You And Your Client Must Feel Like The Only One
As I was trying to figure out what to post this week I ran across one of my past blog entries. After reading it again, I felt it was appropriate to update and re-post. After all, it’s exactly how I felt then and even more so now.
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 a long-standing personal relationship with the closing attorney or just working with him or her for the first time. 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 15 years of practicing law, one thing has remained constant . . . my accessibility to clients, buyers, sellers, lenders and Realtors. I have provided 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 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 emails and texts. Emailing (and texting) has become the primary vehicle for communication in my practice. But responding to them quickly should not be seen as a favor or obligation – it’s my job. There is no excuse for non-responsiveness.
Obviously there are other critical facets to running a successful closing practice like having an unparalleled system and staff which ensures a smooth and perfect closing 99.9% of the time (no one’s perfect). Each paralegal in my office shares my goals of unparalleled service, complete accessibility and the pursuit of a perfect closing.
People ask me all the time why do I do it? Why do I make myself so accessible? Why do I call every single buyer that has a closing in my office? 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 many 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) the better we get!
So what’s the point of this post? It’s really just to acknowledge that I (and most importantly my staff) 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 and to ensure your clients have a perfect closing experience.
As always, if you need help with anything at all, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime at (912) 484-1996 (even nights and weekends) or email me at jgerber@brannenlaw.com.