Bridgette Is Educating First-time Home Buyers With The Help Of Her Books
Bridgette Williams, an agent based out of Columbia, South Carolina, has been in the business since 2006. In that time, she’s become a valuable resource for buyers navigating the real estate process for the first time.
“There’s so much information online, and sometimes it’s a hindrance because it’s wrong information. Most of the time we are spending is trying to correct the things they’ve learned online. When they’re starting out as first-time home buyers, we want to ensure that they’re not wasting time and doing the wrong things based on what they saw online.”
But Bridgette wasn’t always so passionate about educating first-time buyers. Her change of heart happened gradually as she received more referrals.
“Whenever I help a person, they share it with somebody. They are satisfied with the services I offered, wherein I provided the steps to navigate through the process of home buying.”
As an effective marketing tool to showcase what she can do in the digital age, she utilizes her website and advertises on different social media platforms.
“I am currently working on strategizing and building things on websites, and doing online marketing on social media — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
“When I first started, that was not the lane I pursued. I had one-one-one meetings with clients. I got them through referrals. They contacted me, I set an appointment, sat down with them, and basically highlighted what steps they needed to take based on their situation at that time. Depending on where they are at the stage of their lives, I applied strategies that helped them maneuver through their state.”
As Bridgette became more comfortable handling real estate transactions, she realized the importance of making a good first impression to first-time buyers so they would return to her in the future.
“I have actually sold clients’ homes after I helped them with their first home. It’s a process.”
EDUCATING HERSELF ON MARKET TRENDS
Bridgette says she works with lenders to stay up to date on current market trends and also relies on training from Authorify to keep up with the latest marketing strategies.
“The training that we get and the continued learning must be placed at the forefront of our process when we’re working with clients to ensure that we’re following legal protocols and doing things ethically.”
FORMING HEALTHY CONNECTIONS AND BOUNDARIES
Most of Bridgette’s clients come from referrals, and she says people like working with her because she has a friendly and carefree disposition. She’s also not afraid to reach out to professionals she thinks can help her step up her game.
“I’ve formed connections through various means. I’ve reached out to some that I worked deals with just to see how they operate. I can say it has helped narrow down, minimize, or even eliminate who I shouldn’t work with.”
Using observation and extensive research, Bridgette has been able to establish a network of professionals who are diligent, resourceful, honest, and who take care of her clients.
“They must do their due diligence on their end by giving clients the best rates and products. It should not just be someone who’s out there for profit and personal gains because some just focus on how many deals they can close. So my experience in connecting with them is primarily based on the years of working with them, or it could be another fellow agent of mine.”
TWO-WAY STREET
Bridgette credits part of her success and growth as an agent to the circle of committed vendors, contractors, and other professionals who support her transactions.
“There’s a sense of trust in creating a lane of exchange. We’re all exchanging one way or another. Some people look at it as a negative thing because they anticipate I’m getting something from it like a cut from the deal, but that’s not the case. In these situations, all I think about is to provide help to my clients. I get no cuts, commissions, bonuses. The connection is out of pure and genuine business relationships I can depend on. I feel comfortable referring my clients to them because I’ve witnessed the work they do.”
PRIORITIZING KNOWLEDGE
Bridgette’s favorite part of her job is being able to help and educate her clients. She says her Authorify books have boosted her confidence and given her clients something to lean on when they have a question about the process or she’s not available to assist them.
“There are so many avenues out there, but at the end of the day, when I’m going through things I don’t exactly know how to do and what steps to take, this connection we have has a lot of benefits. Being able to still educate someone and have the foundation behind it in the form of a written document, legitimately showing the proof of strategies, has been pretty good for me.”
