Author: Lorrie Cozzens

Yasumi Davis, Broker/Owner of Help-U-Sell Golden Homes in Martinez,California, originally came to the United States as a young woman in 1990 to attend graduate school on a Rotary scholarship to complete her MBA. Upon completing her studies, she was planning on returning to her home in Matsumoto, Japan, when she met her future husband, William, leading to her work for a high-tech software company as a project manager. However, without an engineering background, she didn’t think the industry was the right fit for her. In 2003, the high-tech industry was not doing so well either, and in a third round of layoffs at her company, Yasumi found herself without a job.

The year previous, Yasumi and William had purchased their first home together. She paid careful attention to the entire process and thought real estate seemed like a really good fit for her, so she pursued her real estate license. William is an attorney who concentrates on tax and real estate law, so they decided to share an office. “I was a little worried when we first started sharing an office that it might not be a good idea, but we quickly found our work schedules didn’t interfere with one another at all,” Yasumi said. In 2003, after looking around at various options, Yasumi and William purchased a Help-U-Sell franchise.

Last year, Yasumi wanted to take her business to the next level and became involved with the coaching groups at Help-U-Sell Real Estate. “Before I started coaching, I was just by myself figuring out ways to improve and better organize on my own. Since I made it a part of my weekly routine, I feel connected to everyone, and the ideas shared have helped me streamline things I do every day. Also, the motivation is a real boost.”

“In recent years, our housing market has tended toward a higher median price range, usually between $650,000 – $700,000. With the market inventory being tighter this year, it’s getting more common to see million dollar homes,” Yasumi said. “However, if I can get a listing presentation, I’m going to get the business. There may be competitors out there, but I don’t worry too much about them because I’m offering negotiation skills, the experience of having sold a large number of homes, and evidence of the thousands and thousands of dollars I have saved home sellers over time. What I do is get homes sold.”

In fact, Yasumi has been so busy selling homes that she ranked 17th out of 3,800 agents last year in the Contra Costa Association of Realtors. She has an assistant who is helping with the marketing efforts, such as the new updated Automated Arounds postcard program, which makes it easier than ever to set a budget and pinpoint an audience with the right message at the right time. She is also getting ready to train a new transaction coordinator and a buyer’s agent. “I am at maximum capacity in terms of how busy I am, so it’s really time for me to start delegating tasks to other people,” Yasumi shared. “I am trying to eventually set this office infrastructure up so that I can leave it in capable hands to run on my behalf.”

Part of that desire to expand the number of people in the office is so that she can visit her family in Japan more frequently and spend more time focusing on her 11-year-old twins, a daughter and a son. Both children are avid baseball players, and both often play the shortstop position, making the All -Star team. Shortstop is often considered the most hard-working position in baseball, so it came as no surprise to us that Yasumi’s children take after their mom by excelling in the position that requires fast thinking and covering a lot of ground.

Lona Lassen Murphy, the Broker/Owner of Help-U-Sell Select Real Estate, came to the United States from Denmark in the 1980s. She met her husband in Miami, and worked for the Interval International Timeshare Exchange Company, where her ability to speak seven languages (Danish, English, German, French, Spanish, Norwegian, and Swedish!) came in extremely handy while working with a diverse mix of clients from around the globe. After segueing into management, Lona and her spouse relocated to Eugene, Oregon, and she found herself managing the office of a Help-U-Sell franchise.

“I really sunk my teeth into real estate,” Lona shared. “I learned everything I could and wanted to branch out on my own. So I found an owner who was interested in selling and approached them. That was six years ago this past April, and I have been doing this ever since. I never worked for a traditional real estate environment, the Help-U-Sell Real Estate model made sense to me.”

Taking over an existing franchise instead of starting completely new was a big draw for Lona also. “Buying this business from a previous owner was an easy decision. I had name recognition from a business that had been in place since 1991, a website and database already existed, and a phone number everyone already knew. It made total sense to me as a newcomer to Eugene. So I changed up some of the offerings and services and made it my own,” said Lona.

Even though Lona’s business had missed many of the terrible after effects of the economic crash, there was still some lingering evidence of a recovery in process. Lona went on to say, “Unlike many other agents and brokers, I did not go outside of regular home sales or pursue foreclosures. I was maintaining a steady enough stream of listings, in part because the home values in Eugene were not like those in other parts of the country – they did not double –  so the community impact was different. So I kept my eye on expenses and kept the business balanced through that time.”

To keep her business name in the community forefront, Lona employs a lot of the “Just sold” postcards, door hangers, and a mix of local TV and radio ads. The producer of her television ads, who created a spot around some organic interviewing of two interns Lona has been working with, eventually became a Help-U-Sell client himself. While one intern stayed for just the semester, the other is working with Lona throughout the summer: following up on leads, making calls, sending texts and letters to FSBOs, and even running a good campaign on Instagram.

After the departure of her last agent, Lona decided to see how she would do just on her own. “I’m actually ahead this year in terms of production and listings compared to the same time last year, despite the market shortage. I have hired someone to take care of bank reconciliation and some other minor tasks. I think the Help-U-Sell Real Estate model is perfect for a small office, and my success rate is proving it to me,” Lona explained.

