Today’s guest is Aidan Woodfine of Sweetly Real Estate. Originally from Camrose, he moved to Edmonton when he was about twelve-years-old and has been a realtor for six years. A former poker player, Aidan got into real estate when he realized he needed a new career path.
[2:33] Are there any parallels between poker and real estate?
- Poker is about seeking value. When you’re working with clients in real estate, you need to provide and seek value in similar ways.
- In poker, you’re always trying to think about what the other person is doing based on their tendencies. It’s similar to thinking about why clients are making certain decisions.
[5:38] What have you been seeing in the market lately?
- It’s been slow, and the condo market has been hit the hardest because there’s a lot of inventory.
[6:39] Tell me about the new approach you’re taking towards real estate with Sweetly.
- We launched Sweetly with the idea of modelling it after the iBuyers in the US.
- These are websites that allow you to enter your property’s info and receive an offer within twenty-four hours.
- If you go to our website, you’ll be provided with an offer within twenty-four hours as well. We look at comparables and then send the offer, but another option is to request a private evaluation.
[9:12] Why would a seller want to do this?
- Our offer is good for ninety days, so they can pick their own closing date.
- Another huge benefit is that there’s no showings with people going through your home.
[10:48] Where does Sweetly make money in this process?
- We charge a service fee of 5.5%.
- We’ll pay 80% market value upfront, and our fee is deducted from the final sale price.
[13:07] What traction have you been getting so far?
- Seniors especially have been very positive about our model.
- We’re focusing on homes between $280,000 and $500,000, but we’ve made a few exceptions.
- If a client doesn’t want to go with the Simply model, we can still take care of them as a traditional realtor.
- We’ve worked with a few clients where they’ve already bought their next home but haven’t been able to sell their current one.
[15:57] How do you make sure you get top dollar for that original seller?
- We’ve had discrepancies between what the seller thinks it’s worth and what we think it’s worth. We’ve given them the 80% based on our evaluation, but list it for what they think it’s worth.
[18:52] What is the difference between what Sweetly can bring to that table versus what you have been doing for the past six years?
- We can do a lot more. It feels really good that I can go into a presentation and provide a solution for people that didn’t have one before.
- There’s a learning curve, but once they get it, they wonder why every real estate agent doesn’t offer this.
[19:41] What is some of the best real estate advice you’ve ever received?
- I recently heard “only work with the willing,” and that stuck with me.
[20:53] Have there been any themes with your last few transactions?
- They’ve been a bit more gruelling. I’m finding that buyers are expecting the world, but sellers are not accommodating to that because their prices have slipped.
[22:16] What should people be looking for in a realtor?
- Having a few years of experience is pretty important. Picking a realtor with good reviews and that understands the market is important as well.
Sweetly: https://sellsweetly.ca/
780-264-1234
#227, 6005 Gateway Blvd NW
Edmonton, AB
T6H 2H3