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Featured Client of the MonthJune 2007: Judy PetersonJudy Peterson, Realtor® Website: www.judypete.com Contact Information: An Interview With Judy Peterson Advanced Access: How did you get started in the Real Estate Industry? Judy Peterson: How did I get started in Real Estate? My entrance into real estate was definitely one of those serendipitous moments. Life and change often happens when you’re busy doing something else and least expect it! Just as in real estate, it’s good to be prepared for the unexpected. A lesson I’ve since learned and relearned. I was divorced, with two children, working as a Supervisor for a mid-sized Company. The work situation deteriorated due to their poor investment decisions, which resulted in an abrupt downsizing. It was a real shock. I was 9 ½ years into 10 year vesting for retirement, pink slipped and standing in the unemployment line so fast it made my head spin. Although it felt like the worst event of my life, it turned out to be the best. At the same time my Mother was in a terminal illness, facing brain surgery and needed me and her family, so I took some time off to help care for her. Traumatic events can often be a blessing in disguise and certainly “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” both in faith and in life. That was certainly true in this case. It gave me the time that I needed to help care for my Mother, for which I am deeply grateful. I took the real estate licensing courses at night and was licensed in July of 1992. I began with Roach Brothers and have been with Prudential Fox Roach Devon Home Marketing through all of our name changes and growth to the industry leader we are today. AA: Do you have a specialty or favorite niche market group? I really enjoy working with Relocation Buyers and with First Time Buyers since I enjoy introducing all of our great choices and in educating buyers about the market so they can make sound decisions. The Philadelphia Main Line and Chester County area has so much to offer. It’s really like a series of small towns and neighborhoods in many ways. We have fabulous educational systems, and all of the benefits of a Metropolitan Area in terms of the Arts, Sports, Restaurants and Cultural activities plus some really beautiful country side. It pleases me that my clients tell me that I helped them to find a “home” not just a house. Family is a high priority for me so that makes me feel as though I’ve made an important contribution. Also, I really enjoy working with Sellers in the listing and marketing side of the business. I enjoy the creative marketing aspects and the fun of negotiating a great transaction for Buyers and Sellers. AA: At what point did you realize your need for a website? Describe your journey to Advanced Access and why you chose us as your provider. JP: I have a life long love of learning and of new ideas. I’m essentially an innovator and I’m happiest when I’m in the creative process, problem solving and creating something new. As a first time attendee at the NAR Convention in Anaheim CA I was totally blown away by the explosion of new ideas and technology that I saw there. I knew instantly that the Internet would change the face of real estate and that the MLS Books and 3x5 cards would go away. When I started in real estate, I immediately got a laptop computer to automate my business. I think I still have a couple of the old “door stops” and my original Top Producer diskettes. Being an innovator leads me to be something of an “early adopter” of technology or as much as I can afford to be anyway. I did tons of research and decided I couldn’t afford to buy a custom designed website. At that time, custom websites were a black hole for money. That’s when I found Advanced Access and formed what I still believe to be a great business partnership to help me achieve my goals. I was impressed by AA’s commitment to customer service and the real estate background of the founders and their innovative spirit. AA: What is the most profitable section of your website? JP: Websites work as a totality in my opinion and they’re dynamic, or should be. So I view my website as a constant work in progress, changing with the economy and the needs of the marketplace. The underpinnings of a website that produces real business is really the mind set of the person behind the site and the proactive actions they take, but most important is the philosophy of service. It’s a mistake in my opinion, to think that there is a static page, “thing” or gadget that will make a website work. I write my own stuff and don’t have copy writer so that clients will often say to me, “we feel like we already know you” before we even meet. In fact, I have several clients who call me JudyPete which I think is an indication of the bond that gets formed. I do think that the IDX property search is a must have for a site to be successful today. That wasn’t true when I first began, but it is now. So I would have to say that a full service property search of all of the listings is a key service to provide if you want to have