Mary Lee Blaylock, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, told a Haute Living webinar audience that focusing on clients’ senses can lead to success for real estate agents in the pandemic era. As a panelist in Haute Living’s “Coast-to-Coast Residential Real Estate” Zoom webinar June 30, Blaylock shared her insights and expertise on the current real estate market and how it has affected buyers and sellers throughout Southern California.
The live panel brought together Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices leaders to discuss how the industry could change in the months and years ahead. The conversation provided viewers with a glimpse of “the new normal” in residential real estate.
One of the country’s foremost thought leaders in real estate, Blaylock wields considerable knowledge about the luxury real estate market and the various trends influencing consumers who seek high-end properties. She sees opportunities ahead for real estate companies that have embraced collaborative technology, and who have figured out how to stir the senses of clients who are not able to visit properties in person during the pandemic and beyond.
“There’s a magical formula of employing the digital world that was already here but is now on steroids,” she said. “Those agents who can make the senses come alive virtually, without clients physically being there, will have a leg up as they move forward. We have learned how to articulate and bring the senses into the sales process, where you might tell a client, ‘When you open the window, you can feel the ocean breezes,’ or ‘you can smell the jasmine.’ That’s something we do very well: teaching agents how to communicate so clearly that they bring the full experience, with all of the senses, to a digital world through the tools that we give them.
“Our agents and I are honored to be a vital resource for homebuyers and sellers. And one of the biggest assets I have found is that within the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network of companies, there’s a commitment to collaboration. That has resulted in a family culture that allows us to collaborate so evenly, openly and honestly, that it has enhanced us all.”
Blaylock sets the strategy and directs operations for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties and its affiliated partners, including Prosperity Home Mortgage, Pickford Escrow, The Escrow Firm, California Title, and HomeServices Insurance Agency. Additionally, as a hands-on leader, she provides energy and direction to the company’s 50 sales offices, managers and 3,000 sales agents.
Blaylock exudes a contagious enthusiasm for people and a passion for the real estate industry. Her strong customer focus, ability to work cross-functionally within each organization, and a drive to succeed are well-known within the industry. She participates regularly in discussions at industry conferences, including the 2019 REALTORS® Conference & Expo at RISMedia’s Power Broker Forum, “Building a Future-Focused Real Estate Business.” She was also recognized as an industry leader in the San Diego Business Journal within “The Book of 500 Influential Business Leaders.”
Alongside Blaylock, fellow Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices executives provided webinar viewers with regional insights about the market. They included Chris Stuart, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices; Candace Adams, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties; and Ron Shuffield, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Properties.
For more information, please visit www.bhhscalifornia.com.
