The Realty Guild is about Referrals

Member (and Membership Committee Chair) Rita Gallant of Plymouth Village Realtors in Plymouth is exuberant about the referrals she gets through the Realty Guild. 

Rita tells us "In 2011 I received two listing referrals, one from Beverlee Vidoli of Vidoli & Associates, Realtors, in Burlington, and one from Carolyn Chodat of Classic Properties in Medway.  I listed and sold Carolyn's referral myself and the other one is temporarily off the market due to the birth of their twins, but I am still in touch with them.  I also referred one of my buyers from Billerica to Beverlee and she sold their home in November.  Currently, I am working with buyers from Lawndale and am expecting a listing referred by Louise Condon once the estate is probated.  My dues are well worth it, in fact, Realty Guild is a source of revenue for my company!"

Recap SOLUTIONS! April 10, 2012

Mission of the Realty Guild’s monthly SOLUTIONS! programs: Always keeping in mind that all real estate is local and nothing compares to the community presence of a well established independent real estate office, members gather monthly to help each other navigate through an ever changing business. 

Realty Guild enjoyed a full house at our April SOLUTIONS! program held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in  Waltham, Massachusetts. 

We first heard from five-year Platinum Sponsor Olympia Moving & Storage.   Founded in 1993 and partners with Wheaton World Wide Movers for interstate moves, Olympia currently employs 130 people. Sales Manager Keven Doherty spoke of how the firm focuses on building trust with the customer that Olympia will handle their move with professionalism and responsibility.  Olympia takes great pride in the systems and processes it has in place to insure the company can follow through on commitments made to their clients.  Keven also encouraged Realty Guild members to counsel clients early in the transaction, offering Olympia’s free storage and de-clutter service.  

Realty Guild member Laurie Cadigan, owner of Barrett & Company in Concord, Lincoln, and Lexington, addressed members stating that she has made technology and advancing her firm’s exposure on the internet a priority in the past year.  In keeping with the Realty Guild’s spirit of generosity, Laurie introduced two of her firm’s technical experts, Beth Lucht, Interactive Marketing Manager and Realtor, and Andrew Bass, Manager of Technical Services & Social Media Development, to share with members some of the insights her firm has gained. Beth and Andy stated that for many people technology starts “in the palm,” meaning that your firm’s web site and tools should be designed for those accessing the web from their phones.  They pointed out that since Google is the most powerful search engine, that is where you should focus your SEO (search engine optimization) efforts. For instance, any account you create with GooglePlus will boost your exposure on Google. And given that you can be overwhelmed by GooglePlus, Twitter, YouTube, FaceBook, etc., it is best to start building your on-line presence where you are comfortable and adding from there, being sure to clearly brand your company at all levels. In addition to GooglePlus, Beth and Andy told members of  AltosResearch, a valuable site that contains “real time real estate data,” and HDhat which can turn your raw video into a slick property video that can even be a gift to your home buyer and seller.  Laurie, Beth and Andy ended their presentation noting that they are introducing their sales associates to DocuSign which they believe will make communication among buyers, sellers and real estate professionals easier and more secure.  They reminded all to approach technology in step-by-step and uncomplicated fashion because technology is not magic – it is there to help us.