BanCorp Realty: Orange County's Real Estate Blog

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Good Orange County Realtors are genuinely interested in their clients

What is a Realtors main responsibility? Helping their client’s - it is also a question about motivation. If a Realtor is more concerned with the perks or awards (luxury corner office, better job description, top-five in sales in their region) than they are in their client’s overall well-being and financial goals; they are likely in the wrong industry or need to reevaluate why they come into the office each day. If a Realtor’s only goal is to be top-dog in sales and get that ocean-view office they have moved from being a Realtor that serves to a self-serving power-seeker.

BanCorp Realty: Excellent Orange County Realtors

Most Realtors hate this analogy, but as professionals we are not unlike waiters in a fine restaurant. How can I serve you? Can I make some good recommendations? If a waiter in a outstanding restaurant doesn’t know the menu and wine list like the back of his hand, and gives you crummy service are you going to leave him a good tip? Are you going to come back? Are you going to recommend the restaurant to your closest friends? Waiters aren’t concerned with job titles or lush offices or being on the top-five list of waiters in Southern California. They are concerned with getting paid for excellent their excellent service and knowledge. The same will hold true for a real estate professional if they have their priorities straight: if they know the menu and wine list (the localized housing market they work in) like the back of their hand, and they are able to make great recommendations to their clients, they will get paid. If not this transaction, then the next, but they will get paid because they are genuinely interested in their clients, and their clients notice this very quickly.

BanCorp Properties: Outstanding Orange County Realtors

Human beings are naturally inclined to want to take care of our own needs and desires first before helping anyone else. It is not a statement of fact, but it is a prevalent attitude in an industry where the professionals are paid on a strictly commission basis. There is a temptation to think of one’s own financial situation before they think about their clients anytime a Realtor signs on a new client: whether to list their home or represent them as a buyer’s agent. The majority of the time as soon as the contract has been signed the Realtor has already calculated the three-percent commission in their mind and they are going to get that commission no matter what. It is a polar-shift in thinking – and a very difficult adjustment to make – but if a Realtor is able to take a genuine interest in their client’s well being and their client’s financial success, and put their needs in front of their own, the natural end results will be many more satisfied clients and better long-term results for the Realtor.

Greg Steinaker: Former Executive Ford Motor Company

Greg Steinaker: BanCorp Properties

Cities and Communities BanCorp Realty Serves In:

Aliso Viejo Real Estate & Aliso Viejo Homes For Sale | Costa Mesa Real Estate & Costa Mesa Homes For Sale | Coto De Caza Real Estate & Coto De Caza Homes For Sale | Dana Point Real Estate & Dana Point Homes For Sale | Irvine Real Estate & Irvine Homes For Sale | Ladera Ranch, Real Estate & Ladera Ranch Homes For Sale | Laguna Beach Real Estate & Laguna Beach Homes For Sale | Laguna Hills Real Estate & Laguna Hills Homes For Sale | Laguna Niguel Real Estate & Laguna Niguel Homes For Sale | Lake Forest, CA Real Estate & Lake Forest, CA Homes For Sale | Mission Viejo Real Estate & Mission Viejo Homes For Sale | Newport Beach Real Estate & Newport Beach Homes For Sale | Corona Del Mar Real Estate & Corona Del Mar Homes For Sale | Newport Coast Real Estate & Newport Coast Homes For Sale | Rancho Santa Margarita Real Estate & Rancho Santa Margarita Homes For Sale | Dove Canyon Real Estate & Dove Canyon Homes For Sale | | San Clemente Real Estate & San Clemente Homes For Sale | San Juan Capistrano Real Estate & San Juan Capistrano Homes For Sale

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Asking questions often separates successful Orange County Realtors from those who are unsuccessful.

Most Realtors do not suffer from lack of confidence. They don’t know all the answers, but they know enough of them to get through the day – a dangerous mindset as the professional is not growing or learning. One of the biggest obstacles facing Realtors is their egos, afraid to ask difficult questions from a client, pretending to know everything for fear of appearing foolish or amateurish. This is not a good recipe for a successful Realtor! The best Realtors understand that it is better to look uninformed for one minute than to be uninformed for the entire transaction. They always begin by asking questions, more questions, and then even more questions to fully ascertain the client’s goals as well as the specifics of the transaction at hand. If it is a difficult transaction – let’s say multiple properties involving multiple parties consisting of numerous investors – if the Realtor is asked a question they don’t know, they have the confidence in themselves (and the team that supports them) that they will be able to get to the right people and ultimately get the right answer.

