Keller Williams, a real estate company with 700 offices and more than 80,000 residential agents, has launched a referral program that teams its real estate agents with self-storage operators.
The agents will visit all the facilities in their area and meet with self-storage operators about the referral program. They will also gauge each facility’s safety features, move-in specials and ancillary services so they can refer the facility to their clients. In return, they ask self-storage operators refer their tenants to the partnering Keller Williams real estate agent.
The company also offers a brochure to all its customers. “How to Sell Your House in Half the Time and For More Money” contains the results of a survey given to 2,000 of the top realtors in the United States. One of the tips is storing personal belongings such as knick-knacks, excess furniture and photographs so prospective buyers can envision the home as they want it, not how it appears. Because this requires removing most items from a house, many homeowners turn to self-storage for safekeeping.
The referral program is free. The Keller Williams National Self Storage Group is creating a national database of all the facilities their agents visit. In addition, the real estate company can act as a broker for self-storage operators looking to sell their property, or for those looking to purchase a facility.
Related Articles:
Smaller Self-Storage Operators: 'Too Small to Fail' in a Tight Economy?
Buying or Selling Self-Storage Property: Should You Hire a Broker?
Self-Storage in the Southeast 2010: Real Estate Snapshot