Best Real Estate Agents in California – Hans is featured on Real Estate Bees!
What technology do we use in our business process to improve our customers’ experience? And what are the primary advantages our clients get when choosing us over our competitors? These are only a few of the questions that Hans answered in his interview with Real Estate Bees. Real Estate Bees is a one-of-a-kind revolutionary real estate platform dedicated to empowering industry professionals with cutting-edge technology and helping homebuyers find top residential and commercial realtors with a single request.
If you want to know more about how we help our clients tee themselves up for success in East Bay’s real estate market and what they love about working with us, scroll down to read Hans’ interview or browse Real Estate Bees’ website by clicking HERE.
Advisor, Not Decider: Hans’ Bio
On our team, we see ourselves as advisors, not deciders. We are fortunate to serve a wide variety of people here in the East Bay. The one characteristic they all share is they are busy and overwhelmed with information. It is my role to be the voice that can cut through the noise and help them make a great decision.
My wife (who also works with me) and I work tirelessly to be at the top of our game for all our clients. We believe that the home buying/selling process represents a pivotal moment in someone’s life. Think about it: we all tend to chunk our timelines based on where we lived. And the space you called home played a critical role in that experience.
Our goal is simple: to help people turn the page and tee themselves up for the best possible next chapter.
As far as clients go, we always talk about “people, not price points.” Simply, we love to work with great people who value the expert advice and fiduciary responsibility we bring to our professional engagements.
What did you do before becoming a real estate agent?
Prior to entering the real estate industry, my wife and I were both full time athletes. We represented Team USA in the Olympic Games (her in London 2012 and me in Rio 2016). From the time we left college and had already spend 7-8 years each in the sport, we decided to pursue the National Team and train full time at various High Performance Centers around the country. We each made many National Teams and won medals at the national and international level.
Have you ever faced any challenges in your current business?
One challenge that we are all facing right now is limited inventory. We are down in raw units by around 20-25% YOY. Though, that is not a unique issue to just me.
The main issue I ran into was leveraging my time well. I found myself wanting to be involved in all parts of the business/transaction but realistically I just don’t have the time to do all of it in a 164 hour week. Bringing my wife in was a huge help and she has taken ownership of certain parts of our business that has freed me up to own other parts. Our skills overlap in several areas, whereas there are other areas we specialize in.
How many brokerages have you worked with so far?
I have spent the most time at Keller Williams. I have been at a few other brokerages, some of which no longer exist, that really didn’t have much to offer other than an office.
What were the pros and cons of each brokerage you worked with?
I really love the culture of collaboration at Keller Williams, the training opportunities at the local and national levels as well as the various support programs that are in place to help agents prep houses, manage transactions and get coaching. I also love the capping model where after you pay the house a certain amount of money, you are done for the year. If you are doing some volume, it becomes a very attractive model.
What are the awards, professional achievements, and accomplishments you have received?
Member of Top Agent Network – Top 10% of Agents/Brokers in Northern California
California Brokers License
Top 1% in Alameda County based on Sales Volume – Per MLS
What are the awards, professional achievements, and accomplishments you have received?
Member of Top Agent Network – Top 10% of Agents/Brokers in Northern California
California Brokers License
Top 1% in Alameda County based on Sales Volume – Per MLS
What has the proudest moment of your career been so far?
Having my wife join me in real estate. It has been such a pleasure to work with her and share the highs and lows with her.
What technology do you use in your business process to improve your customers’ experience?
We use a lot of spreadsheets that we manage on a regular basis. We also time block chunks of the day where we focus on different tasks (follow up, house tours, etc). Our systems are very basic from a technology standpoint but it allows us to keep the little details on paper so we can focus on serving our clients at the highest level.
How important do you think getting good online reviews is?
Like any online platform, I think it’s critical to have good content on it. So from that perspective, I think online reviews are critical.
How does this factor affect your business, and what effort do you put into receiving good reviews?
We send out an email at the end of every transaction asking for a review. We will also follow up with folks a few times to gently remind them. The deeper benefit of reviews is you can start to pull out words, phrases and themes that clients value. Over time, these will help you build better marketing.
What are the primary advantages your clients get when choosing you over your competitors?
For starters, our group works as a team. We have 21 highly motivated and expertly trained professionals who directly and indirectly bring value to every client. On a more granular level, my wife and I work together with every client. In a past life, we competed for Team USA in the Olympic Games in Rowing (London 2012 for her and Rio 2016 for me). So aside from market knowledge, deep local relationships and negotiation skills, we bring the dedication, teamwork, and desire to be the best to each interaction with a client.
We are also very coachable, competitive, and always seeking a way to win. Aside form the sports parallels, we make it our business to exceed our clients expectations when it comes to communication. We pick up our phones (shocker) or return calls quickly; we respond to texts and emails quickly and with diligent and thoughtful responses. Finally, when we don’t know the answer, we move mountains to find it. And we are really good at moving mountains.
WE hope you found value in Hans' interview with Real Estate Bees.
Need more tips to help you succeed in the East Bay Real Estate Market?
Sign up for Two Minute Tuesday–market updates and stories about East Bay real estate (with the occasional puppy picture) from Hans and Kristin in two minutes, once a month.