...............POP TART Realtor

Have you ever heard the term "Pop tart Realtor"?

I think I first heard the term in 1997 from another agent in the office & it changed my thinking about the profession. The term relates to the fact that we, as agents, are at the mercy of the general public & THEIR schedule...not so much ours.

I know there are doctors on call as well as plumbers and other "professionals", and maybe in this market, buying a home could be construed as "an emergency", but my thought was that as professionals, we should be able to run our own schedules and not necessarily be at the beck and call of customers who want to see a house "right now!"

pop tart

But, here's my confession for the day: I have recently implemented a new text service that I have written about before; I received a text notice on my phone that someone had keyed in the code # of a certain house I have listed. This was my first time to actually "manually" text them back. I said (via text), "I'm about 15 minutes away, would you like to view the inside of this home? Don". They returned the text, "That would be awesome...see you soon! ;)". I responded, "I'm on my way!"

At the time, I didn't have anything else going, so I thought I would experiment, just to see what would happen.

Yes, I let my office know where I was going, etc...(safety first).

I got there in exactly 15 minutes and saw a mini-van parked in front of the house. I got out & introduced myself and they did too. It was a local gal with two friends from California, looking around. They were impressed with my technology as well as my quick response & I think I have gained a new client!

So, in this market, with sales being fewer and far between, we may have to be the "Pop Tart" Realtor for a while, just to keep things in the pipeline. The influx of agents since 2005, has diluted the professionalism a bit and the public is having a harder time visualizing Realtors like they would their Doctor or attorney...

What are your thoughts?

Always looking out for your next move on Idaho Real Estate in the Boise Real Estate Market,

Don Wixom RE/MAX Advantage Nampa, Idaho

Posted by Don Wixom on 01/22/2008 08:19 PM

Comments (30)

text messaging, pop tart realtor, idaho real estate, boise real estate, real estate profession, text service

Post is included in group: Text Messaging For Dummies

30 Comments on ...............POP TART Realtor

JAN

2008

I am basically available unless I have something more important going on. Sometimes, that is family time or church. Overall, if it is not inconvenient, I will go show a property. Kudos to you for gaining a new client!

That's great that you have a potential buyer for your own listing. In this instance it seems to have worked out for the best but you may not want to always be always on call to drop everything and run to a house.

I haven't tried the texting option yet for my listings. I have started to look into the 800#'s. Have you tried that yet or only the text? Ever try talking house too?

I know I try to use as many technological advantages as each client will allow. Some only want to deal with papers, other cell phones, other e-mails, texts. I try to accomodate each clients preferences.

p.s. Congratulations again on the new buyer client! Those can be hard to find nowadays. Stay in contact however you can!

Are you saying you took this alleged buyer to a property without first meeting her or qualifying her IN ANY WAY that she was willing and able to purchase a property if she found one that suited her? This property, whether occupied or not, belongs to someone else, not to you. You didn't even speak with them. Only text message. Does not sound "professional" to me. I don't think that's the proper way to use this technology.

Jason: Thanks for the Kudo's! Yes, family & church would always come first, and for the most part, the scheduled day I have in place, but certainly, if I'm not tied up... I'm available, especially in this market!

Charity: This was a rare case of going to a showing so quickly, first things first, but I was available & it worked out! I use the Talking House system as well, I have never used the 800# program; it just has never been my style for some reason, not sure why. Yes, it's important to communicate with people in whatever fashion works best for them! Thanks for the Congrats!

Anonymous Seller: It's most often that we meet a prospective buyer FIRST at a property. It's the product on the market that they are interested in most, not necessarily the agent. This particular home was vacant; if occupied, of course I would have called the owner. The seller contracted with me to sell their house & that's my duty to them. In our market, showings are few and far between, it's imperitive to show our listings as often as possible! The text message system is what attracted them to contact ME. This is simply a quicker and easier way for a lot of people to communicate. I don't think it is necessary to "talk" to them first. I believe this was VERY professional and doing my seller a GREAT service! Buyers are very reluctant to stop by the office, sign any papers, etc. The first visit, for me, is a "freeby" if you will. If they want to look at more homes and develop a relationship, I certainly qualify them with a lender and make sure we are compatible to work together. I hope this makes sense to you.

I suppose it's a little like an open house. I'm sure we have all met new clients at open house and followed up with them later. I'd be afraid I'd be spending my time "pop tarting" all over town if everyone started text messaging every time they want to see a home.

Kay: The text system I have simply auto-responds with the property info for the benefit of the client. This particular instance, I chose to manually respond also (the system notifies me when someone inquires). So, since I didn't have anything going on, I "pop tarted" ;) Yes, it's very similar to an open house.... I guess I could stand out on the sidewalk & try to qualify everyone before the come in... ;) Thanks for the comments.

great job... and great service... pro all the way

Rick: Thanks for the positive comments!

If pop tart means you give excellent service then bring it on and well done to you. Fantastic job you did and don't get hung up on the whole "professional" thing. It really isn't true to start with and what you did today was provide exceptional customer service.

Simon: What an encourager you are! Thank you!

Don, by you being able to show a home at a moments notice and you as a Realtor being willing to do so is above and beyond what most in your profession would do. Great job!

To the person whom would like you to qualify everyone who inquires about a property for sell, they have no clue as to how to sell a property for someone else. A lot of selling goes on at a moments notice.

