Coalition Corner:
Business training tools for HR staff, real estate licensees and
other service professionals in the relocation and real estate industries
Tips for Working with Buyers
© 2005, Employee Relocation Council/Worldwide ERC® Coalition
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Program objectives
• This program supplements an editorial feature in Worldwide
ERC®’s Mobility magazine
• This segment will:
– Provide some helpful tips and suggestions for working with
buyers, particularly during the summer months
– Offer suggestions for professionals from the corporate and
relocation management company (RMC) perspective, as well
as for real estate and/or relocation department agents
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Tips for Working with Buyers
For Corporate HR and Relocation Management Company (RMC)
Professionals…
Those from the corporate or RMC segment of the industry have a unique
opportunity to be involved in the transferee’s move, either right from the
beginning or fairly close to it. Following some of these basic recommendations
can help get everybody off to a smooth start.
•
Be sure the transferee has a copy of the relocation policy
•
Personal meetings are ideal opportunities to highlight or explain policy
particulars and answer specific questions
•
Stress the importance of working within the parameters of the policy
•
Where referral fee relationships exist, consider including the Coalition’s “STOP”
communication explaining the role of brokerage relationships in the
relocation policy (see http://www.erc.org/pdf/stop-read-react.pdf)
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Working with Buyers
For Corporate HR and Relocation Management Company (RMC)
professionals…
•
Make referrals as soon as possible so that service providers have ample time to
prepare
•
Verify the transferee’s travel dates and contact information throughout all
stages before passing to service providers
•
Help ease any possible sticker shock ahead of time by preparing transferees
with cost-of-living assessments, or direct them to websites to compare on their own
(sites such as www.salary.com or www.bankrate.com can be a good place to start
with COLA calculators)
•
Give transferees a contact name and number of someone who is available to
answer any policy questions that many arise, ensuring this person is someone who
can be available during house-hunting trips – especially on weekends
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Working with Buyers
Real Estate Relocation Departments and Agents…
Timeframes for relocations vary across the board, but often during the
summer months, transferees will arrive in their new city with very little notice
and be forced to find a home in a short amount of time.
•
Be a good listener (to both transferee and family members)! Try to
appreciate how dependent the transferee is on your expertise and
experience in new neighborhoods
•
Make sure the transferee knows how to get a hold of the agent and
relocation department – even outside of traditional business hours
•
Work around the transferee’s schedule. If a transferee only has one
weekend to purchase a home, the real estate agent must be available
throughout that entire weekend
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Working with Buyers
Real Estate Relocation Departments and Agents…
•
If possible, e-mail listings ahead of time to begin the process of learning
the transferee’s likes and dislikes (and introducing the transferee to the
styles of homes that may be available in the appropriate
neighborhoods/price range)
•
Preview the listed properties beforehand to determine if they fit the
transferee’s needs
•
Identify the transferee’s new office location as a central point and if
possible, mark/number all the listings to visit that day on a map; helping to
give the transferee perspective and a sense of direction when driving
around
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Working with Buyers
Real Estate Relocation Departments and Agents…
•
Keep a cooler in the trunk with bottled water and snacks such as apples
or crackers – nobody is much good at house-hunting when hot, hungry or
thirsty!
•
Take time to re-group; after seeing a few listings, assess progress
•
Find out specifically what the transferee liked and disliked, modifying the
remainder of the day if necessary
•
Keep in mind that the original list may need to be changed based on early
feedback and property availability
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Bottom line?
• Moving to a new city is never easy, but when done on a
short time-frame, it can be harder than ever
• Experienced relocation professionals know a number of
ways to help alleviate the stress on buyers – with the tips
and suggestions mentioned here being just a few
• Whatever the season and the weather, understand the
importance of helping everybody stay as cool, calm and
collected as possible!
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