RAWSON TELLS HIS FRANCHISEES AND AGENTS THAT, WHEN MARKETING HOMES, THEY SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT THEY CAN DO TO IMPROVE THE BUYERS LIFESTYLE AND STATE OF MIND
Talking recently to a group of Rawson Properties franchisees, Bill Rawson, Chairman of Rawson Properties said that estate agents should be trained to '˜sell the psychological and social benefits of homeownership to a far greater degree than is currently done.
'Until now,' said Rawson, 'agents have often tended to emphasise the economic benefits of home owning - the fact that this is one of the few ways in which the salaried family man can get gearing for a large investment/nest egg.
'This is a valid concept and should always be borne in mind - but the recent economic downturn has shown clearly that huge peace of mind can be - and is - given to homeowners in volatile times like the present when the future is not at all clear. Homes are increasingly seen as a haven, a retreat to which the hard-pressed wage earner can retire at the end of his day. As a HSRC survey has already shown, homes tend to confer stability on families - the split-up rate among renting families or couples is significantly higher than among homeowners and the school results of children living in their own homes also tend to be better than those from rented properties'
Rawson himself has just completed an upgrade to his home.
'There are,' he said, 'two very satisfying aspects to this: the first is that we have added considerably to the value of the home. The second is that the enlarged and improved facilities attract the offspring back' (Most of Rawsons children are out in the world and earning their own living.) 'This, to me, is by far the greatest benefit of the upgrade. It has shown me once again that one cannot overvalue the psychological benefits of being a homeowner'
