Posted on Friday, November 18, 2011
If there ever was a “relationship” business it is Real Estate. Talk to the top Realtors and you will hear a large part of their business comes from referrals, and referrals do not come from strangers – they come from trusted business relationships.
At NaplesBestAddresses.com we really value relationships. I know, I know, everyone says that. But, Nan and I are in this to help people. We actually tell people not to buy a house if we do not think it is right for them – a welcome trait we hear about from our clients.
Now it seems relationships may be even more important to Realtors. Why? Mobility is declining, the rate at which people move from property to property, so a Realtor is going to need a larger network of relationships for the same amount of annual business. Look at this recent report from USA Today:
“The slowdown (in real estate) is part of a continued drop in the mobility of all Americans. Only 11.6 percent – 35 million – changed residence from 2010 to 2011, the lowest rate since the Census Bureau began collecting the statistics in 1948. In the mid-1980s, more than 20 percent were moving each year. Two primary reasons for historic lows in all types of moves – within the same county, to other counties and other states: ‘The recession and mortgage meltdown,” says William Frey, Brookings Institution demographer.'”
In southwest Florida we rely in part on folks to come down from up north to populate our great state and we rely on folks to keep moving once they arrive – from vacation property to permanent home, etc. With mobility decreasing a premium will be placed on growing more relationships through better service – a good thing for the home buyer and seller. Those Realtors who actually take care of their clients ahead of their own interests are more likely to increase their business – a good thing and not new – but maybe more important today as fewer people are moving.
At NaplesBestAddresses.com we are trying to build long-term relationships in the Naples Real Estate business because we like helping people and we think it is the right thing to do.
Thoughts?
