Highlights of Don’s Ubertor Real Estate website include:

• Unique home page, used as a menu, allowing easy navigation.
• Properties section provides clear and concise imagery.
• Special attention paid to the quality of the photos being used, ensuring a great user experience for his visitors and clients.
• Active listings are displayed in a way that allows the viewer to truly be captivated by large, high definition photos of the property.
• Active listings map features all listings relative to their location.
• Mobile friendly version of Don’s website, applicable to all devices.

There are many pre-conceived stereotypes about what a Realtor is like and what qualities are needed to succeed and be memorable. I’m sure you’ve all been accused of being workaholics and maybe even brash at one point or another. Let’s face it, you probably held some of these notions about the professionals in the industry yourself. I know I did (no offence). After all stereotypes exist for a reason, but about a month ago I had the pleasure of talking with one of our long-term clients, Bettina Reid and she proved me wrong.

Not only was she incredibly professional and levelheaded but also really candid about what she initially thought of the Real Estate business. She shared with me the ways in which she has managed to build a successful team while still staying true to herself. No pushy sales tactics or drastic overtime nightmares for this one. Clearly passionate about her career, Bettina spoke about how she incorporates her personal touch into every aspect of the business.

For anyone who might think that motherhood and compassion are not suitable qualities for a Realtor, think again! Bettina is a prime example of how dedication, organization and honesty can bring you a long way. From her sales approach to her relationship with her clients and yes of course her website, Bettina is a prime example that you can be a successful Realtor without adhering to the signature traits a Realtor is “supposed” to have.

Describe your journey into Real Estate?

It wasn’t something that I had originally planned to do. People had always told me that I would be a good Realtor because I had the people skills and the sales experience. My initial preconceptions about the business held me back. The idea of working 365 days a year and being available 24/7 was not appealing to me.

At the time I was studying to be a teacher, it was something that I loved and was passionate about but it would’ve taken me years to complete the process. Next thing you know I was taking the Realtor course and within just over a month I passed the exam and now here I am.

I quickly learned that I had the freedom to run my business how I wanted and without sacrificing the time I needed with my family. I am meticulous about my time and my schedule and make sure I set guidelines for myself. You have to prioritize and manage your time accordingly. I haven’t looked back.

As a mother how do you balance your family life and your career?

Over the past 8+ years as a Realtor I’ve gotten better at managing my work and my family, but it wasn’t always easy. Being a mother is a job on it’s own and it is possible to be good at both if you manage your time properly.

I have to schedule in time for my family and me. If you don’t schedule those things in, time just passes you by. It might sound tedious and unnecessary but if you don’t block things into your agenda you won’t be able to accomplish everything you want in a day.

I’ve done this with my personal life as well as my professional life. Make sure you schedule time for family. They shouldn’t feel left behind. Success and time management go hand in hand.

You mentioned earlier that you’ve had previous sales experience. How has that experience helped you in Real Estate?

I had retail experience but before I moved here from Ontario I ran my own day care center and it was probably there where I attained my most valuable business management skills. I ran my day care center the same way I run my Real Estate business, with the mentality that I will dictate my own life.

As soon as you allow others to dictate your life that is when things get out of control. My day care center was an accomplishment.

Working in retail allowed me to know what kind of sales person I wanted to be. I’m not pushy, I met my quotas and did my job without making people feel like they had to purchase something. In Real Estate no one should be pushed into making such a big decision, they need to feel comfortable and I need to know that my clients feel comfortable.

I speak my mind and offer my opinion when I feel it could influence the final decisions. If it’s not the right home for them I will tell them. You deal with a lot of money and that is not something anyone should be pressured or rushed into.

Could you expand a little bit more on what your sales approach is like?

Not having a pushy sales approach does carry it’s prejudices and that is something that I’ve had to fight with since the start of my career. People who don’t have experience working with me assume that because I’m not pushy and appear soft on the outside that I can’t be hardcore on the inside, meaning that I am not capable of getting aggressive when negotiating.

For me the top priority is that you get what you deserve.

I’ve become very good at reading body language, understanding what the person is about, I act upon what I see, my clients need to love the place from the very beginning. If their body language says otherwise the search continues.