Asking questions often separates successful Realtors from those who are unsuccessful. Why? Because a professional can only get answers to the questions that they ask. There is always another Realtor or Broker (likely in their company) who could answer their question if they are simply willing to ask. If a Realtor is asking they are learning, if they are learning they are growing, and if they are growing they are directly benefiting their client’s because they are maximizing their client’s investment whether they are buying or selling a home. Anthony Robbins said “quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions and as a result, they get better answers.” To apply this to real estate: when the best Realtors meet with a client for the first time they ask questions, the average ones spout-off about how good they are and how much better their company is than the other companies. The old saying is that the stupidest question is the one that wasn’t asked. No one wants to work with a “know-it-all” Realtor, and people respect a professional who asks questions or even the person that says; “I don’t know the answer to that, but I know someone that does, let me make a phone call, or I’ll be back in touch with you in the morning.” If the client takes exception to something as simple as this, it might be a relationship that is not beneficial to both parties.

Greg Steinaker: Managing General Partner BanCorp Real Estate Group

Greg Steinaker – Managing General Partner BanCorp Realty

Monday, July 14, 2014

Few Realtors are successful unless a lot of people want them to be.

There is a misconception that top-echelon Realtors would be great no matter what type of support they got. But that simply isn’t true. Without a lot of people working together, there would be no truly successful Realtors. There is only a small percentage of Realtors who are continually successful over the long run, and these outstanding few recognize that every success comes through the assistance of many people: a broker that advertises, a marketing department engaging in social media, a reliable title company and so on… These elite few get the support they are looking for and they are continually grateful for this support because they understand they could not get to the point where they are on their own.

On the other hand, many Realtors whose success stops at some point in time are in that position because they have cut themselves off from everyone who has helped them get there in the first place. They view themselves as the sole source of their achievements: “it wasn’t the broker’s marketing or the social media or the brand recognition, it was – me, me, me…” As the Realtor becomes more self-centered and isolated, they lose their creativity and ability to succeed. The Realtor should instead continually acknowledge others’ contributions, which will automatically create room in their minds for much greater success. They will be motivated to achieve even more for those who have helped them. If a Realtor is able to focus on appreciating and thanking the other people who have helped them get to where they are, the conditions will always grow to support their increasing successes.

If you want to be a successful Realtor, you will need the support of many people – you can’t go it alone. And if you are smart, you will appreciate and acknowledge their contribution to your success.

Greg Steinaker: Outstanding Orange County Business Leader

Greg Steinaker – Managing General Partner BanCorp Real Estate Group

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

What separates and average Orange County Realtor from an extraordinary one?

For a Orange County real estate professional to have success in the marketplace they must be able to influence their clients. Not the type of influence where a Realtor is trying to manipulate or sway a client’s decision, but rather the type of influence that is cultivated by maintaining key professional characteristics. Things that a Realtor will work on each and every day that that will lead them to becoming a top-notch, high-quality Realtor who is respected in their community and is known for being a professional of integrity without compromise.

BanCorp Realty: Influential Orange County Real Estate Brokers

If you are a Realtor with influence you will be in a position to help your client instead of trying to make them happy all the time (which I discussed in my last blog post). What does a Realtor need to do to increase their level of influence with their clients? If a real estate professional truly wants to start earning their client’s (or prospective client’s) trust, and become a true real estate advocate, they will start working on these seven following characteristics that the top-tier Realtors work on each day of their careers:

Ability: learn more about the real estate industry daily and do it with excellence.

· Character: hold yourself to the highest standard of integrity daily.

· Passion: if you aren’t passionate about real estate – chose another career.

· Success: maximize your time daily to achieve the results you are seeking.

· Intuition: pay attention to the intangibles of being an excellent Realtor daily.

· Confidence: know what you are doing and make others around you feel confident too daily.

· Charisma: focus on your clients and show them that you care daily.

If a Realtor embodies these characteristics, their influence will increase with their clients and their results will be a natural byproduct for striving for these.

Gregory G. Steinaker: Managing General Partner and President BanCorp Real Estate Group

Greg Steinaker: Managing General Partner and President – BanCorp Real Estate Group

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

There are two days you never have to worry about: today and tomorrow.

There are two qualities that define an excellent Realtor. The first is they understand that helping their clients is more important than making them happy. The second is they understand the importance of focusing on the present.

When a Realtor makes the choice to start helping their clients instead of trying to make them happy, it is a difficult one. They move from doing “whatever it takes or says to get the listing” to telling a prospective the truth or absolute facts with the hope of earning their confidence. A polar-shift in the way they manage their business. As professional’s we want to do both, make our clients happy and help them at the same time – but when we attempt to do this we normally end up trying to please them more than we end up helping them. The reason for this is some people want what don’t need and need what they don’t want (ie. client wants a beachfront home in San Clemente but the kids go to school in Ladera Ranch, the husband works in Los Angeles and the wife in Riverside). Someone has to tell them that it might not be a good decision or in their best interest, and that task falls on the shoulders of an excellent Realtor – even if it jeopardizes or minimizes a commission.

