Comparing is a big part of real estate. We compare and contrast all the time. One house has more yard; another a new kitchen, one lender allows an explanation for an issue; another will not…and so goes the day. 
Yesterday I had the joy of sitting and talking to two highly successful women and picking their brains. The overarching conversations were about Brand Identity and Market in real estate. We talked “old school” and new techniques to accomplish the same results for less time, or money.
Studying land values and real estate in Texas which has a rich history of land and home transactions that can go back one hundred years is interesting. In Massachusetts the titles for land and home go back 350 years and is far more complicated because of the age and the ways in which land and home titles were deeded. As I narrow down my search for a “farm” area and office I am thinking of this richness of history and all the stories that can be shared about those homes and land.
Liz Bolton of Coldwell Banker Residential in Cambridge MA is a successful professional who is proud to say her agency has been the number one office in Cambridge for most of the recent past years. My visit to their office yesterday gave the feeling of walking into a busy, but fun playhouse. There was chatter and jokes wrapped up in the real estate discussions that went on all around as I sat in the reception area of their storefront office on Huron Ave waiting for Liz to wrap up a client call. There were lists of today’s houses on the market and the list of the weekend open houses. There were a lot, my heart raced a bit thinking of all that inventory.
Liz spent an hour with me sharing her impression of the market, the professionals and the offices of Cambridge Real Estate. Liz is a prolific communicator who blogs on the Active Rain platform. She is the new breed of agent who understands and uses technology, but knows that it is all steeped in the “old school” formulas for communication and information. In other words, you still need to talk to your clients and prospects, but how you do that, how you engage them in conversation is different now. People want the same information they always wanted, but now you can provide them more and that only helps you to succeed. I appreciate Liz’s professional and knowledgeable approach to the industry. I have learned a great deal because of this openness and willingness to share.
Paige Arnof-Fenn of Mavens & Moguls and I have known each other for years. I am privileged to consider her an advisor and friend. Paige’s success in Brand Development for corporations like Coke and Proctor and Gamble as well as start-ups like Zip Car have given her great insight into brand communication. Real Estate agents may represent a national brand such as Coldwell Banker, EXIT, RE/MAX, Hunneman, but they really represent their own personal brand. The purchase or sale of a home is a complex process that demands knowledge and skill. How an agent communicates that on a daily basis through their own personal communications builds the trust and that trusted brand is the one that grows. Trust and Service were chosen for this blog before I had obtained my first license. In thinking what I want out of my own transactions in real estate is these two characteristics. I stand by them as core values and share my motto that I began many years ago, “It’s all about you!” Thank you Paige for showing me new insights into how that applies here in Massachusetts.
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