Real estate can be a cut-throat business. Agents are all trying to take their share of the market. With the emergence of new technologies, even veterans of the business, those with years of experience know that they cannot rely on old school methods. Although for experienced agents, word of mouth and referrals still play an important role in finding leads, it’s understood that the younger generation will require more novel ways of connection and reach. In this article, we will go through the real estate success story of Stan Wiebe. A true veteran in the world of real estate, with more than 40 years of experience in the business. Let’s see how he has managed his business in order to succeed.
Stan Wiebe
| RE/MAX Little Oak Realty |
| Abbotsford |
| Direct Line: (604) 859-2341 |
| www.stanwiebe.com |
Areas of Expertise
Negotiation, Condos, Homes, Townhomes, Downsizing, Home Upgrade, Single Family Homes, Buyer Representation, Seller Representation, Senior Agent, Medallion Award Agent
Experienced, Full Time Realtor
Real estate used to be pretty different back in the day. There was no internet to use and reach people and agents had to resort to cold calling and door knocking. Stan, like many other experienced agents, had to go through all these steps to make his network of clients and prospects.
For him and those like him, word of mouth is still one of the major avenues of generating leads. But in order to have a better and more comprehensive reach, agents are turning to social media. By promoting their business on social media agents can target younger generations like millennials. Millennials are comfortable with technology and would often prefer to look for information online.
Stan owes his business to the vast and comprehensive network he has managed to build over the years. However, social media is an added bonus to the business. In the early days, he would use social media for posting listings but he now knows the market demands more. By sharing real estate videos that pinpoint the needs of the market and appeal to both home buyers and sellers, Stan has expanded his business.
He believes social media helps his business appeal to younger leads. Therefore, he uses platforms like, Facebook and Instagram to promote his business. He also shares videos on YouTube.
The Story of Stan Wiebe as A Real Estate Agent
In order to get our readers and probably some new agents familiar with Stan’s journey as a successful real estate agent, we asked him a couple of questions and he kindly provided us with the following answers.
1. Why did you choose Real Estate Industry and how did you get started?
“I chose real estate as a career after attending BCIT where one of my courses was the Real Estate Course. I started with a company called Block Bros Realty that had many offices in Western Canada and the very best training program.”
2. What’s your favorite aspect of real estate?
“Favorite aspect is interacting with the people and dealing with multiple generations of the same family over the years.”
3. What are the common misconceptions about real estate?
“Common misconceptions are that: a) all realtors make a lot of money when in fact 20% of the realtors do 80% of the deals and is moving more towards 10% doing 90%. b) realtors will not be needed because all the information is online. c) all realtors are the same d) realtors will say anything to make a deal.”
4. Describe your most successful day on the job so far. Why do you consider it a success?
“Most successful day was when my son got his real estate license and I knew that my years of hard work would be passed on, and, my business will be in good hands when I am on vacation. Experience with fresh ideas.”
5. What was your worst day on the job, and what did you learn from that experience?
“The worst day on the job was when I was in a slower point in my career and the only deal I was working on collapsed. I called a friend at the office and he said to forward my calls to him and go home and do something nice for my family. It turned out to be a great day after all.”
6. Would you mind telling us something interesting about one of your active listings?
“Something interesting about an active listing is that while doing the deal, we came across a number of “roadblocks” that had the potential of collapsing the deal. The buyer, seller, and other realtor all worked together to work through the issues. This type of cooperation is rarely seen.”
7. How are you using technology to both capture potential clients’ attention and provide them better service?
“I’ve been using an iPad and electronic signatures for years; video walk throughs of listings; high quality professional photos and floor plans; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Digital pop up ads. Auto-programmed emails to my clients each month.”
8. If you could offer a new agent one piece of advice, what would it be?
“Advice to a new agent “Feed your family, not your ego”. Meaning that there are times to talk about yourself and times to keep quiet and look after the client. The client wants to know that you care about them and their move. They don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”
9. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
“I love my job! I have for over 40 years.”
Real Estate Success Story of Stan Wiebe: Takeaway
Stan, being a great agent who cares for clients, now has a vast network of prospects. As they enjoyed working with him, past clients introduced him to their friends and family. This shows how much having a great reputation can help you with your business. Making your clients happy and catering to their needs. This can be a great lesson for new agents looking for success in the market. After all, learning from others to become successful is key in business.
Many real estate agents, especially those who have been in business for a while, may not use social media if they have managed their business well using other methods. But even they are gradually turning to social media to have a better connection with a wider audience.
As time goes by, the younger generation is becoming the main group of home buyers. Millennials do not necessarily practice old-school methods. It is beneficial to change and adapt to new ways of doing business. This can be accomplished while learning from more experienced agents and improving your reputation to benefit from word of mouth as well.