You Must Feel Like The Only One
Every realtor must demand service, accessibility and the pursuit of perfection from his or her closing attorney. Demanding these three things is the only way to ensure that your real estate business is able to focus on what you do best – helping people find homes and getting listings sold. You are entitled to demand these three things regardless of whether you (1) send the closing attorney 50 closings a year or just one or (2) have long-standing personal relationship with the closing attorney or just met them for the first time through a closing. This is what you deserve as a real estate professional.
Every Realtor Must Feel Like He Or She Is The Only Realtor I Work With
During my 12 years of practicing law, one thing has remained constant . . . my accessibility to my clients, buyers, sellers, lenders and realtors. I have provided (or at least tried to provide) my cell phone to everyone since the day I began practicing law. Whether it’s a $2,100,000.00 residential closing on Jones Street in Savannah, a $33,000,000.00 construction deal in Atlanta or a $20,000.00 lot contract in Richmond Hill, the individuals involved with the transaction can always get in touch with me in a timely fashion (and many times the first time they call).
I don’t care if we have never worked together before – you should ALWAYS feel free to call me on my cell or email me ANYTIME (even if it does not relate to a closing in my office).
But it’s not just taking phone calls or returning them, it also means responding to email and texts. Emailing (and texting) has become the primary vehicle for communication in my practice. But responding to them in a timely fashion should not be a big deal. There is no excuse for non-responsiveness.
Obviously there are other critical facets to running a successful closing practice – having an unparalleled system and staff which ensures a smooth and perfect closing 99.9% of the time (no one’s perfect). But I digress . . .
So what does all this mean? Does it mean I’m essentially on the phone all day from the second I leave my house in the morning until I walk in the door at night (and then many evenings)? YES (unless I’m in a meeting, sending emails, conducting a closing, spending time with my family or sleeping).
People ask me all the time why do I do it? Why do I make myself so available? My response is always the same – it’s how I’ve always done it – its second nature. And no, this isn’t something you do a few times to impress a realtor. I’ve actually heard that a few times and it’s funny to me because it’s the exact opposite – the more my office works with a realtor, the more we understand his or her preferences and system (which allows us to adapt to their style to ensure he or she is working as efficiently as possible) and the better we get!
So what’s the point of this post? It’s really just to acknowledge that I (and my paralegals) understand the daily pressure and time-sensitive nature of the real estate business. When realtors have questions about a closing, a problem that just popped up, a tough client, or really anything for that matter, they MUST have a closing attorney that is accessible, responsive and who (along with the paralegals) will do anything to help you.
My Only Priority Is To Make Your Job Easier
If you have any questions regarding this post, please contact me at (912) 484-1996 or jgerber@brannenlaw.com anytime (even nights and weekends).