Through the pathway of real estate, Cindy Shearin, Founder of The Shearin Group in Manhattan Beach, California, has fashioned an amazing career. During her 30 years in the South Bay market, Shearin’s position as an acclaimed Realtor, Developer, and Interior Designer has been achieved through a combination of skill and sheer determination and steadfastness in how she does business. These qualities have found Cindy great success, respect, and an unmatched store of knowledge.

In an exclusive interview with Haute Residence, Shearin takes us inside the world of being a ‘generational realtor’ and how she develops trust and life-long relationships.

Photo Credit: www.shutterstock.com

Trust is key in growing your client base in real estate.  How are some ways you have achieved this with your clients? 

To achieve success in the real estate business you must always have your client’s best interest at heart. I will recommend that my clients walk away from a contract or negotiation that does not adequately serve his or her needs. 

My reputation for putting my client first has earned me the moniker as the ‘generational realtor’; I have earned the trust of many men and women whom I have represented throughout their lives, from property to property, even into retirement. This natural process extends into my clients family members and close friends.  I am the ‘family’ realtor to many of my clients. As a result, after three decades, my network is immense.

You are well known for masterfully selling many of your properties ‘off-market’. How did you achieve this gifted ability, and what are some reasons why clients want to sell off-market?

This really circles back to my previous answer about winning a client's trust. Building such a massive network of clients, and selling to multiple generations in individual families adds to my success in being able to buy and sell properties off-market for clients. On numerous occasions over the years, I have sold the same home or income property multiple times. I am so grateful that clients for decades have put their trust in me, which is always earned.  I care about my clients and their well being is important to me.

Regarding the motivation for clients wanting to sell off-market, we have a lot of high-profile clients that simply don’t want droves of people walking through their homes on weekends during an Open House. They trust in my proven network and my diligence to work tirelessly to find them the right buyer without going to market.

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How are some ways you save your clients money?

My unique combination of skills provides numerous opportunities for me to save my clients money and also maximize their returns. I have four areas of expertise that I have developed through many years of experience and market study … Interior and Exterior Design, Real Estate Marketing, Ground-up Construction, and Real Estate Development and Financing. Each area has its own set of complexities that can be employed to maximize a client’s return, depending upon the unique characteristics of the situation.

One situation in which these skills can significantly affect cost is in preparing a home for sale. When I work with a new property/client, I practice a sort of ‘A to Z’ exercise where I assess and create a timeline of what is needed to come to market. My construction knowledge allows me to evaluate the cost versus return of any upgrades; my marketing background lets me assess the best marketing vehicles to employ, and my interior design knowledge assists me in effective staging decisions. Often, clients are advised to hire expensive staging companies to help prepare a home for market, but I can save my clients time and money by staging with the minimum amount of expenditure. We bring in some fresh new accessories/pieces and repurpose where needed to be most effective. Starting with eye-appealing existing home pieces and adding “the new” transforms a home from good to fabulous! 

Much like the staging process, I have an eye for evaluating the pros and cons that are key when a client is buying a home. Helping a buyer visualize a home's potential comes very natural to me, where others can easily overlook relatively simple design solutions. I have subs and contractors that are available to assist with small to large rehabs that can help a client see the potential in a contemplated purchase.

I have also sold homes that are under construction and negotiated with the builders to agree to allow my clients to make the final selections. It’s a win-win for all; and with my expertise, I can assist both parties in the completion process.

Photo Credit: www.shutterstock.com

You are known as a South Bay real estate expert.  How did you get this reputation?  

Being a South Bay real estate expert is comprehensive. Living here, and practicing real estate for 30 years, I know the ins-and-outs of the South Bay. I raised my family in the South Bay and know the school system, youth organizations and opportunities, and sports platforms.  I also appreciate the unique characteristics of each of the South Bay communities. In addition, I have spent years acquiring the micro-information about each individual neighborhood, from block to block. No algorithm could ever pick up this type of tangible and value-influencing knowledge.  

