Why Specializing Works and
Some Tips on Making it Work for You

In this unpredictable real estate market, specializing in a "niche" can keep you on top of the game. A niche market is quite different from a geographic territory. Whether it's corporate relocations, golf properties or bilingual clients, focusing on a niche establishes your reputation as an expert specialist in that area.

Do What You Know

Kathy Girgenti, CRS, GRI, of Keller Williams Realty, moved her family through four different states before settling in Katy, TX. During that transitional period, "I was moving with a disgruntled teenager and a 3-week-old baby, while nine months pregnant," Girgenti said. "Moving can be very traumatic, and I couldn't find an agent who understood my needs."

In 1988, Girgenti decided to do it herself; she became a REALTOR® specializing in corporate moves. "It just seemed like the perfect niche," she said.

As Girgenti realized, to be successful, you do what you know. And that's exactly what she did. "I was familiar with it all," Girgenti says. "I knew how moving companies work, where third parties came in and about temporary housing, storage, bridge loans and transportation."

Girgenti wanted to be the best in her niche and knew that being a top agent meant understanding the human side of things. "Corporations target employees but don't feed families. That's where I come in," she says.

Oftentimes, when families relocate, the children don't see the new place prior to the actual move. "I go that extra step," Girgenti says, "like sending movie tickets so, once they've moved in, the children know what theatres are nearby."

Girgenti also works with personnel companies, giving area tours to help acquaint prospective clients with the locale. This personal touch is vital to her business, of which 75 percent is based on referrals.

Since Girgenti started more than a decade ago, her production has snowballed. In 2000, she was $12-million producer, selling 76 units.

"It helps when you have a niche. You make yourself stand out," she says. "And for me, finding my niche was almost instinctive."

Her advice for those trying to find their area of expertise: "Find out what you're good at and where your passion is. Take that ball and run with it."

Listen and Learn

Texas native Penny Romito, CRS, GRI, LTG, fell in love with the green trees and the water of Washington state. After visiting in 1995, she moved there four months later.

But, while Romito's heart belonged to Washington, she was clueless about the area -- a factor that might not have been a problem in another profession. But, as a REALTOR®, Romito's job depended on her knowledge of the area.

"When I got here, I didn't know anything," she says. "Back in Texas, I could have told my clients what they needed. When a couple came to me in Washington and told me what they wanted, I felt frustrated because I didn't have any knowledge of the area."

Romito became a REALTOR® in 1978 and has taught at community colleges in Texas and at the Spencer School of Real Estate and George Leonard. Initially, after moving to Puyallup, WA, she felt her education and experience weren't good enough.

"It was the first time as a REALTOR® that I felt inadequate," Romito recalls. "My specialty, bed and breakfast properties, developed out of necessity. It was something that I knew I could learn quickly."

She immediately started working with the Colorado Bed and Breakfast Association to learn what would entice people to come to a bed and breakfast. Through Abacus, a computing service with a mailing list, Romito compiled a list of people looking for bed and breakfasts and sent out 400 mailers.

"I did mail-outs and networked with the people around here," Romito says. "Right off the bat, I found several great clients."

Romito stresses the importance of getting to really know the business and the people with whom you are working, and she believes that being a top-rated specialist involves listening, learning how to communicate and becoming a better "person-REALTOR®."

"I council my clients in their business to find out what they want," Romito says. "I listen to what they're looking for and respond to their needs.

"Sometimes," she adds, "I even council them out of a bed and breakfast. I give my clients the facts and information that they haven't thought about, so they know what they'll be getting into beforehand. Money isn't the bottom line. I want my customers to know that they can trust me."

Her biggest sale was a 7,000-square-foot house on 30 acres in Graham, WA -- a property that Romito helped to convert to a bed and breakfast. Her client, a woman whom she worked with for three years to find that "perfect property," is now one of her best friends.

"As a REALTOR®, you deal with one of the most expensive investments in a person's life," Romito said. "To me, the reward doesn't have to do with money but rather what I've done for the person. It's very important to feel good about the whole transaction from top to bottom."

Get in Touch with the Culture

Linda du Kor, ABR, CRS, LTG, CSP, of Bradenton/Sarasota, FL, didn't play golf until her 40's. Du Kor learned the sport after deciding to specialize in golf communities.

"The smartest thing for any REALTOR® is to truly specialize," she says. "You can't know everything and, to be knowledgeable, you have to limit your market."

The Ross/du Kor Group includes the mother-daughter pair Ann and Wendy Ross and du Kor and husband Paul. Like each agent in her group, Linda has a real estate niche. Du Kor picked hers because it fit her personality.

"I was a military brat and loved order," says du Kor, who describes herself as "Mrs. Next-to-Godliness."

"I needed to find a market with a structured environment," she says. "Homes in golf communities are well-kept. The people who live there take pride in ownership. So it makes the homes a lot easier to sell."

Du Kor believes she may have started the trend in her niche market. Du Kor also emphasizes the humanity of the property transactions. "Those who chose to live in this community also buy into the lifestyle," says du Kor, who attributes much of her success to her sincere immersion into the country-club culture. "There is a sense of instant family and friends."

"My advice is to build a relationship," she says. "I consider my clients my friends. I play golf with them. I keep in touch with the people I sell homes to. I have turned my business into my social life."

Be an Expert in Your Market

"I do well because I am always trying to improve myself," says Christina Chung, CRS, a broker with Coldwell Banker Real Estate in San Francisco.

A consistent top producer at Coldwell, Chung immigrated from China in 1977. "My Chinese is better than my English," admits Chung, who speaks with a slightly broken English. Instead of viewing her English as a crutch, she turned her fluency in Chinese into an asset by specializing in selling "the American Dream" to Bay Area's Asian community.

Most of Chung's customers are from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. During her earlier years, when she was representing more buyers, her clients were mostly immigrants.

"You constantly have to improve yourself and keep educated," Chung says. "A useful source of information is the Title Company, a database providing property profile information. I use their services, because it's very helpful for foreign-language-speaking agents."

In addition, Chung, a member of the San Francisco Board of REALTORS® since 1980, attends continuing education programs and seminars. She never misses a conference and is consistently enrolling in REALTOR®-improvement retreats. "I do all I can to keep myself knowledgeable," she says. "That is key to being an expert."

© Copyright 2002 Holidayness.com All rights reserved