Bridgette Freeman is a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers and a speaker, author and coach.
Every week, we ask a real estate professional for their Short List, a collection of tips and recommendations on an essential topic in real estate. This week, we talked with Bridgette Freeman, a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers and a speaker, author and coach.
There are more than 20,000 licensed agents in Atlanta, but only a few agents deal in the luxury market. By definition in Atlanta, a luxury property could be $500,000. For the purpose of the article, we will qualify a luxury property as $1 million or more. In Atlanta, the most expensive property that sold in 2013 was $5.85 million. As prices continue to rise, it’s a good time to secure your place in the market as a luxury agent.
Before you engage in the high stakes of high-end real estate, you must know a few things:
4. Be prepared to prove you are the ultimate professional. Being a Realtor puts you in front of the crowd, as most licensees are not Realtors. Any specific training will help further prove your professionalism.
3. Once you are properly trained, the best way to enter into the luxury market is to secure a listing. Upon receiving a listing, you can continue to develop your database.
2. Remember to whom much is given, much is required. Although the deal can be easy because it usually involves cash, there is good deal required from the listing agent to service the listing. For example, professional photography to include aerial photography, concierge services, specific showing instructions, print and online advertising, as well as creative broker open houses.
1. Determine a strategy for securing a luxury listing and stick to it. If you are not already treating your business like a business, this is the time to realize you should.
Bridgette Freeman is a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers, as well as a professional speaker, former corporate executive, business owner, author and coach. For more tips you can email bfreespeaks@gmail.com to request your FREE guide to finding luxury buyers and sellers, or visit www.bfreespeaks.com.
What are YOU an expert in? Take a look at our list of currently available Short List topics, and let us know what you’d like to share your thoughts on!