paying customers and to have your site be more than an online brochure. AA: What other resources through Advanced Access and life in general have contributed to your success? JP: As an original member of the AA Club, I was drawn to the enthusiasm, the quality of the service AA offered and the can do attitude of the founders. And I was drawn to their business integrity. I felt that we were partners and AA communicated their desire to see me succeed. Also, I had an excellent Marketing Representative who held my hand in the early stages. It took me awhile to join in The AA Forums, but I would urge any new website owners to participate. You’ll find other site owners dealing with your same challenges and you may be able to help someone else. When you ask about factors of success in life, I have to point to my Faith, Family and Friends as the most important factors. At the end of the day in real estate, it’s all about the service. Skills of listening, empathy and the ability to genuinely care about the needs of other people and their journey to reaching their goals are key factors. I try to treat my clients as I would treat a family member or as I would want someone else to treat a member of my family. AA:Share with us some information about a recent transaction that began as a result of your website. JP: I had a relocation Buyer call me from my website recently. I was out on appointments with another client and saw the call come through. I returned the call and had a delightful conversation with a gal who was also a REALTOR®. While she was not completely certain whether she and her husband would be relocating, she wanted to do her research about prices, neighborhoods, etc. She asked if I would give her and her mother a tour of the area. And of course, I agreed. We chatted and exchanged emails back and forth, met, spent a few days together and made a really good connection. A completely delightful family found their new home with my help. It’s a great feeling! Later, she told me that she had called several REALTORS® and that I was the only one who returned her call, AND one of the homes I showed her was listed by one of the REALTORS® she had called, which confirms the old adage that “90% of success in life is in showing up” and a good reminder to myself never to be too busy to take a call. AA:What are some of your goals for your website and your online presence? My goal was to offer Selling consumers the best and widest exposure for their property. I wanted to feature Selling property in the most creative way that would highlight the best selling features and benefits. The market tells us that if you price a property right, get the greatest exposure, you will sell for the highest price the market will bear. It’s my job to interpret the market and stay on top of the changes. The biggest problem Sellers face in our current market is accepting the reality of the changes that have taken place. It’s important for me to keep in mind that what REALTORS® do, is a mystery to most consumers. I tell clients that in fact most of my work is done AFTER they sign the contract. It’s not complicated, but there are many, many steps and pitfalls to watch out for to reach the goal of a perfect settlement day. The average person might have 3 or 4 transactions in a lifetime, but I do this every day. I try to enhance the value of the seller’s property with an excellent Marketing Plan, and to demystify the process for Buyers and I try to keep it fun! The methods used to achieve successful website goals have changed almost exponentially from when I began. Once it was enough just to have a website. Using the website and Internet Marketing tools to grow my business was exciting and while it was still hard work, there was a natural forward momentum. Now, I think it’s more of a challenge. The rules are changing again, the playing field is a little more crowded, there are more bumps in the road to navigate, and many new factors to consider if you want to be successful with your real estate business on the Internet. Up to this point my site enjoys good “organic” placement, which is the result of lots of hard work. I have not gone the PPC (pay per click) route to increase my placement yet. I’ve closed $100,000 condo buyers and 1M+ buyers as the result of my online efforts. Prior to an illness in 2004 – 2005, I was doing better than 60% of my business as the result of my website leads, which is fairly decent for my market. My future plans are to continue to grow my unique web site content. Also, I would like to learn CSS so that I could improve the visual and organization quality of the site. The content comes first though. AA: Tell us a little about your family, your history, and what you like to do in your spare time. JP: My mother’s family, Mary Rachel Crowther Chatburn, has roots to the Philadelphia area from England going back many generations. My father’s family also emigrated from England. There is a small town of “Chatburn”, my family name, in England. My great grandfather, David Richardson Beaver, was a Civil War Doctor who grew up in Tredyffrin Township