Ann Marie Clements of RE/MAX Realty Group in Maryland was the Featured Real Estate Agent of the Month in our March Agent Success Newsletter.

Here’s the story:

If you ask Ann Marie what she thinks of today’s conditions, she’ll tell you that it’s great market for a Realtor®. After 20 years in the business, Ann Marie’s business is growing every year – it’s already up 40% from last year!

Ann Marie Clements was also just featured on the March 2008 cover of REALTOR® Magazine in which she discussed her success with finding new clients on Facebook.

How is Ann Marie able to be so productive?

She relies on two main things: referrals and HomeGain.
“I just sold one house for $700k and another one for $480k, both as a result of HomeGain leads,” said Ann Marie.

“That’s $30k revenue from only 2 transactions in one month from HomeGain! Am I fine with paying the referral fee? Yes! I am happy to pay for any and all referrals – so please send me referrals!”

(Like any brokerage, RE/MAX charges a referral fee for leads it provides to its agents.)

Ann Marie has been a HomeGain AgentEvaluator member since 2001. She has been inducted into the HomeGain’s elite Platinum Club, which is comprised of agents who have earned a minimum of $125,000 in gross commissions from their HomeGain leads.

“Connecting with people on the Internet is the way business needs to be these days. That’s why AgentEvaluator is perfect for me.”

In the Maryland areas that Ann Marie covers through AgentEvaluator, she receives on average 3-5 leads per day.

Why does she think she gets selected over other agents?

And why does she think she does well in real estate in general?

Speed.

“As soon as I see an email come in from a prospect, I immediately respond. I ask a lot of my clients why they selected me and they say, ‘You were the first to respond!’”

“I learned at the RE/MAX seminars and I’ve learned it through HomeGain that If you don’t get back within an hour (maximum), they’ll move on to the next agent.”
Equipped with her Blackberry in hand, Ann Marie continues, “The market is slow. Buyers think and think and think. Sometimes they have 17 real estate agents to choose from in AgentEvaluator. I have to make my proposal as good as possible, as quick as possible.”

Ann Marie agrees that personalization and customization is another large factor why people respond well to her and my husband, Jimmy (who gave up his job two years ago to go into business with Ann Marie full-time)

“Of course, personal attention – online personalization as well as inter-personal interaction – is extremely important.”

“I’ve found that I am able to get on Internet and get to know people. By the end (of our online discussions), they want work with us. People like working via email and, very often lately, we just click!”

Ann Marie customizes her proposals on a need basis before sending to potential clients.

“I’ve made a few proposals (in AgentEvaluator) and use them over and over. It’s a good thing it’s an easy-to-use program because I am not computer savvy! I was able to figure out how to incorporate HTML, which improved the way the proposals look.”
Ann Marie’s business model is purely online. She doesn’t believe in doing any newspaper or print ads. 70% of her business comes from HomeGain.

“I can’t say enough good things about HomeGain. I’m really happy to have it.”

Where else can you find Ann Marie?

Since Ann Marie Clement is a firm believer in the Internet, you can find her in several places online. Look for Ann Marie on her website, AnnMarieClements.com, the HomeGain Blog and Facebook.