Author: Lorrie Cozzens

Patrick Wood, Broker/Owner of Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties in Chino Hills, California, is invariably one of our top three Top Producers. A friend from Fullerton is credited with bringing Patrick into real estate in 1977.

The friend bought a traditional real estate franchise, and the numbers were enticing. Finding real estate clicked with him, Patrick ran with it, and has been on the go ever since.

Eventually Patrick opened his own Help-U-Sell Real Estate office. “There was an excellent reputation built around the brand name and being able to do 40% volume was a big attraction. In the beginning, I had some seller participation, but I only wanted to offer full-service. I was also working with my agents on a commission structure. Now, everybody who works for me is hourly or salary, plus a monthly bonus. They are paid for everything that they do, which means everyone is invested. I have found it is better for my clients that my office is as service-oriented as possible, and with my dedicated team, there is always someone available to show a house, attend an inspection, meet an appraiser, or just be here to manage something in the office and pick up the phone,” Patrick said. Including his indispensable office manager, Val, there are eight realtors on Patrick’s team.

He continued, “When I first opened, there was some pushback to overcome from the real estate community, and objections from consumers. Yet in my first year, we had 110 sides to show for our efforts. Consumers like keeping equity. We’re in a market where homes are regularly $900,000, and the house across the street sells in just 10 days. Consumers are looking for reason. When we present the facts, they gladly list with us.”

Naturally, we wanted to know about some of the secrets to Patrick’s success.

“We have streamlined ourselves continually over time. The name recognition of Help-U-Sell, combined with our branding efforts, gives us great visibility. We advertise in local media and social media. We keep up with our sign exposure: our regular signs, as well as open house signs – both do a great job of taking advantage of free exposure. Our general presence in the community is also strong because we all live here, work here, and serve our clients here. Our office is situated in a main thoroughfare of a retail center. After 15 years we still get walk-ins! We are involved in our community with children’s charities and sports teams where we get to put our name and number on t-shirts. It’s a foundation we are always adding to and reinforcing,” he said.

To aid in that reinforcement, the team is sending out ‘sold and saved’ postcards every time there is a closing. “In addition, we actively pursue Yelp reviews. Any ad spend always emphasizes full-service and savings. Every listing includes professional photos of the property, including aerial drone photos. We’re providing a seasoned agent to guide clients through this process. One of the bigger compliments we get is a constant stream of listings from other real estate industry professionals, like the appraisers who help us. The consistent effort keeps everything running on track. I see competitors looking at other ways to do business, but we find the old-fashioned efforts get the best results,” Patrick said.  

In addition to streamlining efforts, Patrick attributes much of his success to a highly-motivated team, all of whom share certain qualities. He explained, “My team members are extremely confident, detail-oriented, efficient, and personable. Everyone is a rational problem solver. It takes a certain strength to be in front of people presenting information and handling their objections. It’s a great position to be in where you can assign people to places where they’re most needed. We treat people like we’re talking with neighbors rather than strangers, because we do share this community.”

One hallmark for success is the ability to adapt during times of instability. Patrick said, “During the recession years, people had their equity position severely compromised. I made it a point to develop excellent relationships with the banks and became good at handling foreclosures. When the foreclosure market dried up, I evolved into short sales. Most homeowners have equity now, and since they remember all too well what it was like to not have equity, our service and fee structure makes sense to them.”

Patrick’s favorite time-saver is an app called ShowingTime. “It has had a huge impact on how I do business presently. It is simply an extension of my team, and only adds about five or six dollars more in overall listing fees. It easily saves me and my staff 3 to 4 hours every day, because we’re not calling back buyer’s agents who are trying to show the property,” he shared.

With so many years dedicated exclusively to one industry and one region, Patrick offers a lot of insight on the current conditions of his market.

“There are a lot of Californians leaving, and my fellow Help-U-Sell Broker/Owners in Arizona and Texas are seeing the influx of business from those leaving this state. I am seeing a huge inflow of buyers of residential and commercial properties from mainland China. We tried advertising in the local Chinese daily news but learned that buyers from abroad were finding us the same way as local buyers do: online. I’ve seen another trend of international buyers investing in properties without putting eyes on it. It’s a tight market here. Right now there are only 215 homes for sale city-wide, and when you consider the million-dollar or luxury homes, it shuts a lot of people out. It’s a healthy seller’s market with homes selling in an average of just 26 days. Sellers recognize our branding and value.”