where I now live. I often drive by the one room Historic Octagonal School House where he went to school as a child and the Covered Bridge in Historic Valley Forge National Park where my grandmother, Mary Patterson Beaver Crowther, told me that she was first engaged to be married. George Patterson, a maternal ancestor, was the first Governor of Pennsylvania. My three brothers and I (I’m the 3rd child) span the generations of World War 2, the Fifties and the Sixties in our growing up years with a great variety of experiences, but blessed with parents who worked hard to create a family and provide for their children, through challenging times. I think that having the breadth of that historical experience available to me through family stories gives me some unique perspectives. For example, my grandmother told of going by horseback and carriage with her father to deliver a baby in the middle of the night and the economic effects that the Depression and the War had on our family and all families. Huge changes have taken place in society in just a few generations. For me, the take away message is to keep the faith, and as Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never, never give up!” That’s me, I’m a survivor. Whatever shortcomings I have I make up for in faith and determination. Breast cancer, surgery, chemo and radiation became the challenge for me to overcome from 2004 to 2005. I have an abiding sense of gratitude for the blessings of each and every day as the result of some of the challenges I’ve overcome in life and I try to use what I’ve learned to make a difference for someone else. I’m active in various activities at my Church, Paoli Presbyterian, as a member of the Choir and I serve as a Stephen Minister, which is a lay caring ministry for those who would like support at a trying time and want someone to share the journey with them. This will be my tenth year serving as the PruFoxRoach Charities liaison for Prudential Fox Roach Charities and The PFR Community Service Day. One day a year we close down and go into the community for service work. It’s always a challenge to find the locations and get everyone organized. We’ve worked at Habitat for Humanity Building Sites, Baker Industries, Damien House, Valley Forge National Park Restorations, City Team Ministry and others. Prudential National has offered a Challenge Matching Funds Grant that’s available and I try to plan for that to maximize the benefits of the Community Service Day. REALTORS® generously giving their time has even greater meaning since we’re independent contractors and not salaried employees. Also, many of our agents donate from each of their transaction’s commission to the non-profit PruFoxRoach Charity that has contributed to many local needs in the City of Philadelphia and in the Suburbs, with a 501c3 Status and Mission Statement that stresses families and children in need. It’s been a gratifying privilege to be a part of. This year our Devon Office achieved 100% participation! Together with some fellow agents throughout Prudential Fox & Roach, we partnered with Greater Philadelphia Cares in their literacy, tutoring, “Reading Stars Program”, an exciting addition to our programs as we work with 20 students from the Philadelphia School System to improve reading skills once a week for 15 weeks. I love music! Music enriches every corner of my life; especially Mozart and Classical Piano Music but I also like Hymns and Jazz. I played the Oboe in a Youth Orchestra and marched in the Band as a kid and I play a little piano. I would love to go to the Salzburg Festival in Austria, where they play Mozart 24 hours a day. I like to cook (and eat), especially for family and friends. Painting is a hobby I enjoy, both watercolor and oil painting. I’m a reader and I also enjoy hobbies of knitting and crochet. My knitted toys for children and fashion scarves are often sought after gift items. Springtime finds me longing to dig in the dirt. I love to grow things and these days focus my efforts on container gardening. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bird watching are a spring and summer pleasure. Golf is a favorite sport, but I have little time for it these days since my first love is spending time with my precious grandchildren and my adorable Bichon Puppy, Dais |
 
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JP: I work in a very large Metropolitan area in our Tri-County Philadelphia Western Suburbs of The Philadelphia Main Line and Chester County. I often tell my clients that their biggest challenge will be to narrow down all of the great choices that they have in choosing a place to call home. That’s on of the benefits and the challenge of my market area.
JP: From the beginning my vision was to offer buying consumers great information that they really needed, help the consumer understand the process within the context of the marketplace, help the consumer make informed decisions so that they find the best home, not just a house, but a home, that meets all of the needs of their family!
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