Cleveland Real Estate And More

One Question That You Absolutely Must Ask Your Clients

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About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman are agents with Howard Hanna, the area's largest real estate company. They live in Solon Ohio and specialize in Cleveland Luxury Homes, working with buyers relocating to Cleveland, and first-time buyers.

For Ohio and Cleveland Oh real estate and homes see Cleveland OH real estate

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235 or email.

LET'S CONNECT:

A Linked In Tip Sure To Wow is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©November 2011

10 comments • Dan and Amy Schuman- Cleveland OH Luxury Real Estate • November 17 2011 10:06AM

Stop Negotiating Like A 5 Year Old

Stop Negotiating Like A 5 Year Old - Originally Posted at Cleveland Real Estate Blog

Bringing buyers and sellers together is more difficult today than ever before. Buyers want it all and sellers are sick and tired of seeing their equity disappear. Negotiating in this market can be especially challenging when one of the parties or even the other agent negotiates like a child.

Don't get me wrong, children can be great negotiators, especially when it comes to wanting an extra dessert or staying up past their bedtime. However, when adults start acting illogical and downright child-like, well, it's just not good.

THE PROBLEM WHEN EMOTIONS RULE

At the end of the day, negotiations are about money and to some extent winning. This alone can make even the most level headed person become emotional. When you let your emotions and ego overtake your logic and decision making ability, that's when you get into trouble.

I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen someone let their emotions get the best of them. They become so wrapped up in the personal side of the transaction that they lose sight of what they are really trying to accomplish. They end up spending more time and energy discussing the other party than the actual transaction itself.

Some folks get so emotional that their behavoir actually becomes child-like, minus the kicking and screaming ( well sometimes they do scream ). If I could record their conversations and play them back to them, I'm convinced they would be quite ashamed at their behavior.

STAY CALM AND GET WHAT YOU WANT

No matter how riled up someone gets, we believe that camler heads prevail. Professionals need to detach themselves emotionally so they can help bring people together.

I realize that our clients want us to fight hard for them, but that doesn't mean we have to take on their emotions to accomplish their goals.

Making demands of the other party or idle threats that "we want this or else" just aren't effective. Those tactics may have worked in the past, but there is no place for them in today's business environment.

If you want to be angry because the buyer or seller isn't cooperating, take it out on punching bag, but not other people. In the end, take a step back, look at the big picture and stop acting like a child. If you don't, you'll end up doing more harm than good.

After all, winning the battle but losing the war is not an effective strategy for home negotiations.

Have you had a client who acted like a child? Please share your experience as we'd love to hear from you.

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One Question That You Absolutely Must Ask Your Clients

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About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman live in Cleveland Ohio and specialize in Cleveland Luxury Homes, working with buyers relocating to Cleveland, and first-time buyers.

For Ohio and Cleveland Oh real estate and homes see Cleveland OH real estate

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235 or email.

LET'S CONNECT:

Stop Negotiating Like A 5 Year Old is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©November 2011

33 comments • Dan and Amy Schuman- Cleveland OH Luxury Real Estate • November 02 2011 08:24AM

Letters Mean Nothing, You Need To SPELL It Out

Letters Mean Nothing, You Need To SPELL It Out

alphabet

Many of us have designations we have earned, as indicated by letters next to our names. They are a great thing to have, but the problem is that besides people in our industry, no one knows what the heck they mean.

Does anyone besides a real estate agent know what an ABR is? How about a CRS, or GRI? That's why we should all go out of our way and spell things out whenever possible. And for those of you who want to learn more about the benefits of earning a designation, I wrote a post a few years ago that should be helpful.

WHICH IS BETTER?

Dan Schuman, AHLS or Dan Schuman, Accredited Luxury Home Specialist

Dan Schuman, E-Pro or Dan Schuman, E-Pro - Certified Internet Professional

Amy Schuman, ASP or Amy Schuman, Accredited Staging Professional

Think about it, these letters mean nothing unless the person reading understands their significance. When used properly, they can be an effective way to promote yourself and can be put in a ton of places, such as:

1. Our personal email signature

2. AR Signature / footer at bottom of the post

3. Signature when listings are sent to clients from our local MLS

4. Website

5. Business cards

Basically, wherever your name appears, you have an opportunity to highlight your designation.

