Kurt Steffien – Help-U-Sell® Connect

December Top Producer 2023

“December: A month of lights, snow, coziness, and feasts; time to make amends and tie up loose ends; finish what you started and make your wishes come true.” – Unknown

The last two sentiments of this quote, “finish what you started and make your wishes come true”, while words of wisdom for anyone, can be a juggernaut for the real estate professional looking analytically at the year behind them with an intent on improving the year ahead.

Wrap up, assess, plan, reconfigure as needed. Why? Because the market is always changing. The advertising spend that worked last year may not be working now. Mortgage rates change. Expectations shift accordingly. Those who anticipated difficulty and became the agents of change sustained the momentum to keep going.

In the last month of 2023, Patrick Wood of Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties in Chino Hills, California, made a bid for the top spot and takes the lead. A total of ten sides makes for a very satisfying close to this chapter.

For the rest of our report, you will be seeing double. It’s not you! It’s us! There are ties for second, third, fourth, and even fifth places here.

It was the most wonderful time of year, indeed. In second place: Jack Bailey and the team at Help-U-Sell Greensboro, and Debra Schmidt of Help-U-Sell Heritage Real Estate of Steele County in Owatonna, Minnesota. Both offices close out the month with six sides.

Mario Ferrante, Help-U-Sell Metropolitan

Michigan takes over third place with Mario Ferrante from Help-U-Sell Metropolitan in Woodhaven, and Jeff Hedberg of Help-U-Sell Real Masters in Port Huron. Each office brought four sides to end the year.

John Powell, Help-U-Sell SE Rita Ranch Realty

Three sides each snags the fourth place for John Powell at Help-U-Sell The Powell Group in Tucson, Arizona, and Nathan Douglas of Help-U-Sell Santa Maria, in Santa Maria, California.

Suffice to say, our Top Producers finished what they started this month.

Office	Seller	Buyer	Total
Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties	7	3	10
Help-U-Sell Greensboro	3	3	6
Help-U-Sell Heritage Real Estate of Steele County Inc.	4	2	6
Help-U-Sell Metropolitan	1	3	4
Help-U-Sell Real Estate Masters	3	1	4
Help-U-Sell The Powell Group	2	1	3
Help-U-Sell Santa Maria	2	1	3
Help-U-Sell Bakersfield Equity Savers	1	1	2
Help-U-Sell Direct Savings Real Estate	1	1	2

Over here on the Gross Sales Volume Report…

Patrick Wood of Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties in Chino Hills,California, earns the double crown this month by being in first place on both reports. He closes December with nearly $6.5 million.

Seeing double once more, Jack Bailey and the team Help-U-Sell Greensboro, North Carolina, claim second place with $1.5 million for the last month of the year.

As close to a tie as possible in third place, is Kurt Steffien of Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley in Santa Ana, California. Kurt is in third place by a difference of only $39,500. We say that $1,500,00 isn’t a bad way to end the month!

December has the distinct honor of bringing everything to a close with the promise of a new beginning at the same time. Thank you to all who were there with us.

Office	Gross Sales Volume
Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties	$6,488,000
Help-U-Sell Greensboro	$1,539,500
Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley	$1,500,000
Help-U-Sell Real Estate Specialists	$1,375,000
Help-U-Sell Heritage Real Estate of Steele County Inc.	$1,002,900
Help-U-Sell The Powell Group	$974,700
Help-U-Sell Wright	$899,000
Help-U-Sell 951 Realty	$825,000
Help-U-Sell Legacy	$688,000
Help-U-Sell Metropolitan	$658,000
Help-U-Sell Real Estate Masters	$608,400

December 2021 Top Producers

December surprises people not involved in real estate. Perhaps because between November 1st and January 15th, there are about 50 holidays observed by major religions around the world. It would be natural to presume home transactions would be a lot slower. People are preparing for celebrations, and traveling to visit with family and friends. Not only was slow not the case for our Help-U-Sell Broker/Owners, we’re seeing some different faces in our Top Producers list that clearly show new offices climbing the ladder and taking the lead.

