Fort Lauderdale Home Sales With White-Glove Treatment

The Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach Office blog recently has been sharing the tale of a near-simultaneous transaction we orchestrated for a very particular client. The success story revealed how our group worked flawlessly as a team to secure the listing, run comparables to arrive at what proved to be a spot-on asking price, show the museum-quality home without frustrating the owner, and ultimately find for him a Fort Lauderdale condominium to call his next great South Florida home.

It’s what happened in between – and how we provided “white glove” treatment – that turned great customer services into an exceptional experience. It’s called concierge service real estate, a lost art of customer service not practiced by most. But it’s the caliber of customer service delivered with each engagement Gary Lanham Group takes on.

Actually, at the Gary Lanham Group, all five fingers play a role in delivering exception results. Call it five-fingered white glove treatment.

Our organization has been built with this level of detail forged into every customer touch-point. From our initial encounter to working with the seller or buyer to discuss the finances of a particular sale or purchase, to marketing, listing, showing, contracting, and closing on the residence, every member of our extended team has been hand-selected to wear the white gloves that set the Gary Lanham Group apart from the competition.

When you do business with the Gary Lanham Group, every client enjoys top-drawer, white-glove treatment. Our utmost concern is protecting your asset and your finances – and selling your home.

An Architectural Digest-Worthy Home

A bit out the client and the home he was selling. Ken owned a beautiful townhome in Fort Lauderdale’s Lake Ridge neighborhood. Located between Poinsettia Heights and Victoria Park, this impeccable 3,000-square-foot, three-level residence was built in 2007. It had been upgraded over the years and stood out in the community and list of available homes in the Fort Lauderdale market as a contemporary residence worthy of the pages of Architectural Digest.

This caliber of home and Ken’s analytical mind and keen attention to detail of a particular client demanded superior service. Whether fate, kismet, or karma, forces often seem in play to bring together like-minded people and organizations. At the Gary Lanham Group, we’ve built a team of real estate leaders unparalleled in the South Florida market. Our Realtors, brokers, agents, appraisers and others are on your side, whether you’re buying, selling, or renting.

For this listing, I arrived with associate and appraisal expert Eileen Mulkey with comparative market analysis in hand. We discussed with Ken our asking-price range of between $535,000 and $550,000, and ultimately arrived at an asking price of $539,000.

Think of our in-depth market knowledge as the first finger of the five that comprise our white glove treatment. The second finger in our customer-centric glove is the social media marketing machine Gary Lanham Group puts into motion for every listing. With every home we list, we hire market-leading residential photographer Bobbi Smith. Her work is magnificent – certainly befitting this caliber of home and even the pages of Architectural Digest.

More than her skill behind the lens, Bobbi is the quintessential team player. She works with the agents, the seller, and others central to the relationship to capture that moment and present the property perfectly.

Capturing South Florida Beauty

So it was when Bobbi arrived that she immediately spotted the early morning light coming through the home’s high clerestory windows. There’s nothing like morning rays creating a dappling effect on a home’s interior. The layout and artwork throughout Ken’s residence presented a magnificent moment, which Bobbi captured seemingly effortlessly. Once we saw the screen shots, we knew we had just the right imagery to present this home to an eager market.

That social media finger in our glove also includes our team’s professional videography and social media expert, Chetachi Egwu. As a Ph.D. in communications, an adjunct associate professor in communications, and an experienced filmmaker, director, writer, journalist, and artist, “Tachi” was able to skillfully transform Bobbi’s still images into a dynamic social media slideshow that brought the home to life.

It also captured people’s imaginations in an exceptional and memorable way. That’s why the Gary Lanham Group has invested the time and resources to build a world-class social media real estate team.

They say real estate social media marketing is the difference maker in listing homes – and selling them. Tachi’s magic became obvious the day of the open house. More than 40 people showed up for the event.

Guiding Eager Open-House Guests

That led to the third finger in our white-gloved hand: teamwork. Guests who arrive at an open house can be eager to see the residence and to hear about its details. If they’re smitten with what they see, they can be especially eager to place an offer.

