“They can’t make me pack my baseball mitt or my I LOVE DINOSAURS sweatshirt or my cowboy boots. . . . . My dad is packing. My mom is packing. My brothers Nick and Anthony are packing. I’m not packing. I’m not going to move.”
An introduction to Real Estate using the icebreaker, Alexander, Who’s Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move, by Judith Viorst, is a wonderful way to present the abstract concept of the Real Estate service industry to children.
A fireman wears his/her uniform. A cop wears his/her uniform. A soldier wears his/her uniform.
Even medical personnel don the white coat with the embroidered letters, Dr. Seuss.
Real estate professionals and our related services are not as easily identifiable to young children.
Children through the sixth grade love listening to a well-written story. As the agent shares the last illustration, s/he asks the question, “Have any of you ever moved to a new house?” Give the children a chance to share.
(1) Read (2) Question and allow children to share (3) Shift into “drama” mode.
ACTORS: Ten children and YOU, the agent.
Pick SIX children from the audience to represent LAWYER, INSPECTOR, APPRAISER, MORTGAGE, TITLE and INSURANCE. Tell each child to wear his/her respective signs (see props) and to stand to say their line as you point to them. This exercise will put a real face to each of our affiliate companies as well as others involved in the transaction.
Pick four children, two to play the adults and two to play the children.
Arrange five chairs (two in the front and three in the back) to represent an SUV. The children sit in the back with the agent (lucky you!)
PROPS:
1) Five chairs
2) An open house sign
3) Lockbox and keypad
4) A contract
5) 8.5×11 CARDSTOCK COLOR SIGNS WITH A LONG STRING TO BE WORN AROUND THE ACTOR’S NECK
a) Three separate signs with each company’s logo with the words “MORTGAGE” “TITLE” and “INSURANCE”
b) One with the word “LAWYER,” (with a lawyer graphic)
c) One with the word “INSPECTOR,” (with an inspector graphic)
d) One with the word “APPRAISER” (with a banker graphic). (SIX SIGNS TOTAL.)
6) Plastic keys attached to an EWM key chain.
After the children are chosen and are seated in the SUV, and before you have joined them, take one of your open house signs and place it in front of a section of the room which represents the imaginery home. Get in the back seat and carry on a conversation with the little family as you would any potential buyers.
Point to the sign so the mini-driver will stop, and open the door using your keypad and lockbox. Let the keys fall out. Guide the little family through the home while you describe it. Watch how they engage and “go with you” often times describing something in the home that they see and you don’t! Tell the actors who are the “children” to pick out his/her new room and why s/he wants that room.
Ask the family if they would like to purchase the home. Hopefully, they will say yes. Explain that there may be other homes to look at, but for this short time we are together, we are going to tour only this one.
Get back in the SUV and head back to the office to write the contract. Tell the mini-adults that they may want a lawyer to look over the paperwork. Tell the LAWYER to come to the table. The lawyer reviews the contract. Feed him the line, “CONTRACT LOOKS GOOD. MR. AND MRS. BUYER, YOU MAY SIGN HERE.”
Have the children sign the contract and explain to them that there are more things to do before the home is really theirs —
1) AGENT: “Mr. and Mrs. Buyer, you will be speaking with EWM Mortgage about borrowing money to buy the home.”
MORTGAGE (stands and says): “I’LL LEND YOU THE MONEY! . . . . AS SOON AS THE APPRAISER SAYS ALL IS OK!”
2) AGENT: “You will hire an inspector who will look at the home to ensure its safety.”
(Direct the INSPECTOR to walk through the house and feed him his line.)
INSPECTOR: “LOOKS SAFE TO ME, GOOD ROOF, GOOD WALLS. HERE IS YOUR REPORT.”
3) AGENT: “EWM Mortgage will hire an appraiser who will look at the home to ensure its worth before letting you borrow the money for the home.”
APPRAISER (stands and says): “I’LL TELL THE BANK THAT ALL IS OK, THE HOUSE IS WORTH THE PRICE, AND YOU CAN BUY IT.”
4) AGENT: “EWM Title will complete all the paperwork to give you peace of mind about your ownership.”
TITLE (stands and says): “ALL CLEAR. NO PROBLEM. HERE ARE YOUR KEYS!”
5) AGENT: “EWM Insurance will insure your home in case there is a hurricane or a fire.”
INSURANCE (stands and says): “YOU ARE COVERED! YOU ARE COVERED! YOU ARE COVERED!”
Allow the little EWM Title rep to give the mini-family imaginery keys (or plastic ones with the EWM keychain). Direct all the EWM companies to yell, “CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW HOME………THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS!”
Ask the family for a referral!
This exercise may help a child who is about to move feel more comfortable about his parents’ decision. The parents may call you to list their home because their child cannot stop talking about you. You may peak the interest of a future EWM agent (what, me worry about job security, ha ha!)
Give the children something to “take away” — perhaps a goody bag with a copy of the “Alexander” book, a key chain, your business cards, a house brochure, and/or a Just Listed or a Just Sold card. Perhaps some of us creative types could assemble a coloring book with information about, “EWM, Moving and YOU,” or “MOVE Does Not, No Never Ever, Not Have to be a Four-Letter Word.” I look forward to your artwork and suggestions.
Address the child at eye-level. See real estate through his eyes; and for heaven’s sake, HAVE FUN!