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Personal Referrals: The Lifeblood of My Real Estate Business

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Personal Referrals are the lifeblood of my real estate business Travis Hightower Realtor Colorado

Over the last couple of months, we’ve talked about the whole home buying process. From finding the perfect home before ever stepping outside to look for it, up to the ways you can move in fastwith the least amount of stress. And now that we’re done, I want to share with you the lifeblood of my business – personal referrals.

It’s so significant that over the past 2 years, I’ve only worked with one client that wasn’t a referral. I’ll also share what these relationships mean to me and what you can expect if you give me a referral.

The Triangle of Trust

It starts with what I call the Triangle of Trust. And what that means is if I have a relationship with you, you’re going to refer me someone in your life that you trust and know, just like you know and trust me.

The Triangle of Trust in Real Estate through Referrals to the Agent Travis Hightower Colorado Realtor

The referral meets me and then naturally, there’s a level of trust that’s created. This happens because you’ve passed along their information which enables me to reach out to them to create a relationship. And so that’s the first part of the equation here.

What Happens When You Give Me a Referral?

When I take on clients, I take it to heart. I really enjoy taking on their biggest challenge and that’s finding their perfect home.

People Influence People. A trusted Referral influencer p

I like to follow the perfect home process and discover what it is that they truly want and why. And then we go out into the market and find that.

And that’s why when I get a referral, I want to be able to step up and perform at the highest level.

Who Can You Refer to Me?

If you have someone in mind and you refer them to me, it could be for any real estate advice. I work with home buyers and sellers.

And for renters, though I don’t help in finding rental properties, I do like to chat with them because in most cases, they ultimately become a buyer. So, it’s a relationship that I want to create and foster.

And it can be anyone that needs advice related to real estate. Some questions might be on a home’s value or the homebuying process next year when their lease is up.

Refer me! I will go above and beyond, guaranteed! Travis Hightower Colorado Realtor

So I want to invite you to just think about anyone in your life that might need real estate advice. When that question comes up feel free to connect me. I’d be more than happy to help them.

Best Way to Refer Me

Since we’re creating a triangle of trust, I’d like for you to get permission from this person before I contact them. I don’t want to call them out of the blue and catch them off guard.

It’s awesome when you take the time to set it up in a way where you’re introducing me. Then I’m getting contact information and I’ll reach out to them about the specific questions they have.

And the most important part is that you expect an update from me. Because if I’m goin to maintain that level of trust, it goes both ways, right?

If you give me a referral, I don’t want you to wonder if I ever called them because you’re doing me a favor by connecting me with a potential client.

I’m going to update you with where I’m at, how the conversation went and the timeline that we’re working within.

The Power of Personal Referrals in Real Estate Infographic by Travis Hightower

Next Week…

I’m going to talk deeper about what the process when I get a referral. I’m going to share an actual experience with the client that was referred to me. As well as the outcome of that experience which is really, really awesome.

I’ll share from A to Z of what that looks like so you can know what to expect anytime you consider referring me someone important in your life.

The Perfect Home Time Savers and Hacks List

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Real Estate Tips 3 Time-Saving Hacks I Wish I Knew About When I First Moved In

Now that you purchased Your Perfect Home, it’s time to make it your very own and a reflection of who you are. We’re moving from the vision of discovering what your perfect home looks like to actually living there. Yay!

Right now you could be excited to have a housewarming party with all your friends or having your extended family visit and see what you’ve purchased. It can be anything! But how do you make that happen in the shortest period of time between work and life? Here’s how.

It Starts with Time

The most ideal scenario is having plenty of time to set up your perfect home exactly the way you want it. Taking time off work or creating specific time blocks to focus on your home is step #1. Begin by sizing up the amount of work to be done and create a timeline for completion in the weeks leading up to closing.

Time the one asset none of us are ever gonna get more of gary vee quote travis hightower

For simplicity purposes let’s assume you bought a home that needs little to no repairs and the only handy work is interior decorating and customizing the home to fit you. So we aren’t talking about a 3-month schedule or managing multiple contractors. That’s an entirely different conversation!

Move-In Priorities

I’m not going to lie… moving is stressful! Help minimize stress by focusing on these top priorities on move-in day. Setting these up quickly will make everything else much easier.

  1. The bedroom where you sleep and wake up.
  2. The bathroom where you start and end your day.
  3. The kitchen where you snack and refuel.

Master Bedroom

There’s something about having everything you love about your comfortable bed in place when it’s time for rest. Plus waking up to see your master bedroom set up gets you primed for the day. It’s the first things you see when you wake up! Having it organized will give you sense of accomplishment and pride when you open your eyes.

Who has thrown just their comforter on top of the mattress because he’s totally spent after a long day of moving? 🙋‍♂️ I have. SMH.

Master Bathroom

The same is true about your master bathroom. Taking the time to set this up will allow you to end your day with a quick shower before bedtime without sifting through boxes for a towel or toothbrush.

Just like your bed, having your bathroom organized gets you into the flow from the time you wake up. It allows you to quickly tackle what’s ahead instead of problem-solving which box has what at 6 am.

Kitchen

Remember how much time it took to carefully wrap your kitchen glasses, plates, etc? This space will take time to get set. However, this space is vital in keeping you going when taking on full days of moving or having a space to unplug and connect to your significant other after a long day at the office.

