New Realtor® Makes Name for Himself by Embracing Technology

When Hernan Espiritu migrated from a career in the medical field to real estate, he knew he’d be up against some stiff competition. Catawba County, North Carolina has a lot of embedded REALTORS® who have earned their stripes in the field. For Hernan, that meant establishing a name for himself by 1) working for a brand name brokerage that offered resources and 2) identifying and marketing his key strengths.

“There were a lot of things I needed to learn about the real estate business,” said Hernan, a native of the Philippines who holds a degree in civil engineering, “but the one thing I’m pretty good at is technology.”

As a new REALTOR® , Hernan was told it would take a number of years to determine whether he’d successful in the field, which compelled him further to adopt the most advanced tools available on the market.

Almost immediately, he began using Realtors Property Resource® (RPR®). A few RPR online webinars quickly brought him up to speed on property searches, CMAs, reports, and the platform’s mobile app. “I started using RPR and quickly realized that this was the best tool I could use to educate my clients.”

“I had no name in our area, which covers a vast territory,” said Hernan. “So using RPR elevated me to the position of educator—the professional who could provide buyers and sellers with the most accurate data—and in the most responsive way. It helped establish my place among the most successful REALTORS® in my area.”

RPR reports come first …

“The minute I get a call inquiring about a property, I pull up RPR either on my phone or at my desk, and send the potential client a report, detailing everything there is to know about the home,” he said. From there, Hernan uses his professional expertise to discuss the steps they need to take to buy a home, such as earnest money, prequalification, etc. “It’s a full circle approach beginning with data and reports and then complemented by my guidance.”

No other platform offers the scope and sophistication that RPR reports carry, as well as the ability for agents to customize those reports with a personal photo, logo, and contact information. RPR reports include a variety of property, market activity, seller, neighborhood, and school reports; as well as valuation workbooks. The reports can be created, saved, and then texted, emailed or printed from any device, i.e., desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

Listing presentations go especially well for Hernan …

Listing presentations go especially well for Hernan, who again, relies on RPR data to educate sellers. “I don’t know what other REALTORS® use during their presentations but I go through the RPR RVM® (Realtor Valuation Model®) versus the AVM and how we’re getting to the list price. My clients are incredibly impressed when they hear about the RVM.”

RPR’s RVM allows agents to conduct the most in-depth pricing analysis possible. What makes the RVM different? As the only REALTOR®-owned, automated valuation product, the RVM goes beyond the traditional AVM by incorporating listing and sales data from the MLS into the equation.

The RVM is accompanied by a Confidence Score—a value between zero and five stars that indicate the level to which each of the multiple models agrees with other estimated values for a given property. High confidence scores indicate that other models yield similar estimates for the property.

“I also make sure to tell the client that RPR is exclusively for REALTORS® . There’s a lot of credibility there. And by using RPR, I’ve set myself apart.”

What’s next for this busy Realtor®? A new drone license and spherical camera. “These are the technologies that will make a new agent competitive, including RPR.”