Will Fassinger is a real estate agent with Redfin

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 Will Fassinger, an agent with Redfin, for his six ways to turn your clients into repeat clients.

One way to be a successful agent is to have a long and fruitful professional relationship with each of your clients. Keeping a client you’ve already worked with is far easier than starting out fresh, and a happy repeat client is likely to recommend you to friends and family. Here’s how I make sure my clients turn into repeat clients.

6. Provide Great Service – Clients return to agents who were on their side throughout the process. That means helping clients buy a home they’ll love for years – not just the first suitable home. You want clients to look back and still be thrilled three years after their purchase.

Great service also means being an advocate for your client, whether it means addressing each and every question a client has about the homebuying process, fighting to win a multiple-offer situation or making sure the deal gets to the closing table without issue. Clients remember (and return to) responsive, excellent service. Sometimes, it’s as simple as that.

5. Don’t Just Focus on Now – Sometimes you’ll be contacted by people who aren’t ready to buy or sell a home, but don’t assume that helping them will be a waste of time. If you’re helpful and responsive, they will remember. For example, I often have people reach out to me about rentals. I’ve taken the time to find some high-quality Atlanta agencies that do rentals – and I refer people to them.

4. Reinforce That You’re a Full-Service Agent – For whatever reason, some clients don’t realize that if you’re helping them buy a home, you can later help them sell that same home. Don’t be shy about letting clients know about all you have to offer not just for the current transaction, but for future transactions as well.

3. Service Providers Count – Your client will need a home inspector, possibly a real estate lawyer, a lender and maybe some contractors. Make sure you have high-quality recommendations for each of these service providers – and that the client sees them as part of your team. That way, if a client goes to a lender several years after buying to refinance, they’ll remember that you referred that lender. They’ll remember the positive experience on both ends – and be reminded to turn to you when they’re ready for their next real estate transaction.

2. Reach Out at Key Times – At the beginning of the new year, I often contact my clients from the previous year to remind them that they need to file for a homestead exemption on their local property taxes. It’s a great way to keep in touch, and a great way to add value (by saving your clients money) with a simple email or phone call. Some of my colleagues reach out with a settlement statement from closing, with a reminder to give it to their tax preparer – or you can simply say hello a year after purchase to check in. However you do it, within the first year, you should circle back and make sure you clients know you’re still on their side.

1. Hold Events For Past Clients – If you did your job well the first time, it can take years until a client becomes a repeat client. But you need to meet your clients face to face in the meantime. I recommend holding a client appreciation event, where you rent out a space, have catered food and invite all your past clients to come. I like to do a barbecue at a local park. It’s a great way to reconnect, and free food and drink encourages your clients to attend.

Will Fassinger is a real estate agent with Redfin, a national real estate brokerage. Dedicated to customer satisfaction and building loyalty with his clients, Fassinger uses his real estate smarts and negotiating skills to ensure his clients reach their goals. He has worked as an agent for 7 years and currently serves the in-town Atlanta region. When not on the hunt for his clients’ dream homes, he enjoys outdoor activities and celebrating milestones with his family.