The Shearin Group continues to be ranked in the Top 1% of Realtors in the nation, while I locally was ranked #2 in transactions for the past several years through the parent firm Strand Hill Christie’s International. Through Christie’s, our global reach is vast, with representation in 47 countries and across 1350 offices around the world.  

My firm, The Shearin Group, not only has a powerful affiliate network, but also generates staggering numbers on social media. We are proud to be the exclusive South Bay real estate firm for mega social platforms Haute Residence, Haute Living, The Fourhundred, and Luxury Realtor. Through these affiliate platforms, we boost monthly viewership and exposure to upwards of Three Million Viewers/Subscribers, providing an outstanding reach on social media.

We design the most effective marketing programs for all the homes we represent, including, but not limited to, very effective marketing methods uniquely available to The Shearin Group. We are known for creating a big push in advertising via print and online in the appropriate platforms for the type of property we are marketing. 

The post Cindy Shearin On How To Capture And Retain Real Estate Clients And Their Trust appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

To bring some clarity, Haute Residence talked with Dante DiSabato, Naples-based luxury real estate agent with William Raveis Real Estate, who shares his approach to presenting lavish estates on the market and not letting them pine on it for long.

What makes a home a luxury property?

I think it depends on the market that you are selling. And, frankly, the term “Luxury Property” gets thrown around a lot by agents and by sellers. I think that usually a luxury property is $1 million and up in price point or the top 10% of your market area.

What considerations go into pricing a luxury home? What factors influence the pricing?

There are all different factors regarding the pricing of a luxury home. For an area such as Naples, Florida the main factor would be location. There are additional factors like view, size, age, style, etc. But there are usually comparables, which help influence the price.

The condos and penthouses at 875 9th St S Naples, Florida 34102 range from $1,699,000 to $2,875,000. Offered by Dante DiSabato / Courtesy of Dante DiSabato

How do you approach the marketing of the home? Do you have any rules/principles you follow?

I have come up with a method to my madness when it comes to marketing a luxury property. This took years to create and it continues to adapt as technology changes and the market changes. It also depends on the demographic that I feel would be purchasing the home. It all starts with the photography, video tours, and ads that are put out in a systematic order to create the greatest viewership.

Some professionals say that there are good and bad times to list a luxury property depending on its location. Do you agree? Is there a most propitious time to list a luxury home in your region?

In Naples / Southwest Florida the best time would be to list around Thanksgiving and keep the listing through our season, which usually lasts just past Easter. However, lately due to weather, our season has lasted a longer period of time and people are staying longer and purchasing later in the season. It is good exposure to start in the fall though.

Professional photography and staging seems to be a must, especially for high-end properties. Today, 3D tours are becoming popular too. What is your advice to sellers when it comes to this aspect of marketing that is often at the core of the home presentation?

I would highly recommend professional photography as it is the first thing that a potential buyer looks at. 3D tours and video tours are becoming popular as well and I would suggest all of these to a seller when marketing a property. The better your home looks, thanks to quality photography and video, the more attractive it is to potential buyers, which, in turn, makes them want to schedule a visit.

489 1st Ave S, Naples, FL 34102 is listed for $3,999,000 by Dante DiSabato / Courtesy of Dante DiSabato

When executing a marketing campaign, is there a right mix of online promotion, print and relying on a realtor’s built network? What is your approach?

My approach is very different than others in my market as I would say I have a mix of all three when it comes to marketing. I have a very high online, magazine and newspaper presence, and a very large Realtor network that I have been leveraging for years. All of these aspects play a part in my plan. However, if the property is not priced correctly it will not sell.

Do open houses help sell luxury homes? Why yes/no?

Yes. I like to hold the properties open as much as possible to get potential buyers in to tell the story of value or what this property offers versus others on the market. If you can give the facts to a potential buyer while standing in front of them it is better than any marketing in the paper, social media or Realtor network.

Top Image: 333 Gulf Shore Blvd S, Naples, FL 34102, offered at $8,000,000 by Dante DiSabato / Courtesy of Dante DiSabato

The post Dante DiSabato’s Guide To Marketing Luxury Property appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Haute Residence talked to Isaac Klein, a Florida-based real estate broker with extensive marketing expertise, about the craft of reaching the right audience, at the right time, through the right medium.

