By: Guest Author, Virginia REALTORS^® Senior Vice President of Member Programs, Adam Smith

You, the REALTOR^®, are the top real estate professional in the industry. Any person would be foolish not to take advantage of the services you can provide. But even then, clients don’t just line up outside your front door, waiting for your expert services to hand them the perfect dream home. Leads are generated from within your community – from the local nonprofit that you work with, your mentors and colleagues, and from your previous clients. And once you’ve developed these relationships, you hope that your expertise is top of mind the next time someone is looking for a professional to guide them through the transaction process.

FACT: Keeping in touch with your clients after they close on their home is extremely important.

ANOTHER FACT: Most people that buy a home (especially for the first time) have little to no experience in maintaining it. And for most, this is the biggest purchase and investment of their life! You, on the other hand, have all kinds of experience.

Herein lies your OPPORTUNITY to build an everlasting relationship with your clients.

Often, reminders are set to reach out on birthdays, during holidays, and maybe just to check in from time to time. Those are great things to do, but you can do so much more without spending any more time or effort. Make your interactions meaningful by helping your client take care of their home. Here are a few ideas.

• Before you shake hands or hug and part ways, provide your client with a calendar to remind them of when regular maintenance should be done. Examples might include seasonal lawn care information, HVAC inspections/filter change time frames, smoke detector testing, preparing pipes for winter, and much more.
• After they have settled in a bit, reach out and provide all of their documents on a thumb drive, including a list all of your client’s home, appliance, and service warranty dates. Then, within the first year, you can remind them as dates near and recommend service providers to them.
• If known, list the install date for the big cost items on a house. Examples might be when HVAC was installed, when the roof was built or replaced, and when the hot water heater was installed. Knowledge of these may lead to making better decisions about home warranties, having service work done prior to warranty expirations, and for savings in the household.
• Remember, we are all busy! Ease of use is key. Quick lists and calendar reminders will help greatly.

When you reach out, let your clients know that you are there for them, and that you will remain their source of the source – even for general advice or for preferred service providers. Your kindness and genuine friendship is the best thing you can do for you and for your business.