Surviving recession means back to basics

BOULDER — Honesty, compassion and persistence are all critical to success in a current real-estate market with low inventory and high demand, a panel of home-selling veterans agreed on Thursday at the Boulder Valley Real Estate Conference and Forecast.

The brokers also stressed the need for negotiation skills, relationship-building and new technology in the sector.

Sponsored by the Boulder County Business Report, the event was held at the Millenium Harvest House Hotel in Boulder.

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“For me, the No. 1 key to success in this business is trust,´ said Barb Bashor, a broker at Wright Kingdom Inc. “Our customers have to know that they can trust us to do the right thing by them. There are so many interesting people in this world, and the good news is that they all have to live somewhere.”

Jo Kearney of Metro Brokers-Boulder said  consistency in communicating with clients and self-care are both critical to maintaining the energy required to sustain a long career.

“I like being a steady hand in helping guide our buyers and sellers through some pretty stressful times,” Kearney said. “I have always felt that willingness to be of service attracts the opportunity to help people, which contributes directly to success. Consistency is important ó that effort to spend years sowing seeds in the community contributes to years of reaping success in the long run. But you have to take care of yourself, and exercise regularly.”

Survival of real-estate agents during a recession concerned Rise Staufer of Staufer Team Real Estate as well. “You need to set expectations as to what your clients can expect from you. That shows a level of respect that marks you as a professional,” she said. “A lot of people didn’t make it through the desert, and those that did are the ones who consistently act like professionals.”

The agents voiced support for younger prospects in the crowd who were being encouraged by their mentors to go into the business. “There is no business out there that will take more out of you,” Kearney said, “but there is also no business that will give more back.”