“Education literacy for everyone,” she said when asked for an area ripe for focus. “I think that’s something that, as a broker community, we could definitely push more for and do more to educate buyers. And definitely there are so many programs out there that as brokers what we may not know.”
She offered her own experience as an example: “I was learning so much today about the VA,” she said after attending a panel discussing covering the topic. “We do VA loans, but, to me, we’ve just scratched the surface. There’s so much to it that we’re not tapping into. Once we are able to tap into it, we can offer so much more and that comes from education, literacy, learning and seeing what is there that is going to benefit buyers in general – homeowners.”
Another thing she thinks brokers should do more of – particularly amid a market slowed down by high mortgage rates and inflation – is stage seminars for would-be homeowners. “It’s educating the public and putting ourselves out there,” she said.
Palmer-Lodge praised AIME for its role in helping her business grow – something that starts with the infectious enthusiasm of its members: “When you have an organization like AIME behind you, they are showing you other people who have gone through the struggles and elevated themselves. It makes you feel good, like, ‘I can do this!’”
She noted the sheer breadth of panel discussions had helped educate her, particularly since becoming a broker-owner. “I have learned so much just by coming to these events on how to scale my business, how to grow my business, how to make me better for my clients and my realtor partners. I gain so much just by listening to others who have done it and continue to do it. Coming to these events year after year is such a rewarding feeling for me because I gain so much. It’s always something new.”
