Agent Interview Number #1

Introducing Realtor Amy Walker, Century 21 Scheetz

I had the pleasure of meeting with Amy Walker at the beginning of August (Friday, 8/1/08 @ 10:30). She's a good friend of a colleague, so agreed to chat with me about DoorFly.com.

I walked into her office and instantly felt comfortable. Within the first few minutes, I knew I was talking with a woman who knew her stuff about real estate, and I was certain she would have good insight and ideas. I wanted to get to know her, how she conducts business, what she felt about the real estate market, and eventually her thoughts about DoorFly. So, the interview began....

Q: How long have you been in real estate?
A: "3 years, but I'm a real estate brat, " she told me. Her mother was an agent her whole life, so she is no stranger to the industry. In fact, she later told me her mother works at a competing agency in town.

Q: How do you find new business?
A: Referrals from past clients and friends a lot. Also, open houses.

Q: How has the real estate market effected your business or process?
A: Really the down market just means "a little more trying" and "requires me to work harder," Amy reported. She went on to tell me that she still enjoys seller listings... even though they take longer in today's market, she finds the process enjoyable and rewarding.

Q: Do you like to work with home buyers too? What about first time home buyers?
A: Amy said, "I love working with first time home buyers." She told me she likes it because of the education part of it. She enjoys watching her clients, not the house, for research and reaction -- which helps her find them the best home for their needs.

Q: Why should a client choose you over another agent?
A: Amy told me that she is very "flexible" with her clients, but also understands the balance with family. She added that she "is willing to work very hard for her clients." She gave me an example of a recent closing that would not have gone through if she didn't work through the night to make last minute details fall into place -- the client never even knew and moved in without a glitch.

Q: I've heard there is a lot of turnover in the industry. Why do you think this is?
A: "It's harder than most people think." She explained that the process takes a lot of time, there are so many details, and a lot of follow up is required.

Q: What else can you tell DoorFly's users from your experience as a Realtor?
A: The most important thing for home buyers to know is that it helps them to have their own agent to work on their behalf. The agent gives them protection, and the fees for buyers are already negotiated.

Q: Do you enjoy what you do?
A: "Yes, I love it." Amy said she loves working with families and likes to take away stress from them as much as possible.

Q: How many clients do you have at any give time (approx.)?
A: This is constantly changing, but "I like to have 10 listings, 10 pending, and 10 prospects."

Q: So, what do you think about DoorFly? Would you consider using it to help with your list of prospects each month?
A: Amy said she wasn't sure if she would be able to participate in the bidding because of how rebating might reflect on Century 21.** She was open to the concept though and thought it might be useful during slow times or to agents just starting out. She definitely thought the realtor directory was a no-brainer to help promote herself.

She offered some ideas to make the system more inviting to agents like herself:

**She didn't like that it showed which agents were bidding and what amounts.
Jon and I discussed this comment (and had actually heard it before). We decided this was a valid suggestion -- we did not want any agent to feel negative perception from offering a rebate. DoorFly now only shows who is bidding to the home buyer. The general public and other agents only see the bid summary (number of bids, high bid and low bid).

She also suggested we add sellers functionality -- we're adding it! Home seller listings will be available in a couple weeks.

Thanks Amy for your time and suggestions!

To learn more about Amy, visit her DoorFly real estate agent profile.