Knowing where things are located makes getting a glass of water or whipping up a healthy meal easy. If you enjoy cooking, eating food on the go gets tiresome and isn’t the best fuel for a long move-in days.

For me, I love being able to take a short break for an almond butter sandwich or starting my morning with a huge veggie omelet and coffee. Getting your kitchen set up early eliminates the eating out cycle and won’t require you to leave when it’s time to eat. Or worse….waiting until you’re starved to eat!

Activity Batching Explained

The best way to explain batching is to think about doing your laundry. Most people wash their clothes after waiting for enough to run a large load, then sorting everything by color or material and washing everything at once. Versus wearing 1 outfit and then washing it every day. Make sense?

Batching Priorities

  1. Setting up, scheduling, and meeting utility companies
  2. Trips to the hardware store – Home Depot, Lowe’s, & Ace
  3. Shopping for home decor and/or furniture. IKEA, etc.
Real Estate Meme Batch Please Travis Hightower Colorado Agent

Utility Companies

When setting up, new service utility companies only require a call to transfer service into your name. While internet, satellite, and TV providers will need to meet you in person. Just an FYI, in Colorado the title company will transfer water and service on your behalf.

When making these calls set aside 1-2 hours to call in your initial services. Literally go down your list of providers and schedule all of them and if you do this ahead of closing you can schedule your services on your move-in day. Another option is to choose 1 specific day where you’re available the entire day to meet various service technicians during their timeblocks.

Keep in mind, companies like Xfinity will give you a half day window for installation and it’s no fun spreading this out over the course of a week with multiple companies. With a little planning, you can batch schedule your appointments and have services complete over 1 day vs 1 week.

Hardware Store

Have you ever been in the middle of a project and needed something to complete it? It happens all the time and that’s why batching trips to the hardware store will save you a ton of time. However, this takes patience and discipline as you move from project to project.

Let’s say you’re hanging curtain rods and realize you need drywall anchors to do it right. Instead of dropping everything to drive to the hardware store, put that project on hold and start making a list of what you’re missing. Why? Because when you move to the next project, like installing a ceiling fan or light fixture, you might be missing electrical tape or wire nuts. Right?

Batching trips to the hardware store at the beginning or end of the day will avoid peak shopping times and/or traffic around the city. Getting the times on your list will be faster and easier, especially since Home Depot opens at 6 am and closes at 10 pm. I’m sure you get my point here.

Home Decor & Furniture

It goes without saying, you want to set up your perfect home to see what you’re missing before shopping for new things. This means your entire home and not just room by room. Once you have an idea of what you need it’s easy to batch things like delivery, set-up, and even “pick & pack” service.

Similar to the Perfect Home Process, creating clarity for what you need will eliminate having to return something you don’t want or spending more time than you need wandering around stores.

For example, one of the biggest shopping hacks I know is offered through IKEA. They will literally pick anything in the store for $40 and deliver it to your home for $60. No matter how many items you request for $100, it will be delivered to your home.

Service Contractors

In 2019 almost anything can be contracted out. From car rides to cleaning, you can have tasks done for you quickly and efficiently. The sky is the limit right!?!

This can be your lifestyle or something you do temporarily. Using these services allows you to focus on getting your new home 100%. And saved time will reduce stress during the first few weeks of your move-in and initial set up. Here are the services I recommend using:

  1. Grocery Delivery Service
  2. House Cleaning Service
  3. Laundry Wash and Fold Service

Grocery Delivery

This has been an absolute game changer and similar to Amazon, you can do it all from home. I don’t ever have to leave my house and fall victim to any 10 for $10 gummy bears that sounded amazing while at the grocery store.

To save time is to lengthen life quote travis hightower colorado real estate

My favorite is InstaCart because I shop from my iPad while walking around my house to see what I need. It saves the drive and shopping time because they deliver from Costco, Sams Club, Whole Foods, Sprouts, King Soopers, Safeway, Restaurant Depot, and a handful of others. Plus you don’t have to have a Sam’s and Costco membership either!

For example, I can order toilet paper, paper towels, shaving cream, and coffee from Costco and my groceries for the week from Whole Foods. Then everything arrives in 1-2 hours. It’s so easy and must have when you’re trying to move in, unpack, set-up, and eat healthy.

Cleaning Service

This is pretty self-explanatory when you’re spending a lot of time getting your house organized.

It’s something that  you can certainly do but it’s gonna take you like 2 – 3 hours to really clean up in most cases, right? So to have a good cleaning service come out to take care of it, totally on point.

And for me personally, I’ve been availing the service of the same cleaner for myself. She handles my Airbnbs and it’s pot-on every time. She never lets me down and and does an amazing job. I’m happy to refer her to you if you’d like.

Laundry Service

This is wash and fold. They come pick it up and bring it back a few days later folded up, all ready to go.

Again, you have to consider time vs cost. If you have a lot of comforters, towels, sheets or a lot of laundry that needs to be done and you’re just looking to save time, this is a great way to do that.

I have another provider that helps me out with my laundry in Airbnb. She charges me $25 a bag full of towels and other stuff. She takes it home, washes it, fold it, and brings it back.

Real Estate Infographic about Moving In Fast by Travis Hightower Colorado Realtor

Next Week…

Now that you’re finally settled in your perfect home, it’s time to help others find theirs! Next week, I’m going to talk about the lifeblood of my real estate business which is personal referrals. I’ll share how it looks like when you refer to me and the best ways to connect me with the people in your life.