They consider you their friend—not just their REALTOR®.”

• They say, “Wow, you do have a really hard job. This is nothing like HGTV! Thank you so much!”

• They rave about you and send everyone your way!

• You get them a great interest rate.

• They insist on taking you out to dinner and give you a recommendation for your advertising.

• When you are a problem solver.

• You begin receiving calls to help their family and friends (shoot, maybe even their enemies) buy and sell real estate! It’s the best job ever!

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JACKIE SMITH A 16-year real estate veteran and two-time REAL Trends America’s Best agent, Top Agent Jackie Smith brings a multifaceted vision of Los Angeles to her clients. With an eclectic background spanning industry lines and coastal cities, she serves as a dedicated advocate for her clients throughout every step of the buying and selling process.

Jackie, formerly in the film industry, developed her interest in real estate while working with her husband, who was a designer and builder. When they began working on designing and flipping houses together, she knew she wanted to venture out on her own and begin working with clients. She found success right out of the gate, and the reputation she quickly developed has translated into into a magnitude of sales since her first year in the industry.

Jackie credits much of her success to the combination of her design skills and her knowledge of architecture. “I think that has brought a tremendous value to my clients,” she says, “So I’m really able to be helpful finding just the right home for them. That, coupled with strong negotiating skills, is what I can attribute my accomplishments and success.

Working under the umbrella of The Agency, a highly-respected brokerage that specializes in high-end luxury properties, Jackie’s properties are almost exclusively in the multi-million-dollar range, currently including a gorgeous seven-bedroom, six-and-a-half bath home in Los Angeles’ tony enclave of Hancock Park that was listed at slightly over ten million dollars.

Over the years, Jackie’s stellar reputation has been her primary calling card. While she markets her listings utilizing social media and The Agency’s highly professional marketing department, she feels no need to market herself. Her

high rate of referral business is testament to her client’s satisfaction with her services.

“As for marketing myself as a realtor, I don’t really have to do any of that. For the most part, my clients keep coming back to me.”

What keeps these clients coming back, Jackie says, is both her loyalty and her ethical approach to sales in an industry not necessarily known for these attributes. “I think I’m very loyal, ethical, and hard working. Also, my clients are able to reach me at all times. I respond immediately, I’m patient, and I’m very easy to work with.”

Working with one assistant, Victoria, who she describes as her “right hand,” has been invaluable as well. Jackie makes a concerted effort to remain in touch with past clients. “I reach out to them a lot,” she says, “I call them, I have lunch with them frequently. I also check in via e-mail, I write them notes, I really make an effort to stay in touch with them.” These are not just mechanical, profit-motivated gestures. “I truly love working with my clients, and I love homes and architecture, and that’s my favorite part of this business. It really doesn’t feel like a job to me, it feels more like a lifestyle.”

Her success has enabled her to give back to her community, and to that end she is involved with multiple charitable organizations, in particular sitting on a fundraising board Cedars Sinai hospital. She is also deeply involved in her four children’s schools, participating in fundraising activities for those as well.

“I think the most important thing about me is that my passion for real estate has been what’s led me to grow my business to the extent that I have.” Looking to begin growing her team, she says, is a plan for the near future. “I’m constantly working, so I’d love to be able to step back every once in a while and maybe take a vacation,” she laughs.

For more information about Jackie Smith, please call 424.230.3760 or email Jsmith@TheAgencyRE.com Top Agent Magazine

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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?

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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.

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3 Tips For Masterful To-Do Lists

by Rob Flitton

Here are three masterful tips to easyto-prepare and easy-to-perform todo lists.

1-Important v. Urgent.

Always prepare your lists based on what is important, not what is urgent. Why? Let’s define our terms.

“Important” in this context is about what matters to you. “Urgent” in this context is about what matters to others.

People have a tendency to not only assemble their lists based on the needs of other people, they get derailed by interruptions and distractions from the pressing needs of others—they get on phone calls, discussions, text-threads, or emailexchanges that take away their focus.

The corollary tricks here are to (i) negotiate for time and space in advance, and (ii) learn to say “no.”

Since you want to focus on what’s important and not on what’s urgent, it causes you much less friction to negotiate ahead of time with those who matter to you for the time and space you need to be able to focus.

This keeps you from worrying about family matters when at work, and work matters when enjoying your family or leisure time.

When we are afraid in life to politely say “no” to the wrong thing, we makes ourselves unavailable to say “yes” to the right things. Those who appreciate and understand you will cooperate—those who do not will simply have to adjust.

2-Obey The Crow.

Sometimes these urgency-intruders There should never be more than 7 can be close to you and hard to say items on your to-do list. No one no to—your spouse, boss, children, can concentrate on too many things at once. customers, or strangers.

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To be able to focus, a person needs to be able to discern which activities or ideas are most important to him at that moment, and at any given moment a person is only able to hold, focus on, or visualize perhaps somewhere between 4 and 7.

This limitation was understood from an experiment observing a flock of crows gathered in a clearing. When various groups of men would cross the clearing and then enter the nearby woods, the crows would flee to the 22

treetops only to return when the full number of men could be accounted for—i.e., when they felt safe.

If one man went in and then came back they would return to the clearing. If three men went into the woods and only two returned, they wouldn’t. If five men went into the woods and only four returned, they felt safe to return to the clearing.

This means that the crows could only hold 3 or 4 units of the men in their focus.

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Focusing on where the money comes from strips away all of the non-essentials.

For humans, the same is true but may be slightly higher. Look at a forest—you can perceive and focus on and count about 6 or 7 trees at one time, but you can never focus on or count an entire forest.

being the most important, and 1 dollar sign being the least important—like movie, book or restaurant ratings.

At the end of the to-do list period— whether it is a daily, weekly, monthly or annual list—you need not have completed every item, but you need to have entirely completed or accomplished the 4- and 5-star items. You would rather fully complete three 5star items than partially complete all seven items on your list.

The powerful piece of knowledge here is that by using unit economy— by limiting your ideas and activities into manageable groups—you can greatly overcome these limitations and leverage your means to tackle more and more work. By breaking lists down into groups of 4 to 7 Money is a measuring stick for how units, you can accomplish hundreds, effective you are at conducting your if not thousands, of important jobs business—it is really the only objective means of measuring your and tasks annually. effectiveness. Yes, there are plenty of non-monetary goals and outcomes 3-Dollar Signs.

The matter of deciding what should we all want to achieve, but I assert be at the top of your list should that being profitable matters the come down to the money. Money is most, and your to-do lists need to best barometer of what you should establish the mental attitude required spend your time on. Bookkeeping is to achieve maximum profitability. an important task in business, but Focusing on where the money comes closing sales is significantly more from strips away all of the nonimportant—no sales adds up to no essentials. need for bookkeeping.

Rob Flitton is a Seattle Real Estate MarAssign everything on your to do list a number of dollar signs, 5 dollar signs Top Agent Magazine

keting specialist helping independent agents to increase their income. Email Rob robflitton@gmail.com at any time or call/ text him at 206-612-2314.

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