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Real Estate Agent |
RAINER 3,844 |
| Madeleine Williamson | ||
| MAX Your Move With Madeleine | ||
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location_on
Lafayette, LA
— RE/MAX Acadiana
RE/MAX International Inc. |
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| insert_link http://www.MadeleineWilliamson.com | ||
| web Madeleine's Blog | ||
Both buyers and sellers have told me that they wanted to work with me because I am approachable; that I remind them of their mother. What fantastic things to hear from John Q. Public.
I grew up in Lafayette LA and attended Our Lady of Fatima. My high school sweetheart is still my husband. We are blessed with a daughter and son. Both are married and again blessed with 5 grandchildren. I had no time for college, so the "school of hard knocks" is where I am earning my degree for life. I hope to never graduate.
I have always been a "people" person. My jobs have ranged from Customer Service at Sears to owning/operating an amusement rental company (still do).
With the rental business I had the opportunity to work closely with my customers. I'd get invited inside every home to review contracts with the homeowners while my husband and son were setting up the equipment outside. I'd get to sit with the "Missus" and wind up getting a grand tour of her home. It was an education in itself to see different styles of homes, different ways to decorate, etc. This went on for a couple of years. Our business grew and I was needed in the offices to answer phones and plan delivery schedules. I no longer was able to assist with the deliveries and meet the customers. Years later I decided to train and get my REALTOR's license. The very first house I walked into felt like I had finally come home. I had missed that phase of the business so much! My husband misses my being in the office with him, but he understands, and is very supportive.
The National Association of REALTORS offers continuing education classes year round. I am always trying to better myself and my service to my clients. I am currently working on my Associate Broker's license and my Certified Residential Specialist certification. I have earned my e-PRO and Certified Residential Finance Specialist designations. It's the little things that matter so much. I try to understand the little things so I can educate my clients, helping them make informed decisions.
My area's of expertise are buyers and sellers. I especially love working with first time homebuyers. I like working with sellers because that helps me to find the buyers.
My husband and I have personally purchased five (5) homes over the last 35 years. Every home has "spoken" to me. If you have never experienced this feeling then it is time to "talk" to me about real estate. My passion is having my buyers experience their home "speaking" to them.
There is a house out there for everyone to call home. I do not care if it takes several months for us to find the right one, but find it we will. I am not one of those agents that pushes a buyer into the first house because it has exactly everything they told the agent they wanted. I get to know my buyers and their search criteria to understand what they are looking for. I am patient and I am kind. The house search is about their need for a home, not about my commission. If I could do this job pro bono I would. Getting paid is a bonus for me.
Real estate is not just about finding the right house. As an agent I feel it is my duty to my clients to understand as much as possible about the homebuying process. That is why I take continuing education classes. I have earned e-Pro and CRFS designations. The e-PRO is about technology, the CRFS, finance.
More people are tech savvy. Just about everyone has a computer and an email address. I needed to be able to join their world. It is a faster paced business. No longer do we have to print out fact sheets and mail them out. Email and scanning are a tremendous help. What used to take several days of work now takes only a few minutes.
The financing end of real estate is so vast. As an agent, armed with a little bit of knowledge, I can help a buyer save thousands. I do know that there are numerous loans out there for just about every qualified person. You just have to know where to look. That is my job; to know what companies handle what type of financing. I also want to know if those same companies will give the same type of service to my clients that I give. Without the service the product they offer is worthless.
There are a lot of realtors who do not ask a buyer about finances. All they tell them is to go get prequalified. If I were a first time homebuyer what do I know about financing? What questions should I ask? Picture a shoe store: there are flat shoes, high heels, boots, tennis shoes, Nike, slippers, etc. Not every store carries the same brands, right? Even those with the same brands are different prices, right? The same holds true for home loans. This is where I differ from other agents.
A current client called me about house hunting. She had already spoken to a lender and was prequalified. We started looking for and found a house that "spoke" to her. EXCITEMENT! YEAH! Now to start writing the offer. I need to know what type of loan she has been approved for. I need to know how many years her loan is for, what the interest rate is, is it a fixed or adjustable rate, etc. I use this information to write an offer that is best suited for her needs.
I found out she had only spoken to one mortgage company. This mortgage company is one I had never dealt with. I had no way of knowing what types of loans they offered or what type of service they provided to my client. So I recommended she speak with a company that I was familiar with ... just to be able to compare what both had to offer. She agreed to make the call and LOW and BEHOLD, the second company had a better rate and a different type of loan that the 1st company did not have. Had I not suggested she check with another company she would have been paying too much per month. Now she can live more comfortably.
Homeowners insurance is a big part of a loan now. Since the hurricanes in August of '05, insurance is more expensive than ever. Being able to have the information of companies that will write policies and which charges less, makes a big difference.
Call me when you are ready to start your home search.
Selling Acadiana homes by the Yard. Lafayette, Carencro, Youngsville, Broussard, Breaux Bridge, Sunset, Grand Coteau, Maurice, Duson, to mane a few.