An educated consumer is our best customer.
Sy Syms ran a chain of off-price clothing stores in and around New York and became a bit famous for his commercials with his famous tag line. Today, Sy would be an internet sensation and the subject of memes; in the 1980s, he was just another semi-celebrity pitchman seen on local TV during ballgames and game shows, a worthy competitor to Crazy Eddie whose prices are insane.
Why tell you about Sy & Eddie? What does it have to do with buying real estate forty years later? Sy said it best "An educated consumer is our best customer." Being informed about suit quality and pricing in the 1980s was important to a specific set of consumers; being an educated and informed consumer is critical to anyone considering being a buyer or seller of real estate now or in the future.
I spent most of my life working in university and non-profit settings, helping people learn about things I believed in and hoped they would find important as well. When I decided it was time to do something different, I wanted to build on my experience in education. In starting a real estate practice, I decided that my approach would be to help consumers learn what they need about the real estate market so they could, with my support, make good decisions when buying and/or selling.
Being a good teacher involves communication, planning, awareness of and receptivity to feedback among many things. Among the most important things is a commitment to being a life long learner. When I became a Realtor, I knew a lot about real estate but knew I needed to learn a lot more. I made a commitment to myself and my clients that educating myself would be a high priority and that each year I would learn new skills and develop additional tools so that I could best serve my clients' interests. Realtors, like every industry, have a language all their own, including tons of acronyms which you'll often see in people's signatures. I don't include them in mine because few clients know what they mean; but here are some of the subjects I've studied and the certifications I've received:
Accredited Buyer's Representative
Pricing Strategy Advisor
Historic Homes
Resort & Second Home Specialist
Senior Real Estate Specialist
Real Estate Investing
1031 Investing
Bank Owned Real Estate & Short Sales
Commercial & Investment Real Estate Certified
No single customer will need all of the things I've studied, nor am I an expert in every strategy; I am, however, able to find the information my clients need and connect them to specialists if their needs are outside my skill set.
There is lots to learn about buying and selling homes. Some clients want all the information while others want it summarized into digestible and prioritized pieces. As we work together, I will get a better sense of how you like to consume information and refine what I send you meet your needs without overwhelming you.
Let's set up a time to talk so you can get to know me and I can learn how to best serve your needs as you look to find the right solution to your real estate needs.
