Dana Skaff
Southern Lifestyle Homes, LLC
President
Q. Do you host Realtor lunches at your model homes?
A. Realtor lunches at our models have enabled us to network with Realtors and demonstrate how we are unique and stand above other builders in comparable price points.
Q. Are you a member of the Sales and Marketing Council of the Northeast Florida Builders Association? If so, how has that improved your business? Are you a member of NEFAR? If so, has that helped increase Realtor relationships?
A. Yes, we have been members of both the Sales and Marketing Council and NEFBA for several years. It has allowed us many opportunities to network and do business with other members, which includes Realtor members. SMC and NEFBA have many good educational and networking functions that have been so beneficial to the builders and Realtors in Northeast Florida.
Q. Foreclosures and short sales are still headlines in the news, how are you encouraging the benefits of new construction to the Realtors?
A. Foreclosures and short sales are truly not our competition if the builder properly educates the Realtor and their customer of the benefits of owning a new home. A new home has a warranty and it is built to the current building codes, which have changed a lot in the last few years. It also offers the customers many new amenities that were not available or required in the past.
Linda Moore
Drees Homes Sales Manager
Q. Do you host Realtor lunches at your model homes? If so, how do they impact sales?
A. Realtor lunches held at our models are a great way to build relationships with Realtors. We try to make it personal. We invite individual offices to our models for lunch or offer our model as a venue for their weekly sales meetings and serve breakfast. This allows a more intimate opportunity for networking between Realtors, their managers and our market managers. We go out of our way to make our Realtors feel special. We offer an opportunity for Realtors in the visiting office who have been involved in sales with Drees to talk about their experience. This makes an impression; our Realtor partners feel special and it often leads to a trust with their co-workers who have not had a sale with Drees. As for impact on sales? It’s all about building relationships - one Realtor at a time. Many times, right after an office has visited our model for breakfast or lunch, we have a sale from a Realtor in that office who had not sold a Drees Home before.
Q. Are you a member of the Sales and Marketing Council of the Northeast Florida Builders Association? If so, how has that improved your business? Are you a member of NEFAR? If so, has that helped increase Realtor relationships?
A. Yes, Drees is very supportive of the Sales and Marketing Council. I am past chair and a long-standing member who has served on the board in several capacities for many years. Our division president and all of our market managers are members of SMC. We attend every monthly breakfast program as well as the many training and networking events that are offered. Being members certainly has an impact on our business. SMC is a big part of our world as it offers opportunities for us to grow in knowledge and relationships with other members
I am a also member of NEFAR and the Women’s Council of Realtors as the broker for Drees Realty. NEFAR has given me the opportunity to network with Realtors who are active with the organization. Our presence in MLS has certainly increased our Realtor business. I am very excited about the joint ventures between SMC, NEFBA and NEFAR. I believe that working together as an industry will bring huge opportunities for all of us in the future.
Q. Foreclosures and short sales are still making headlines in the news. How are you encouraging the benefits of new construction to the Realtors for their buyers?
A. Fortunately, a significant number of Realtors recognize the value to their buyers of buying new. For a minimal cash investment, their buyers can get the latest in style, technology, energy features, hurricane protection, warranties, construction technique and building codes. With new home construction, there is no surprise of costly repairs and improvements after closing. And because of the many energy efficient features that are built into the home, the cost of monthly upkeep is very low. Foreclosures and short sales are a fact of life right now in this industry and will be here for some time to come. I applaud the Realtors who have made the time and effort to take the classes on this subject that are offered by NEFAR. These Realtors have immersed themselves in every aspect of short sales and foreclosures in order to become an expert in this specialized area. We need them to help work our way through this difficult area of our industry.