Once you get to know me and understand how I do business you’ll see that I can negotiate and I will fight for you. I do it because I love working with people and making a difference in their lives. No amount of money matters if at the end of the day people aren’t happy with their decision.

You make it a priority to cultivate meaningful relationships with your clients even after the sale. Can you talk a bit more about this?

Before I started in Real Estate I made sure to do some research. I went to open houses and spoke with friends and family. I realized that many people forgot or didn’t even know whom their realtor was. It became apparent that this was one of our downfalls as Realtors, the lack of relationship building.

I decided that I would not be part of this tendency, that was not going to be me.

I make it part of my job to go visit my clients after they’ve moved in and catch up with them. It makes me happy to see them happy. Bottom line, my clients come back to me and returning clients made up 46% of my business in 2014.

Knowing that our clients consider us their Realtor of choice reassures us that we are doing our job right. In order for us to be successful we need to know whom our people are and whom we want to have as our audience. Our clients range from young to old, from small to large budgets. Our ideal clients are loyal and trusting clients, someone who trusts our capabilities and know that we will get them the best home possible.

In this business, what generates the most leads for you?

There are three areas from which our leads come from.

The first of course is referrals from clients.

The second is my website! My website is a big part of my business, Ubertor offers such a great platform to manage my web content. I’m also very happy with the design of my website – it’s simple and user friendly yet customized enough that it stands out and looks professional. My clients appreciate the ease and simplicity. My site generates constant traffic and we manage to get quite a few leads through it.

The third aspect that boosts my leads is the fact that I am active within my community. My “farm” area, is a small community in Cloverdale, where I started my business with a small townhouse complex and then gradually expanded to the rest of the neighbourhood. I created community events, inviting people in the area and knocking on neighbour’s doors. In a tightknit community that was the best way for me to get my business started. Door knocking might seem a bit archaic but for me it works! It’s easy to bring a smile on someone’s face if you’re on their doorstep, they are more receptive. I try to reach out and participate in my community a few times a year. It’s important to let them know that I’m there. I volunteer at the community’s school, it’s a way to give back to the community that saw me get started.

How long have you had your Ubertor website?

I had a website since the very beginning, it started as a template and then in 2010 when I decided to implement a team I decided to move away from the generic website and get something more personalized. Since we are marketing not only ourselves but also our clients and their homes I made the change for them. Our job is to do a service for our clients and we need to provide the essential tools and a platform for it.

My site has become a marketing portal for my clients and has also provided me with the incentive to invest more time to my online presence. I began to use a lot of social media and in 2012 I challenged myself to blog everyday. For 12 months I wrote a blog, this brought in a lot of traction and within the first 6 months we reached as many as 10,000 hits! Through that we get a lot of organic leads and continue to maintain a good ranking on Google.

I try to be as approachable and relatable as possible by keeping my blogs interesting. I shift away from Real Estate from time to time, knowing that, that is not the only thing people want to see. It’s good to show that you are connected and up to date with what is trending in the world around you. You need to differentiate yourself and add content to make people interested in who you are and the communities you work in.

What are some of your long and short-term goals in regards to your career?

Over the years my business has grown a lot, however in the last 3 years it has hovered over the same amount of sales and income. We achieved the most sales in 2014 by just a couple of sales over the previous year. I’d say we’ve hit a plateau, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I want more growth. I decided that we needed to move away from small-scale goals and be more ambitious, maybe that way we’ll have the drive.

I wanted to reach for the stars so-to-speak and set this year’s goal to be double what it was last year. I have time to manage a lot more than before, I block out time on my agenda and do my best to find ways to create more prospects. Other goals include expanding our team to help us reach our lofty goals and we are on our way to doing that. We have to get down to business and make things happen.

No matter where we want our careers to take us, after my conversation with Bettina I believe the take-home message is that we have to stay true to ourselves. Our authenticity and humanity is what will make us successful, and of course love what you do! Thank you Bettina for stepping away from the norm and congratulations on all your success!

Our team at Ubertor would like to thank Bettina for taking the time to meet up with us and share her experiences and advice on Real Estate and what it takes to be successful in the business.

