Luxury Listing Specialist - Dominate High End Listings In Any Market

State and Local Tax (SALT) has the potential to do serious damage to our economy, so it’s vital that we educate our clients on the matter. As real estate professionals, what should we be aware of in terms of SALT? What should we be telling homeowners? What is the $10,000 cap on deductions, and how could it impact our clients? On this episode, CEO and License Partner of Engel & Völkers Chicago, Jennifer Ames, explains what SALT is, and how we should prepare our clients for it.   Everyone needs to be aware that SALT doesn’t only impact the wealthy, it affects everyone. -Jennifer Ames   Takeaways + Tactics  Homeowners who can afford to leave are moving to states with lower taxes. As real estate professionals, we need to be aware of this.  As agents, we need to know the tax trends across the country, so that we can advise our clients of the pressures they may face as homeowners.  Inform clients of the $10,000 cap on tax deductions. This can have a big impact on homeowners (couples in particular)

As a real estate agent, you want to establish yourself as a foremost authority in your market and attract consumers toward your business.  One of the top ways to do this is through content marketing. With more and more consumers growing reliant on the internet to obtain their information, content marketing allows you to demonstrate the breadth of your knowledge of real estate online, which will cement you as an authority to consumers in your market.

Gaining high profile clients is something all agents, especially luxury agents aspire to do, but when working with these clients, we have to be willing to adjust our strategies. What is the ‘golden rule’ when working with athletes, celebrities and other high net worth individuals? How can we build trust with high profile clients, and is there a way to build stronger personal relationships with them? On this episode, Vice President at Keller Williams Cambridge, Paul Campano, shares how to gain the trust of high net worth clients.   Here’s a lesson for working with athletes: discretion is key. They don’t appreciate name-dropping. -Paul Campano   Takeaways + Tactics  Most celebrities and professional athletes dislike being ‘name dropped’, so be sure to maintain discretion with these clients. Doing this will go a long way in building trust.  Don’t discount the importance of referrals during locker room talk. Athletes share the details of agents they’ve had great results with, and those they know they

Matched pairs is a term you probably haven't heard of. If you’re thinking of selling your home, it’s always wise to consider making improvements and upgrades.  However, you’ve got to know where to spend your money in order to get the highest possible return. Recently, I had a client who spent about $20,000 on leaf guards that were nice but didn’t really add any value to his home.

The most important skills when it comes to successfully selling luxury properties are branding and creating powerful marketing strategies tailored to each unique property. What is the process of determining the best marketing strategy for each luxury property? How do we play to our strengths? How do we build an authentic brand? On this episode, Markus Canter, Berkshire Hathaway luxury property director and co-founder and CEO of St. James + Canter Luxury Real Estate, shares on how we can reverse engineer the perfect marketing strategy for our luxury properties.  It’s important to analyze the best media to reach your buyer. --Markus Canter   Takeaways + Tactics:  California is the most sought after market. 82 out of the top 117 listed luxury properties in the country are located there.  When it comes to marketing luxury properties, it’s not about any exposure, it’s about the right kind of exposure targeted towards the buyer you want.  It’s important to establish yourself as a top agent in your dem

As we set up our goals for 2020, I wanted to talk about some things to look out for in your luxury market, as well as share some new plans for us going forward!

To make a name for ourselves in the high end luxury space, we have to go above and beyond all expectations. How should we be staging our houses for the ultra luxury market? How can partnering with other agents help us build credibility, and how do we approach commission splits when we’ve partnered up? On this episode, partner at Berman and Pollinger and dynamic global ultra-luxury real estate expert, Jennifer Berman, shares how to make a name in the ultra luxury market.    If you’re new to the space, find a luxury agent in your market, ask them to go with you to a listing and offer to split 50/50 with them. -Jennifer Berman Takeaways + Tactics  With ultra-luxury open houses, staging is vital. Even if the property has been professionally decorated by the current owner, stage it so the buyer feels at home.  When we’re new to the ultra luxury space, we have to make a name for ourselves to boost credibility. The best way to do this is by partnering with a more experienced agent.  Be willing to spli

When it comes to real estate photography, today’s special guest can do it all. Say hello to Brad Filliponi—co-founder of Boxbrownie.com. If you haven’t already heard of Boxbrownie.com, allow me to tell you what it is they do. For starters, let’s say that you’ve got a photo of your home that, thanks to cloudy skies, looks a little drab. Boxbrownie.com has you covered. Not only can Brad capture great photos of your home, he can also take existing photos from mediocre to marvelous.

