Client Portal: Setting Up Expert Searches

Expert Property Searches

Most buyers start their searches in a broad area and then refine their search over time. When you talk w/ a buyer, they might tell you something like, "I want to be within 20 minutes of the Domain, with at least 2500SqFt, with good schools, and to spend under $500k." With that information, you know that Northwest Austin, Round Rock (West of I-35), and Cedar Park are good options.

The Wrong Way to Set Up This Buyer's Search

John Buyer's Bad Search

• MLS Area = NW, 1N, RRW, CLS
• Price = <$500k
• Min SqFt = 2500

If you set the buyer up on only one search in a broad geographic area, they will be blasted with wildly different properties in different areas of town. They might get an email that includes a 2500SqFt house in Milwood built in 1983, a 3000SqFt house in Avery Ranch built in 2009, & a 3500SqFt house in Cedar Park built in 1995. It would take quite a bit for them to organize their own search. It's your job to help them more easily organize their search.

The Expert Way to Set Up This Buyer's Search

John Buyer's Client Gateway

This contains multiple Expert Searches.

Now that you have the searches divided into geographic areas, your buyer will receive multiple emails with helpful subject lines. The different areas will start to actually mean something to him/her. Your buyer might add additional criteria - specific schools in one area or tighten/loosen property criteria based on what's available in that area. Ultimately, your buyer will start to eliminate certain areas and focus on others. When that happens, you simply delete the searches that he/she no longer needs.

Expert Area Emails

These emails can take as much time to write as the searches take to set up, but they provide incredible value. After you've set up your Expert Searches, you will send an email that gives a brief overview of the area or neighborhood that each search covers. This is usually 2-3 sentences about each area or neighborhood. By taking the time to send this valuable email, you've shown incredible value to the lead, who is now likely a client.

Here Are 5 Great Resources

• MLS Area Map
• How to copy/paste so that the styles actually look nice
• Canned Area & Neighborhood Descriptions
• Maps of Austin w/ Neighborhood & Zip Code Overlays
• School Ratings by Location

Here is an Example of an Excellent Expert Area Email

As you can see, this will take some time to write. Leverage the Canned Area & Neighborhood Descriptions above and save your own descriptions.

SUBJECT: Areas and Neighborhoods for Your Property Search BODY: Hi {client name} - I just set up your property searches, so you should have them in your email (please check spam if you don’t see them.) You’ll need to click through on each search to activate it, so please make sure to do so. I’ve separated these into different areas so that you can get to know the different areas/neighborhoods at a high level and better understand what each has to offer. These will email you every morning as listings hit the market, go under contract, or have price changes. The information is directly from the MLS, so it’s really reliable. If you do see properties elsewhere that look interesting, please forward them to me and I’ll take a look to see why they didn’t show up in these searches. Here’s a little about each area/neighborhood:

• Jester / Lakewood - These neighborhoods are just North of Capital of Texas Highway. There are actually two different neighborhoods that run into each other. Jester sits on top of the hill. Most of the houses were built in the 1980s and 1990s. There are some houses with killer views up here because it is such a high point. There are two ways out this neighborhood which is convenient for traffic. In the middle of the neighborhood there is a community pool that you can choose to join if you like. There are homes in the neighborhood that are part of mandatory HOA and some are voluntary. But as far as HOAs go they are pretty relaxed. Lakewood is smaller compared to Jester. The houses are more 1970s and 1980s. Some have zero lot lines so no yard maintenance. It has its own HOA with tennis courts and a pool.
• Courtyard - This neighborhood is inside 360 Loop and nestled up against Lake Austin. There's a few properties in this neighborhood that have boat docks. Those usually sell for around $2million and don’t hit the market very often. It has a very unique feel to the neighborhood that people either really like or dislike. The lots are very small but the homes are situated on the lots to have privacy. Most of the homes were built in the late 1970s early 1980s. There is a tennis and swim club in the middle of the neighborhood that you can join. It also has a separate HOA, so that will be something to think about when calculating your monthly costs. There are currently no houses in this neighborhood that are hitting the criteria but I set it for when one does hit.
• Northwest Hills - This neighborhood is desirable because of it’s proximity to North Austin tech companies and downtown. It was built in the 1960-1970s so there is a lot of architectural interest in these properties. The entry point for this neighborhood is around $700k, so the houses are not going to seem as nice as in the other searches. And a lot of the views at the under $800k range will be treetop views which I don't think you are looking for. But I want to include it because I think there is a chance that one will hit and the location is great for getting around town.
• Great Hills - The draw to this area is the location. It is minutes from the Domain which is a shopping and restaurant area. It is close to most of the tech companies. They have access to two major roads that can take you downtown quickly via the express lanes. The houses are going to be older, some dating back to the 1970s and some as new as early 2000. There are homes in this neighborhood that are 1800 square feet and some that are 5000 square feet. And all different types of homes.