Real estate agents are often the first point of contact for people moving into a new city, or for those facing their first homeownership experience or first move. We are asked for recommendations for everything from lenders and insurance agents to gardeners and pet sitters. A great way to handle these requests is to maintain a referral list that can be easily shared with your clients.
Here are some of the categories you can include:
Lenders
Insurance Agents
Home Inspection Companies
Appraisers
Building Contractors
Repairmen
HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing and Roofing Contractors
Moving Companies
Decorators
Painters, Pressure Cleaning
Housekeeping Services
Lawn Maintenance
Pool Services
Pest Control
Security Systems
Tips for Managing Your Referral List
- Try to provide more than one contact per category so the client can get more than one estimate.
- Only include contacts who you have experience with or have been referred to you by colleagues or friends.
- Update the list regularly. If you get reports of clients having bad experiences with someone on your list, remove them promptly. Check phone numbers and email addresses to keep them current.
- Include a disclosure statement, such as this one: “This information is provided as a courtesy to my clients. I do not receive any type of incentive from your use of these vendors, nor do I make any guarantees related to services provided.”
