With the market as sensitive as it is builders across the nation are doing what they can to drum up business. The latest news swimming around is the gas card crave.
With gas prices soaring to frustrating levels across the world, the real estate industry (among others) realized the good opportunity to entice consumers by way of their wallets.
In some states builders are giving away up to a $5000.00 gas card as a closing cost incentive; other builder are marketing $100.00 ever week for 100 weeks to buyers of its two spec homes because its community is a considerable distance from the city center.
Realty.com report on Builder Gas Incentives
The incentives are creative and plentiful...community open houses are FUELED with drawings and wheel spins aimed at enticing the ready and able buyer. Real Estate agents are also being enticed with gas card to bring buying clients to open houses. Mortgage brokers are luring in agents partnership, lenders hosting gas card give-a-ways at targeted gatherings...all for the opportunity of signing the buyers Rep-agreement, getting your name on the table of a loan referral and so-on.
But is it doing the builders, agents and mortgage brokers much good? Or are they just attracting people who just want gift cards to pay for gas and who are not looking for a loan or a house?
For me I compare this situation to the way I raise my daughters. I used to entice them with money, games, and activities to get a clean room, sisterhood love, the pets they wanted taken care of and many other things in and around the house.
When I shockingly realized they were just doing the things I wanted them to do because I was rewarding them with treats and gifts. I realized sadly I was bribing my children to take care of what I would classify as basic responsibilities.
Once I redirected my focus from reward of gifts and treats to reward of positive encouragements while teaching them personal satisfaction and respect. I saved a lot of money and when we spent time as a family doing things it had more meaning and value.
Oddly, my new efforts produced the same results but now in a positive light without breeding greedy, self absorbed kids.
Could something similar be implemented towards this situation?
Are we just attracting the kind of clients we really do not want?
Are we gaining respect and appreciating for our product and services if we entice with gifts? Or has our society grown so detached and self absorbed we care not to focus on the product, service, reputation and hard work of our builders, agents, brokers and lenders...we just want something free!
Have we become a society that says...If you have something free then you have loyalty in me?
What I believe in is this...loyalty is free until you put a price, gift or treat on it. So do we want loyal clients, of just clients?
Comments(3)