RPR (Realtors Property Resource) user success stories continue to roll in!
This month’s Q&A is with REALTOR® Darlene Dresch. Darlene recently attended a KW Ann Arbor Brokerage team meeting where she had nothing but good things to say about the value RPR provides to its users.
Especially the CMA builder tools, which she uses almost exclusively to create her CMAs… and according to Darlene, “To build trust and relationships.” We definitely want to hear how she does that!
Q
Hi Darlene, how long have you been a REALTOR® and what area do you specialize in?
A I’ve been a REALTOR
® for 6 years in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And I work in residential real estate, both buying and listing.
Q
How were you first introduced to RPR?
A Three to four years ago I worked with a different team, and one of my coworkers showed me RPR and how to use it to create CMAs. Then someone from our board held a class and showed it to us in action. It was impressive! I realized that RPR was good for relaying and presenting statistical data to my clients. CMAs can be a little intimidating at first, and can take a long time to grasp. Since then, I’ve never looked back, and now I use RPR to create all my CMAs.
Q
At a meeting late last year, we heard you were raving about the value RPR offers, specifically our CMA. Tell me about that…
A The market right now, it’s just so crazy and really hot for sellers. However, buyers are wary. They hear and see a lot out there and they have a lot of hesitancy. And honestly, they’re also a little scared. RPR does a good job of keeping their data up to date and extremely accurate. Those other websites (they know who they are!) are not accurate. From week to week and month to month, RPR has everything I need to make my sellers smile and my buyers breathe a sigh. And that’s because RPR let’s me deliver data and stats and info in so many different ways. RPR has graphs and charts, summaries, maps, reports, top lines and bottom lines. No matter how someone likes to learn or process information, RPR has something for them. Providing my buyers and sellers this information is how my clients make decisions. They feel informed, educated and empowered! RPR gives them the data and education to make those decisions. Why other agents don’t use it blows my mind. It would take weeks to compile all that info… I can do five in an hour in RPR. And not to brag, but I’ve never missed an appraisal after using the RPR CMA builder.
Q
Humble brag! And pretty impressive… What’s one of your favorite features of the RPR CMA?
A With the CMA builder, I can find properties that are close by, or I can pull from other comparable areas if there aren’t enough nearby properties. The client can see what we picked, what properties are close to theirs, etc. I show them the value in RPR, I don’t make it up. I also like to use CMAs for buyers too, to help them on how to craft an offer. To show them recent sales activity, so they don’t come in too high or too low.
I also really like to use the Refine Value Tool. I can easily make adjustments on renos that have been done and need to be done, I can change it like an appraiser. This type of statistical data gives us so much credibility to what we do and it shows people that we truly have their best interests at heart. And we want them to understand the market as much as we do.
Q
Any pain points that RPR helps or alleviates for you?
AI think a lot of everything in there does. It makes you look differently at your job. I thought I needed an assistant. But now I do everything so quickly, RPR is my assistant! I prove the value of homes, I don’t go anywhere else for that. Just use RPR. But sometimes I use my MLS too, for tricky ones. Using RPR and my MLS together is a great hack for difficult-to-price properties.
Q
Great tip. Any stories about how you’ve used RPR to “wow” a client?
A Almost every time! I show them everything, all bundled up in these pretty report packages. And of course, it’s all branded with my photo, my info, my philosophy, my awards, all that stuff. And before the appointment, when they get this package from me, they’re like, “Wow!” I get that all the time.
I also like to keep up with past clients, so I do a property analysis once a quarter so they know how much equity they have. I do it for my clients as a service, when they’re not even thinking about buying or selling. And I think they really appreciate that. I don’t hound them or call them, I just send the report that I create in RPR. This helps build relationships and trust. And I think that’s what this business is all about.
Thanks for sharing your story, Darlene! She’s certainly getting the most out of her NAR Member Benefit by using RPR for home valuations, pricing strategies, expert guidance and earning her clients’ trust.
But don’t just take her word for it, put RPR to work for you and your business. Learn more about RPR’s CMA builder by signing up for our new webinar: The RPR CMA: Your Spot-on Pricing Tool.