Good luck in the future.

Thanks for the nice comments & if you're in Idaho & have a home to sell, give me a call!

The anonymous person has this exactly right! And frankly this kind of service is the difference between being successful and not in this market. Now go check out my blog (I know - but I'm REALLY not advertising - you will see when you get there).

Simon: Thanks again... now we have one anonymous in the positive and one anonymous in the negative...

Don- I want to make a comment to the Seller.......So many people move from State to State, and we never know who a buyer might be when we take a listing. Any agent that can use the latest technology only increases the liklihood of attracting buyers...........it might be hard to understand everything an Agent does....but if a Seller wants someone Qualified BEFORE showing......the seller would have set that up at the time of the listing......

OK, now to you Don....good job on the texting appt.

Don,

Neat idea. And I really liked your answer to the Anonymous Seller. Very professional and very well said!

JAN

2008

Kathy: That's exactly right. We have to meet a buyer at some point, why not at a property that may build that emotional bond to purchase? Thank you!

Craig & Amber: I appreciate your compliments! You might want to read my High Road Blog. Thank you!

I am very interested in how I could use this texting service. I think it can be very useful!

Catchy title that I never heard before. I agree with being available but don't want to appear to be over bearing either. Like when a salesperson meets you at the door and follows you around.

Don - Your post is a great example of using what you have available to set you apart from other agents. At that moment, what you had available to use was time - and you made great use of it! Kudos to you for taking advantage of an opportunity and possibly gaining a new client in the bargain!

Charity - I have several clients who use the 800# systems. Similar to the texting option that Don has, we monitor via e-mail whenever anyone calls into one of the numbers. They typically connect to a specific extension number, which tells us which property they were inquiring about. We've set up systems where the caller can receive a fax-back of the property flyer, directions to the property, home owner's association information, and much more. Also, if the caller chooses to make his or her telephone number available, we can immediately call them back to see if there is anything specific they were looking for in regard to that property and to see if they are interested in other similar properties. It is really a great system.

Anyway, Don - great post! Thanks for sharing that!

~Renae - Market 4 Real!

Amy: This is a very creative system. You should be able to go to www.agiletexter.com to check it out. I hope this helps you!

Hank: I thought I would try the clever title...but it really does represent the thought of poppin' up & runnin' out the door when someone calls. You're right about not being too overbearing.

Renae: Thanks for the encouragement! I don't often have the free time. that's what made this experience so unique for me.

Don, I think it is your choice. Sometimes you feel like a Pop Tart, sometimes you don't. If you're available to assist the client, it is your schedule. I agree when times are tougher your going the extra mile may make the difference, but don't drive yourself mad over it.

Where you will feel stuck is you run over there, and they were never qualified, and also they don't show up.

I'm glad it works for you, but I don't do instant service myself. Partly that is due to only working as a buyers agent, but also because I don't think buying a house should be done in impulse fashion. At a minimum I need a couple hours to be well prepared to show a property. Yes, it costs me some deals, but I sleep better knowing I've always done my best for my client.

As a listing agent, you likely have all the needed information updated and ready to go for all your listings, so you can be instantly ready. Although you called your office, there is not a good way to verify who you were meeting at the house. Such situations have ended very bad for quite a few agents. If not at your office, meet the prospective buyers first at a more public place. Ask for identification before doing anything else. There are many sick people in this world, don't become their next victim.

Your not selling a used car. Time and thoughtful consideration are your friend. The last thing you want to do is tie up your listing with a contract that has no chance of closing.

Don - You found a great system that appears to be working. Way to go!

Anonomous Seller- It's a vacant home? No harm done. I might do what Don did too. If we try to prequalify too soon by phone it tends to scare off your potential buyer. I would think twice if I knew a seller was occupying the house and would be inconvenienced. Leave the strategies and techniques to the proffesionals and try not to be analyiizing, questioning, or micro-managing your own agent - it doesn't make for an effective relationship.

I show this way a lot don't like it but I do it. But with an 800 # if he client is sitting in front of a vacant I will swing by if I can. However, if it is an occupied home I try to schedule a meeting and get a feel for what they are looking for and then get them in a pre approval. After showing the vacant if it is not what they were hoping for then we do the sit down and try to go for the pre approval.

Gary: I love your cleverness! I guess on this day, I felt like a Pop Tart! Thanks!

Greg: Like I say, I typically give a first time caller a "freeby". I figure I need to meet them somehow & it's usually at the first house they call on. Typically, that's not the house they really want, but it gets the relationship started! thanks for the comments!

carol: Thanks for the encouragement & the support! right on!

Linda: Exactly right! We gotta do what we can to help our sellers AND capture any buyers we can in this market! Have a great 2008!

JAN

2008

Don - Great that you picked up a client. While I have sold homes to a prospective purchasers's who called me while sitting in front of the house and wanted to see it right now, I've never sold them the one they were sitting in front of.

Hi Kathy, That is exactly the case with me! These gals have not yet purchased this home either, but they will buy something from me!

JAN

2008

Thanks Kirsty. Crykee...I'll check it out!

JAN

2008

Now that my schedule is a bit more busy, I just "scheduled" a showing, rather than "popping up" this time.. You can only do what you can do. Some customers are more demanding than others. Some respect your schedule..

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