How is real estate marketing different from any other type of product/service marketing?

There are many similarities, but some of the key differences are: reaching a niche audiences to buy or list properties within specific demographics. With real estate marketing you want to reach an audience that has an intent to purchase or sell property. Also with real estate, you need to be patient. Other industries and verticals are products and services that people might impulsively buy or use more regularly, real estate transactions are rare in a person’s life, so it’s important to know when to reach audiences.

You use advanced data targeted marketing. What is it and what does it involve?

Advanced data targeting is the ability to reach precise audiences using combinations of filters to pin point just those who you wish to reach. Advertising a $5-million property to a $500,000 buyer has little purpose and is inefficient.

Without the data filters it would not be cost effective to run these campaigns. Broad-based internet ads have little to no results, the key to using these channels effectively is to reach the precise audience one wants to reach, so that the cost is effective in achieving the result.

How does marketing at SipKlein, your independent boutique real estate brokerage, differs from that of a larger realty?

The marketing performed by SipKlein is one of kind, there is nothing quite like it. SipKlein uses many different online and offline channels to reach buyers of high end properties. Typical franchise brands that we see in every city across America actually do very little to market the client’s home. They are not creating data targeting marketing campaigns getting clients homes in front of niche buyers globally the way we can.

The typical franchise agency, whether it’s considered very upscale or standard, will market that property within their existing network of clients. They do this through brochures and magazines that go to their current mailing lists. There is one problem – that existing network might only cover 5% of the real estate market. Our targeting reaches 99% of the active real estate customers.

You were the CEO of an Internet marketing firm. What techniques from that endeavor translate into your current work?

As CEO of NGM Media, I had founded and managed several very popular websites. I have since sold these assets with my most notable site reaching over 7 million customers in the career vertical. More than servicing local clients, we managed these web assets and developed new internet marketing technologies relating to tracking, email and network marketing. Growing a website to 7 million customers requires a lot of marketing across many channels, similar, but different from real estate. The principles are the same and some of the tools are the same, it’s the execution and targeting that is the biggest difference.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you see in real estate marketing committed by realties and agents?  

The biggest mistake is the lack of internet marketing. Agents think posting a listing on their personal Facebook is internet marketing – not even close. Agents need a professional business page for their real estate brand, and then they need to use that account to effectively (hint: the ad manager) to market the property, but these are not easy skills to acquire – I was trained directly by Facebook and Google for years because of our generous spending budgets giving me a unfair advantage with these tools.

How do you see the future of real estate marketing?  

I see more agents learning the advanced techniques I have acquired over 10 years in Internet marketing professionally. The biggest change will not be how agents market, but how they can provide more value to their clientele since most customers are online finding the properties they want to see. Agents should focus on selling more than just the homes they list, but also on themselves, their brand and by providing resources to clients they might not already have.

Isaac Klein is the exclusive agent representing the Coastal Balm Beach and Balm Beach Island, Florida real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of his listings here.

The post Isaac Klein: Successful Real Estate Marketing is Targeted, Personalized and Advanced appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Once you have a listing, how do you prepare a marketing plan specific to that property?

I look at the demographic of who the buyer would be and complete a mailing campaign targeted at those buyers, then all of my social media comes into play.

What media channels do you find work best, and why do you think they work? (Print, online, direct selling, word of mouth)

On-line social media seems to bring a lot of attention to listings. On line Realtor.com, Trulia and Zillow are huge in my market place.

What advice or assistance do you offer your clients when it comes to staging their property for potential buyers?

When it comes to presenting their property online, pictures are the greatest draw. It's what catches potential buyers' attention and gets them involved enough to learn more about the property.

When it is time to showcase the home, how do you decide to have an open house, or to show the property by appointment only?

Mostly Brokers Open house and one or two public open houses to see if the buyer is out there, but I won’t do too many because it will over expose the home

The post Location, Location, Location: Realtor Beth Dickerson Shares Where to Market Your Property appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.