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Rainmaker
5,112,471
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

I used to consider them "hokey," but realized that people actually read them and make decisions based on them. So now I use them a lot in many different ways. People are always commenting to me that they were impressed by my testimonials.

Nov 18, 2015 07:54 PM
Rainmaker
2,538,633
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

Good morning Val. It is more vital all the time, everyone uses the internet to check things out. If you don't have a strong online presence with lots of testimonials, that could be a problem.

Nov 18, 2015 05:09 PM
Rainmaker
5,772,581
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Val,

They are very important.  I take time to give compliments or testimonials when someone has done a great job.  It makes me feel good to acknowledge them as it does them.  I like testimonials, I think it completes the cycle of time spent and the acknowledgment that all went well.  Today, we had fabulous service at a new restaurant.  Of course, we tell the manager.  We are strong believers in creating good will.  A

Nov 18, 2015 12:11 PM
Rainmaker
1,712,776
Joe Pryor
The Virtual Real Estate Team - Oklahoma City, OK
REALTOR® - Oklahoma Investment Properties

Huge, and it is important that you never brag about yourself, let others do it. It has more impact.

Nov 18, 2015 11:29 AM
Rainmaker
2,443,250
Evelyn Johnston
Friends & Neighbors Real Estate - Elkhart, IN
The People You Know, Like and Trust!

Very!

Nov 18, 2015 10:43 AM
Rainmaker
1,683,912
Larry Johnston
Broker, Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLC - Elkhart, IN
Broker,Friends & Neighbors Real Estate, Elkhart,IN

A client testimonial is like finding money.  If you can get them to put it on Facebook, it's like finding Gold!

Nov 18, 2015 10:29 AM
Rainmaker
2,375,694
Lise Howe
Keller Williams Capital Properties - Washington, DC
Assoc. Broker in DC, MD, VA and attorney in DC

very! I use yelp!

Nov 18, 2015 10:28 AM
Rainmaker
3,988,013
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

Important but it is not devastating if I don't get them. Some clients promise to do and never do and I know they are happy. I tried asking right on the spot and have been told they want to think how to word it. Then they forget. I remind and they still forget. Oh well.

Nov 18, 2015 09:21 AM
Rainmaker
5,877,335
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

I have several on my web site, and have had new clients state they read them. 

Nov 18, 2015 08:46 AM
Rainmaker
4,272,934
Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS
Fathom Realty Washington LLC - Tacoma, WA
South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker!

It is essential for me! 

Nov 18, 2015 08:07 AM
Rainmaker
1,056,272
Candice A. Donofrio
Next Wave RE Investments LLC Bullhead City AZ Commercial RE Broker - Fort Mohave, AZ
928-201-4BHC (4242) call/text

Millennials love--require--them, and young new entrepreneurs are my target demographic. I have been hired 2x in the past few months because of compliments on my websites from former/current clients. Having said that, I do not have a Yelp presence and I have reviews disabled on my FB page. I don't think that consumers at large should have that much power. If someone wants references, or even to call any of my clients to vet me, they can do that. (They probably already did when the client referred me.)

Nov 18, 2015 07:52 AM
Rainmaker
7,863,184
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

I have never requested or used client testimonials.

Nov 18, 2015 10:11 PM
Rainer
74,457
Michael Scruggs
UTR Texas-Realtors - Houston, TX
ABR, CNE, TAHS

They are very important.  I also review the testimonials to help me self-reflect to see if I am doing the job for my clients that I want to do for them.

Nov 18, 2015 04:57 PM
Ambassador
3,167,614
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

personal recommendations are my favorite way to hire someone.  So very.

Nov 18, 2015 12:54 PM
Ambassador
3,741,885
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Very important if they are giving my name to one of their friends or family members.

Nov 18, 2015 12:37 PM
Rainmaker
530,966
Gary Coles (International Referrals)
Venture Realty International - Las Vegas, NV
Latin America Real Estate

Important -- but not critical

Nov 18, 2015 11:21 AM
Rainmaker
2,817,727
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Very.  We've been getting many customers because of these - Angie's list, yelp, google, houzz, FB.   We need to get more.

Nov 18, 2015 11:00 AM
Ambassador
1,078,091
John Meussner
Mortgages in AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IN, MD, MN, MT, NC, NJ, NV, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI - Fair Oaks, CA
#MortgageMadeEasy Fair Oaks, CA 484-680-4852

Not very but I plan on changing that by getting new ones in the right places

Nov 18, 2015 10:17 AM
Rainmaker
129,698
sandy straley
Rindlesbach Homes - Salt Lake City, UT
Selling Homes for over 40 Years

Very important. . . 

