Recipe for Success
By Elizabeth Hoppe
By Elizabeth Hoppe
How can research and data be used to make the home buying and selling process easier? That’s a lot of what Lindsay Miller, Co-CEO at d’aprile properties, has focused on during her time in the industry, and it shows in the services her company offers. “This industry requires us to stay current on technology, tools, and the market. Knowledge sharing is critical to keep up,” she says. “Our company partners with key technology vendors to ensure that our agents have access to the most updated programs. This includes transaction management tools, paperless processing, market reporting and analysis, trends, and marketing systems.” To be successful in this industry, you have to know your market. That’s where research comes in. “This includes everything from school districts to home builders, as well as market trends and commute times,” she says. Everything about the area will matter at some point. Agents need to use data to become area experts. “In addition, it is important to be involved in the local community,” she adds. “Giving back and supporting the community in which you work and live is essential. The best way to build a successful business supported by the community is to set the example.” Buyers and sellers have different transactional needs, but both require a strong adviser. Agents at d’aprile properties have various specialties: first-time homebuyers, new construction, mixed-use, and relocation. One thing the agents all understand is the importance of working together. D’aprile agents openly share knowledge, strengths, and best practices. “It creates a family-feel where questions are encouraged and learning is part of the day-to-day culture,” Miller says. “In the end, this results in a really great group of people who want to do the right thing for their clients using all of the tools and teamwork offered at d’aprile.” The advancement of technology has created new tools that agents can use, but it also gives homeowners access to a lot of information, too—and it’s not all credible. “The root needs have not changed: effective communication, timeliness, accuracy, analysis. Agents need to have access to those critical tools to provide value to their clients,” she says. “Agents shouldn’t sell. They should consult. They provide key information and guidance, but the client is the captain of the team driving the decisions.”
D’aprile properties is located at 40 E. Hinsdale Avenue, Suite 200, in Hinsdale, 312-492-7900, daprileproperties.com.
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