When a Realtor comes to the conclusion that it is more important for them to help their clients than to try and make them happy, they will likely have won their confidence. When a real estate professional has made this transition they might not be making their client (or prospective client) happy, but they have now become a true real estate advocate versus a real estate cheerleader. If their client is unhappy with them it will not be a result of personal failure of the Realtor fulfilling their responsibilities, but rather the opposite, they are fulfilling all their responsibilities because they aren’t out to win any popularity contests, they are showing their client every angle of the transaction – or all of the pros and cons to the transaction. A good Realtor might have critics and be misunderstood (by other Realtors), but choosing to help their client instead of making them happy is still a choice to make.

Another choice that the top Realtors in the industry make is to focus on the present. They make every effort to focus on what is right in front of them. The majority of Realtors have a tough time letting go of the opportunities they have allowed to pass them by. They spend too much of their professional career recycling a junkyard of regret. They focus the best part of their career on what might have been or what should have been. It is as if they think that if they replay it enough they can change the outcome.

BanCorp Realty: Orange County Real Estate Agents

The only thing a Realtor can control is what they do in the present. The more they replay yesterday, the further they get from today’s opportunities. And the further away they move from sales opportunities, the tougher the road is to get back. Potential clients may come in many forms and they may come from any direction, but one thing is certain, they can be seen and seized only in the present. We live in the present and that’s where a Realtor’s strength lies. Whatever has happened in the past has happened. Since you cannot undo the past not matter how hard you try, wipe the slate clean and go on to what’s next – remember your next client or sale can come from any direction. The choices we make as professionals truly do make us. With each one we change – for the better of the worse. To be a successful Realtor, you need to know what you stand for and what you will stand up to. The key choices you make regarding how you will conduct yourself will not only indicate what kind of Realtor you are, they determine what kind of Realtor you will become.

Greg Steinaker – CEO Irvine Holding Company

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Real Estate Companies who try to climb to the top without connecting with their Realtors need to change their attitude.

The majority of Real Estate Brokers today place the positional aspect of their company (where they stand in sales, Realtor recruitment, total market share), ahead of their ongoing relational one with their existing Realtor base – playing a form of the kid’s game king of the hill – knocking down others (or doing whatever it takes) to get their company to the top. Company First. Realtor’s Second. Most real estate companies today don’t realize that the game of real estate can be played any other way. There comes a point in the evolution of a real estate company’s life when they are confronted with a choice. Are they going to compete in the marketplace at all costs, to climb over their own Realtors to make sure they get to the top, or are they going to connect with their Realtors, develop their professional’s careers and put people before profit for the sake of longer-term growth?

When a real estate company is willing to win at costs, they devalue their Realtors because the leaders are only interested in their own financial gain. They are acutely aware of which companies are selling more homes than them and which ones aren’t, constantly reading reports to see where they rank. Moving up is very important to them, and the idea of moving down is terrible. What is going on in each Realtors personal and professional journey doesn’t even register on the radar screen, the management team is only looking at their pocketbooks. An excellent real estate company on the other hand will find a way to connect with their Realtors and focus their attention on moving over to where their people are – the real world of buying and selling homes. They will think more about who is on the journey (long-term) with them and how they can come alongside them (short-term and long-term). This is a major shift in thinking.

BanCorp Realty: Orange County Expert Realtors

A real estate company will win at every level if it focuses on relationships, cooperation and partnerships with its Realtors. Real estate companies who try to win at all costs may be a frontrunner for a while, but they won’t stay there for long. The real estate brokers who “get it” are more interested in using their on-going relationships with their Realtors to foster cooperation (marketing, support, continued training). They see working together as a win. If a real estate organizations mind-set is always to win, then they naturally want power because it helps them climb faster and reach the top more quickly. However, becoming the best broker in any given real estate market is not a solo endeavor. And anything that that the broker could on their own pales in significance to the things they could do with a team of skilled Realtors. The way to create really high-powered Realtors is to form partnerships with them, which is what the best real estate companies are most likely to do.

Greg Steinaker – CEO Irvine Holding Company

Mission Statement

BanCorp Real Estate Group provides and administers superior real estate services and product expertise. At each level we strive to be the client’s first choice. We continue to succeed treating our clients and the communities we serve as we would wish to be treated – the real golden rule.

We will continue to lead from the front the mutual trust, honest, integrity and authenticity in the delivery of our service. Our achievements are realized through our commitment to O.N.E. unified purpose driven resolve – Truth in Real Estate.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Good Orange County Realtors are genuinely interested in their clients

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Asking questions often separates successful Orange County Realtors from those who are unsuccessful.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Few Realtors are successful unless a lot of people want them to be.

Greg Steinaker – Managing General Partner BanCorp Real Estate Group

Thursday, July 10, 2014

What separates and average Orange County Realtor from an extraordinary one?

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

There are two days you never have to worry about: today and tomorrow.

There are two qualities that define an excellent Realtor. The first is they understand that helping their clients is more important than making them happy. The second is they understand the importance of focusing on the present.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Real Estate Companies who try to climb to the top without connecting with their Realtors need to change their attitude.

BanCorp Realty is a division of The Irvine Holding Company