Realtor Employed & Doing Well

This morning in our Desert Sun Newspaper headlines there were several stories about how more than 52.1% of the Realtors in our area are now finding themselves unemployed and having to work in other jobs. A few are now selling cars, some are selling furniture, waitressing and working at Macy’s! This does not surprise me.

When I moved to the Coachella Valley, more commonly known as the Palm Springs Desert, it was sixteen years ago and real estate was at a long time low with few homes being sold. Businesses were moving out of California, prices of homes were dropping rapidly, and Realtors were seeking other employment. In looking back over the highs and lows of my real estate career, and other careers I’ve had while raising a family singlehandly, I think the secret to my success has been twofold.

Firstly, I treated my business as a BUSINESS. For every dollar I made, fifty cents went back into BUILDING & INVESTING in my business. I’ve always worked on commission and I never lived beyond my means. When business was good, I set aside funds to help me thru leaner times . Secondly, my clients were always my TOP PRIORITY, and they still are today.

You’ll see two phrases on my business cards, email signatures and on my website. I thought long and hard trying to think of something to say that would depict HOW I ran my real estate business and WHO I was.  One simply states: In the “People Business” since 1965. And that accurately describes my career from Sales, Management, Advertising, and Public Relations over the years.

The second phrase states: “Old Fashioned Service Using New Fashioned Technology.“ And that’s because I was one of the first Realtors in the business to design and build a website that would be People friendly, helpful and informative. You do not need to SIGH IN on my website unless this is YOUR CHOICE. The entire MLS, the same one I use, appears on my site for anyone to use. There is a multitude of helpful information there about the personalities and differences of the nine cities that comprise of the Palm Springs desert area. There is even a FUN GAME to test your geographic skills on my site.

I also studied over the years and became a Certified Residental Specialist (CRS) in real estate. There are only 50,000 nationwide! Because so many SENIORS are relocating to the desert, I studied and became one of the first Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES).

Last year, when so many Realtors in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area were looking for business elsewhere…………I sold just under $10,000,000 in properties………….and many of these were from client referrals, past clients, or clients who found me on the Internet. In January of 2008 I closed on three escrows, and I have many buyers appointments for the next few months as well! And I truly believe it’s because I TRULY CARE about each and every client I’ve ever worked with.  Many are now my personal friends as well.

Real Estate is one of the largest and most expensive investments you’ll ever make. Ask yourself this: If you were in need of open heart surgery, would you seek out the best cardiologist and surgeon around, or use a doctor with little experience in this field? You should ask the same question when buying or selling real estate. The next time you want to buy or sell a home, give me a call………………..I’m the Realtor with sixteen years of experience, with YOUR best interests in mind!

Brought to you by Your Favorite Realtor,

Nancy Hankin

www.PalmSpringsHomesandEstates.com