#YourForeverAgent Carolyn Crooks
On this episode of The Closing Table, we sat down with Carolyn Crooks!
To watch the full episode, check it out on YouTube below. In the meantime, here’s a summary of the conversation…
Here’s what you missed from Carolyn Crooks…
Carolyn’s journey into real estate began organically, sparked by an encounter with a realtor at a bar. Despite initial hesitation due to her lack of connections in the area, she embraced the opportunity. Though she started with a mentor on a team, Carolyn quickly realized her preference for a more independent working environment.
As an immigrant from Canada, Carolyn had to adjust to life in Indiana. She grew to appreciate the openness and affordability of housing in the state. Indiana’s real estate market is known for its affordability and rural properties, which resonated with Carolyn’s values and aspirations.
Carolyn places a strong emphasis on building relationships with her clients, ensuring they feel comfortable and understood. She dedicates time to understanding their needs and preferences, aiming to maintain lasting connections beyond property transactions. Her business approach is deeply relationship-based.
Throughout her career, Carolyn has learned the importance of transparency in real estate dealings. She highlights the significance of maintaining good relationships with other agents to facilitate smooth transactions. Carolyn also underscores the need for perseverance and creativity when facing challenges such as appraisal issues and lender complications.
Carolyn believes in open communication with clients, advising them to admit when they don’t have an answer but assure them they will find out. Keeping clients informed and reducing their stress during difficult times is a priority. She emphasizes the importance of providing updates to avoid surprises in transactions and advises new agents to prioritize client relationships and be readily available for questions.
Next, Carolyn stresses the importance of ensuring clients are content with the location of their new home. She encourages agents to understand and prioritize clients’ needs over personal preferences, recognizing the emotional connection involved in real estate transactions.
Addressing common misconceptions, Carolyn explains that real estate agents do much more than just open doors. She educates clients about the steps between making an offer and closing, emphasizing the importance of understanding deadlines, inspections, and appraisals.
Carolyn guides first-time home buyers through the post-offer process, working with lenders and explaining the involvement of underwriting. She highlights the significance of ordering appraisals, managing deadlines, and addressing inspection-related repairs, ensuring clients understand both the seller’s obligations and the buyer’s opportunities.
Following that, Carolyn discusses the emotional distance provided by agents in transactions, emphasizing their role in negotiation and decision-making processes. She shares her personal goals and achievements in real estate, highlighting the improvement in her social media presence and content creation.
Carolyn plans to continue creating high-quality production-style videos for social media, acknowledging evolving trends and algorithms. She emphasizes the importance of being organic and authentic on social media to connect with clients. Transitioning away from static “just listed” and “just sold” posts, Carolyn focuses on organic storytelling, using stories to showcase property closings and daily activities. Walkthrough videos have proven effective in generating interest and inquiries about properties, especially given the larger territory that prompts questions about location and availability.
Carolyn uses social media to build her brand and business, attracting referrals and clients through hashtag searches. She emphasizes the importance of being present and spending quality time with clients, encouraging them to focus on properties during walkthroughs rather than being attached to devices.
Looking ahead, Carolyn is excited to post about an upcoming long concert in September. After a recent family vacation, she is ready to embrace changes in real estate, anticipating how these changes will evolve her business. Over the past seven to eight years, Carolyn has experienced significant life changes, including moving countries, undergoing immigration, getting married, and becoming a bonus mom to three children. She views these changes positively, noting that her career change has been particularly fulfilling. Carolyn looks forward to seeing how new developments in real estate will continue to evolve her business and the industry at large.
Check out Carolyn Crooks:
https://www.instagram.com/_carolyncrooks_/
https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.gurney.56/
https://carolyncrooks.bhhsnorthernindianarealestate.com
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