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Featured Client of the MonthJuly 2008:Linda Zimmerman, GRI, e-PRO, SRES Direct Line: (818) 487-4456 E-Mail Address: Linda@LindaZimmerman.com An Interview With Linda Zimmerman:
Linda Zimmerman: I had worked in the film business and was burnt out. The market in LA was growing. This was in the late ‘70s. So I got my license and sold my first home to the mother of the Bee Gees for all cash. AA: Do you have a specialty or favorite niche market group? Linda Zimmerman: No. I work with a lot of referrals, first time buyers and as along as you’re nice, I’ll work with you. I try to work with people I relate to and relate to me. 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.
AA: How has your real estate website impacted your business? Linda Zimmerman: About 30 per cent of my business comes from my website. AA: What kind of results have you achieved as a result of your website and Internet presence? Linda Zimmerman: I’ve been fortunate to meet some terrific clients. For a while I was selling space on my website to advertisers, who found me because of my web presence. I’ve also received writing jobs, and have met some very interesting people. I have animal welfare issues on the site and my cookbooks, although I was advised that it wasn’t such a great idea. A lot of business has come from people who are animal lovers and also foodies. So, sometimes you have to go with your instinct, even if the experts don’t agree. I think it’s a good thing to show the world a little bit of who I am and what I like and care about, rather than having only real estate related info on the site. AA: What other resources through Advanced Access and life in general have contributed to your success? Linda Zimmerman: I utilize the marketing department and have a wonderful rep by the name of John Jones. I try to do what he suggests. For the past year he has be nagging me to write more content for the site. When I had my last article published in “Growing Wealth” Magazine, he really got on my case, because he told me I had no excuse for not writing anything for my site, when I could write articles for magazines. I get busy, and then I forget. Writing is a hard job and I don’t always have the energy to do it after working all day. AA: Share with us some information about a recent transaction that began as a result of your website. Linda Zimmerman: I can share with you a bunch of transactions that are a result of the website. I sold a condo last year to a woman who I had been emailing listings to for about 2 years. She had come in on the site, she had another agent who blew a deal for her and then she emailed me to show her some properties. Another client emailed me about a specific property that was not my listing. They were a young couple looking for their first house together. I showed them the house. It was awful. Then I forgot about them. About 3 months later they emailed me that they wanted me to show them some houses. They had been going out on the weekends, had made an offer with another agent on a property that they didn’t get and they thought the agent wasn’t representing them properly. I sold them a terrific house in the hills within 4 months for over $1 million. I don’t aggressively pursue the website clients in the beginning, since I think initially people are just testing the waters. But, the secret is to always stay in touch. If you give them enough info and respond quickly to their inquiries a relationship is established. I also have a good instinct for who is real and who is not. I’ve learned through the years what questions to ask in my emails and by the response or lack of I know what to do next. AA: What are some of your goals for your website and your online presence? Linda Zimmerman: Well, I want to write more content. And I am trying to get it together to start a blog, although I think there are so many of them, that I’m trying to figure out what direction to take it in. I think I will somehow combine food and real estate into one. I also have a bunch of domain names that I would like to develop a little and point them to the LZ.com site. AA: Tell us a little about your family, your history, and what you like to do in your spare time. Linda Zimmerman: I grew up in Chicago, moved to LA because I hated the cold. I worked in the film industry for a long time, then wrote cookbooks and about food for a long time (all this stuff is in my bio on my website). My book, “Grills and Greens” was nominated for a James Beard Award as Best General Cookbook in 1994. I have had a very interesting life. (Had is the key word there). Then I got married and divorced and decided to really focus on real estate, which is what I’ve been doing full time since 1995. I don’t have a lot of spare time, but I do write professionally when I get a chance, and also edit for other writers. I’m on the Grievance Committee at the Southland Regional Association of Realtors, am a mentor for new licensees in my office and am part of the relocation team for Prudential. And, when I’m not doing that, I am a big reader (even on the treadmill). I read and write everyday, regardless of how my day goes. I love movies and anything that has to do with the arts. I love food and have a girlfriend who is a chef who I try to have a great meal with when she’s available. So, you could say that eating is a great hobby. I used to cook a lot, especially when I was writing about food, but I really don’t cook much anymore. Although, I do make a killer roast chicken. I’m also a big couch potato and swear that TIVO has ruined my life. |
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Advanced Access:
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