For the first time in our number one spot: Alwin Lee of Help-U-Sell Beachside in Huntington Beach, California! With a staggering 16 sides for the month of December, and 12 of those being from sellers, Alwin created a metric ton of savings for his clients just in time for big holiday spending.

In second place is Jack Bailey and his team at Help-U-Sell Greensboro in North Carolina. Perfectly even with six buyer and seller sides. 12 total sides for the 12th month!

It’s nice to see Maria Powell of Help-U-Sell Galleria in Tucson, Arizona picking up pace and locking in third place with 11 sides for December. Clearly things are getting busier for her, as this is her second month in a row on the Top Producers list!

Office	Buyer	Seller	Total
Help-U-Sell Beachside	4	12	16
Help-U-Sell Greensboro	6	6	12
Help-U-Sell Galleria Realty	6	5	11
Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley		10	10
Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties	3	7	10
Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties	1	9	10
Help-U-Sell Metropolitan	3	5	8
Help-U-Sell Mike Bowling	2	6	8
Help-U-Sell Real Estate Specialists	3	5	8
Help-U-Sell Keystone Realty	3	3	6
Help-U-Sell Realty Advantage	1	5	6

On the final Gross Sales Volume report for the year, of course we find Patrick Wood from Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties in Chino Hills, California. Patrick’s team wins first place again with $7.3 million.

A new face is in second place! Kurt Steffien of Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley in Santa Ana, California ranks on the board with $6.9 million for the month. Hope to see him back again in January!

In third place is Alwin Lee from at Help-U-Sell Beachside in Huntington Beach, California. It’s hardly surprising when he nabbed the number one spot in the sides list. Here he has $6.7 million in sales.

Office Name	Gross Sales Value
Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties	$7,348,000
Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley	$6,982,800
Help-U-Sell Beachside	$6,706,000
Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties	$6,327,000
Help-U-Sell Peoples Real Estate	$4,037,000
Help-U-Sell Golden Homes	$1,930,000
Help-U-Sell Realty Advantage	$1,696,800
Help-U-Sell San Antonio Hill Country	$1,670,499
Help-U-Sell Treasure Coast	$1,325,000
Help-U-Sell 951 Realty	$1,260,000
Help-U-Sell Wright	$1,202,000

Not Business as Usual, But Open for Business

With the “sheltering in place” and quarantine orders extended until the end of April, one thing we still know is: lots of people still need to sell and buy homes. With an eye towards social distancing, the real estate industry, and Help-U-Sell Real Estate “Experts Next Door” in particular, have changed business practices to adjust to current safety procedures and protocols.

Some states have already had real estate deemed as an essential business, which provides some leeway as we strive to continue to serve our clients. Creativity in overcoming obstacles and problem solving is the theme of the day. Naturally, technology plays an enormous part. Whether working virtually, or with key staff rotating in the actual office, we are committed to continuing work for you in every way we safely can.

“We are doing real estate in a different way. This is still a perfect opportunity to create new connections and reaffirm old ones. We are calling our previous clients to check in on them, and see if they need anything, especially if they are unable to leave home. We are recording our listing presentations and buyer consultations to have them handy to email to our current leads.” – John Powell, Broker and Chief Development Officer, Help-U-Sell Real Estate Headquarters

“I’ve remodeled my business entirely. I’ve been doing listing presentations via GoToMeeting, and either going to the property to sign listing agreements or conducting it via DocuSign. I have had transactions where I do not see the seller until settlement time. Sometimes I have not seen them in person at all.” – Walt Hippuaf, Broker/Owner, Help-U-Sell Peoples Real Estate, Philadelphia, PA

