What Do I REALLY Do?

In my work, I don’t really buy or sell houses.  I offer my time and expertise to my clients.  My job as a real estate professional is to devote my time to best serve my clients, much like the lawyer I was first trained to be.  When I communicate with clients, I am selling the fact that I will work harder and spend my time better serving their needs than any other agent will do. 

Great communicators know that this quality is as much about listening and making oneself available to another person as it is about relaying a message. I am there to help and am the best at the job I am doing.

Here are three critical attributes I keep in mind when working with my clients:

1. Speed

Clients expect rapid communication.  The older half of my clients came of age with technology at their fingertips and the younger half were using cell phones before high school.  The ability to reach out is not a luxury for me; it is a necessity.  If I were hiring an agent to represent me or help me find a home, waiting 24 hours to tell me about a new opportunity or respond to an offer is unacceptable.  If I don’t pick up the phone immediately and wait until the end of the day instead …my clients will find another agent.  I strive to return all calls within 10 to 15 minutes during normal business hours.

2. Information

I am not as smart as the internet…I don’t pretend to be.  Information (such as new listings from cooperating brokerages and mortgage rates) is information that is easily accessible.  Now, more than ever, what I need to provide is my guidance, expertise, experience, and negotiation skills.  I have a well-founded understanding of the home buying, home selling, and due diligence processes.  First time home buyers are not normally very comfortable with these processes.  I make them comfortable and will have a client for life.

3. Best Media (for Direct Communications)

I know how to use text messaging and email to communicate.  When important discussions need to happen (such as whether or not to accept a counter offer), nothing will EVER beat face-to-face meetings or phone calls. However, many people from my generation do not feel the need to talk to you for unimportant items such as confirming a meeting time or receipt of an email.  Remember, it is my job to work for my clients — not the other way around.  I reach out to my clients via the means they wish to use and I am seen as that ‘trusted advisor’.

Technology never backtracks, it only grows, much like the younger generations that are becoming my business base. 

Warm regards,

Hill

___________________________________________
F. Hill Slowinski, JD, REALTOR® in DC, MD, and VA
W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors, A Long & Foster Company
Christie’s International Real Estate
4701 Sangamore Road, Bethesda, Maryland  20816
Tel: 301-229-4000  Fax: 301-229-4015
Direct: 301-320-8430 · Cell: 301-452-1409 
Email:  HSlowinski@LNF.com  ·  Web Site: www.HillSlowinski.com