CONSCIENCE – COMPASSION – CONCERN – COMPETENCE
CONFIDENCE – COMMUNICATION – CREATIVITY

Conscience

Jeff believes that his strong sense of conscience and high ethics are at the core of the success he’s had. He believes that honesty and truth are non-negotiable. He recalls a time very early on in his career when at a closing he noticed that the mortgage lender had buried unneeded loan charges into the documents which made them almost impossible to recognize. It was obvious that the mortgage lender was trying to pull a fast one on his clients. Without any hesitation he quite bluntly told the lender what he suspected was happening. The mortgage broker asked him to step out of the room and proceeded to reprimand him for making the accusation and embarrassing him at the closing table. He told Jeff that he’d never succeed in this business if he didn’t look past these types of things. Being a young broker Jeff wasn’t sure at the time if he had in fact violated some kind of code, but he knew he was doing the right thing for his clients and that was all that mattered. The costs and documents were quickly changed to reflect the correct amounts. Years later, after Jeff had obviously proven that he would in fact become a successful real estate broker, that same lender personally apologized to Jeff for what he had said that he admired him for what he did. Handling his business ethically and always doing what’s in the best interests of his clients is what defines his business philosophy. This will never change because what others think of his integrity is of the highest importance to him.

Jeff will not make promises he can’t deliver on and will speak what he believes to be the truth based on his experiences and knowledge, even if it conflicts with the opinion of his client. If you’re looking for an agent who will tell you what you want to hear and sugarcoat the truth, then he’s probably not your guy. Jeff subscribes to Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote: “Honesty is the Best Policy”

Compassion and Concern

Jeff regards the impact he can have on people’s lives very seriously. The difference between a job well done by a Realtor© and poor one can and does significantly affect people’s lives and futures on a number of levels.

The home buying and selling processes can and are often stressful times for anyone and Jeff realizes that many of his clients may also be going through other difficult life events that they may not want to disclose. He understands and respects that. No one is immune to difficult times and he has learned not to make assumptions or pass judgments about anyone. Many people carry heavy loads which may be from the past, currently happening, or to happen sometime in the future. Regardless of whether you appear to be affluent or destitute, happy or sad, reasonable or unreasonable, he will always be compassionate and concerned about your welfare. Always!

Competence and Confidence

It has been said that in order to become an expert at something one has to put in at least 10,000 hours of practice. There was a TV commercial running sometime back featuring Payton Manning where he referenced this. You may remember it. Jeff found that statement to be very thought-provoking and decided to try and calculate the hours he has invested in learning his trade over the course of his career. The number of hours he approximated was 120,000; More than ten times more than necessary to be considered and expert. While he didn’t need to perform that exercise to validate his level of expertise, it made him realize why he is confident that no other broker is better prepared, time tested and/or ready to help you with your real estate needs. With that said, he also knows that he still has a lot to learn and does learn something new every day.

Communication

Year after year The National Association of Realtors© (NAR) conducts surveys of home sellers and buyers. They always ask: “What is the biggest complaint you have about your Realtor©?” Can you guess what the #1 complaint is year after year? — “Lack of communication!” “My Realtor took my listing and I never heard from him/her again!” is heard time after time. In this day and age of incredibly amazing communication options, it’s almost hard to believe that this would be the #1 issue for home sellers. Jeff has thought about why this seems to consistently be the case. Here’s what he has to say:

“ I believe most Realtors don’t communicate often enough with their clients because:

1) The Realtor has nothing new to report and would prefer to just avoid letting you know that. Silly, but true!

2) Many Realtors© (and probably most Realtors©) avoid having the tough discussions with their clients. One example would be discussing a needed price reduction. The Realtor knows that the price of the property is too high or there’s some thing(s) about the house that is having a negative impact. The Realtor knows that the subject is sensitive but that’s the major reason why the house isn’t selling. These conversations should and must be had, but ends up being avoided. Not having these discussion are recipes for disaster on several fronts that will all lead to client mistrust, lack of confidence in the broker, disrespect, frustration, anger and ultimately NO SALE! This may have been the case for you. Chances are it’s a big part of the reason your sale didn’t happen. “

Jeff will communicate with you at least weekly via your preferred method of communication. He will discuss the feedback and not hesitate to let you know what he thinks the right course of action should be.

