Real estate professionals who have earned the ABR(r) designation have found ways to strengthen client loyalty over time.
“Buyers were intimidating,” admits Darrell Plummer, ABR(r), GRI of Sierra Nevada Properties in Reno, Nev. “I wasn’t sure whether I would ever get paid with them.
Plummer used to believe it was riskier for him as an agent to work with homebuyers rather than sellers; buyers weren’t as loyal, he believed, since most don’t sign contracts with their agent like sellers do. So he made his money selling properties instead – only later realizing his mistake by not targeting potential buyers with his marketing efforts.
“I was a listing machine,” Plummer states, “but when helping someone buy a house, my actions depend on those of the listing agent.
He wanted to build up his confidence as a buyer’s agent, so when he enrolled in the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR(r)) course offered free by National Association of REALTORS(r), he gained valuable insight. A buyer agreement can help set expectations early, creating structure in client relationships while reinforcing accountability; this empowered Plummer to refocus his efforts on advocating for his client’s best interests.
(If customer resistance to signing a buyer agreement poses any concerns, use it as an opportunity to explain your value as a REALTOR(r), adhering to stringent ethical and professional standards and setting out how you plan on applying your expertise and resources towards meeting their goals.). Reframe the agreement as an undertaking on your part that ensures your clients will reach their desired destination successfully).
The ABR(r) designation course can help you develop a marketing strategy to build lasting client relationships and ensure their satisfaction over the long-term. It’s especially useful in serving buyers frustrated by an extended inventory crisis who are ready to give up home shopping; with this course designed to improve communication and prepare buyers for market shifts, your efforts to keep prospects moving toward homeownership become that much stronger.
Michelle Davis, ABR(r), SRS is training director of Atlanta Communities Real Estate in Marietta, Ga and an ABR(r) instructor herself; as training director she has provided this course that instills skills that allow practitioners to navigate any market with greater ease to 100 agents at her brokerage. “We need to teach agents nimbleness,” Davis states.
Davis achieved ABR(r) certification in 2022 to enhance her own training content. Her favorite part of the course is its emphasis on thoughtful client preparation; in particular, it advises against meeting new clients at showings (which is also part of REALTOR(r) safety). Instead, sit your clients down at an office or public location and walk them step-by-step through the homebuying process while asking any necessary questions to ensure they comprehend everything involved.
Davis says there are numerous things they can do to prepare their clients before viewing a home, which Davis considers important given that many first-time home buyers or longtime homeowners don’t always remember how the process works; so it is our task to help get them ready.
Plummer encourages his more than 115 agents to earn the ABR(r) designation, hiring instructors to teach it at onsite trainings. He emphasizes its significance for new agents who can gain a head start on developing their business by mastering these skills early. “Learning this stuff early gives them a head start,” states Plummer, adding that this helps establish predictability and consistency within business practices.
Plummer notes that this course offers scripts to encourage deeper conversations about who your clients are and what they really desire in a home, creating more significant bonds and emphasizing your value beyond transaction. Furthermore, consumers don’t require agents just for searching homes – consumers can do that on their own!
