A day in the life of…

Laurens Slikker, real estate agent & appraiser at ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs in Alkmaar.

We spoke to Laurens at the new office at Koningsweg 2 in Alkmaar. Today we will spend a day and see with our own eyes what a real estate agent's day looks like, we will hear what exciting and fun things are planned for the near future and we will look back on nine months. ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs. Are you coming along?

''It is April 19, Laurens' Monday morning starts early. In the morning he takes his children to school in the Spoorbuurt and then cycles to the office on his cargo bike. So, first a cup of coffee! He calmly updates his mailbox from last weekend. There have always been requests for quotations or questions for viewings. At 10 o'clock a project developer comes by who may be interested in an object that ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs has in sales and may be further developed, they brainstormed together for an hour. Laurens then prepares his appointments for the afternoon. It's 12 o'clock: lunch time! Off to the Spar for a fresh sandwich. That's a lot of fun, we have lunch together in the sun on the roof terrace of the office. After lunch, Laurens has an introductory meeting at 2 o'clock with a customer who wants to sell his home and is looking for a new home. How does Laurens work? He looks at his own home and discusses with the customer what he would like to buy and what is most convenient: sell first or buy first? Based on years of experience and knowledge, realistic advice is given and a quotation is made. And on to the next appointment! At the end of the afternoon a purchase viewing is planned in the Landstratenkwartier, a young couple is looking for their first home in Alkmaar. And then one more time to the office, at a quarter past 5 an introductory meeting is planned with a couple from Bergen who are looking for a home in Alkmaar. They have through via ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs found it. What is discussed? Laurens says: we look at what we can do for them in their search and to understand what their housing needs are. I also show examples of homes that have recently been sold and explain what our service entails as a purchasing agent. What is also nice for the customer is that we always conduct a search without obligation, so the customer receives a message 24 hours before a home for sale is listed on Funda: this home is FOR SALE!''

Laurens' ideal working day? Half the day by appointment and the rest of the time in the office, for example to prepare a valuation report and answer telephone calls and emails.

A look back…

ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs has been around for 9 months now! How does Laurens actually look back on the past few months and what is he most proud of?

…''Like a great start to a new adventure. The first step of quitting your permanent job and starting from 0 was quite exciting. But if from the first month things go as we had planned, then that is a very good feeling''

Even though Laurens and Sven have only been on the road for 9 months, they already have a fully-fledged office with many great assignments to their name. ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs is growing every month and they are becoming increasingly popular.

REALLY nice plans

They have started with the sale of a former monastery chapel on the Oudegracht. One of the best-known and most beautiful national monuments in Alkmaar. Laurens is incredibly proud that in their short existence they have already been found and asked to sell something so unique.

Furthermore, the new website is live on which they can present themselves, their offers and services even better. This website contains monthly blogs with fun, useful and informative information about, for example, the housing market, the area and other fun facts. Do you want to be informed about everything in and around the housing market in Alkmaar and the surrounding area? Then this is the platform to follow.

Your pepersonal purchasing agent

ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs is increasingly found and requested as a purchasing agent. A super nice compliment, even if they say so themselves, especially when people are referred by friends or acquaintances who recommend us. It is very logical that people are increasingly looking for a purchasing agent in a market with more buyers than supply. How do you get in between? What should you offer? Should I overbid and by how much? Just a few of the questions Laurens & Sven receive every day. It is their daily work and they advise based on facts, not on feelings. Due to their large network, they often know that a home is on the market before it is listed on Funda. They almost always manage to schedule a viewing appointment. Something that is not entirely self-evident in the current market, of course!

As a purchasing agent ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs is distinctive because of its direct and personal approach. They are there for people who like short lines and want direct contact with their own personal purchasing agent. They immediately attend the first viewing and continue as often until it is successful. Unique! because with most real estate agents you do the first viewing alone and you pay more the more often the purchasing agent accompanies you.

After this story, would you like to meet Laurens & Sven van ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs? Then make an appointment quickly and call or email us for a no-obligation sales and/or purchase conversation. The coffee is always ready! 072-202 131 20 | info@echtmakelaar.nl