If you would like to share your personal insight or business perspectives (or both) and would like us to feature you in one of our Realtor Spotlight interviews, don’t be shy and let us know – we’d love to meet and learn from you!

Highlight’s of Stu Bell’s custom Real Estate website:

• Featured listings on the home page includes a slider feature, which displays property information.

• High resolution photos are utilized throughout the website, which makes the site appealing to visitors looking for properties.

• Stu’s feature listings, are displayed in a unique, horizontal wide format with 3 photos showcased per property.

• Individual feature listings are full page, which include high definition property photos, video tours, Google maps street view, and floor plans.

• A detailed page focused on “WHY” you should work with Stu Bell.

• Area maps that differentiate between attached and detached properties.

• Custom designed mobile website that matches Stu’s branding.

If you’re a Realtor looking to update your site, feel free to reach out to our team and our talented approved vendors with any questions.

We’re happy to provide a free, full analysis of your current site, and offer expert suggestions on how you can improve it.

Highlights of David’s fully customized Ubertor Real Estate website:

• The design on the home page is edgy and unique, while keeping it modern and easy on the eyes.
• The feature listing displayed on the home page is an aerial view of the property.
• Fully mobile site that compliments his desktop website.
• Fully automated property pages focused on Vancouver, West Vancouver and Kelowna.
• User friendly custom map of Vancouver which features it’s sub areas and listings within each area.

If you’re a Realtor looking to update your site, feel free to reach out to our team and our talented approved vendors with any questions.

We’re happy to provide a free, full analysis of your current site, and offer suggestions on how to improve it.

Highlights of Jakie Ng’s redesign:

• Full wide screen slider, with high resolution images.
• Dedicated pages for specific condo buildings (like The Pearl and Ultima Tower) in Edmonton.
• Automated property pages focused on downtown Edmonton condos for sale, filtered by price range.
• 4 feature listings displayed on the home page.
• Visible “call to action” option for visitors to get in touch with Jakie.
• Feature listings elegantly displayed with large, high resolution property photos.

If you’re a Realtor looking for a “Limelight Makeover”, feel free to contact Limelight Marketing or our team with any questions.

We’re happy to provide a free, full, in-depth analysis of your current Real Estate website.

Highlights of Steve Shields’ redesign:

• Full, wide screen, high definition, rotating imagery in the background of each page.
• 4 feature listings elegantly displayed horizontally on the home page.
• Visible “call to action” option for visitors on the home page to explore Steve’s properties.
• Opt in option for Sotheby’s “Buyers” and “Sellers” guide.
• Automated property pages focused on Vancouver properties for sale, filtered by price range.
• Full page dedicated to Steve’s marketing options for his clients.
• Fully mobile website to match the branding of his desktop website.

If you’re a Realtor looking to update your site, feel free to reach out to our team and our talented approved vendors with any questions.

We’re happy to provide a free, full analysis of your current site, and offer suggestions on how to improve it.

For this spotlight entry we thought it might be interesting to get the perspective of a young realtor and be able to see the industry through the lenses of a member of the new and emerging generation of realtors.

Multi-faceted, enthusiastic and focused, Kevin Chen has been a realtor for a little bit over 2 years. We sat down with him to ask about his experience so far and how his website has helped him standout from other realtors.

How did you get started in Real Estate?

After realizing, that banking was not a career I was passionate about, I started learning how to sell condos and follow by selling Luxury Houses in West Vancouver. As an assistant of two top realtors and job in the bank. I had to opportunity to learn about the foundations of good service and the components of marketing, financing and sales.

It’s so important to do what you are passionate about and in Real Estate I found my passion.

After two years I decided to pursue my realtor’s license. The first six months after I got my license were dedicated to thorough market research. I wanted to understand and really know what to expect and what I was getting myself into. It was during these six months that I learned about Ubertor, I knew from the beginning that to have success I was going to need a good website.

How has your Ubertor website helped you?

My website is my main marketing tool. Because of it, people have reached out to me from abroad with inquiries about buying homes in Vancouver; I even made a sale to a client in Toronto and few sales to clients from China. A great feature about my site is that it’s mobile friendly. This is so important these days because when you think about it, most people access websites from their tablets and phones, while they are on the go. Having a site readily available to them is very helpful.

