Redefining the real estate experience

The Home Investment Advisor™ designation and powerful online platform offers benefits to homeowners and real estate professionals

Home Investment Advisors Ltd. is redefining the relationship between homeowners and real estate industry professionals by connecting the two in a way that benefits both parties.

Founded by Guy Mitchell, the HIA® designation and online platform, for both homeowners and agents, allows real estate agents to differentiate themselves by offering homeowners value-added services and advice through the entire home ownership lifecycle.

For homeowners, Mitchell said the supplementary services of an HIA® are free, and the benefits long overdue.

He said for most people, their home will?be one of the largest investments they ever make. While it's commonplace to engage with a financial planner to keep track of their investment portfolios, "their house might be worth $400,000 or $500,000, but nobody's talking to them on an ongoing basis about what its value is. In my opinion, that's wrong because people are planning on their houses for their retirement, or refinancing to put their kids through school."

Mitchell said real estate professionals have a wealth of knowledge on various aspects of home ownership, but most consumers only start looking for and talking with an agent after they have decided they want to sell their home.

"You should absolutely know your agent and ensure that they have your best interests at heart and understand who you are, well before that point in time," he said.

Mitchell said homeowners can use the services of an HIA® and the online platform, and benefit from their expertise, regardless of their short or long term plans to buy or sell. He points out a recently retired couple that told their HIA® of plans for a $120,000 renovation to their current home, even though they were thinking of moving in about two years.

"They were under the misconception that?in two years' time, they could simply tack that $120,000 on to the price of their home and get their money back." he said.

When informed that the renovations were likely to raise the value only about $20,000, the home owners happily put those initial plans aside.

"It wasn't that we made the decision for them," said Mitchell. "We helped get them all the facts to make an informed decision."

The beauty of HIA® is it also benefits real estate professionals who gain the HIA® designation by giving them a new way to grow their business while saving time and money.

Mitchell said the traditional transaction-based system that focuses on the point of sale means spending time chasing down leads and making cold calls, and money for advertising and email and social media marketing plans.

"Agents spend a lot of time looking for clients, and I think with our system, they can refocus and spend more time looking after their existing and future clients," he said.

Mitchell added the HIA® business system allows the agent the opportunity to build rela- tionships with homeowners, prove their value, and gain trust – ideally making that agent the obvious choice when the homeowner does decide to sell their home or purchase a new one. "If they need an agent at the end of that process, why wouldn't they use you again and again? he said.

The response to HIA® has already been overwhelmingly positive. Mitchell said homeown- ers are recognizing the value of an HIA® and recommending them to family and friends, while 89 per cent of agents taking the introduction session then begin working on their designation.

For more information, visit HIA.ca.

This paid feature was produced by CREB®Now in collaboration with Home Investment Advisors Ltd.

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