5 Unique Touches Every Agent Should Add to their Checklist
Even if you don’t work with a transaction coordinator, odds are you have some type of checklist you follow to make sure everything gets done in a transaction. While this probably includes basic items like gathering the Seller’s Disclosure Notice, opening title, scheduling closing, etc., below are a few uncommon items you may not have of thought of that can help differentiate you from the pack.
Ask the client to share their listing on social media
While sharing all of your listings on social media is probably on your checklist (I hope!), consider taking it to the next level by asking your clients to do the same. This is a great way to make sure they are following your business page and they can easily re-share the post with their family and friends, or post a link to the listing that takes people to your branded website. If your posts have branding on them, this provides instant advertising to your clients family, friends and neighbors, while helping your sellers feel more involved in the process.
Claim your sales in Zillow after closing
Chances are you have a Zillow account, where your clients can look you up and leave you 5 star reviews. Even without being a premier agent, you can gather reviews on Zillow and claim your past sales. Since Zillow is undoubtedly one of the most popular home search sites for consumers, showing your history of successful sales gives you credibility. It is important to note - Zillow won’t do this for you! Fortunately, it is simple. Log into your Zillow account and go to the agent hub, then click the drop down menu next to your name and select “Past sales”. You may enter your past listings one by one or send Zillow a spreadsheet and they can assist you. If you do not wish to show prices of your past sales, simply enter “—” in the “price” box and you won’t have any issues.
Set a calendar task to call and check in with clients one month after closing
We would all be lying if we said after the excitement of closing day, we don’t get busy with our new transactions and forget to check in on our past clients. Leading up to closing and immediately after is a stressful time for our sellers and buyers. After a few weeks and some time to settle in and relax, they will be more willing to chat. You can ask them how they are liking the new place and refer a vendor if needed. (Also a great time to ask for referrals and reviews if you haven’t already!). The key to this is to set the calendar task right.after.closing. - We don’t want it to slip through the cracks!
Drop off a pre-stamped envelope with the seller’s forwarding address to the new buyer
You are always taking note of the seller’s forwarding address and updating it in your CRM - Right??? If not, add that to your list first. Take this to the next level by taking a large manilla envelope, pre-addressing it and stamping it and dropping it off to the new buyer. Ask them to hold onto it for a few weeks and collect any mail that may have been sent out before the seller set up their forwarding address and then to please drop it in the mailbox. Oh, you’re obviously dropping your business card off too. By introducing yourself to the buyer, you’ve now got a new contact in the neighborhood and the seller will appreciate you making sure they receive any mail that could’ve been missed.
Coordinate the key exchange EARLY
This is something I have seen go wrong way too often simply because it is overlooked. Do you want to lose weeks (or months) of hard work on a perfect transaction just because now the client is frazzled and upset they have to drive all the way back to the title company to pick up their keys? Set the expectation for when/where they can pick up the keys by having the conversation with the other agent early. If you are representing the seller, ask them at the listing appointment how many sets of keys/garage door openers do they have? If you are representing the buyer, ask them what their schedule is like the day of closing, will they have time to pick up the keys at xyz location? It is also smart to set the expectation with buyers that just because they’ve signed does not mean they get the keys to their new castle - we have to wait for closing AND funding.
I hope everyone can add at least one of these items to their checklist. What is something unique YOU do on every transaction?!