Although there are some similar looking competitors in the area, the similarities are on the surface only. “There are copycats that may offer a flat fee, but the service isn’t the same and they haven’t had an impact on my share of listings in the marketplace. I don’t get every listing, of course, but I do get a lot. Many of my listings also come from referrals. I get leads every other day, and 90% of them are seller leads. The results speak for themselves.”

The big takeaway in Lona’s strategy? “You have to get good at prioritizing really quickly and ask yourself what activities are leading to the conversions. I always answer my phone or call right back. I do my research quickly with potential client homes. I put leads in my CRM right away and follow up with tasks assigned to each lead. I have the speech down and I always ask for the appointment to meet in person. I’m just so busy and I always keep trying.” Which is surely a recipe for success, no matter what language you say it in.

Jack Bailey, 30-year veteran Broker/Owner of Help-U-Sell Greensboro, sales coach, and community advisor on achieving a debt-free lifestyle for anyone who asks, has also been creating a large presence in 2018. Not only does Jack stay busy closing lots of home seller and buyer transactions and consistently tracking on our top producing sales charts, he also recently decided to take on the opening of a second office in North Carolina.

What can you tell us about your extraordinary revenue and profit growth?

The name “Help-U-Sell” alone generates leads. People see it and have an interest. We follow the Help-U-Sell Real Estate model protocols. We rely a lot on our “Center of Influence” marketing efforts. The corporate office has made that simpler and far less expensive than ever.

I’m also a bit different because the people who work with me are all salaried employees. I pay bonuses, and their expenses like MLS dues, mileage, and other benefits. I find that I am more profitable when people feel secure and they feel they have something to lose. If I paid them pure commission on a 60% split, I wouldn’t be nearly as profitable, they wouldn’t work nearly as hard, and our turnover would be far greater. I’ve done well by running my real estate business like a regular business. We are profitable on the pure volume of sales we bring in.

How many total full time/part time people did you operate with last year and what was your annual number of transactions?

Working with both buyers and sellers are myself and a newer associate, John, who is still in his first year of real estate. My wife, Cheryl, also works for the business full time, overseeing the office administration, along with two part time assistants helping in that department. Last year we had another long time colleague retire, she showed houses for us part time. So right now, three full-time and two part-time employees.

Last year we closed on 136 total sides, which we’re quite proud of both as what we achieved as a team and also compared to Broker/Owners in other markets.

Are you in a high or low priced housing market? 

Compared to the rest of the country, our market is lower. Our median price range on a house is between $180,000 and $185,000.

How has the Help-U-Sell Franchise Real Estate System been beneficial to your profit and revenue growth?

When you start off with Help-U-Sell, they teach you all of the systems they have in place and give you the tools that allow you to run effectively. When you have all that ready, you’re able to go out and sell more. You’re going to sell houses more efficiently.

Getting new listings is more difficult now than it was a few years ago because of low inventory, so we are actively working with more buyers now also. I am in the process of bringing on a new person who will be working exclusively with buyers so we don’t leave any potential sides off the table. For April, our buyer and seller sides were nearly equal.

Do you have a Competitive advantage? How so?

If we walk into a house for a possible listing, we have a 98% chance of walking out with the sale. If you present the material well, with a great price and a good personality, there is no reason why you shouldn’t get the sale. A good listing is going to have multiple buyers in a few days.

Are the Marketing Technology Systems effective at reducing time needed to market?

What’s been really cool to witness is the evolution of Help-U-Sell technology over time. They have automated so many things. Center of Influence marketing is vital to real estate. Under the old way, you would often get too busy to do it every day. So you put it off and then days turn into weeks and months, and your hot leads have turned cold. Now, they just take care of it for you. You don’t need to create the marketing pieces yourself. You just choose the template you like, customize it, set your budget and your area of interest and go to work. It’s easy and it doesn’t take up too much time. When you’ve reached your budget, it stops until the next month begins.

How does the HUS system help you overcome a Tight Inventory?

It is a tight inventory for everyone. Low inventory means it makes it that much more important to get every listing you can. What I love about Help-U-Sell Real Estate is it works for a buyer’s market and a seller’s market. It works during a great economy or a recovering one. We present the facts, and the facts are you are likely to be saving a good $18,000 of your equity as a home seller vs. a traditional 6% commission. That’s hard to turn down as a home seller if the presenter is personable and professional.

Lastly, the support from corporate is not just innovative, it’s tremendous. They have created a system like no other franchise. The coaching calls included – they are open-minded to new ideas. They are helpful and are there for us Broker/Owners. In the 30 years I have been involved, what I love most is the Help-U-Sell attitude. We pull together, us against the rest of the real estate world. Owners share ideas and what helps them in their market.

But it’s bigger than even all that.

One of the people in my coaching group reached out to let me know he couldn’t make a call because his infant was terribly ill and had to go to the hospital. He asked me to share his apologies with the group for not being able to attend. We should have been his last thought but he included us. The group responded by asking for his number so they could text well wishes and prayers for the baby. It is both a team and a family, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it.

I am more excited than ever about what Help-U-Sell has coming down the road. My mindset is not about me being profitable. I love helping people.