With the popularity of voice assistants on the rise, it’s safe to say offerings like Bixby, Alexa and Google Assistant aren’t going anywhere, so we should be taking advantage of them. How can real estate professionals make use of voice technologies in their businesses? Should we be feeling threatened, or can agents work alongside voice technology? On this episode, CEO and co-founder of Voiceter Pro, Miguel Berger, shares how to make the most of voice assistants.  We need to embrace technology instead of trying to fight it, and use it intelligently. -Miguel Berger Takeaways + Tactics  Agents can use voice assistants in every area of their businesses, from reminding us about listings and updating us on new market trends, to helping us during open houses.  Stop thinking that new technology is a way for us to lose business; start seeing it as an advancement that can help us reach more clients.  As agents, it’s important to adapt to voice assistant offerings, not only to make our lives easier, but to

Do you want to earn 30% more over the next year? Today I’ll tell you how you can. All you have to do is increase the average sale price of the homes you represent and diversify your portfolio. In doing this, you’ll be working smarter, not harder.

Getting into luxury real estate is not an easy task, and younger agents often have more difficulty making a name for themselves in that market. How can millennial agents become more knowledgeable on luxury terminology? How can we spend more time around potential clients, and what can we do to attract luxury buyers?  On this episode, sales partner at Amalfi Estates, Sarah Knauer (27 years old), who is a $30 million + producer, shares how millennials can build a stellar reputation in the luxury market.  Grow your knowledge and your confidence will grow. Spend time with team leaders to learn luxury market terminology and trends. -Michael LaFido   Takeaways + Tactics  Attend open houses with established agents. This exposes us to terminology, makes us more knowledgeable, and lets us introduce ourselves to high net worth potential clients.  Build relationships with people in the luxury market by joining networking groups and social clubs alongside high-income people.  Look the part. To be taken serio

When it comes to luxury listings, it’s important not to let frivolous details sink their potential. If a listing has an “elephant in the room,” you need to address it in one of two ways. We’ll discuss both of these approaches today. But first, you may be wondering: “How does this idiom relate to real estate?” 

To establish ourselves as the obvious choice for business in our markets, we have to build and maintain great relationships with past, present and future clients. How can we build a brand that attracts and keeps attention for years to come? What can we do to build relationships that transcend business, and how can we find clients to build those relationships with? On this episode, industry veteran and founding partner of The Bay Area Team, Jim Walberg, shares how to build relationships that stand out to the market and make us the only ones people want to work with.  We should aim to be the first thing clients think of when they hear the words ‘real estate’. -Jim Walberg   Takeaways + Tactics  To be the obvious choice, we have to become synonymous with luxury real estate. We can do this by staying in contact with our databases, long after a transaction. Be personable. When dropping off a gift or an invitation to a client event, call ahead of time to make sure the client will be home. Seeing them i

How can we help clients relocate across states, or even abroad? Most agents tend to focus on their local spheres of influence, but as consumers become more mobile, we have to expand our brands into additional markets. Can we stay involved with clients as they move out of our markets? How can we attract referral partners for luxury consumers relocating to our own markets? On this episode, president of McQuaid & Company, Tiffany McQuaid, shares how to develop lucrative referral partnerships.    As an industry, we get so focused on our spheres. Local clients should always be a priority, but keep in mind that people are becoming more mobile. -Tiffany McQuaid   Takeaways + Tactics  Build relationships with luxury specialists in other markets. Networking with other agents is vital and knowing the person we refer clients to adds an extra layer of trust. When referring clients to partners in other markets, travel with them to meet their new agent. This allows us to maintain relationships, while giving

  In today’s world, social media has become a crucial component for success in the real estate industry; we have to take posting content seriously. How can we gain a following without spending too much time and money on creating perfectly lit and edited videos? What content should be in our videos, and why should we be thinking about repurposing everything? On this episode, online presence expert and speaker, Italina Kirknis, shares how to offer fresh content that elevates our brands.     In your day-in-the-life videos, be sure to share advice as you’re walking from property to property. -Italina Kirknis   Takeaways + Tactics  Stop obsessing over creating the ‘perfect’ video with professional lighting, audio and editing. Less polished videos are growing in popularity. When sharing a video, always offer advice. We can position ourselves as experts by giving professional insights while going about our daily routines.  Repurposing content is vital. Once we have a video, transcribe it and put it

