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Making Your Own Independence Day Speech
July 3, 2015

Independence Day is coming up, and you don’t need Will Smith to tell you how important that is. But instead of taking a page out of fictional U.S. president Thomas J. Whitmore’s book and giving an incredible speech about getting aliens off our planet, we’re going to help you give your own incredible speech to your clients about why their properties are the most wonderful and patriotic homes since Monticello.
See speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoLywiaM6PA
The Three-Bedroom Suburban Family Home
“Mankind. That word should have new meaning for us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore.”
If your clients are looking to make “the move” to the suburbs, chances are that they’re going through a big lifetime change. Moving into a bigger home for raising their kids means that their old lives are behind them. Their lives are not about them anymore — their child is on the way. During the showing process, and even down to talking with a broker, they will be undergoing a tremendously stressful time in their lives.
The three-bedroom suburban home, in a way, is the most American home there is. Barbecues, public schools, Little League, kids in the streets, apple pies cooling on the windowsill. If your clients are hesitant about pulling the trigger because of this huge change in lifestyle, it might help to bust out some President Whitmore-esque verve to tell them that they are quite literally the backbone of America, and that they’re making a huge step in continuing our country’s cycle of empowerment. Not to mention, they’re looking to provide the best for their children. Isn’t that worth fighting for?
The Seasonal Cabin
“In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world.”
If apple pies and Little League are the heart of America, then tourism and driving are the skin. Seasonal properties represent both the American adventurous spirit, and the sense of planting one’s roots where they belong.
But they won’t be the only ones. It’s an incredibly competitive market for seasonal homes across the country, from pricey seaside vacation properties in Cape Cod, Massachusetts to mountain cabins in Sierra Nevada. If they’re unsure of where to start, price-wise, or even if they’d like to purchase another property at all, show them that clip of the incomparable Bill Pullman (playing Mr. Whitmore himself), and tell them that if America can stake out a home in the face of extraterrestrial annihilation, they can find the perfect seasonal home in the face of overwhelming numbers.
The First Apartment
“We're fighting for our right to live, to exist.”
Whether it’s a college graduate moving out of their parents’ home for the first time, or someone from abroad looking for their first home in the Red, White and Blue, the first property they move into is going to affect their lives for far longer than the year-long lease lasts. They might be struggling financially as they make the move — maybe not in a live-or-die sense, but definitely looking to cut costs at every opportunity.
This is where Realtors can give sensible advice to help them out. It might mean recommending an apartment with more initial cost, but with money-saving amenities like onsite laundry and included utilities that will help in the long run. (That $1,200 per month Silver Lake apartment in LA might seem fine to them, but the lack of parking options means it might end up costing your clients more.) It might take a couple of showings in homes with rented rooms, or more community-driven arrangements like artist warehouses or work-study programs. These clients, if they’re coming to a Realtor to help them out, are probably looking for advice going beyond what their security deposit will cost. A human touch will beat an alien touch any time.
Closing Remarks, Courtesy of The Greatest Fictional President Of All Time:
“And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice:
"We will not go quietly into the night!
We will not vanish without a fight!
We're going to live on!
We're going to survive!"
Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!”