Our team knows this. Managing the visitors to keep them engaged is vital to a successful showing. Ken, together with Gary Lanham Group agent Patrick Cantrell, worked the open house as a team. Together, they walked prospective buyers through the home, spoke knowledgably of its details, even kept those waiting entertained as they awaited their turn.

Promoting the open house via social media like Facebook and our own website before the event, people put the open house on their calendar. Then, we went “on air” with Facebook Live during the open house. Buyers arrived without agent representation. This gave us a unique opportunity to strike up a conversation, showcase our skills, build a relationship, and hopefully work with them to find their future home.

Tag-teaming is how we perform almost all the open houses we manage. That’s an important distinction. Having two agents on hand not only helps with crowd control. It keeps people from wandering around the house and reduces theft of seller property and assets.

Teamwork Brings Safety & Security

Most importantly, 2019 is a different time and a changed generation from when many of these homes were built or many of us grew up. The world is less stable. The possibility of violence and crime exists everywhere.

That’s the fourth finger of our approach to client care and safety: Our duty to keep an eye on each other and keep each other safe. When showing a home alone – especially a 3,000-square-foot, multi-level townhome – one agent cannot know what’s behind him or what’s going on beyond the line of sight.

So it was at Ken’s home that while Jed showed the home, Patrick chatted with those waiting, or vice versa. No one was missed, and a watchful eye was maintained. At the same time, visitors’ questions were answered. Details – about the home’s exterior, those new floors, that thriving Lake Ridge neighborhood – were shared.

To prospective buyers, it was a seamless experience.

Beyond protecting the home, its assets, and those there, we put it more succinctly: We love our team. We’re a family. We owe it to each other, to the clients we serve and the visitors who arrive, to ensure a safe and secure open house or home showing. This goes beyond concierge service or being white glove real estate brokers. This is being good human beings.

Success From Start to Finish

The open house started at noon. By the time it was scheduled to end at 2pm, people were still waiting. The past visitor left around 3pm.

Within a day, we had an offer. By Monday, we had three. One became the eventual buyer – a Miami resident who was looking for the more laid-back lifestyle greater Fort Lauderdale offers.

The fifth finger of the Gary Lanham Group’s white-glove treatment is our delivery of a holistic experience. We pride ourselves on our ability to help clients with their every need. The team worked to price, list, market, show, and eventually sell Ken’s home.

Just as important, Jed worked with Ken to find his next home – a condominium near Fort Lauderdale’s Galleria Mall less than a mile from the beach. Together, they visited the luxury rental apartments that are bolstering Fort Lauderdale’s role as a true live / work / play market. Whether Baby Boomers like Ken, or up-and-coming millennials young in their lives and careers, luxury rental apartments bring comfortable living with top-tier lifestyle amenities. One such market they visited was the Flagler Village area near Fort Lauderdale’s historic and exciting Las Olas Boulevard.

Dining, shopping, entertainment, or just taking a stroll through the nearby Flagler Arts & Cultural Village, Flagler Village has something for everyone.

Ultimately, Ken looked north and east to find his new condominium.

When you put those five fingers together, you get a white-glove experience with a team that is knowledgeable, customer-centric, team-focused, and wholeheartedly good people committed to delivering a holistic experience.

Client Praise for the White Glove

We’re proud of the white gloves we wear – metaphorically speaking, of course. But don’t take our word for it. Ken’s comments say it best: “You guys are the best.” That’s a huge compliment from a client, who became a friend, and who now is a cheerleader.

That’s what white-glove treatment brings.

If you’re seeking white-glove treatment from your real estate broker, let’s talk. Because concierge-caliber customer care is how the Gary Lanham Group does business.

Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Fort Lauderdale Beach Office is a boutique real estate organization offering sales, leasing, and brokerage services to the Greater Fort Lauderdale
area. A listings agent matches home sellers with buyers and tenants with landlords. While Broward County is our universe, we focus on real estate in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Ridge, Imperial Point, Pompano Beach, and Sailboat Bend. Call us today at (954) 695-6518 or visit GaryLanhamGroup.com.