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Posted August 31, 2015

Fast . . . So They’re Not Furious
InSellerate, a lead-generation company, conducted a study that yielded some very interesting insights:

•   32% of consumers expect a company to respond to an online inquiry within 30 minutes
•   42% of consumers expect contact within one hour
•   More than half of the companies studied (56.34%) did not respond to the online or email inquiry at all

Of those companies that did respond, the average response time exceeded 24 hours, and the primary response vehicle was email, which is a passive, relatively non-effective method of contact.  The take-away thought from all of this is “no kidding”, of course, but it underscores the wisdom that a lead is only as good as the work you put into it.

Safety Over Sales
According to a USA Today article, realtors in Iowa are taking steps to ensure the safety of all agents. The initiative includes an optional seller contract that prohibits any agent from showing a property to someone they have not previously met and identified.  Ideally, the agent should insist that the buyer meet them at the agent’s office where she/he can check ID.  If that’s not possible, the agent is encouraged to meet in a public place like a coffee shop.  The conventional wisdom behind this, of course, is meeting prospective buyers in public and checking their ID discourages would-be attackers and allows agents to spot red flags in a safe place. 

Real estate brokerages and other firms all over the country have joined Open Door Partners (www.meetmeherefirst.com).  This is a service in which participating companies open their facilities for agents – even from competing companies/brokerages – to meet with prospective buyers before going out to view a property.  The site enables an agent to input an address and find participating companies within a specified radius.  In those instances when such a company is not close, it will list a Starbucks location that is convenient. 

Bark First, Delay the Bite
There are pending bills in both the Senate and the House to provide a hold-harmless period from the enforcement of TRID through the end of the year.  The main argument is that a grace period is necessary to assure companies have sufficient time to test their systems to comply with TRID without the fear of any repercussions.  Priority Lending has been ready since the early summer – we’re THAT good. 

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