Amy McLeod, CRS, GRI, e-PRO, CDPE
Realtor, Residential
RE/MAX Equity Group, Inc.,
The McLeod group
“I like solving the real estate puzzle,” says Amy McLeod, an experienced Realtor in the greater Salem market. “The puzzle pieces are people's dreams, the financial picture, lender constraints, and the available inventory.” She likes to help people resolve whatever is motivating them. |
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Experience and Education
Amy has 18 years experience as a realtor. After she finished her Bachelors, she went to the Norm Web School of Real Estate and took sales-specific classes. Later she became a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (GRI).
Amy qualified with the required number of transactions, time in the business and classes in order to become a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS). Only the top 4% of the Realtors in the nation have that designation.
Most agents just do the minimum of 24 hours continuing education every two years. In contrast, Amy explains, “We are proactive about what we need to do to respond to this marketplace so that we and our clients can take advantage of it.”
Amy has lived in Salem for 30 years, which means she has developed relationships with many persons in many fields.
Realtor Skills
Amy believes that to be a good realtor, specific skills are needed:
- the listening skill
- the ability to tell people the truth in a way they can accept it
- willingness to research to understand market trends
- the ability to be a negotiator
“Some people look at negotiations as ‘I win, you lose’”, Amy explains, “but we need to be able to ask questions like ‘what if you were the seller?’, ‘what if you were the buyer?’, and ‘how would others view your behavior and is it going to get to the result we want?’”
Amy says, “I want to know what a client’s plan is for the next 2 years, 5 years and 10 years, because these can make a difference. People should be comfortable with the decisions they are make now for the next seven to 10 years.”
“Our job is to give people information so that they can make good financial decisions for their family.” Experience shows Amy that when she does that, sales are generated. “We see ourselves more as advisers, rather than salespeople trying to get someone to buy the next latest thing.”
A Connector
Amy and her group of five professionals have good relationships with contractors and lenders so that they can be the concierges for their clients. They do a lot of pre-counseling with sellers, helping them understand what needs to be repaired in order for the house to be financeable and marketable. “If someone needs repairs or a lender, I have people I can call,” Amy explains.
Amy believes it is important to have good working relationships with vendors. “It is not appropriate to call up and deal rudely with a vendor just because things are not going the way you expect.”
“A good realtor is a connector, connecting people with people, with houses, with information, and with their vision for their own family.”
Repeat Clients and Referrals
The vast majority of sales are people moving around town, not from out-of-town. Amy has many people who liked the way she helped them with a sale or a purchase several years ago. Now they are her repeat customers.
As an example, Amy shares, “I received an e-mail today from a family who wants my help. This will be the fourth house they have bought from me.” Although many people start their search for a house on the Internet, Amy believes the relationship side of the business is crucially important. She maintains that if she is on the mind of people at the time they decide to move, then she is the realtor of choice.
RE/MAX provides Amy’s team with a foundation of managerial support and resources. “The brain trust that we can tap into and the legal advice we have available is incredible.” RE/MAX Equity Group is the number one selling real estate company in Oregon.
Full-Time Administrative Support
“We have full-time administrative support staff so that people are not chasing our cell phones,” Amy explains. Her office keeps standard office hours, 8 am – 5pm Monday through Friday, and weekends by appointment.
“People can count on us being here. That is a huge advantage over most brokers.” The office has staff that specializes in paperwork and chasing down the details, which is a crucial aspect of a real estate office.
Amy says that because of how her office does things, “Our houses typically sell for 6% more than our competitors houses and are sold in about 25% less time.” This means sellers are getting a sale in a shorter amount of time for more money than the average realtor in the Salem market.
Short Sales
Amy is a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE), which means she is certified to handle short sales. She understands what banks want in order to submit a successful request for funding. “You have to be good at empathizing and at listening, and you really have to be good at negotiating and packaging.”
Doing a short sale and sending the package to the bank is not unlike a package that gets sent when a person does a loan. “You have to present your story to the bank so that they can understand why they should give up tens of thousands of dollars.” There has to be a compelling reason, and not everyone is good at doing that.
A short sale may be preferable to foreclosure because the damage to a person’s credit score may be less and the effect may not be as long. If a person tries to get a loan after a foreclosure, the bank has a reason not to give a premium interest rate.
“I am committed to keeping up my education so that I am at the forefront of this kind of information. When something changes, we can be there with a solution.”
Who Can You Refer To Amy McLeod at the McLeod Group?
- Anyone who is a first time home buyer
- Heirs who need help with an estate where a house needs to be sold
- A family who needs to relocate
- Someone who would benefit from a short sale rather than foreclosure
- A family going through changing life circumstances
- Holders of self directed IRA’s who would like to purchase real estate
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