Logo for luxury designation

In addition to spelling things out, many designations offer their own logo as well. Consider getting a copy and using it, especially in places where you have a lot of space, like on your website.

Showcasing our specializations is a good thing. It shows our commitment to education and may also be important to a consumer who is searching for an agent with a specific niche. We worked hard to earn our designations, so there's no reason to be shy about advertising them.

Overall, agents are great marketers, but when it comes to promoting ourselves we sometimes miss the boat. If you want people to know about your area of specialty and differentiate yourself from your competition at the same time, all you have to do is spell it out.

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One Question That You Absolutely Must Ask Your Clients

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About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman live in Cleveland Ohio and specialize in Cleveland Luxury Homes, working with buyers relocating to Cleveland, and first-time buyers.

For Ohio and Cleveland Oh real estate and homes see Cleveland OH real estate

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235 or email.

LET'S CONNECT:

Letters Mean Nothing, You Need To Spell It Out is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©October 2011

15 comments • Dan and Amy Schuman- Cleveland OH Luxury Real Estate • October 03 2011 09:00AM

It's Not The Market, It's Your Agent

It's Not The Market, It's Your Agent

All agents are not created equal. Selling real estate is more than just marketing a home and showing people houses. It takes an agent with a specific skill set to get the job done right, especially in today's challenging market.

The wrong agent will cause havoc throughout the entire process. They give bad advice, alienate other agents, and can end up becoming a major liability. Sometimes they are the main cause for a deal to fail.

While there are a lot of great agents in every market, there are a few bad apples that can make things difficult for everybody. Consumers need to choose wisely.

IS YOUR AGENT AN ASSET OR A LIABILITY

An agent who gets along well with others can greatly increase your probability of success. This type of agent is often well respected amongst their peers and has an innate ability to put aside their ego for the best interests of everyone involved. Some agents simply are more diplomatic than others.

An agent who "doesn't play nice in the sandbox" can do just the opposite and ruin a transaction. They may have the reputation locally of being a "bulldog", or "ruthless negotiator", a trait you think is important, but that doesn't mean other agents enjoy working with them. This type of agent can actually alienate others and end up being a huge liability.

A GOOD AGENT IS PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT THE PROBLEM

A successful agent provides valuable guidance throughout the entire transaction. They are the rudder of the boat, keeping things focused and on course at all times. They communicate well with everyone and bring solutions to problems. Failure is not an option to these folks.

On the flip side, some agents are truly the problem. They are combative, poor communicators, and can be highly emotional as well. These are traits that perhaps only others will experience while working with your agent, as you may never see this side of them.

Overall, some agents get in their own way, yet don't realize they are doing it. Maybe these tactics served them well in the past when the market was good, but this style isn't best suited for today's challenging market

It'S NOT ALWAYS THE MARKET

While the market is tough, opportunities still exist to achieve your real estate goals, but you need the right agent by your side to make this happen.

When interviewing agents, understand that a good agent brings a lot more to the table than just the basics. They are market experts, have excellent leadership and communication skills, and have good relationships within the local real estate community.

Remember, buying and selling real estate is a large financial transaction and should not be taken lightly. Make sure you hire an agent who will be a tremendous asset and not a liability to you. It's a rough market out there and you need all the help you can get.

If you liked this post, please subscribe to our blog. We always appreciate having new readers and more importantly, enjoy making new friends.

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About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman live in Cleveland Ohio and specialize in Cleveland Luxury Homes, working with buyers relocating to Cleveland, and first-time buyers.

For Ohio and Cleveland Oh real estate and homes see Cleveland OH real estate

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235 or email.

