Ask A Realtor Spotlight: Anthony Gilbert | REALTOR.com? Blogs

The latest interview in our series spotlighting the Realtors who answer the questions in the Ask A Realtor section is Anthony Gilbert of Seattle, Washington. Anthony Gilbert is a full-time real estate broker and REALTOR? with Windermere Real Estate in Bellevue, Washington. He specializes in working with clients in the Eastside Seattle communities of Issaquah, Sammamish, Snoqualmie, Fall City and North Bend, located in the picturesque foothills of the Cascade mountains. Tony has over 15 years of experience in customer service and marketing directly to consumers, and a good portion of those years have been spent as the founder, President and CEO of a popular e-commerce website. Thus, Tony is considered an expert in both traditional and internet marketing, including print advertising, direct mail, graphic design, copy-writing and editing, search engine marketing and social media. When combined, his professional and personal real estate experience, marketing expertise, real-world business experience, and entrepreneurial spirit make Tony an asset to his clients, and the Windermere Real Estate team.

1) Based on your bio it sounds like real estate is a real calling for you, what drew you to selling real estate?
From a young age, I always had an interest in real estate and finance. After a divorce in 1986, my mother decided to sell our home, as the maintenance and expenses were simply too much to deal with. I observed very closely, and was intrigued by the entire process, including the agents coming through our home on ?caravan? and all the ?strangers? viewing (and judging) our home each day. Despite Houston?s terrible market in at that time, our home sold relatively quickly ? and I?ll never forget my mother running into my bedroom that night well after I was asleep, screaming with excitement, ?It?s Sold, It?s Sold!? I nearly jumped out of my skin ? but her relief and excitement couldn?t be contained. As a Realtor today, I pride myself on being in-tune with both the professional and human element in every transaction. At the end of the day, it?s about the clients, and I think we often lose sight of the actual goal ? which is simply helping people.

2) What makes the Eastside of Seattle different from the rest of the city? How is the market lately?
First and foremost, the Eastside of Seattle is that much closer to the recreational opportunities of the Cascades, which I also thoroughly enjoy. From a housing standpoint, Seattle?s Eastside also offers a much larger inventory of single-family homes with larger yards and greater square footage compared to the central metropolitan area, especially in communities like Issaquah, Sammamish and Snoqualmie. Another important element is the popularity of the Eastside school districts, in particular the Bellevue, Issaquah and Lake Washington school districts. Seattle area parents are deeply involved in our area?s public schools, which can have a significant impact on property values. As of the Summer of 2012, nearly every area of the Seattle region is technically in a ?seller?s market.? Home prices are rising, days on market continues to decrease, and multiple offers have become commonplace ? especially in central Seattle, Bellevue and Kirkland.

3) You have a background in photography and graphic design, what do you think the biggest mistake people make when taking listing photos?
The biggest mistake is not hiring a professional photographer in the first place! In my market, the typical home value is greater than $450K. Thus, I can certainly find room in my marketing budget to work with a professional photographer who will showcase the property in the best way possible. Even when professionals are used, I think the photos are often too-highly edited, sometimes to their detriment. I have a particular distaste for the shots which have an overly saturated and soft ?artistic? look applied to them ? they almost always look dreary, and we certainly don?t need to add to the myth that it?s always raining in Seattle! Don?t get goofy with photo editing; it?s not cute or artistic, and can easily cause buyers to click forward to the next listing.

4) Do you think this summer?s record-setting heat wave has led to an increased interest in some people looking to retire somewhere with more of a temperate climate?
I can speak from personal experience. I myself moved from Austin, Texas to escape the extreme heat. I?ve been visiting the Seattle area for 15 years, and when the first opportunity came to move, I high-tailed it out of Texas. Based upon my experience in working with out-of-state buyers, I can definitely say I?m not alone. Not only are buyers looking to escape the heat, they are also moving to the Seattle area for greater recreational opportunities, and many look forward to the joy of gardening as well. With this said, it?s also interesting how many Seattle area natives are purposefully moving to Texas, Arizona or Florida . So I guess we?re trading population somewhat, as the grass is always greener (well? perhaps not in Phoenix).

5) What do you do for fun when you aren?t selling real estate?
I am bit obsessed with numbers, facts and figures. So when I?m not actually with clients, I spend a lot of my spare time paying attention to the market. It?s just ingrained in me to know as much as possible when it comes to how I earn a living. I?m also an internet marketing guru of sorts, so I?m constantly reviewing website statistics, and observing my colleagues and the real estate industry as a whole, particularly where it concerns technology. (Yes? I consider that ?fun.?) Outside of real estate, when I have the opportunity, I head for Mount Rainier ? literally my favorite place on earth. I feel a deep sense of peace and tranquility walking through the forests, hiking on the trails and snapping photos. I also enjoy photography, graphic arts, long road trips and traveling in general.

Learn more about Anthony Gilbert at RealFX.com

Related posts:

1. Ask A Realtor Spotlight: Sandy Straley
2. Ask A Realtor Spotlight: Ben Fisher
3. Ask A Realtor Spotlight: Bob And Bobbie Kelly
4. Ask A Realtor Spotlight: Lana Lavenbarg
5. Should I Contact The IRS Regarding Repaying The First Time Home Buyer?s Tax Credit?

Source: http://www.realtor.com/blogs/2012/08/23/ask-a-realtor-spotlight-anthony-gilbert/

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