Today's savvy real estate consumer is expecting more and more from their Realtor today - and they deserve more.

They see the VALUE of having a TEAM of experts helping them along the many steps toward getting to the closing table.  They are seeking out TEAMS because they know they will receive a superior level of service.

And the frazzled, overworked Realtor is also seeing the value of hiring help and building a TEAM.

In today's fast-paced, ultra competitive real estate workplace, TOP PRODUCING Realtors are finding themselves at a crossroads:  either hire talent to help you grow your business or find your business flat-lining or falling off.  A great hire, on the other hand, someone who is following a good business model that you put into place and is truly committed to growing your business and taking it to the next level, is worth his or her weight in gold.   

A TEAM may look something like this:

Lead Agent:  He or she is the "rainmaker" - the one who takes the listing leads that come in (though an ongoing lead generation process) and meets with the Seller clients to list and sell their homes. 

Buyers' Agent:  This person's main focus is representing Buyers - helping them through the home-buying process.

Administrative Assistant(s):  These are the behind-the-scenes people who send out the lead-generating mass mailings.  They are staying in constant communication with Buyers and the Sellers, updating them by phone and email of the progress of their home sale, providing them feedback on their showings, the latest news on the mortgage progression, etc.  Their job is to keep this well-oiled machine running and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.  Other team members who may be unofficially on your team but who certainly help to ensure a positive outcome could be your Virtual Tour photographer or your Home Stager.  Each member of the TEAM is a specialist in his or her particular field.

You're no doubt beginning to see how multi-faceted the whole process is these days.  Long gone are the days when a listing contract was two pages long and all it took to sell a home was a listing in the Multiple Listing System and an ad in the local paper.

Sellers want to see their homes listed not only in print, but all over the internet.  And Buyers want to be able to be just a couple of mouse clicks away from finding their dream home.  This doesn't happen all by itself.  One assistant alone can spend full-time just making this happen.  There are new sites coming out every day, and Sellers want to be on them.  It's not only a full-time job, but an art, to be always looking for new and clever ways to market properties and make them a STAND OUT.

This frees up the Lead Agent to do what he or she does best - sell real estate!

And how do today's Buyers and Sellers feel about it?  They love it!  They know they are going to get RED CARPET treatment, constant communication, expert advice and overall great service.

For Jerry and me, we came to that crossroads.  We were frazzled and overworked.  Now we truly feel that we're freed up to do what we love - work with our clients to give them top-notch service we can feel great about.

Jacki and Jerry Shafer of THE SHAFER TEAM and KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY LOUISVILLE EAST have been selling new and existing homes in Louisville, Oldham, Henry, Shelby, Trimble and surrounding counties for over 20 years.