Jeff also comments: “I have to believe that the main reason people want to hire a Realtor is because they want someone who is supposedly an expert to guide them, give them the direction and advice they need and handle all of the marketing and legal components. Being honest and open about his/her thoughts and opinions are at the core. If a Realtor doesn’t have the confidence to communicate to his/her client about critical issues (albeit potentially negative because he/she doesn’t think you’re going to like hearing it), then what do they need him or her for? What exact purpose do they serve? I assume that one would want the “expert’s opinion. It’s what one should expect! The whole concept of avoidance is antithetical to their value to their client!”

Jeff goes on to say: “I always find it laughable when most Realtors tout themselves as experts. “I’m Your Neighborhood Expert!” “I’m Your Local Real Estate Expert!” “I’m an Expert Negotiator!” and on and on. There is no other business out there that has so many self-proclaimed “experts”. The word “expert” doesn’t even mean anything anymore, as everyone in our business claims to be one. Regardless of what your line of work is, it’s enormously insulting to those career professionals who have put in their thousands of hours, learned from their mistakes, suffered the consequences and given their all to their life’s work.”

There’s an old joke: A state trooper pulls a person over and asks the driver to produce their license. The driver complies and hands their real estate license to the officer. The officer looks at it and says, “This is your real estate license, everyone has one of these, I’d like to see your driver’s license!” Unfortunately the joke is not without merit. Lots of people have real estate licenses and their levels of “expertise” are all across the board. For many homeowners it’s difficult to figure out who the best choice for them really is. After all, they’re all experts!! Or at least they claim they are!!”

What seemed like a detour off the original subject of communication actually wasn’t. The point Jeff is making is that a true expert won’t avoid communicating with his/her client regularly because he or she will be confident in knowing that while the truth may sting a bit, it’s gotta be told and is appropriate in order for his client to proceed forward on the right path. Jeff says, ”I know that I’d want my doctor or lawyer to be completely honest and open with me and tell me what I may not want to hear, but need to hear!“

“Hopefully your Realtor knows more about the subject of real estate than you do and isn’t afraid to prove that to you.”

Creativity 

Another contributor to Jeff’s success has been to try to be different from other Realtors. He says it’s a blessing and a curse. and relates a story from his early career:

“I had already been a Realtor for 4 years when the IBM PC hit the market in 1981. Even though I didn’t know a whole lot about what it’s potential was, I knew I had to have one because it was the ultimate gadget at the time. I bought one shortly after IBM started producing them. I’m pretty sure that I was the first real estate agent to have one in Colorado. Other agents from different companies would come to my office to see it and wanted to know how it worked and what it could do. There were only three programs (apps these days) available for it and while almost all of the other agents couldn’t understand what anyone would need one for, I was able to able to utilize it to do some things that previously took ten times longer to accomplish.

I’m am very fortunate to been a gadget freak then and now because I love staying on the cutting edge of high tech, specifically in relation to my business. When my computers have issues, I’m the IT guy I call. And if I have the need to design a marketing piece that’s personalized and different from the rest, I reach into my tool box of great Adobe products and start creating. It’s truly miraculous to see how the PC has evolved since that first one I had. The thought of having 128 gigs or more of storage space on a jump drive the size of a Scrabble piece or smaller than a stick of gum will never stop amazing me.

Spending time learning something new about hardware and software makes time fly by for me. The creative opportunities that are available digitally are endless. I’m looking forward to the big thing that will have a huge impact on our business… Virtual Reality. If you haven’t already had the opportunity to experience VR, try to check it out. It’ll blow you away!”

Jeff’s commitment to you is simple:
He will deliver representation, skill and services of exemplary quality
in a truthful, straight-forward manner.