To build a name for ourselves in the luxury market, we need to do the work to attract great results, and that starts with the listings we have. How can we leverage our inventory to ensure potential clients know who we are? What happens if we don’t have any inventory of our own yet? How can offering a more hands-on experience at our open houses boost our chances of success? On this episode, CEO and senior partner of BVO Luxury Group of Keller Williams Realty, Andrew Bloom, shares how we can make the most of our inventory and open houses.    If you don’t have your own inventory, offer a free inventory update to your market. You can leverage listings other than your own. - Andrew Bloom   Takeaways + Tactics  We should be showing the listings we’ve closed. By sharing the houses we’ve sold, we are giving proof of our great results. If we don’t have inventory of our own, we can provide our client base with a record of other houses sold in the market. Doing so showcases our knowledge of market trends.

  As business leaders, we tend to think of setbacks as private issues that need to be separate from our work lives. Is it possible to stop personal setbacks and challenges from affecting our teams’ productivity? Do we need to add more systems to our businesses in order to combat individual fears? On this episode, sought-after Real Estate speaker and coach, Jon Cheplak shares how we can overcome setbacks and turn them into positives.   Doubling down on your personal development is the solution to business growth. -Jon Cheplak   Takeaways + Tactics  Remember that human beings are flawed by nature, and we all experience setbacks. No matter how skilled we are in the science of business, every one of our team members has experiences that shape their daily lives.  Stop adding layers of systems to our businesses. Instead, we need to dive deeper into our emotions to develop ourselves and our team members. We need to embrace our past experiences. Without embracing our past, we can’t move forward.

  When dealing with luxury properties, it’s important to trust the people we do business with. How can we ensure potential clients are qualified, and won’t waste our time? What tools can we use to assist in the authentication process? On this episode, WealthEngine Senior Client Engagement Manager, Andrew Rosenblatt and Senior Client Engagement Manager, Anna Sheehan, explain how their tool can be used to identify serious buyers. For security purposes, you have to make sure you know who you’re opening the door to on big, luxury properties. -Michael LaFido   Takeaways + Tactics  When an unrepresented buyer provides a bank letter or a pre-approval for a mortgage, follow up with the institution to ensure its authenticity. Use tools like WealthEngine to verify potential buyers. Tools like this give an in-depth report on interested parties and help agents identify serious clients.  Take advantage of tools that identify political affiliations or special interests, so you can tailor showings to the b

Social media is a great platform for marketing and engagement. Is there any ‘right’ way to share content, and should we be tailoring that content specifically to each platform? What opportunities does the Stories feature on Instagram offer agents? On this episode, owner of the Cassity Team, Jason Cassity shares how to use Instagram Stories for outstanding results.    Take advantage of Instagram Story advertisements now. They are cheaper than other platforms because there’s less competition in the feature at the moment. -Michael LaFido   Takeaways + Tactics  Don’t post for the sake of posting. We should aim to share engaging content that offers a personal look into our businesses. Quality over quantity is key. Each social media network has its own language, so avoid sharing the same content across the board. Embrace Instagram Stories’ more relaxed atmosphere to engage with the audience. Take advantage of Instagram Stories’ cheaper advertising rates now. Stories are a relatively untapped adverti

According to Real Trends, the national average listing commission is 5.08%. In this episode, hear why Kevin Foreman believes the average listing commission will drop 40% down to 3.64% over the next 7 years. On this episode, Vice President and General Manager of the Enterprise Division at INRIX, Kevin Foreman shares his view on the future of the real estate industry.   Don’t worry so much about commissions going down: the volume will go up. -Kevin Foreman   Takeaways + Tactics  Keep overhead costs down. There’s no need to pay for fancy offices- have your employees work from home. Stop worrying about commissions. While commissions may be dropping, lower prices attract more customers. We may make less commission per sale, but we’re bound to make more sales. Pay more attention to clients than the properties you’re selling. This helps build relationships long-term, and will serve you in the long run.   At the start of this episode, we discussed the ‘Tinder’-type option afforded to home buyers. E