The culmination of these efforts speak for themselves when the results come in. In 2018 Patrick and his team closed 119 transactions. For 2019, he has set a goal of 125 to 150. “Our track record of sales, in combination with the savings we offer is pretty compelling when we present to potential clients. The best thing my team does is fast follow up. I often hear from clients that my team members are as trustworthy as I am. That’s as big of a compliment as is possible to give. Being on top means you’re always in the grind, but this is a great place to be.”

After completing her college studies in India, Meena Gujral met and married her husband, a resident of the United States, and emigrated with him to begin the next phase of her life. She worked in hotel sales, but felt a pull towards real estate in 1986.

“I got my real estate license the same year my son was born. It was clear early on that I wanted a career that would enable me to spend more time with him. Of course, what I did not realize at the time, is that real estate can be a 24-hour business. You work on weekends and in the evenings, but you can create your schedule around the needs of a family. Aside from the flexibility, one of the things that attracted me to real estate was the concept of home ownership. Helping people move into new homes and sharing in their excited feelings when they achieve that is very satisfying. You get to share in their happiness,” Meena said.

Meena’s Office, Help-U-Sell Achievers Realty in Pleasanton, California, cropped up in our year-end list of Top Producers for 2018, which highlights brokers that have the strongest sales numbers. Meena attributes her strong end-of-year close in part to being very social, with a strong push towards marketing herself. “I participate in a lot of networking groups around my city. There are a lot of social groups in my neighborhood, and I’ve built a good reputation doing short sale transactions. I also regularly publicize the amount of money I save clients on home transactions,” she added. Meena’s husband, Jasbir, is also a broker and involved with the business, primarily functioning as a mortgage broker.

Plans for 2019 have Meena doubling what she did in 2018. “I’m really looking forward to what we achieve this year. I started January with three listings out of the gate, and I am working actively with two buyers. I’ve got a great focus on my goals,” she said.

Pleasanton, California is in the Bay Area, just outside of San Francisco. “The market here is always high, with the median price of houses around $800,000. The downside of that means home sales can move a little slower because there is a smaller margin of people able to buy in that price range. It’s always interesting to watch how a house is received by potential buyers. One of my recent listings was priced similarly to a neighboring house that had a lot of expensive renovations. I had concerns my listing wouldn’t be as well received, but buyers raved about it and it ended up selling quickly,” Meena explained. “The Bay Area has always experienced a tight inventory in the housing market.”

When it comes to branding and reputation, Meena finds just the name Help-U-Sell is a benefit. She shared, “People call the office because they know someone who used Help-U-Sell and were extremely happy with the results. Other people call because they are curious to find out what we’re about. Once we explain, they generally want to list with us. With the market always being so high here, people love the fact that we save them money. When I point out some other differences between myself versus the offerings of a traditional brokerage, I let them know they’re getting the best marketing and same exposure on the MLS. I tell them exactly what is going to happen, and they are impressed.”

Social media has shifted a lot of the home buying and selling experience, and Meena has adjusted her practices accordingly. Meena shared, “Some things change and others stay consistent. I do a lot of marketing on social media, with a heavy emphasis on Facebook, as well as generous use of Instagram, Pinterest, Google My Business, and LinkedIn. My shift in strategy has resulted in my listings on social media getting 150% more views over my competition. That’s positive and different. What stays the same is people see they are saving money. They are gaining the expertise of a person with longevity in the business. They see your marketing plan and understand they are not going to be missing out anything.”

The in-house marketing that is a hallmark of the Help-U-Sell Real Estate system is something that Meena finds useful in creating awareness for her company. She said, “The marketing system that is a part of the single sign-on platform is very easy to use. I create many of my postcards in there, and it’s easy to customize. Social media, in combination with the more traditional methods of marketing like signage, have been keeping me at the right level of exposure. When people call us, I hear ‘we see your signs all over the place’. This goes for outside my typical market, too. When I meet new people, I often hear they have already heard my name. I know I’m doing well as I continue to build my reputation.”

Moving into the new year, Meena is pleased. “Working with my husband is a huge asset. With his expertise in mortgage lending, he is able to quickly share information to make buyers feel comfortable with the lending process. With the two of us working together, it makes it feel like a one-stop shop. I really love the situation I’ve created,” Meena said. Which is a fantastic goal to achieve in anyone’s book.