By Elliott Topkins, Esquire
4/14/11
As I have evolved from a practicing Massachusetts real estate attorney who sat in my office and waited for the phone to ring into a realist who started to understand that marketing is an essential part of doing business, one thing became clearer and clearer. My best efforts involved finding motivated and talented realtors and mortgage originators with whom I could work on a regular basis.

This “resource triangle,” as I like to call it, makes perfect sense. All three professionals involved have one goal in mind, the successful closing of a residential real estate closing. All three have something else in common: If the transaction does not close, none of us gets paid. So if a Realtor in one of my triangles calls me up late on a Saturday afternoon and tells me she or he has a buyer who is leaving town this evening, can I come by and introduce myself, I need to appear even if it means my Saturday night plans are delayed, or even cancelled. The same availability is required from the mortgage professional. If we are going to be “resources” and part of the triangle, we need to be there, any time, any place.

Once the Triangle is established, it can work to everyone’s advantage. The reliability component is huge. When I tell my Realtor-partner, I can turn the purchase and sale around in no longer than 48 hours, and I deliver on my promise, he or she knows that the chances of the deal coming together are increasing at a rapid pace, and what may have looked like “bragging” was only describing a standard that he or she knew could be achieved. When the mortgage originator promises a full-blown mortgage commitment in fourteen (14) business days, and delivers, comfort and credibility abound. When I promise a client who owns a home, and is buying another, that my Realtor-partner can get their present residence sold in less than a month, and delivers, I look good, my Realtor-partner looks good, and the magic word “closing” is that much closer.

I have been fortunate in that I have developed several unique triangles in my practice, the difference in makeup and composition being a function of the clients I am working with and geographic compatibility. The networking groups I am involved with, such as BNI, are a natural source for triangles. So are long-standing relationships, some of which have reached a comfort level for all concerned that is positive.

Most of the people reading this post will need a realtor, a mortgage originator and a real estate attorney to complete the purchase of their new home. It has been my experience that you are “advantaged” if you have a triangle of players whom have worked together before, and can anticipate each other’s needs. You will gain confidence in the ultimate success of your purchase if you can work with real estate professionals who can work well to make the purchase of your “dream house” a reality.

(Mr. Topkins is an attorney with Topkins & Bevans, Braintree Executive Park, 150 Grossman Dr., Braintree, MA 02184. His blog can be found at http://realtorsresourceblog.com. His e-mail address is etopkins@topbev.com.)