Doing Business Locally
by Ed Kunkel, Jr., Realtor® and US Military Veteran
Buying local truly benefits you and the community where you live. Your business benefits the local economy. When you are buying local, you are doing a wonderful thing for your community – you are doing your part to help offer stability to the community where you live. Each time you do a transaction with a local business in your area, you are potentially circulating your money several times through your own community. When you keep your money local, you are contributing to job growth, supporting local non-profit organizations, and making more potential for tax revenue that benefits Police, Fire, Education and other services.
Invest in your community legacy – that is essentially what you’re doing when you buy local. This community is your home, with growth and stability equating to your community’s value. When you make purchases, you should look at your activity beyond what the product or service is, you are investing in the present and future prosperity of the community you live in. This benefits just about every aspect of your community – including job stability with growth potential, stability and increasing Real Estate values, and generations of residents that will choose to remain in their community because of prosperity.
Let’s relate this choice of doing business locally to being a home buyer. I’m going to start with saying that it’s a great thing to have resources catered specifically towards the benefit of veterans and their families. That being said, veterans and their families offer something unique in return to companies that cater to them – low risk. It’s a sensible business decision to offer products and services that are provided to veterans only. So whether you go with a national or local lender is a matter of preference. Either way, it’s important to go with a company that understands the needs of Veterans and their families.
Home sellers should be concerned about how their choices affect the local community. Be careful when committing to a national company with a relocation plan or “Exclusive Program” that chooses your Real Estate agent for you – especially if they are offering you rebates or cash to entice your commitment. Take time to research their program online, and see what consumers are blogging about with the experience. If the company is choosing your agent, it means that the agent has willingly paid a fee to the relocation company to be guaranteed your business as a package deal, instead of allowing you to interview them and choose them on your own. If you are looking to gain the best value from the sale of your home, what impression does it leave you about your chances when the agent is willing to discount themselves before you hire them? How much time, effort and investment are they going to make in the successful sale of your home if their financial incentive for your success has been marginalized? And don’t forget the most important question – is the agent benefitting your local community?
I’m always available to answer your questions, call or text me at (360) 789-4708, or email Ed@YourNextMoveTeam.com.
Ed Kunkel, Jr. is a Managing Broker/Realtor® at Keller Williams Realty in Olympia, Washington. Visit Ed here. Ed’s Military History: Veteran – U.S. Army and Air Force Reserve; Highest rank, E5; 11 years combined military service.
