HANDS ON THE HEARTLAND: Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market

Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market

Today I Googled “what to look for in a realtor”. You’re supposed to capitalize REALTOR. Thanks random italicized voice but it’s a google search — it’s not necessary to use any capitalization!  You’re supposed to capitalize Google. OK, that’s it, I’m done with you random italicized voice.  Now back to my point… I Googled “what to look for in a realtor” and the first result was from Leslie Davis, a consumer advocate out of Denver Colorado. This is good because I really didn’t want results from another biased real estate agent or my National Association of Realtors. Here’s Leslie Davis’ 10 Things To Look For In A Realtor…

1. Communication.
2. Full time professional.
3.  Market savvy.
4. Tech savvy.
5. Team player.
6. Professional reputation.
7. Receptive to questions and informative.
8. Check references.
9. Character.
10. Integrity, rapport and trust.

This is an excellent list and I’ll give a short response to each item and let you decide if I’m the right Kansas City real estate agent for you…

1. Communication – I don’t know any agent who communicates with their clients more than I do. I return 95% of emails, phone calls and online inquiries the same day. It’s that important to me and the small portion of phone calls that don’t get returned the same day get returned the next day. When I have a home listed, the client is constantly getting emailed updates on the marketing, market conditions and emails with advice or just to check in with the client. The majority of my communication is done by email so I have a record of what’s going on. Some may call this impersonal. I call it effective. It also allows me to return messages at times when answering the phone or returning a call just isn’t possible.

2. Full time or real estate hobbyist – Let there be no doubt, this is my profession. I work 70 hours many weeks and that’s not an exaggeration. I am available 6 days a week from 7 am until 7 pm — and other times with notice. In the nearly 6 years I’ve been here at my Overland Park Keller Williams office, I’ve been the first agent in the office probably 1,900 out of 2,000 days.

3.  Market savvy – I am involved with several meet-ups with Kansas City’s most technologically savvy agents and I study the market stats as much as anyone. This is evident by the information I share with you here on this blog on a daily basis. I’m focused on giving my clients the information they need to succeed in their real estate transactions. It’s about adjusting to the market before the rest of the market reacts.

4. Tech savvy – I believe I’m the most technologically savvy real estate agent in the Kansas City metro area. I teach classes on this stuff and it’s no coincidence that I manage all three of my sites and blog and all are consistently top ranked by Google search results. I know how to market myself online and the same goes for marketing my seller’s homes and in making the home search easier for Kansas City home buyers.

5. Team player – the affiliated resources I connect myself to are top-notch. They know I’m counting on them to take care of the client. They know I’m loyal but not to the extent that they I won’t stop referring them business if they don’t take excellent care of my clients.

6. Professional reputation – I’ve developed many Johnson County Kansas home communities, run the largest home building in Kansas City at one point and I’ve taken all that knowledge and turned it into a successful real estate career. I know a lot of people in the Kansas City community and my reputation is extremely important to me. I’m a bulldog when I have to be but I believe that there’s usually a win-win outcome that can be achieved in most situations.

7. Receptive to questions and informative – If you know me or if you’ve followed my blog for long, you know I’m not shy. Ask me a question and I’ll give you an opinion. Let me know what’s important in the home search and I’ll help you find the homes that fit your needs. Tell me about your goals in selling your home and I’ll guide you towards achieving success with your home sale. All licensed real estate agents are bound by the Fair Housing Act which prohibits us from steering a buyer to any certain neighborhoods. This can even become a dance when it comes to schools and crime stats. If I can’t answer the questions I can certainly point a client in the right direction online where they can get the answers they seek.

8. Check references – I was a top five producer in the Keller Williams four state heartland region in 2007. I have an elite online presence that puts my sellers at an advantage when selling their home and puts the online tools at my buyers disposal that make for an effective and efficient home search.

9. Character – I’ve never been called in front of the Kansas or Missouri real commissions for anything. I sleep well at night knowing that I’ve been fair and worked as hard as possible to help my clients achieve success in their real estate transactions. I’ve repeatedly been recognized by my office for perfect files turned in. A real estate brokerage gets audited occasionally by the real estate commission, so my office always wants to recognize agents who get the job done right the first time. But this also plays an important role in my clients success because the less time I spend chasing my tail, the more successful my clients transactions will be.

10. Integrity, rapport and trust – again, I’ve never been called in front of the real estate commission and I’ve never had a complaint lodged with my broker. I don’t hang my hat on this by any means, but in our current real estate market there are lots of possibilities out there for uptight clientelle. To never have had a complaint is a testament to my systems, philosophy, organization and most of all, my integrity.

Posted by Jason A. Brown