Many Asian realtors don’t use websites, why do you think that is?

Personally I think websites are mandatory, they are a demonstration of organization, skill and market knowledge. Most Chinese realtors, however, feel, that they don’t need websites because they manage their clientele differently. They rely heavily on networking and referrals from friends and family.

How old were you when you made your first sale and what was that experience like for you?

I was 26 when I made my first sale and it was actually surprisingly easy. It sort of just came to me, through my website. I have really good search engine optimization when people search for me I’m the first one on the list. I get a lot of traffic on my site, that is how I landed my first sale, someone saw a listing on my site, contacted me and I took it from there.

I make sure that people can find me every where, I want to build momentum and become people’s go-to realtor guy, that’s why I set up all my social media accounts and included a bar code on my site’s landing page.

What is your favourite part about being a realtor?

Freedom and flexibility are probably the biggest perks about being a realtor. I basically create my own schedule and have the freedom to dedicate time to other things that I care about like my family. For me it’s so important to have a career and still spend quality time with my family.

I also really like the variety of homes and clients that I deal with. Each house is different and fun. I package each home differently and each sale is a huge accomplishment. I enjoy studying the market. There are so many variables locally and globally that can affect the Vancouver real estate market. I have to stay up to date and alert; ready to adjust the way I do things if necessary. I’m never bored.

You successfully cater to both Asian and Canadian clients. What makes this dynamic possible and what would you say is the biggest difference between the two clients?

I think my background plays a big role in this particular case because I was basically raised in Vancouver yet come from a traditional Taiwanese family. Because of this I understand both markets extremely well and am relatable to both types of clients.

Additionally, my website is in three different languages, it gives people a sense of comfort and gives me legitimacy with both clients. Working with both Canadian and Chinese buyers is a very unique experience. I’ve had to learn how to best fulfill both their needs. Canadians are very straightforward. They are usually already familiar with the housing landscape and know more or less exactly what they are looking for. Chinese clients like to be very well informed, they like to have all the details and check facts, so in many cases you can safely assume that they are working with more than one realtor.

What do you think are some advantages and some disadvantages about being young in the Real Estate industry?

I’d say that some advantages to being new and young in the industry is that you have so much energy, everything is a learning experience and there are so many firsts. Young realtors offer a fresh perspective. We push the envelope. It helps that we are up to speed with the technological tools required to help a business succeed. I grew up with the Internet, for me it’s intuitive. I also have the advantage of speaking English, Taiwanese, Cantonese and Mandarin. These languages are extremely important in Real Estate.

At the same time though, I find myself constantly having to prove my skills and expertise to people. When people ask me why they should hire me over someone with 20 or 30 years of experience my answer is always the same: take a look at my website!

Your site is a direct representation of you. Because I am so young I needed my site to show that age was relative. My professionalism and the quality of service that clients can expect from me can be clearly seen by they way my site it set up.

Based on your experience so far, what advice would you give any new comers?

Plan ahead and treat it as a business not a job. Before you do anything, make sure that you do a lot of research. It’s so important to understand not only the ins and outs of how to sell a home but also how the buyer’s market thinks. Make sure that you manage your time, prioritize, plan, and work hard. Create a weekly, monthly and annual business plan and aim to reach your sales goals.

Plans change and you always run into new and unexpected variables but nevertheless business plans are key for organization. Give yourself a marketing budget and dedicate time to this aspect of the business, getting your name out there will open so many doors for you. Lastly, as probably with any business, I think it’s so important to have a mentor.

My mentor Clarence Debelle and Michael Uy were a great influence on me and are people I can always rely on for advice and help. It’s comforting to know you are not in it alone.

Our team at Ubertor would like to thank Kevin for taking the time to meet up with us and share his experiences and advice on Real Estate and what it takes to be successful in the business.

If you would like to share your personal insight or business perspectives (or both) and would like us to feature you in one of our Realtor Spotlight interviews, don’t be shy and let us know – we’d love to meet and learn from you!

