I am newbie.... And I have my first out of state buyer (lives in LA, California and moving to OKC, OK). Anyway, I'm scheduled to show her around the whole metro (OKC and suburds) all day on Friday. She has a couple of houses picked out to see and then wants to see the city. What do ya'll usually do? I'm going to call the Chamber of OKC and see if they can put a packet together for her, I'm going to show (drive-by) some main attractions, malls, and resturants that are in the area. I can give her brief history about OKC and the state, but I don't know EVERYTHING about it. I guess I'm really nervous about having someone in my car with me for a whole day that has never been here. And, I'm nervous b/c I don't know all the streets to everywhere she wants to go.
Any advice or tips you can give me??

Thanks in advance!
Shari

Hey Shari! I'm originally from Tulsa & graduated from OU before moving to Austin - good to see a fellow Okie here!

We have a ton of people relocating from California to Austin right now. I take out at least 2 people per month that fit that description. Here's my advice:

1) Go to Best Buy right now & buy a TomTom or Garmin nav system. Seriously. It's the best money you can spend. Make sure it's Garmin or TomTom - they're a little bit more expensive, but exponentially better than the competition.

2) Now that you're back from Best Buy, go to your local Board & pick up a map to give your client when they get into town. In Texas, title companies all jockey for our business, and they put out some pretty killer marketing pieces that I pass along. I've gotten permission from them to re-brand their pieces w/ my company's logo. If you do a lot of relo's, it's well worth it. I'm pretty sure that OK uses fee offices everywhere, so if these marketing pieces aren't available, start looking around online for some good websites you can email over. Greatschools.com is one that I use a lot.

3) The first trip out is going to be all about area. You need to set up some auto-searches for your client & see which areas they start gravitating towards based on the types of houses they can buy. You want to show your client no more than 2 homes per neighborhood on the first outing (unless they insist on more.) Figure out if they like Edmond, Nichols Hills, or any other area of OKC the best. Once you've picked area, you're halfway there. Consistently ask them to rank the areas that you've looked at.

4) Take them somewhere impressive for lunch. If they're like most relo's, they're probably slightly on the fence about the move. This is where I always take my buyers for lunch. If you're doing a good job, they'll usually insist on buying. Don't you guys have a restaurant on a small lake up there somewhere?

That's pretty much it...feel free to ask any other questions - It's one area that I actually have a ton of experience in. Oh...keep your eye out for my OKC real estate website I'm launching w/in the next month or two.

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Eric Bramlett

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Oh - one other thing. Since they're moving from LA to OK, they're going to be floored by what they can buy there. Your job is halfway done for you! Cali buyers are my favorite people in the universe.

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Eric Bramlett

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Shari:
All great ideas there. My area is more of 2nd home/ vacation home market with some relos. I would add if available in your area is mobile mls where you can access mls from your phone. If while driving thru neighborhoods the buyer asks prices of other homes, you can pull over, access the listing details from your handheld rather than going back to the office to look them up or calling the listing agent's number on the sign. Our MLS offers this for free.
The other thing I would add is email your client with a small questionnaire stating that you would like to maximize the time you spend together and ask her specifically what she "wants" to see during the day and what she would "like" to see, etc. She may give you an itinerary that all you have to do is put it together. Good luck!

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Fort Lauderdale Real Estate | Fort Lauderdale Condo | Fort Lauderdale MLS

Eric - I really like that tip about scenic lunches. Thats a great way to show clients your city! Thanks for sharing..

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Lydia Taylor, Realtor & Broker

Augusta GA Real Estate | North Augusta SC Real Estate | Augusta GA Home Search

Try to learn uup on the subdivisions you will be showing her also, when it was developed, how many lots, etc... so you can give her some more inside scoop

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Karen Williamson |Maui Real Estate

www.mauipropertysearch.com

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Hi Shari,

My best advice would be to do a dry run first. Drive to every listing that you will be taking her to. If you do not know the answer to a particular question just tell them you will find out. If they want specifics on what homes are selling for in that area I would tell them that the market has been changing and you would feel much more comfortable running the sold and other active listings before throwing a random number out at them. The best thing of all is that it will be a learning experience for you as well and you will feel much more comfortable the second or third time around. Relax and you will do just fine. Let us know how it turns out.

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Boca Raton Real Estate - Boca Raton News - Boca Raton Florida

I work this kind of client all the time. I don't ride them around until they have been here a couple of times and know/like/love the area and have made a commitment.

But, I am in a resort and a lot of people dream about living here. I would like to try some actual relos some time. It sounds interesting having buyers who need a house to move into as opposed to buyers who just want a second home. Wants are so much harder to satisfy than needs.

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