Part of the successful formula that makes the Karen Cannon, Realtors team so dynamic is the expertise and corporate approach our team takes towards real estate, along with our team’s incredible knowledge of our surrounding communities.
Polly Frederick is an intricate part of the Dunwoody and Sandy Springs communities. She embodies what we look for in team members. Polly has lived in Dunwoody for 25 years, but more importantly, she’s been an active member of the community.
Anyone can live in a neighborhood and know the street names and available properties. As a Realtor, Polly far exceeds that. She is connected with the people of Dunwoody. She has raised her kids among other families and has been active in schools, charities, and her church. Polly and her husband have three children together: their oldest daughter is 19 and is a freshman at UGA, their middle child is a junior at Dunwoody High School, and their son is 13. He is in the 8th grade and attends Peachtree Charter Middle School. In her spare time, Polly enjoys exercising, traveling, going to the beach, and she roots for Alabama and Georgia football.
Aside from have a keen eye and the knowledge of the Dunwoody area, she is also familiar with the surrounding areas of Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, and Chamblee.
We asked her a few questions so that you could get to know her a little more.
KCR: What would you tell someone who is considering living in your area?
Polly: You can’t beat the location! Dunwoody is like a small town in a big city. It is close enough to Atlanta to take advantage of what a big city has to offer, but has a tight-knit community. I love that it’s conveniently located close to all major highways, which makes it very accessible. We pretty much have everything you need: great schools, parks, shopping, and restaurants. What more could you want in a city?
KCR: Tell us about your connection with the Dunwoody community?
Polly: I have lived in the Dunwoody area for 25 years, and I am very familiar with the area and the market. This personal connection will make for a very special experience when working with buyers and sellers in this area.
KCR: Why do you find real estate so rewarding?
Polly: I think for me, successfully finding the perfect home for my buyers and negotiating to make sure I am able to get the best price possible for them is the most rewarding aspect. I take great pride in is successfully marketing my seller’s home and bringing them qualified buyers who will pay top dollar.
KCR: What can someone expect when they meet you/work with you?
Polly: I am a hard worker, dedicated and professional. I am organized and provide excellent customer service to my clients. I provide the information my clients need to make one of the most important decisions in their life- buying the perfect home.
Karen Cannon, Realtors is excited to welcome Polly Frederick to the team. Ready to buy your perfect home in the Dunwoody area? We encourage you to give Polly or anyone else on our team a call at (770) 352-9658. Are you interested in joining our team? Click HERE.
Let’s be honest. When it comes to starting your real estate career, it can take some time to sell your first home and make any money. Just remember, if you work hard and stay consistent, you can become successful with your new real estate career. However, when starting out, you might find that your circle is not wide enough and your Realtor expenses are not so affordable. This is where joining a team can be the best option. The team at Karen Cannon, Realtors offer three major benefits to joining a real estate team:
Training and Support Provided
Congratulations! You studied for and passed your real estate license exam. Now, the real education begins. Real estate is very much a hands-on learning experience. Education is only half the battle. New agents truly benefit from training and support from experienced agents. Joining a team helps you learn the daily activity and best practices that veteran agents benefit from. Plus, you have someone there to answer your questions and advise you in difficult situations. As a new agent, it is tremendously beneficial to have a knowledgeable team as a resource for the many questions you will have. The right team can offer you the support and hands on training to help jump start your career….for example, our team approach offers agents an environment where they can learn and share and collaborate because they don’t compete with each other.
Cost Effective
In real estate, you have to spend money to make money. A real estate career is an investment. Being a Realtor comes with its fair share of expenses, and a lot of them are upfront. Brokerages and your local board will charge you a wide range of fees that may include board dues, MLS fees, office space, marketing, and broker fees. However, joining a team will provide you with the opportunity to share these fees, if not eliminate some of them all together. This is not the case with many teams – they have to pay these fees but they are on a team. Our model is VERY unique. Working with a seasoned agent will also provide you with leads (this is not the case for many) that are incredibly expensive and hard to come by as a new agent. Also, not having to pay Zillow or Realtor.com for leads will definitely keep some extra money in your bank account.
Expands Your Sphere of Influence
Networking is a huge part of having a successful real estate career. Your sphere of influence will expand once you join a team. If you find the right fit, you will have consistent opportunities to network and meet more clients. As a new agent, you might be assigned to handle the lease clients at first. This will help you build your database and give you the repeat clients that you so desire. Your renters will turn into buyers, and hopefully those buyers will be listing with you.
Anderson and Karen Cannon, started Karen Cannon Realtors with a simple vision in mind – to build a team and provide for their agents. At KCR, our Realtors concentrate on providing the best service to our clients because they have the support of a team behind them. Learn more about joining our team today! https://karencannon.com/contact-us/
At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Atlanta. We live, work and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!
If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.