LET'S CONNECT:

Is Your Agent An Asset Or Liability is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©September 2011

8 comments • Dan and Amy Schuman- Cleveland OH Luxury Real Estate • September 23 2011 08:58AM

One Question That You Absolutely Must Ask Your Clients

One Question That You Absolutely Must Ask Your Clients

We all ask our clients a lot of questions. The more questions we ask, the better we can hone in on what they want and how we can make that happen. One specific question we ask actually has nothing to do with real estate but is sure to make your life easier and help elevate your levels of service.

Today, I'm going to share it with you in hopes that it will make a difference in your business. Here it is:

"WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED METHOD OF COMMUNICATION?"

Let's face it. what you say, when you say it, and the method in which you communicate are all important. Knowing how your clients want to communicate can be incredibly helpful.

MORE OPTIONS TODAY

In today's high-tech world, there are a lot more options in which to communicate than there were 10 - 20 years ago. Everyone has their personal preference too and we acknowledge and respect that. Some people love email, while others rather text. There are also many folks that still prefer speaking by phone. And if your clients are real old school, face to face interaction still has its place.

With all these ways to interact, we feel that it's important to find out which methods our clients prefer and act accordingly. If our hip tech savvy clients prefer texting, then we text. The ones that prefer to talk on the phone, we call them. We have notes in our files and know how everyone wants us to communicate to them.

Remember, this isn't YOUR preferred method, it's about what YOUR CLIENTS want. By asking this one simple question, it could really make a difference in helping you communicate more effectively and in the end, lead to happier clients.

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When In Doubt, Do You Refer Out?

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About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman live in Solon Ohio and specialize in Cleveland Luxury Homes, working with buyers relocating to Cleveland, and first-time buyers.

For Ohio and Solon Oh real estate and homes see Solon OH real estate

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235 or email.

LET'S CONNECT:

One Question That You Absolutely Must Ask Your Clients is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©September 2011

130 comments • Dan and Amy Schuman- Cleveland OH Luxury Real Estate • September 15 2011 09:21AM

When In Doubt, Do You Refer Out?

When In Doubt, Do You Refer Out? - Originally posted at Cleveland Real Estate Blog

when in doubt do you refer out

Most business professionals, especially those of us in sales, are faced with this dilemma at some point. Do we take on a client that we may not be able to properly service, or refer it to another professional?

Sometimes it's very cut and dry, while other times it can be an agonizing decision. After all, business is tougher than ever, plus people in sales are competitive by nature and don't like to give things up. Given the state of today's economy it can be especially tough to pass up on a nice piece of business. So, what should you do?

KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS

The key thing here is to know what your strengths are, understand what you cannot do and be consistent. No one can be everything to everyone. A foot doctor won't do open heart surgery, a real estate attorney won't represent someone in a criminal case and a real estate agent shouldn't take on a client they can't properly service either. While these examples are fairly simple, the scenarios do get tougher.

IT'S NOT ALWAYS THAT SIMPLE

Referring a $100,000 buyer is one thing, but would you be so quick to turn your back on a $1,000,0000 buyer that wants to buy in an area you don't service? Many people struggle with these types of decisions, especially when money becomes part of the equation. I do see a lot of agents take business that perhaps they shouldn't.

People will take any business, for a variety of reasons. Some are simply very competitive and want all the business they can get their hands on. Others really need the business, especially in today's tough economy, and then there are those that feel obligated and don't like to say "no".

A RECENT STORY

A friend of ours referred someone to us who wanted to buy a home in an area that we didn't service. With the buyer's permission, we referred them to a great agent who knew that area like the back of her hand. They ended up finding a home in just a few weeks and are thrilled. The person who referred the buyer to us was happy too, because we took care of her friend. Although we didn't personally work with the buyers, we did put them in very good hands, and everyone ended up winning.

At the end of the day, every business professional has to make their own decisions and I'm certainly not here to tell you what to do. However, I will say this, if you ever come across someone who wants to buy in an area that you don't even know how to pronounce, or you can't locate on a map, do everyone a favor and refer it out. As for the more difficult choices, I'll leave that up to you to decide.

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Is Your Message Being Tuned Out?