Kimberly Zelena, Help-U-Sell Direct Savings Real Estate

“One of our agents walked through the house live with the client using GoogleDuo. She recorded a video, uploaded it to where the house is listed for other potential buyers to view it. Closings are limited to ten people or fewer – only the people who absolutely have to be there.” – Kimberly Zelena, Owner, Help-U-Sell Direct Savings Real Estate, Waynesboro, VA

“We moved up closings as quickly as possible for two of our elderly clients. We had the escrow officer go out and sign a client yesterday, and a mobile notary visited another client to get the job done. I’m doing as much as I can on my own. For example, my new phone takes great wide angle photos and video. I’m filming my listings, and post regularly on social media.” – Lona Lassen Murphy, Broker/Owner, Help-U-Sell Oregon, Eugene, OR

“Two of my recent clients, sisters buying condos in the same building, closed yesterday. One could not be in state at all. The tours, the inspection, and the final walk through were all done virtually. During the inspections, I was there, live on FaceTime so she was able to ask questions. The closings were done via email and with e-signatures. Electronic and mobile notaries were approved in Florida this year and that helps a lot.” – Chantell Stevens, Broker/Owner, Help-U-Sell Gulf Coast, Sarasota, FL

“We invested in the cameras to do high quality photos and virtual tours. The majority of people now view home listings on their phone, so we wanted to ensure they have the best viewing experience we can provide from where they are.” – John Metcalf, Broker/Owner, Help-U-Sell Inland Valley, Lake Elsinor, CA

“We are moving closing dates up to help clients close faster. Showing houses is still possible with the CBS (call before showing) code, and assigning a special window to view the home. No one else is allowed in during that time. Both safety and security are increased.” – Yasumi Davis, Broker/Owner, Help-U-Sell Golden Homes, Martinez, CA

“The market here is almost business as normal. Yesterday there were 22 new listings and 11 active contracts. Buyers and sellers who feel like they need to go are allowing showings, but no open houses, of course. It feels like a rainy day open house: you know there won’t be much traffic, but what you do get will be serious. I am telling sellers who haven’t listed yet to get everything ready in advance, so when the restrictions are lifted they will be ready for the burst of opportunity that is bound to happen.” – David Bartels, Broker/Owner, Help-U-Sell Full Service Realty, Westlake Village, CA

“Homes that are vacant are a gold mine, but when they are not, we’ve found virtual tours have been the most helpful.” – Kurt Steffien, Broker/Owner, Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley, Santa Ana, CA

“I have been able to work via text and email. In one case I drove to escrow to drop off signed documents that had to have a wet signature. I wore an N95 mask, gloves, and used hand sanitizer.” – Raul Novales, Broker/Owner, Help-U-Sell Wisdom Realty, Ontario, CA

To find the Help-U-Sell office closest to serving your area, use our office locator tool. https://www.helpusell.com/OfficeLocator.html

Help-U-Sell Success Summit 2012

We’re just back from the 2012 Help-U-Sell Success Summit, and the REALTORS Conference & Expo leading up to it. By all accounts, both were a great success! We loved seeing our brokers from all over the country. Several of them (Kim and Mike Zelena, Leigh Anne Losh, Kyna Baehr, and Walt Hippauf) drove hundreds of miles to be with us in Orlando.

Thank you to everyone who spent time at our expo booth. Your testimonials to prospective franchisees are more powerful than just about anything we can say to them or show them. A special thank-you to Dan Desmond, who made the trek from storm-damaged New Jersey to help out at the Expo and to attend the Summit.

We hope all who attended the Success Summit got some great takeaways. The hands-on approach and interactive discussions about OMS and website requests and your fee structures taught us, too. We also talked about partnering with a wonderful charity that gives food to the hungry and about adding a potential vendor to our program. As we get closer to finalizing those partnerships, we will keep you informed.

Those of you who couldn’t make it this year, please mark your calendars and start saving now for the 2013 events in San Francisco. The NAR dates are Nov. 8-11, and we will have our Success Summit immediately following. We’ll provide more information in the months to come.

Meanwhile, enjoy a few photos from the Expo and the Success Summit.