How To Dress And What To Drive When Approaching Owners
How do you dress when you approach a homeowner in distress?
If you had the choice to drive a new Mercedes or an older Ford Pickup Truck to appointments with prospective clients which would you drive?
Thanks for your responses
Andrew
Being neither an expert nor a Mercedes owner, I've been given (and taken) the advice that you should dress conservatively: not shabby, but not "to the nines" in your Sunday best.
Take the pickup truck, but make sure that it's clean.
Your appearance is going to be a strong influence on how your seller will perceive you. Look at it from their eyes and dress accordingly: if you show up in a suit and Mercedes, they may assume you have tons of money and may hold out for more cash; if you show up in ripped jeans, dirty shirt and jalopy, they may assume you're a bum they wouldn't trust with a quarter, much less their house.
Andy
Hey,
Your name is Hyundai and you are asking about cars? I think that is funny (ha ha funny, not strange funny).
This topic comes up every couple of months and always tends to get a lot of replys.
Frankly, the car you drive and the cloths you were make very little difference, presuming everything is clean and neat. The two most important thing is that you are comfortable and that you THINK it gives a good impression.
Personally I do own a 7 series (BMW) and a Ford F-150 (but it is not old) and it does not make much difference what I drive to visit someone. Generally, I drive the truck, because I have been working on another house. I wear jeans (not the ones I have been working in) and a shirt with a collar and buttons. If I wear short sleeves (which I usually do), it has the company logo on it.
I would avoid anything "too flash". So if you own a Gallardo, leave it at home.
Personally when I go to see a prspective seller I take my company personal business leased vehicle wich for me it should be the most selled car in the market currently the Toyota Camry and dress code well a nice pair of slacks and a nice golf shirt......
This Message is for Arnaldo:
I live in the Tampabay area,and have been trying to get started with the foreclosure business for about 3 months now. I have been to all the court houses in the area (Pasco, Hil, Hern, Polk...) it seems there is no way to compete! I sent 100s of letters to LPs but nothing...
How do you find the market here??
Thanks,
Abe
Bruce, Hundai builds the largest gantry cranes in the world, the ones used to unload ocean freighters. They also have a line of industrial machinery. Sorry, off the subject.
Quote:
On 2004-07-14 03:42, Bruce wrote:
Hey,
Your name is Hyundai and you are asking about cars? I think that is funny (ha ha funny, not strange funny).
This topic comes up every couple of months and always tends to get a lot of replys.
Frankly, the car you drive and the cloths you were make very little difference, presuming everything is clean and neat. The two most important thing is that you are comfortable and that you THINK it gives a good impression.
Personally I do own a 7 series (BMW) and a Ford F-150 (but it is not old) and it does not make much difference what I drive to visit someone. Generally, I drive the truck, because I have been working on another house. I wear jeans (not the ones I have been working in) and a shirt with a collar and buttons. If I wear short sleeves (which I usually do), it has the company logo on it.
I would avoid anything "too flash". So if you own a Gallardo, leave it at home.
If it's an urban area (I'm from NYC) where there is pub transportation, I park nearby & walk up to the house. If asked, I took the bus/train/trolly/police van... whatever's running in the n'hood...LOL
If it's a suburban area I rent the smallest car available (GEO metro). I write it off as a biz expense not to mention the fact that w/gas being $2+ I'm not trying to fill up my 4x4.
I wear loose fitting clothes (biz casul equiv in corp america). If you're a lady, no make up, hair back in a bun & no fancy nails. Be mindful of the woman of the house or family.
You need to be clean, professional and non-threatening. Too often investors come across as fast talking, slicksters. I ran into an investor as I was leaving an owner's house just last week (he knocked on the door as I was leaving). I got the deal cuz the baby & wife liked me in addition to the husband being willing to work with me (I think).