Home safety is an important topic for buyers, sellers and Realtors. Since January is National Radon Action Month, we would like to help you eliminate radon out of your home so that you and your family can have safer, healthier air to breathe. It’s important to us that all current and future homeowners know the dangers of radon as well as the preventative measures to take.
Educate Yourself and Others
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America and claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year. The EPA highly recommends that all Americans test their homes, schools, and other buildings for radon. Exposure to radon can be a highly dangerous health risk. Testing the levels of radon in your home, school, or workplace can go a long way to preventing exposure. If a high radon level is detected in your home, there are measurable steps to you can take to fix the problem to protect yourself and your family. Encourage family and friends to test their homes as well.
Test Your Home
Radon cannot be tasted, smelled or seen; but it could still be present in your home. EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend that all homes in the U.S. be tested for radon. Testing is easy and inexpensive. To further educate yourself on testing your home as well as how to obtain a user-friendly Radon test kit, we encourage you to visit www.Epa.gov.
Find a Radon-Resistant Home
If you are considering buying a new home, speak with your Realtor about looking for homes where the builders used radon-resistant new construction. Also, building radon-resistant new homes is an option. Using the necessary techniques to prevent radon from entering a home is practical and straightforward for any builder. It’s a highly effective and inexpensive way to offer families a benefit that could reduce their risk of lung cancer. One of the best things you can do to prevent you and your families’ exposure is to get radon gas out of our homes right away. It would be considered an environmentally responsible plan of action that will help reduce the chances of lung cancer. Making sure your home is as green as possible is the best way to combat radon. Especially, since it enters the home from under the ground.
At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Atlanta. We live, work and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!
If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.
When you’re buying or selling a home, it’s crucial to work with a qualified real estate agent. Not just a professional, but an amazing agent and a market expert. So how do you ensure you’re hiring an amazing real estate agent?
There are currently more than two million real estate professionals in North America.1,2 With so many options to choose from, how does a prospective home buyer or seller choose the right agent or broker? According to the National Association of Realtors®, trust and reputation are the top deciding factors consumers use when hiring an agent.3
But how do you measure trust and reputation … and what criteria can be used to help you make your decision?
In this guide, we’ve outlined the top attributes that amazing agents possess, as well as the questions you can ask to make sure you’re working with the right market expert to achieve your real estate goals.
5 ATTRIBUTES OF AN AMAZING AGENT
As we mentioned above, not all real estate professionals are the same. And it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the options and information about working with real estate professionals to buy or sell your home. In fact, many real estate markets are oversaturated with agents.
To help you understand what makes top agents and market experts stand apart from the competition, following are five key attributes of an amazing agent:
A Pricing Specialist
If an agent has their real estate license, they know the basics of the transaction process. They know what goes into buying and selling a home. However, there’s a difference between knowing the process and navigating it for an ideal result. This ideal result often means buying or selling a home for the best price.
For buyers, amazing agents have a strong understanding of market trends, competition, and how to make your offer attractive to sellers. They can help you identify and secure a deal to ensure you get the home you want, within your desired budget.
If you’re selling a home, market experts have experience pricing homes optimally for the market, and creating pricing plans to minimize the time spent selling the home. This will help you sell for your desired price, and avoid costs like additional mortgage and utility payments.
Takeaway: Whether buying or selling a home, pricing can be tricky. Market experts can help navigate best-possible pricing strategies, and also secure the home you want within your budget.
An Effective Time Manager
It’s common to underestimate the amount of time it takes to buy or sell your home. The average real estate agent may not be utilizing the latest tools and technology to make the transaction easier and more cost effective for their clients. Market experts have tools and strategies at their disposal to minimize the amount of time you spend on the process.
For sellers, market experts can make sure you only deal with qualified buyers, not the “window shoppers” who can waste your time. We also utilize the latest marketing practices to advertise and price your home effectively, ensuring it gets sold quickly.
When looking to buy a home, inexperienced agents may waste your time by showing you homes that are not a good fit for you. A market expert knows how to prioritize your needs and wants to find you the ideal home within your budget. They also know how to spot “red flags” and can steer you away from homes that are likely to turn up major issues in a real estate inspection, saving you time and money.
In addition, well-networked Realtors can gain access to the hottest listings before many websites do. Their extensive professional networks can help identify “pre-list” homes before they’re officially on the market. This can be invaluable in a highly-competitive real estate market.
Takeaway: Even a well-intentioned agent may not have the skills, tools or technology to make the experience easy for you. There are lots of hidden activities that may take up unexpected time, and a market expert will save you time and energy.
A Market Insider
While most agents can pull market stats about a neighborhood, community or city, they may not understand important trends or developments that would affect your transaction. These can include the state of the school district, issues with a homeowner association, new businesses in the area, zoning rules or trends in home prices.
