How does a builder/developer find qualified marketing consultants for their next community when homes are selling like hotcakes? The truly successful and professional individuals who grace model home sales offices may not be cut from the same cloth as other types of real estate agents. Not your everyday order takers, these new home sales experts must make it their passion to know as much about their builder and its product as possible, and then translate that passion into an exciting, fast-paced sales environment. They must be not only comfortable with their weekend/holiday sacrifices, but also extremely happy to be there until every last unit is sold. A tall order, you may surmise? Speaking to the building industry in general, finding just the right person for any key position can be a tall order, but there are ways to make it easier to stack the odds in your favor.

In surveying builder developers in recent days, everyone I have spoken to lately agrees; throwing a classified ad into the paper and hoping for the best when it comes to finding a high quality builder sales consultant just tends to jam up your fax machine with:

(a) recently licensed agents with no builder experience,
(b) people with some sales experience who like the idea of new home sales, or
(c) re-sale agents who just want a place to go.

Not that you may not find a gem among them; it's just that your odds aren't favorable; a considerable amount of training and orientation will have to take place to get applicants such as these "up to snuff", so to speak. Word of mouth seems to be the best way to hunt for quality agents with a track record. To be able to tap into the "network" of good agents isn't difficult if builders on the prowl can stay in touch with a few key people in the industry who circulate out to the trenches of new home subdivisions. It seems that once an agent is really top notch in new home sales, a reputation follows him or her just about everywhere they go. (Unfortunately the same can be said of the opposite). And, once these individuals are successful, they're usually "hooked" into a new homes sales career. Find out which ones are nearing the last few homes in their community by doing a little research on the side, and then approach them with an "I've heard great things about you" attitude by phone or at the next builder function.

A goal of yours should be to "zero in" on exactly the type of agent you would like to hire. Many builders hold off as long as they can to find just the right "match" for their new community. High end product usually requires an agent to be knowledgeable, sophisticated (but not snooty), and to possess an ability to build rapport quickly with buyers. Lower end (first time buyer) product will require someone extremely familiar with all the angles for financing and the skills to become a creative "closer". He or she should be able to take someone who never dreamed they could own a home, with the end resulting in the realization of the American Dream.

Once you have determined a "type" and are keeping your ear to the ground on what superstars may be free at last to consider selling for you, you may want to try some of these other resources:

Published: August 6, 1999

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.