Hope that helps.
if you have those options, it depends on what value the house is you are looking at and what the seller's situation is at the time. if you are going to look at a 600k house, drive the mercedes, if it's a 60k house, drive the truck.
i have a dodge pickup that is newer (2001), has leather and all the fixings, but it has a toolbox in the bed and a couple dents on the side. i drive it to jobsites, through the ghetto, and to meet with the downtrodden and millionaires alike. i've never had a problem. (if you read the book "millionaire next door" you will find out that the ford f150 is the most popular vehicle among millionaires)
that being said, i think anything newer is better than anything older. a newer geo metro is probably better than a 1980's mercedes. a newer vehicle shows you are trying to project a professional image, not trying to be flashy.
i may be biased, but i think a pickup truck is the perfect choice in this business, especially b/c we always have to carry signs or pickup tools or supplies or something we hadn't planned for that doesn't fit in a car or trunk very well. plus pickup truck beds you don't have to worry about keeping clean. the rain does that for you. i happen to have one that is an extended cab, so i can take couples along to show properties when necessary. next time around, i'm going to get the four door, as the back seat with the 1/2 doors doesn't have much room.
it depends how much you are going to look at the property. if i expect it to be a pretty big rehab, i wear jeans and a polo shirt and take my clipboard, tape measure, and flashlight and do a pretty thorough inspection. if i don't anticipate having to replace a bunch of windows, i wear either jeans or khakis and a polo shirt or tommy bahama shirt. (that works here in florida, maybe not elsewhere)
I would not suggest driving a Mercedes but you don't have to drive a "junker" either. If you are sincere and show some empathy with homeowner you will be fine.
average, not flashly, comfortable, if the owner sees that you are at ease they will be at ease.........kenmax
And the correct answer is.....whatever you normally drive
After talking with potential homeowners for even a few minutes, they will have a very good idea of who you are and what you are about. If you sound intelligent and knowledgeable, they will perceive you as such no matter what you drive. I personally drive my Porsche everywhere I go, but wear jeans, a t-shirt, and carry my fake leather notebook with built in calculator to appointments.
-Chris
[addsig]
Consider this. To make a long story short, I was once driving a car when I had a contracting business. My friend told me correctly that I needed to drive a truck (even though I wasn't actively transporting things like I used to, and was mostly managing). He told me, "It doesn't matter. You're a contractor and perception is important. You need to drive a TRUCK."
In real estate, I just think that the opposite would be the case, and I feel that some sort of car is better, and I would say a medium priced one is fine, and if you have something like a Mercedes, that would be fine too, and sometimes better.
I think that dress depends on the situation and where you're going. Sometimes more casual might be better if you're in a poor neighborhood seeking a foreclosure. If you're dealing with a country club crowd, adjust it accordingly.
I also think that the younger you are or look, the more important it is to dress it up, say wear a shirt with a tie. Fairly casual but still looks sharp.
How do I dress to go to appointments?
Summer: Shorts, nice button up shirt, gold watch, nice new sketchers, two earrings in each ear
Winter: Jeans, nice button uo shirt(never tucked in, same with shorts) Some sort of boots, gold watch, two earrings in each ear(hoops)
What do I drive?
A 2003 black Dodge Durango with 20" Chrome rims, tinted windows, chrome tail lites and headlites, a supercharged 360 under the hood and a very nice sounding exhaust system(Flowmasters)
How many deals have I done?
Well over 200 sub2 deals, many more Land Contract and Lease Option deals
How old am I? 29 (response to dressing up if you are "younger"
I hope this helps!
[ Edited by miraclehomes on Date 07/25/2004 ][ Edited by miraclehomes on Date 07/25/2004 ]
of course pickup trucks have the added advantage of easily accomodating fun things like surfboards, wet dogs, fishing rods, coolers, etc...
oh, and they have tailgates which come in handy at football games.
not really work related, but worth considering nonetheless, especially since today's pickups are just as nice inside as most luxury cars and they are much safer to boot.
(rampant biased opinion showing)