When Buying or Selling Real Estate, Connection is Key: Connect with 616 REALTY’s Eldon Palmer

 

When corporate America and L.A. weren’t all they were cracked up to be, and it didn’t make sense to have others take care of their children, Michigan native Eldon Palmer and his wife began searching for something different. He became a stay-at-home dad and started investing his time, energy, and money into developing a career pathway that made sense for him and his family. “I decided I wanted to make some investments and took a class on flipping houses.” The class not only provided him with helpful information on flipping houses, but it convinced him that he needed to get his real estate license so he could invest more wisely.

 

Investing in real estate

After getting his license, he continued to buy and flip houses, and he joined a small brokerage where he managed their foreclosures during the winter. While it was a good learning process, Palmer knew he wanted and needed more. He started helping his own clients buy and sell their homes part-time while taking care of his small children.  And, when they were old enough to go to school, he began his real estate career full-time.

 

By starting out his real estate career as an investor, he learned a great deal about foreclosure, flipping, and construction, thereby gaining valuable knowledge that he has used to help his clients. “Because I have had a lot of experience..I know what to look for in properties. I know what potential problems to look for in a home. I can educate people on a lot of things from a resale standpoint, and advise them on what we might have to do to get a home up to speed.”

 

A connector

One of Eldon’s greatest assets is he is a connector. “I do connect with people. I think it is because I am curious. I become friends with most of my clients. I am interested in people. We can usually talk about a lot of different things.” It is also important to Eldon that his clients are a good fit. “I get to know them and their needs. I feel like I can work with anyone. I understand how to work with all kinds of people’s personality types. I have experience working with them and utilizing their strengths for their gains.”

 

Trust is a big part of the connection he likes to build quickly with clients. “I work hard. I put my clients’ needs in front of everything else, aside from my family.” His strong communication skills also help him connect quickly with clients. “I like to educate. I like to walk through the homes with clients and give them more information than they expect. I tell them that it always costs more than you calculate. For me, it is important to point out the problems and what they are going to cost. They might forget about the long driveway or the septic or mechanicals that might go bad. Labor can be very expensive.”

 

Now, with 19 years of experience as a realtor, and even more as a real estate investor, he is also able to connect clients to other key professionals, like contractors and lenders. “I know a lot of people that can help my clients. …I am a photographer and know how to connect them with professionals to take great photos of their homes…. I have worked with a number of lenders…” and he knows how to work with other agents and write great offers, which in this market is priceless. “I have shown houses at 1:00 p.m., and then my client gets an offer accepted at 9:00 a.m. the next day when the offer is due.”

 

Mentoring others

Eldon not only values his connections with clients, but finds connecting and mentoring other agents rewarding as well. “I can help them overcome some of their fears in the beginning as well as help them avoid some of the pitfalls. I like to give them tips and tricks for negotiating, how to get an offer accepted, as well help them with networking and prospecting.  Early on in my career, it felt like we (he and other agents) were competing with one another. Now, it is extremely rare that we compete on a property. It is a much more cooperative industry than many think.”

 

616 REALTY

He also connects with his current brokerage, 616 REALTY.

“The whole motto ‘WORK WITH REAL’ appealed to me. It is a professional but laid-back community. It feels like a big brokerage branding-wise but has a small family-style feel. The downtown presence is nice and we have a nice office space.  Scot reaches out regularly. There are opportunities for coaching and improvement without the corporate feel… and without the corporate pressure.”

He also connected with a number of agents from his last brokerage and together they joined 616 REALTY. Three years ago, their current broker was retiring and the agency was going in the wrong direction. “I had a lot of people call me up and ask me what I was going to do. Some wanted to go where I was going. I considered starting a brokerage, but ultimately, we went with 616 REALTY.”

 

Advice for buyers

“Have a consultation with your agent. Make sure your agent is very up to date with the market. Have all your financing in order. Make sure you know what you can afford and know your options.”

 

Advice for sellers

“Understand what homes are going for in the area. Know how things are changing in the current market. Talk with an agent who is familiar with the area.” Eldon advises not trying to save money the “Sell By Owner” way. The interest rates are changing 2-3%, so you need to get an agent. The agent brings many aspects including marketing and multiple buyers. It is a lot less work for you (the sellers) and will actually help you make a lot more money.”

 

Let’s connect

If you are looking for an agent to connect with, who will listen to your wants and needs, who will provide key advice for one of the biggest transactions of your life, and who will connect you with potential lenders and home improvement professionals, then Eldon Palmer is the 616 realtor for you.

 

 

Reach out to Eldon Palmer and 616 REALTY with any and all your real estate questions and needs.