Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Home builders are increasingly looking to cement long-term alliances with real estate agents.
Builders have become aware that they need a relationship with real estate professional to bring more qualified home shoppers to their sales offices. And with resale inventory being limited at present, agents too know they need to work with builders to give their clients more options.
Of course, some real estate agents are cautious about the new home market. That’s because the relationship is different between a buyer of a new home and that of an existing home. The main difference is that real estate agents will often have to work with the buyer over several months, and will need to wait until the home has actually been built before they can get paid.
Mary Carpousis, a real estate pro with Berkshire Hathaway Results Realty in Orlando, Florida, told Realty Times she hadn’t managed to sell or even show a client a new home in her first six years in the industry. But in the last three years, she has sold 24 new builds, including six that were pre-build. Now, she says, she realizes the value of selling preconstruction homes and knows how to work with builder’s advisers to present more options to her clients.
Real estate agents don’t need to be an expert in construction matters to sell new homes. According to Realty Times, that’s a myth that often compels agents to stay away from the market. Indeed, most builders have a sales agent onsite who can address any questions clients may have that relate to the actual construction process. That leaves the agent free to represent the buyer’s interest in the transaction.
One study commissioned by Builder Homesite Inc. found that a “sizable portion” of real estate pros would welcome an outreach effort that helps to engage them in the new home sales process and increase the amount of new homes they help to sell.
