John Cooper enjoys interaction with his clients
By Mark MacDonald
NANAIMO – While evaluating his real estate company, John Cooper heard over and over that his clients wanted to deal directly with him.
Thus he streamlined his John Cooper & Associates brokered by eXP Realty at the start of the year to reflect that, and he’s very pleased with the results.
John Cooper of John Cooper & Associates, brokered by eXP Realty
“I wanted to re-focus my brand on a more one-on-one experience that comes with working with an experienced advisor, so that my clients are getting raw, unedited real estate guidance from my mind,” he says. “That’s why we shifted away from a large team to my expertise, complemented by a really strong support team. So when they reach out for real estate advice, they’re dealing directly with me so what they see is what they get.
Cooper views the changing landscape of real estate advising as increasingly complex, particularly concerning regulatory oversight and increasing government red tape regarding the industry.
“In the last few years we’ve seen the banning of dual agency so agents couldn’t represent both sides of the trade,” he observes. “Then the rescission period was added to legislation that gives consumers the option to back out of a trade, even though the trade is unconditional.”
“We saw modification to the standard contract that can’t be assigned without express permission,” he adds. “In the 16 years I’ve been business, I’ve seen the real estate contract go from 4 pages in 2008 to 9 pages now. It’s added layers upon layers of complexities to the trade.”
Which means having a seasoned, savvy veteran is even more important for clients.
“Whether someone has been in the business for 12 months or 12 years, the fees are typically the same or very similar, so it’s up to the consumer to do their due diligence on who they want to represent them,” he notes. “I’d want to work with someone who has been working for a long time. The biggest value that clients receive when hiring an advisor is their creative problem solving and ability to see a problem coming up before it actually becomes a problem.”
Cooper spends copious hours marketing his services and sharing real estate educational points on social media.
“Because we have a very hands-on approach, we publish a lot of educational and social media content that is directed around our specific core values so we can attract clients that align with the services we provide,” he explains. “We want to identify our ideal clients, as opposed to looking to attempt to please everybody.”
John Cooper & Associates has a filter process that leads clients through their three key values:
“Number one is accountability, which distills down to ‘do what you say you’re going to do’, and being accountable to consistent outcomes,” he states. Second is growth, as we are always striving to be the best at what we do and be the best version of ourselves to incrementally improve the value we provide. And love & kindness: Treating people the way you want to be treated, with love and kindness.”
Cooper is committed to his physical health, and is a former Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitor.
“I actively train recreationally in boxing and I am one of only four licensed MMA referees in the province,” he states, adding he referees UFC matches when they come to Vancouver.
“I’ve worked as a judge or referee for every UFC event that has come to Vancouver,” he says. “That’s one of my passions. When I’m not doing real estate, I keep it pretty physical with my growth core value, which is to show up as the best core version of ourselves. That’s really important with myself and everyone on my team.”