NextHome CEO James Dwiggins—a third-generation real estate leader—has made it his mission to position his company’s strategies and training opportunities to guide, educate and protect his agents and consumers as well as the industry at large.
Rescoping the company to navigate the post-August 17 landscape, Dwiggins is pushing his agents to educate buyers and sellers alike about the products and services NextHome makes available to add value to the real estate experience and the relationship his partners on the frontlines are hoping to build with each and every client.
Building a network of 630 offices across the countryin under 15 years, with 6,000-plus agents closing 30,000 transactions last year, it’s mission-critical that NextHome’s agents remain on the forefront when it comes to articulating value and increasing the variety of ways they can do more for their clients.
Home warranties are among the products Dwiggins has had great regard for throughout the years—perhaps even more so today as the changes brought about by the NAR settlement take hold. Dwiggins points to his firm’s relationship with American Home Shield (AHS®) as a significant asset to both his agents and their clients.
“We push our partners through all of our materials, so we talk about home warranties during buyer consultations and listing presentations,” says Dwiggins, who notes that a home warranty is something agents should build into the products and services they provide.
“As an industry, working through a hot housing market during the pandemic when properties were being snatched up at lightning speed, we’ve gotten away from providing home warranties on every closed transaction. However, with the changes that have occurred with the decoupling of commissions post-August 17, we’re pushing hard to have our buyer agents provide them as part of their value proposition going forward to help articulate their value and justify their fees,” explains Dwiggins.
The tried-and-true practice of educating clients on the importance of protecting their investment with a home warranty is an important piece of the puzzle. Additionally, Frontdoor—an innovative app for home repair and maintenance released last year—and American Home Shield are the perfect complementary pair when demonstrating the value NextHome agents provide when giving new homeowners practical help and peace of mind.
When Frontdoor and AHS are included in buyer conversations, tangible value is brought to the table. The Frontdoor® app enhances the overall experience for homeowners by offering home repair and maintenance help on projects big and small. Whether video chatting with a Frontdoor agent for real-time DIY guidance or getting in-person help from a local pro, the Frontdoor® app is something any new property owner can use
and appreciate at the cost of $25 a year for unlimited video chats.
“I think Frontdoor is an amazing product, and I wish more people would start using it. I love the idea of purchasing and then giving the product as a closing gift to buyers so that when they get into their home and they’re trying to figure out how to do everything they want to do, they have a handyman in their pocket, available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time,” says Dwiggins.
“The fact is, our industry hasn’t been good at articulating value, and Frontdoor and American Home Shield give us an additional opportunity to do that. We want the buyer to see all the great services we make available,” he adds.
For more information, visit https://www.ahs.com/realestate.