Market experts live and breathe local real estate and know the trigger points for buying and selling in this market. We also stay current on effective marketing and negotiation practices, resulting in our track record of success.
For sellers, we understand what features of your home and neighborhood are assets in the selling process. And for buyers, we share a deep understanding of market factors, including school and neighborhood quality, crime statistics, speed of sales and more.
Takeaway: Getting relevant and specific market knowledge can be difficult and time consuming, which is why many real estate agents don’t have it. Whether you’re buying or selling a home, an experienced real estate agent is often the best source of information about a city, neighborhood, or even street … we’re literally conducting market research every day.
A Strong Negotiator
Amazing agents truly set themselves apart in their ability to negotiate. Unfortunately, a large portion of agents don’t commit their full time to increasing this key skill.
Real estate negotiations can be challenging, even for seasoned professionals. It takes skill, experience and a knowledge of how to fight for your client’s best interests. While any agent can enter negotiations to buy or sell a home, they may not know the effective strategies to exit those negotiations with the result you want.
Experienced Realtors focus on negotiation as a key skill. We understand what to do before entering negotiations (establishing the upper hand to set up the best outcome), as well as during the process (when to offer or accept concessions).
Takeaway: Many agents can feel the stress of the negotiation process, and may agree to terms of the buyer/seller. Working with a market expert will help ensure you get the best deal, not just the fastest deal.
An Effective Closer
Closing a deal fast is often a good thing. For buyers, it means you found the home you wanted quickly. For sellers, it often means you can avoid the added expenses of mortgage and utility payments, and maximize the value of your home sale.
However, an agent solely focused on speed can make decisions that aren’t in your best interests. Top real estate professionals know how to not only achieve your real estate goals quickly, but in the right way to avoid potential pitfalls.
Just like negotiations, the paperwork and process of closing a real estate transaction are complicated. And they can be overwhelming for the average agent who hasn’t handled a lot of transactions. Sales contracts, property disclosures, occupancy agreements and even lead paint records need to be executed with precision. Your agent not only needs to be familiar with these, but also stay current on any changes in requirements or regulations.
Market experts have a strong understanding of real estate contracts, timelines, clauses and contingencies within the closing process. In fact, avoiding pitfalls during the closing process is where many sellers find an experienced Realtor is a huge asset.
Takeaway: Many agents don’t have a firm understanding of contracts. Because a real estate transaction often involves a significant investment, even a small mistake can mean serious trouble. With that in mind, it’s often best, and most responsible, to work with a true market expert.
5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT
So how do you know if you’re working with an amazing agent?
The first step would be to “shop around.” Many people work with the first agent they come across without a firm understanding of their level of experience. It’s always a good idea to interview a number of agents before selecting one. If you’ve gotten referrals from people you trust, then you may only need to interview 2-3 agents.
However, it can be tough to know what to ask in the interview process. Here are some questions that can help you qualify the best agent to help you achieve your real estate goals:
Can you send me some information about yourself?
Look for professionalism and consistency. What are their professional accomplishments? Also, try to identify how they approach their work. Look for a business person who has a strategy and solid support system. If they’re a newer agent, ask about their team’s dynamic and accomplishments.
How long have you been in real estate?
The average Realtor has 10 years of experience4. But while longevity is important, even more telling are the number of transactions they have closed or been involved in. So feel free to also ask: “How many homes have you sold in this area?”
What will you do to keep me informed?
Do you want daily or weekly reports from your agent? Will the agent be able to meet these expectations? Determine how much communication you want, and then find an agent who will give you the attention and time you want and deserve.
Can you provide me with further resources I may need?
From market reports and pricing trends to school performance and crime statistics, top agents have resources at their disposal. In addition, market experts have built strong relationships with their extended team of professionals, and can often get expedient service or be able to “cash in a favor” for you should a need arise.
Seller only: Can you share with me your plan to market my property?
Many agents will simply put your home in the MLS and wait for it to sell. An amazing agent should have a detailed plan of how to get your home exposure on social media, to their local networks, and more.
GET STARTED
Now that you’re armed with the 5 Attributes of Amazing Agents and the Top Questions to ensure you work with the best possible real estate agent, you’re ready to start interviewing agents.
We’d love an opportunity to win your business. Schedule a free consultation with us to find out how true market experts can help you achieve your real estate goals!
At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Atlanta. We live, work and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!
If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.
From working in the technology field with CIOs from Fortune 500 companies to working in the residential market by renovating and selling homes, Karen has carved a niche for herself in the real-estate market. By combining her expertise with that of her husband, together they formed Karen Cannon Realtors, a company Karen describes as more than one’s average real-estate business.
The Karen Cannon Realtors vision is rooted in the communities it serves. Ask and Karen will tell: she sells homes because she loves where she lives.
Patch: When did you first know that selling homes was the path for you?