I am a huge advocate on the clean, neat, and to the point websites and was happy to find a Realtor that shared this view with me. For this article we chose to meet up with Coal Harbour Realtor, and devoted family man, Shaun Kimmins.

Shaun practices simplification not only on his Ubertor site but also in other aspects of his business. His strategy when it comes to Real Estate is specialization, focusing on one area and becoming an expert. For many the idea of becoming a niche realtor implies limiting yourself to a smaller market but Shaun explains the value behind niche realty and how it has brought him success.

We were able to catch up with Shaun in his hood (Coal Harbour) to learn a little bit more about his journey through Real Estate and the roles that simplification, specialization and “niche-ness” played in the process.

What made you decide to be a niche Realtor?

I have been niche since the very beginning, I believe in specialization. It seemed like a natural progression since I already lived in the area and I’m not the kind of person that likes to spend too much time in the car, it made me more efficient in how I conducted my business. I could see the potential in the area, and as Coal Harbour grew I became increasingly familiar with the landscape.

Tell us about how you got started in Real Estate?

I started in Real Estate about 11 years ago, at that time I was already living in Coal Harbour. My career mentor encouraged me to strive towards specialization. This way I would be able to offer the best service to our clients because I would know first hand what it’s like to live here – I have seen building after building go up. I should also mention that it’s less work because I don’t have to familiarize myself with an area every time I post a listing.

Would you say that presenting yourself as niche, as an expert of one area, is your main marketing strategy?

Specialization and my niche website have definitely been one important component as to how I market myself. The second component would be that I opened my own retail office here in Coal Harbour over two years ago. The idea for this came from the observation of pedestrian traffic patterns.

Most people who would buy in Coal Harbour walk the sea wall, as do all the residents. Opening up a retail office in the area gave me great exposure to both potential buyers and sellers.

How do you use your websites to your greatest advantage?

There was a point where I had several websites. I always had a Coal Harbour one but then I added others, mapping out specific areas of the city, but eventually I realized that the simpler, the better and now I just stick to my original website. I purposefully made the website very simple. It shows who I am, what I do, my listings and contact information.

People remember simple and usually won’t take the time to browse around complicated websites. If you look at the sites of the heavy hitters in the city you will notice that their sites are very simple too.

You have to make sure that your website appeals to your target demographic. It’s so important to think about who you want on your site and who you want to sell to and base your site on that. You can’t be all things to all people.

What advice would you give to new realtors looking to make it big in the industry?

First of all I think it’s crucial to manage your expectations, don’t expect things to happen right away. Have at least six months of financial backing because it takes time to become successful, it’s a learning process.

Maybe start small by managing your marketing and reaching out to the same 1,000 people 10 times instead of 10,000 people one time. My second piece of advice would be to try and identify what your niche is and understand all the different facets to it. A common misconception that people have starting off is that specialization limits you, if done right, in my opinion it helps you.

What changes and/or adaptations do you see in the future for the Real Estate industry? How do you think technology will affect it?

While I think that print advertising today is still a useful and relevant tool, it might disappear when the millennials begin to buy homes. Increased digitalization might also diminish the role of the buyer’s agent since online listings offer most of the information people think they need to know.

I also think, however, that role of the Realtor will not become irrelevant as digitalization takes over. There is so much that goes into purchasing a propery, so much legal work. There are too many components and it’s coo complex to simply buy a home with the click of a button.

What is the most rewarding aspect about being a Realtor?

I would have to say that it’s the people I meet. In this job I meet so many interesting and accomplished people who have jet set lifestyles and fascinating perspectives. If I get the chance I like to just sit down with my clients and listen to their stories.

I also really enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes along with getting deals done, closing a sale is challenging yet exciting.

And that concluded our coffee with Shaun. As you can tell, Shaun’s message is clear – specialize, and focus on it. Become the expert, and be of value to your specific buyers.

Our team at Ubertor would like to thank Shaun for taking the time to meet up with us and share his experiences and advice on Real Estate and what it takes to be successful in the business.

If you would like to share your personal insight or business perspectives (or both) and would like us to feature you in one of our Realtor Spotlight interviews, don’t be shy and let us know – we’d love to meet and learn from you!