Frank Scozzaro finds new real estate agents
Much in the way real estate professionals work to find new buyers and sellers, Frank Scozzaro works to find new real estate agents to team up with. There’s even a marketing program designed to help locate good agents who are willing to explore services and skills as a lender. Frank Scozzaro will start slowly with a new agent who is bringing a buyer needing financing. “Usually, the first time I work with an agent, they’ll have a buyer they’ve had turned down by the mortgage people they normally do business with. They think, well, I don’t have anything to lose; I’ll give this Frank Scozzaro a try. If they’re happy with the result, they’ll bring me a few more buyers, and over time, I generally get the lion’s share of their business.” Frank Scozzaro doesn’t think it’s realistic to walk into the office of a multi-million dollar agent and walk out a half hour later with all their mortgage business. “Really, it’s a little like two people getting married; they don’t start off the relationship at the church, they date for a while first, and it works both ways. I have to like and trust an agent; I have to believe that agent is approaching the transaction with the buyer’s interests first and foremost,” says Frank Scozzaro.
Although Frank Scozzaro believes agents bring in their loan business essentially because they’re comfortable with the performance, Frank Scozzaro acknowledges that the package of meaningful services offered helps. “When I first got into the mortgage business I watched how lenders went about finding agents to work with, and a lot of what I saw didn’t make much sense. Passing out advertising specialty products, pens with my name on it, calendars, golf balls and all that, just didn’t strike me as very effective. So, I sat down and came up with a list of things I would want from a lender if I were a real estate agent,” Frank Scozzaro explains.
What resulted was “Scozzaro’s Four Meaningful Services”. First, if an agent is going to provide referral customers, referrals should also go back to the agent. To that end, Frank Scozzaro maintains an annual lead generation program, helping agents find new buyers and sellers, which is free.
While an exact number of buyer or seller leads passed an agent’s way cannot be guaranteed, Frank Scozzaro uses one of the industry’s most sophisticated and reliable lead programs to find referrals.Beyond providing referrals, Frank Scozzaro believes the second most meaningful service offered is availability. For example, let’s say an agent is out showing houses to buyers on Saturday afternoon, and that agents has a financial question, or his buyers want to ask in what price range they should be looking. Frank Scozzaro is there to answer the call. Frank Scozzaro may miss a round of golf from time to time, but availability has proven itself to be high on most agents’ list.
On a more in-depth scale, the third meaningful service is something Frank Scozzaro feels strongly should become part of any agent’s sales process - having their buyers pre-approved for finding. Frank Scozzaro insists that while pre qualifying a buyer is important, unless it is followed by a more though pre-approval step, it can create more misunderstandings that it solves. “Pre-qualification means I like you, maybe we’ll go out sometime; pre-approval means I love you, let’s get married.” Frank Scozzaro is available to meet buyers at the agent’s office, a mutually convenient location, or in many cases the pre-approval can be completed over the telephone. “The confidence buyers feel after being pre-approved can’t be replaced. Suddenly, they’re no longer just looking for a house. How that they sense it is becoming a reality, their attitudes brighten, and their loyalty to their agent tightens.”
The fourth meaningful service stems from commitment to education. Frank Scozzaro truly believes the more informed you make your buyer, the better your chance of retaining them.
As a specialist in residential mortgage lending, Frank Scozzaro is your advocate and has developed the skills necessary to work closely with your buyers without interfering with your sales process. That takes true specialization.
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