Nov 18, 2015 07:50 AM
Rainmaker
5,239,012
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Guilty of not using them more often. They definitely help get people off the fence. 

Nov 18, 2015 08:11 PM
Rainmaker
2,759,812
TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.
Complete Home Inspections, Inc. - Brentwood, TN
Home Inspectons - Nashville, TN area - 615.661.029

 Good Thursday morning Val. I really need to work a lot more on testimonials in order to gain little more market share.

Nov 18, 2015 05:56 PM
Rainmaker
979,596
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Val - Interesting question. I love personal references, and know they work well, but testimonials, not sure.

I have never had a client say, yeah, we chose you to be our agent because we saw a testimonial someone had given about you. By the time they find a testimonial about you, they are already on your site, your Facebook page, your Yelp page, your Zillow page, etc. anyway.

Nov 18, 2015 02:56 PM
Rainmaker
1,241,754
Sam Shueh
(408) 425-1601 - San Jose, CA
mba, cdpe, reopro, pe

I doubt these testmonials people actually look up before hiring me. They are additional info.  

Nov 18, 2015 11:03 AM
Rainmaker
921,504
Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041
ReMax Realtec Group - Palm Harbor, FL
Making FLORIDA Real Estate EZ

Many agents business is primarily based on personal referals. Testimonals is not what secures the business.

However, if you are trolling the vast reaches of the internet, folks will be clicking away to check you out.

Nov 18, 2015 09:11 AM
Rainmaker
1,157,791
FN LN
Toronto, ON

They add value to obtain business in some situations.

Nov 18, 2015 07:20 AM
Rainmaker
2,224,473
Debbie Laity
Cedaredge Land Company - Cedaredge, CO
Your Real Estate Resource for Delta County, CO

I do like having them. It's like buying a product on the internet sight unseen. You want to read the reviews and see what other people think. 

Nov 18, 2015 07:10 AM
Rainmaker
4,900,966
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker

Very important.  Especially if you can get it on line.

Nov 18, 2015 11:10 PM
Rainmaker
3,071,489
Tony and Suzanne Marriott, Associate Brokers
Serving the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale Metropolitan Area - Scottsdale, AZ
Haven Express @ Keller Williams Arizona Realty

We think they are very important, which is why we have past clients on Video testimonials...

Nov 18, 2015 10:58 PM
Rainmaker
1,466,257
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Val Evans I think they are important because they show prospective clients other people have used and put trust in your service.

Nov 18, 2015 10:53 PM
Ambassador
6,417,434
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

I think that most realize that these can be planted, and often are.

Feb 11, 2019 10:00 PM
Rainmaker
4,319,773
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Burlington, MA
Metro Boston Homes For Sale

Val Evans they are. In fact, I am in the process of getting video testimonials from them. Had my first one recently.

Nov 20, 2015 02:47 PM
Rainer
67,369
Evelyn M Epperson
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Johns Creek, GA
A Tradition Of [Excellence, Trust & Service]

Extremely!  I feel Testimonials help me get more business.

Nov 19, 2015 07:05 AM
Rainmaker
1,506,013
Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA
https://HugginsHomes.com - Thousand Oaks, CA
Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties

I know some people that utilize testimonial sites for their research.  Problem is there are so many places and you can't put a testimonial everywhere or ask your client to write one and paste it 5-10 places.  Then the question becomes, where to post it?  Zillow was king, now it's losing the market.  Is Realtor next?  How about Google or Yelp?  Or Facebook, linkedin...?

Nov 19, 2015 07:02 AM
Rainmaker
1,291,481
Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi
NMLS #216987, IL Lic. 031.0006220, WI Licensed. APMC NMLS #175656 - New Lenox, IL
708.921.6331 - 40+ yrs experience

Very important .. and increasingly so when they are available online for viewing ... and on social media sites such as Yelp, etc.   These sites are becoming the "go to" sites for info and reviews for younger generations ..

Nov 19, 2015 02:25 AM
Rainmaker
1,728,156
Sandy Padula & Norm Padula, JD, GRI
HomeSmart Realty West & Florida Realty Investments - , CA
Presence, Persistence & Perseverance

Not as important as a client who is willing to speak directly with future clients to discuss the great job you did.

Nov 19, 2015 12:32 AM
Rainmaker
5,583,328
Barbara Todaro
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA
Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

they were never important to me!!!  my daughter asks for one to be written after every closing and she posts them everywhere....it's a good practice unless you have new construction and no time for resales....

Nov 18, 2015 11:54 PM