Cannon: I began my professional sales and marketing career working in the technology field with CIOs from Fortune 500 companies, such as Coke, Delta and many others. I learned early on how to communicate in this fast-paced and evolving field and to provide value to clients who expect excellence. At the same time, my husband, Anderson, was working in the residential real estate market by renovating and selling houses.
We decided to combine our collective expertise in order to form Karen Cannon Realtors — a company we believed from the beginning would be more than your average real-estate business. From the start, our vision was to be firmly rooted in the communities we serve. We sell homes because we love where we live.
Patch: How do you maintain your competitive edge in the real-estate industry?
Cannon: Plain and simple, we maintain our competitive edge by knowing our market inside and out. We live, work and play in the communities we serve, so when a client is looking to move to North Atlanta, we are well versed in the areas and neighborhoods that will meet and exceed their expectations. We take pride in forming relationships with our clients, and we know we’ve done our job when they refer friends or come back when they’re ready to purchase another home.
Anyone who works with us knows that KCR is always changing, adapting and reinvesting in technology to give our clients the cutting-edge marketing they deserve. From start to finish, we are invested and dedicated to making this a positive and rewarding experience.
Patch: What is the most unusual or most extraordinary thing to ever happen to you while showing a house?
Cannon: In our business, we take the time to discover our client’s priorities and desires for their dream home. I’m able to show them properties and some they may not have considered before. A wonderful client once told me that she would never want to live in a ranch-style house.
After visiting many properties that fit her original ideal, I decided to take her to a ranch-style that I believed would suit her perfectly. After seeing it, she sat down at the kitchen table and cried because she loved it so much. It is so rewarding to make a client’s dream come true and sometimes it happens in the most unexpected ways.
Patch: What is your outlook for the future of Karen Cannon Realtors?
Cannon: Karen Cannon Realtors is the strongest we’ve ever been! Our team is growing and well positioned throughout North Atlanta as local experts in the areas our clients are seeking to make home. Throughout the year we proudly participate in activities that make a difference, such as supporting local schools, teams and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
We love being invested in our communities and are thankful to work alongside clients, friends and neighbors. We are excited as we live, work and grow throughout Atlanta!
Patch: What’s your definition of success? How do you define success?
Cannon: Success to us is helping clients find their dream home. It’s helping sellers find the best buyer for their property. It’s helping make the home buying and selling process as smooth as possible. Success is the KCR team coming together to make a difference in the lives of our clients and communities.
We love when previous clients refer a friend or family member or come back when they want to move again. We love staying in contact and hearing how people are doing in their homes. We love the relationships formed in the work we do. We’re dedicated to the people we serve from start to finish and beyond because we are also neighbors.
Patch: What sets one realtor or broker apart from another? How are you personally unique?
Cannon: Since we are independent and not a part of a franchise, we are able handpick a team of people to work for each client. We have experts throughout the process to help our clients while the agent focuses on selling the home.
Instead of our agents competing with each other, they help each other, which allows us to allocate our resources where they are needed most. We also offer a higher level of marketing, starting with a custom, five-foot-tall, estate yard sign, a 3D virtual tour, and social media postings for each listing.
Our local connections also allow us to connect buyers and sellers better than anyone else – in fact, we sold over 10percent of sales prior to listing.
Patch: What is your advice to someone who is looking to a buy a new home?
Cannon: When clients decide they would like to buy a home, we perform a needs analysis in order to understand their goals, needs and timeline. We know that moving is a very personal and important event so we strive to understand how we can best serve them.
Finding the right home is something KCR takes great pride in and because of our connections in the community and with past clients and contacts, we often know of homes that become available before they even go on the market.
Patch: Tell us about your 3D Open House feature.
Cannon: We make technology a priority at KCR and have invested in a 3D camera. This allows us to be the only local broker to offer 3D virtual tours for every listing. Potential buyers are able to “tour” all of our homes online with amazing accuracy.
Reporting indicates the 3D imagery secures far more online traffic than the typical virtual tours, which translates into greater and faster home sales.
Patch: What advice would you give to someone interested in selling his or her house?
Cannon: Although it is a seller’s market, you still need to set your home apart by making it look its best. Whether you’ve bought and sold many homes, or if you haven’t sold in 30 years, we guide you every step of the way. We do all we can to help our clients maximize the sale of their home.
Our experience in home renovation and inspection enables us to spot any issues that might slow a sale. Our staging and 3D virtual tours provide the highest level of marketing of any real estate agent in our area. We prep your home for sale, price it correctly, market it thoroughly and have the best team as your advocate.
We provide strategy, professional photography, and unique marketing to attract buyers looking in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs. That’s why we’ve sold more than 100 homes in 2016 in an average of 21 days and at 98 percent of the list price.
At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Atlanta. We live, work and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!
If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.
