Getting to Know Your Cedar Rapid's Realtor - Christopher Smith
I wonder all the time about the folks that visit this website. Where are they from? What kind of jobs do they have? Are they moving right away or in the next year, or somewhere in between? Well, now it's my turn. I want you, the visitor to my site to know who I am at the core. This post will address all of these issues, so you know where I am coming from, and why I got into this business, so here goes!
What you do:
I help people solve problems everyday, For twelve years I solved children's problems as an elementary school teacher. Now I get to work with the big kids, and sometimes, their problems aren't far removed from some of my little ones I've taught. I also educate people about real estate, the market, finances, credit and debt issues, sections of town, renting versus buying, and a host of other real estate related issues.
Where you sell:
Technically I am licensed as a Realtor in the state of Iowa, so I can go anywhere in this state if I choose. However, my focus is narrowed down to the Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities including Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, Fairfax, Swisher, Solon, Mt. Vernon, Lisbon, etc.
What you specialize in:
This ones easy. You read and see everywhere that some Realtor specializes in buyers, and some Realtor specializes in sellers. Well, we all kind of specialize in that because we are highly trained in these areas. I don't consider these specializations, just parts of the job that I had better be good at to survive in this business. My specialization is working with families. If I can balance twenty-five plus families every year for over twelve years as an elementary school teacher, I can certainly accept and work with wonderful families like yourself who are investigating who they would like to be their Realtor. As a member of the National Association of Realtors, we are bound by a strict code of ethics to uphold, and we do this on a daily basis. I do not claim to be an expert in everything, except families and relationships.
Your business values:
I have always been a giver of my time, talents, and efforts my entire life. I've only recently realized that I had better take care of myself too, so that I can continue to give of myself. I believe that if I help enough people get what they want, then someday, I'll get what I want. I live by the "Get by Giving" philosophy and I will never compromise this value, ever!
Talents, specialties, competencies you bring from other fields:
Organization, and competency in my fields have always been important to me. It bothers me if I don't know everything about this business yet, but trust me, I'm getting there. Experience is a great teacher and a humble one at that as well! I am very good at marketing any given product. I've always thought outside the box and so I bring that with me when listing someone's house. From free Virtual Tours, personalized websites with your street address, canvassing your neighborhoods and "feeder" neighborhoods to solicit potential buyers, I do things differently and with a high results success rate.
How are you different from other Realtors in your area:
I can't speak for everyone here, but a lot of Realtors are in this business purely for the money. As soon as they help you sell your house, you never hear from them again. Sure, money is a wonderful byproduct of this business and it helps us to pay our bills. The most rewarding aspect of any job (if you call it a job) is the smiles on people's faces, the sighs of relief when you work families through a problem, the lifetime of relationships that I promise to maintain as a Realtor and as your friend.
*****BUYERS BE FOREWARNED, THIS CEDAR RAPID'S REALTOR WANTS YOUR FRIENDSHIP FIRST, WANTS TO HELP YOU SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS, AND WANTS TO GAIN YOUR TRUST AND CONFIDENCE BY GIVING YOU THE ONLY THING THAT HE IS AN EXPERT IN; GIVING OF HIMSELF TO OTHERS.
Happy house-hunting folks. Please get a hold of me if I can be of any assistance in your decisions to buy real estate in the Cedar Rapids area. I would be honored to represent you in this very important transaction. Have a GREAT week!