Independent locally owned Real Estate Office vs a National Chain
– – I admit it. Years ago, I considered selling out to one of the big National chains. I didn’t like the idea of giving up my independence, my name on the front of the building, and the fact that I built this business by putting the customer first. This strategy enabled me to not only survive recessions, but thrive during periods when the big firms had to cut back. But, as a business person, I was intrigued by their upfront cash offer.
The chain had that big national name and I would still be able to manage it – but manage it to the way they did business. They told me they had a strong emphasis on the consumer too – yet, I would be an employee and the national chain my employer. And, yes, I would have to do things their way. Serve the customer in the way the national firm did things. Professional pre-packaged presentations, just change the name of the consumer or the address on the PDF or PowerPoint. Easy & efficient they promised – higher closing rates, national brand recognition, Less hours and more relocation leads – made sense – No one in Tacoma, Washington has ever heard of Ford Realty!
I couldn’t do it. Bigger isn’t always better, I told myself. I built this business by being entrepreneurial, agile, and flexible with a keen eye on customer service. Many of my clients are repeat customers. They rented an apartment and a few years later purchased a condo. I like the personal touch of being a smaller, independent, family-run business. I acknowledge and accept that I won’t get those leads from Tacoma.
We have weathered many storms – 9/11, the Dot – Com bubble, The Great Recession of 2007-2009 and we will overcome the COVID 19 crisis. We can and will adapt. Being locally owned enabled us to use masks and gloves before it was mandated; we started using videos and more pictures immediately and didn’t need to wait for corporate to give us direction. Be confident that we will do whatever we can safely do to help you, our customers, navigate these times. Thank you to all our customers, our neighbors and our friends, we look forward to serving your Real Estate needs for many years to come!
One more thing – enjoy the Christmas Holiday, stay safe and when you are in the market for a real estate move – please consider us – we will both be glad you did!