WHO IS CHRISTOPHER SMITH & HOW CAN HE HELP YOU?

• Born in 1961
• Parents are Al and Ginny Smith
• Went to Buchanan Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, IA (now Ambroz Rec. Ctr.)
• Went to McKinley Junior High in Cedar Rapids, IA
• Went to Washington Senior High in Cedar Rapids, IA (Class of '79)
• Went to Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State University) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice
• Moved to Austin, Texas in 1985 and worked for 3M Corporation
• In 1990, I left 3M and went back to school to receive my Post-Baccalaureate in Elementary Education.
• I taught elementary school (grades 3-5) for eleven years in the Eanes School District in Austin, Texas
• In 2004, moved back to Cedar Rapids area and found a house in Marion, Iowa
• In 2004, worked as a 3rd grade teacher at Grant Wood Elementary
• In 2005, became a Realtor in Cedar Rapids.  I knew that in order to stick out in the crowd (of 900+ Realtors), I would have to do something different.  So I concentrated my efforts on the Internet.  I worked hard over the years on my real estate website and now it's #1 for Internet visibility in Cedar Rapids and in the state of Iowa (ranked by Point2Agent.com)
• In 2008, I received the coveted Realtors on the Rise Award by Real Estate Magazine as one of fifty up and coming real estate agents in the United States.  I was the only agent in Cedar Rapids to receive this award.
• In 2009, I became the first real estate agent in Cedar Rapids to shoot my own professional real estate videos for each of my listings, and to date, I am still the only agent to do so.
• I am married to Kimberly and have a daughter April (who is adopted from China) and a son Grayson.  Over the summer of '09 my family moved back "home" on the SE side of Cedar Rapids and we love it!

If you are a buyer, you need a Realtor and here's why:

• Christopher Smith negotiates for the seller to pay for your closing costs, up to $3,000.00.
• Christopher Smith negotiates for the seller to buy a one year Home Warranty for you to protect your appliances, heating, A/C, mechanicals, plumbing, etc.
• Christopher Smith is an experienced negotiator and usually negotiates between 1 & 5% off of the original asking price.  This can save you thousands of dollars off the cost of your home.
• Christopher Smith is a native Cedar Rapidian and knows the city.  He's also a former elementary school teacher and is familiar with the school districts, boundaries, and services offered for each individual school.
• Christopher Smith was chosen in 2008 by REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE (the #1 Real Estate Mag in the country) as one of fifty Up & Coming Real Estate Agents in the United States.  I say this not to brag, but to let you know that I take my job very seriously and I'm good!
• Christopher Smith works for TREGO REALTY, a small but powerful company in Cedar Rapids.  TREGO REALTY is a full service brokerage offering lending, building, insurance, investments, closing services, etc. to all our customers. 

If you are a seller, you need a Realtor & here's why:

• Christopher Smith can correctly price your home to sell and not sit on the market for six months using his "Highest Priced Analysis."  This formula will tell you the absolute highest price you can list your house for in today's buyer's market.
• Christopher Smith has the #1 real estate website in Cedar Rapids and in the state of Iowa for Internet traffic and education.  (Ranked by www.point2agent.com)  89% of people begin their search for homes on the Internet.  The most popular key search phrase is "Cedar Rapids Real Estate."  His website is on page one and so what does this mean for your listing?   Increased exposure.  Hundreds of people visit his site daily.  What are the chances that one of them is a "potential buyer?"  Your home becomes a "FEATURED LISTING" on his home page and immediately begins to 'sell itself' to the many visitors to my Cedar Rapids real estate website.
• When your home is listed on Christopher Smith's website, it is "virally" broadcasted to over 100 Realtors websites (that share the same Point2Agent website as Mr. Smith.  It then goes out to over 25 local, regional, & national real estate websites where the message of your listing continues to grow and grow.  Hundreds of other affiliate websites then pick up your listing as an RSS feed and continue this wonderful process of viral exposure of your listing.
• Christopher Smith has several real estate blogs where he writes articles about your listing.  These blogs are also read by hundreds of weekly readers and increase the exposure of your listing to "potential buyers."
• TREGO REALTY has relationships with Realtors/Brokers all across Cedar Rapids.  We talk to each other weekly and share our new listings.  They in turn share this information with Realtors who have clients looking for a home just like yours.  Once again, "he who exposes his home to the most potential buyers wins."
• TREGO REALTY is a full service brokerage just like the big guys.  We offer lenders, insurance, investment personnel, closing services, just like any other big real estate company.
• TREGO REALTY offers flexible commission plans that work with YOUR budget, and not our POCKET BOOK!  This can result in savings of several thousand dollars and can make the difference whether you list with TREGO or another big company with a higher commission rate.
• Communication is paramount in any real estate transaction.  We always under promise and over deliver in this category.  It's important to communicate with our sellers what is going on in the process and to set up realistic expectations for each specific listing we market to sell.  We will never promise you something that will never happen.  We are realists and this causes us to lose several listings.  The next Realtor comes along and promises a higher list price, only to sit on the market for six months.
• Finally, we work by the "Get by Giving" philosophy.  The more we give of our time, efforts, and money, the more we receive from our clients.  We are in the business of real estate to educate, and inform so our clients can make important decisions about Cedar Rapids real estate.