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Roh: My Goal Is to Consult and Advise My Clients
Roh dishes on his experience representing a co-worker and explains how to stand out as a broker.
Bravotv.com: Were you surprised Anne choose you as her broker over the broker she was already considering?
Roh Habibi: You never know in that type of a situation, the seller is always looking for the agent who is going to add the most value for the property and for the advancement of the sales and marketing efforts. In this case I understood what her goals were and I think that is what inevitably lead her to choose me to list the property.
Bravotv.com: You mention that Anne was breathing down your neck, did you have any idea that working with a co-worker would be this intense?
RH: There are several different types of sellers, some more low-key and relaxed and trust you to just get the job done and there are others that are a little more neurotic and want to be involved in every step of the process. In this case she was very emotionally attached to the property and wanted to be involved in every single part of the process. I can understand and appreciate that as she raised her children there in that home and it would be hard to detach and move away. As we work in the same office right next to each other she had easy accessibility to me and could monitor everything I was doing in the efforts of selling the home.
Bravotv.com: Explain your disappointment when Anne refused the full price offer. Did you ever have a client refuse an offer like that before?
RH: I was disappointed that she refused the full price offer as I had a spectacular open house with over 200 guests that took me two weeks to plan in order to get that offer. Sellers only see the monetary value that they think their home is worth, so for her to turn it down wasn't surprising to me. Sometimes you don't want to risk losing a really good offer because chances are the first good offer that comes in most times is the best one and I've seen that happen countless times as a listing agent. My goal is to consult and advise my clients, but at the end of the day I do exactly what they want me to do because I work for them.
Bravotv.com: It was really entertaining seeing you dress up and act silly with potential buyers. What made you decide to shake things up like that?
RH: In this business you have to set yourself apart from the rest. The buyer walking into my property seeing me wearing a funky colored wig or a red button nose is most definitely going to remember me as an agent and also the property because they're going to be telling all the friends and family about how funny the showing was. People may be wondering "Oh is that business professional or not?" but the fact of the matter is I've already proven myself by getting the listing so now it's time to have fun and sell the listing.
Bravotv.com: After you received the 4.7M offer for Anne, were you worried Anne was not going to accept that offer too?
RH: I was prepared for anything at that point. If she wanted me to go and ask for more money I would've done that for her, but I already looked at the buyers proof of funds and it showed they had $4.7 million they came in with their best and final offer so I didn't want to lose that buyer and not be able to make a deal for her. I'm very glad she took my advice. Time to celebrate for all involved!
