Below are some of the questions I am frequently asked by clients and prospective clients: Q: How long have you been a residential real estate professional? A: I have been licensed in the state of Texas since December 1996, thirteen years ago, and I started my business in January 1997. Q: I noticed that you use the term Realtor® after your name, but not all real estate agents do. What is the difference between a real estate agent that is also a Realtor® and one that is not a Realtor®? A: A Realtor® must belong to the National Association of Realtors® and must adhere to very strict guidelines for ethical and moral conduct in their business transactions. Realtors® must abide by a strict Code of Ethics. A real estate agent can be licensed without being a member of the national and local associations, but they are not required to adhere to our Code of Ethics. By making sure your agent is also a Realtor®, you can feel confident that she is a professional, and that you will be treated according to the strict guidelines of The Code, and that you will be represented well, treated fairly and honestly, and receive the highest level of service. ClickHere to view the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics. Q: I see that you also have several designations or certifications. What do these mean? A: I made a promise to myself and to my clients that I would always strive to keep abreast of real estate trends, market changes, technology, law revisions, and anythng else that may affect their real estate transaction. This is very important to me. The designations you see after my name are the certifications that I have done that. Each of these designations require a number of intense training classes, and demonstration of real estate expertise through actual experience, along with exams to prove success. CRS® - Certified Residential Specialist - A nationally recognized symbol of excellence, and the residential real estate industry's most advanced "degree". Only 4%, or 1 in every 25 Realtors® has the advanced training, experience and commitment to call themselves a Certified Residential Specialist. GRI® - Graduate Realtor Institute - Graduate REALTOR® Institute designees have made the commitment to provide a high level of professional services to their clients. The GRI curriculum incorporates a common body of knowledge for progressive real estate professionals. REALTORS® who hold the GRI designation have dedicated their time and money on real estate education to bring you quality service. ABR® - Accredited Buyer Representative - The Accredited Buyer Representative designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council of the National Association of REALTORS® who meet the specified educational and practical experience criteria. e-PRO® - e-PRO is the only NAR approved Internet Certification Program available for real estate professionals. The vision for the future of e-PRO Certification is to create a well-trained, core group of real estate professionals who are thriving in the online-based real estate industry.
Q: To what professional associations do you belong? A: I belong to the Austin Board of Realtors, the Texas Association of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors, the Council of Residential Specialists, and the Real Estate Buyer's Agency Council. These associations help me to keep informed of current trends, laws, and technology. Q: How many real estate transactions have you closed? A: Since my first closing in 1997, and through the end of 2007, I have closed 310 transactions, and 240 of those have been in Austin. Q: Do you work full-time at your real estate career? A: Yes, I do, and I have since the beginning. I quit my full-time job in the corporate world to devote 100% of my time and attention to learning as much as I could about the real estate business. I really believe that you can't do an adequate job representing your clients working on a part-time basis. Q: Have you always worked in Austin? A: I started my real estate business in January 1997 in Houston, Texas. I moved to Austin in July 1999, and immediately started my business here. Q: Do you have a territory or specific area in which you work? A: Fortunately, Austin is small enough that I can work all over and not feel overwhelmed by the market knowledge I must have to do my job well. I have represented buyers that have purchased property from as far south as Kyle, Buda, and Bastrop, and as far north as Georgetown. I find that this is necessary to have an overall knowledge of the market to enable me to advise clients new to the area that may not know exactly where they want to live. Q: Do you work independently or do you have a large team? A: I work independently. I find this suits my personality and style better than working with or on a team. I get a great amount of satisfaction knowing everything about my clients and about their real estate transaction. Excellent service involves building a trusting relationship with your clients, and this is the way I want it. My clients think of me as their real estate consultant, providing expert advice and opinions to guide them and assist them in making the best decision regarding their real estate sales and purchases. I just see no other way to accomplish this other than maintaining control of the transaction and attending to all of the details. There is just too much at stake to delegate this to someone else. Q: Do you work with first-time home buyers? A: Yes, definitely, and I truly enjoy it. Part of my services include education of the buyer or seller, and first-time home buyers are obviously in need of a lot of it. A real estate sale or purchase is quite complicated, even for the savvy buyer or seller. I am a very detailed person, and I have been told over and over that my attention to detail, my advice and opinions, and my ability to walk my client through the transaction has made what could be a scary transaction a very enjoyable one, and a learning experience. Q: Do you work mainly with buyers or sellers, or both? A: I represent buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords, but never in the same real estate transaction. In other words, I serve only one master at a time. All real estate listing agreements and buyer representation agreements are written in the name of my broker, Realty World - John Horton and Associates. The broker can represent both parties in a real estate transaction as an intermediary, and appoint different agents to represent each party in negotiations. It is my personal preference to give advice to only one party in a real estate transaction. That way I know that my client has the best representation possible. Q: What services do you provide for your buyer clients? Your seller clients? A: The services I provide are specifically tailored to each client's needs, whether a buyer or seller. The needs of a first-time home buyer or seller are quite different from the needs of a savvy investor; therefore, the services vary. Along the same lines, each home that I market for my seller clients requires a different marketing plan. The first step in determining a plan for services is to interview with each client, preferably face to face, if possible, to determine their goals and requirements. If you have specific questions about what services I can provide for you, please give me a call to set up an interview. Q: What is your business philosophy? A: First and foremost, I believe that honesty is the best policy in business and in personal relationships. When my clients ask me for advice or for my opinions, they know that they will get an honest answer, even though it may not be what they want to hear. Second, I believe in the Realtor® code of ethics, and that is how I run my business, at least to the best of my ability. What is boils down to is that I practice the "Golden Rule". I also like to represent ethical, moral people, and I will be the first to tell someone if there is a conflict in that regard. My clients don't think of me as a salesperson. They think of me as their consultant, representing their best interests, and providing honest advice and opinions to guide them and assist them in their real estate investments. They think of me as a marketing professional, always eager to promote their properties. They think of me as a negotiator, always represeting their interests above all others. They think of me as a good listener and an excellent communicator. And yes, some of them even think of me as a friend! One last thing - I will never put pressure on a client to do something that is not in their best interest. I put their interests even above my own. If I can just live up to those expectations, I will be very happy! Q: What goals do you have for your business? A: My goal is simple and really has nothing to do with the volume of transactions or the amount of money I make. My goal is to build a solid referral based business and make every one of my clients a member of the Vickie Boozer Fan Club by giving them the best service I can give. |