Coaches can tap into the real estate world...

by Billy Goodnick, blogging at GardenWiseGuy.

I can't yet claim success, but I'm aggressively pursuing using the world of real estate to promote my coaching business. Here in Santa Barbara, CA the real estate market is still pretty lively, but mostly in the stratospheric realm of multimillion dollar homes.

Here's my thinking - there is a service called "staging" where a professional with interior design background takes an empty home that's going on the market and furnishes it to appeal to the targeted profile of potential buyers. It's about setting a mood and helping the buyer's imagination.

But there are very few stagers savvy enough to help create a facelift for the exterior - that's where landscape architects and designers can tap in. I've discussed this with a number of realtors and they indicate that I'm onto something. So, I've joined the local board of realtors as an affiliate member. That lets me market to the other members, attend mixers, receive their e-mail listings, etc. I also had some very slick tri-fold brochures printed up to help with the image and explain my general services.

The strategy is about creating curb appeal from the time the prospective buy stops their car, to coordinating the work of arborists, landscapers and gardeners to make the place presentable, appealing and expand the imagination to make the yard looks like a place you'd like to live.

I'll be tapping into my connections with garden centers to procure temporary fountains and patio furnishings, potted planting arrangements, create great focal point views that sparkle from inside the house, and dressing up the beds with fresh mulch. A few landscapers I've worked with are eager to jump in with me.

A less ambitious service will just include a visit and written recommendations for what the agent or owner can do to put a happier face on the landscape.

The other side of the coin is to develop a strong, trusting relationship with a few agents who will feel comfortable recommending me when a sale closes. My services could include an assessment and orientation for the new owner, especially if they're new to the area and don't know much about gardening in a new locale. I will link them to local services, classes, stores (and seek finders fees). I will also offer sustainability assessments to help them design and manage their new home in the greenest manner. I expect that some will also be seeking design ideas that can lead to a long-term coaching relationship.

I'm kinda running out of steam after taking a local realtor on a tour of a few of my projects this afternoon. She's very excited about using me on a consulting basis to help buyers realize the full potential of their intended purchase.

More to come...nighty night.

Big thanks to Susan Harris for creating this great forum!

Comments

[Tai Haku]

Interesting point this. I've been considering something similar not from a professional standpoint but an ecological/environmental one. Typically (in the UK this is) new developers finish houses with a lawn and a tree in the front yard. I've been pondering how much better a place we could make the world if we could persuade those developers to use suitably sized (rather than monstrous growers), attractive (rather than ugly semifastidious cherries), native, wildlife friendly or fruiting plants. The answer is I think a surprisingly much better place...and that's just with the trees. If gardening coaches could move these places onto appropriate lawns, xeriscaped neighbourhoods etc etc etc (all the things I suspect you would look at as good gardening practice anyway) we could save the world (and hopefully make a little cash money)! Good luck tapping into that market.

[Tai Haku]

"semifastidious" urgh - that's what I get for commenting pre-coffee. I meant semi-fastigate.

[Billy Goodnick]

Tai: As much as I agree, and am similarly motivate to do EVERYTHING with the most ecologically minded approach, real estate is all about making sales. So although everything you do could well be environmentally beneficial, I don't think you'll attract much business through altruism. Getting people to do things "right" is good, but I think you have to get them "through the door" with the idea that a well-landscaped home has what we call "curb appeal", creates a first impression that says "I want to live here" and THEN, appeals to the benefits on a broader scale.

I've just added a page to my website (http://billygoodnick.com) named "staging." My approach and appeal to realtors is that it doesn't matter how wonderful the house is inside, or what great views you get out the back window - my job is to get their foot off the accelerator on "open house" day and come inside. If the landscape repels them or you can't see the charm of the home, they just keep driving.

Find a connection between differentiating their offering from the others, how they'll get they're asking price and get it faster, and you'll have more work than you can handle.

Nuff for now.

[Christine Migala]

A thought I had about marketing to real estate agents is to sell them gift certificates that they could give their buyers after closing--instead of a fruit basket. The agents could give the gift certificate, and the new home owner calls me to get garden coaching on their new landscape.

I am just starting out on this adventure and I'm trying to come up with ways to get people to hire me since I don't have any "professional" experience.

It's easy to sit at the computer today, we're getting hit with up to 14" of snow! Where's the dirt?! I'm jones-in' to get my hands dirty!

[Chan]

Peoples are strong feelings on both sides of the argument. Many people firmly state that outstanding entrepreneurs are actually born and coaching of them is not the most vital factor, which determine their great success. However, there are still many professors in academic field of teaching business subjects and hundreds of thousand textbooks concerning business.

[John beck]

That's right! i agreed. there are few more coaches like Santa Barbara who are playing a vitol role in real estate and property business to aware people of real estate world.

[Real Estate System]

Great advice! I need to diversify my “streams” outside of real estate. Property investing is what we know best, but the more stream of income the better.

[Free and Clear]

In different regions investors are getting aware of importance of investing in real property investments to avail long term profits .