Luxury Real Estate

By John Brian Losh

Meghan Barry and I just did a 5-day sweep through Central Florida, visiting several of our prominent members on both the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast. The prevailing feeling is that prices have stabilized and there are, at this time, homes in all categories to be purchased. If you or any of your customers have ever even thought of owning a home in Florida, the time to visit and purchase is now. I believe that the next selling season will bring increased prices and less inventory. I cannot emphasize enough that the time to view and purchase real estate in Florida is now. We are in a very unique time in history where we have low prices, low interest rate and diverse inventory. The perfect opportunity. Visit the Florida Regional Section (www.luxuryrealestate.com/florida) to view property.

Editor’s Note:
John Brian Losh is the CEO/Publisher of LuxuryRealEstate.com and the President, CEO and Broker of Ewing & Clark, Inc. in Seattle. He tirelessly trots the globe meeting with members of LuxuryRealEstate.com and getting the scoop on industry trends. Great stuff.

By Scott Rudolph

Thankfully, live chat and chat support online is gaining momentum. Honestly, I prefer to speak with somebody instead of a recorded message. But the phone support offered by many companies is insufficient, hold times are too long and complex menus are frustrating. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried phone support from companies touting “world-class service” only to experience unproductive voice or keypad menus, language barriers, random hang-ups and more than I dare describe.

One of the advantages of live chat or chat support, as it’s been coined, is the written record naturally created for both parties providing reference material for future dealings or for dispute resolution. The interactivity and dialogue between a client and real-estate professional is precious. Let’s face it, our industry tends to receive more than its fair share of response-time complaints. For this reason alone, every real-estate professional should investigate live chat today. Beyond this, after-hours features allow a professional (via a third party, if coordinated) to be available 24/7, collect contact information for comprehensive follow-through later, and receive a detailed recorded thread.

Now imagine adding live chat to a virtual tour or video – an unobtrusive box appears on the computer screen, saying, “Hi, just let me know if I can answer any questions you may have regarding this property.” Once you start chatting, you have the strategic advantage not only by providing more service than the consumer will find elsewhere in our industry but you’ll be in a better position to convert browsers into buyers.

You’ve heard the saying, “Give a person a fish, they eat for a day; teach a person how to fish, they’ll eat for a lifetime!” I hope you appreciate our attempt at teaching how to fish in order to benefit yourselves and your clients for a lifetime. For more information about incorporating live chat within your business, please go to www.luxuryrealestate.com/partners.html#alive or email me directly at Scott@luxuryrealestate.com.


Editor’s Note:
Scott Rudolph is the Director of Business Development for LuxuryRealEstate.com. He works with companies in a variety of luxury industries to expand the LuxuryRealEstate.com influence. Allowing customers to receive instant feedback can be a key competitive advantage for brokers and agents seeking to build stronger customer relationships. It’s definitely wise to reach out to clients when a property they are interested in is fresh in their minds and right in front of their eyes. Take Scott’s advice and learn more about this opportunity!