If you have bought or sold a house with the “Dan Wolf Team” in the past seven years you have talked to or met Sarah Haltness. Sarah is undeniably the best buyers agent I have met in my years in real estate.
Sarah Relaxes after work
Sarah’s primary focus is working with buyers. Of course, all Realtors need to be able to “do it all“, however most of Sarah’s focus and training focus’s on helping buyers.
I thought it would be fun to get her to talk to us about what she does in a day and for entertainment.
Dan: Sarah, how long have you been selling real estate?
Sarah: Since October 1, 2003, nearly seven years!
Dan: Not many real estate agents are bold enough to call themselves an exclusive ”buyers agent”. How do you define your job?
Sarah: My primary focus is working with buyers. I need to know all the neighborhoods, demographics in the area and the schools, and of course, carefully watch the market every day so I know the inventory of homes at all times and in all price ranges. Working closely with buyers is an entirely different set of skills than listing and marketing a home. I focus on people, not on better photo’s and better flyers!
Dan: How often do you actually get out of the office and show homes?
Sarah: It’s a rare day I don’t show a home or two. I probably average showing 10-15 properties a week.
Dan: What are you doing the rest of time?
Sarah: Many things! Home Inspections, meeting appraisers, checking repairs, measuring rooms. Processing a transaction and getting everything done in the time-frame the buyer and seller want is full time job! There is never a dull moment!
Dan: How many offers do you figure you write in an average month?
Sarah: I will write 4 or 5 contracts that stick each month. Recently it seems I am writing more offers because getting buyer and seller together on price, close date and property condition has been harder. Sellers seem to have less room to negotiate and buyers expect to get a “bargain”.
Dan: Wow, you sell a bunch of homes! You must love what you do!
Sarah: Actually, some days I dread starting with new people I don’t know. Having buyers in your car for prolonged periods of time can be exhausting, but it’s funny, every time I go out dreading the day, I come back excited about the people I meet. I love being around people!
Dan: Let me switch directions a bit; What things do you like to have from a prospective home buyer before you actually go look at properties?
Sarah: Before looking at properties, I want to know as much as I can about my client, their partner or spouse, children, pets and hobbies. After knowing who they are, I need to know what their needs are. Things like number of bedrooms, bathrooms, garages, neighborhoods and most of all why they want these things. Sometimes talking about these things and asking questions I find out their home parameters have some flexibility.
Dan: When you aren’t at work, what do you do for fun?
Sarah: Definitely spending time with my family, my husband Edward and my foster daughter, Trinity. My sister Rebecca & her husband, and her two favorite little people, Alex and Reed. When I am not with my family, I personally love to run. Best of all is running outdoors. My sister Rebecca has become quite the competitor and I really enjoy the times we get to run together.
Dan: Sarah, you really have honed your skill as a buyers agent. It does take a special talent and skill-set to focus so well on your client and to really get to know them and care about their purchase as much as you do!
