Attention to Detail Sets Realtor Apart

Between the time a property is put up for sale and the final handshake is made, the effort a realtor puts into learning about the property and how they choose to share it with perspective buyers can make all the difference between a fast sale and property that stays on the market for an extended time.

Julie Mansfield Smith has developed a system over 30 years running Mossy Oak Properties Cupper Creek Land Company that gives buyers and sellers all the information they could ask for to make one of the biggest decisions of their lives. It is something she has perfected and helped make her an authority on land in Eastern Oregon and surrounding states.

The process

The work begins long before Smith puts a property on the market and shows it to prospective buyers. She isn’t St. Nick, but she has a list and checks it more than twice — attention to detail sets her apart. Smith wants all the information she can get:

• Contact the assessor: Gathering the legal descriptions for a property.

• Talk with the planning department: Determine the legal uses of and zoning for the property.

• Surveyor: Obtain the most up-to-date land records.

• Watermaster: Determine water rights and well logs.

• Forest service/BLM: Determine the grazing allotment and uses

• Gathering Soil Maps: Establish what the highest and best use of the land is.

• Smith also obtains a title report on a property that reflects “any skeletons in the closest that are or are not apparent.”

“What I do goes above and beyond a title report because not everything is included,” she said. “I want to be able to tell a buyer what is wrong with a property — if anything — up front. My research is focused with the county, the zoning records and the tax assessment. My whole process leads to a property disclosure, which states the condition of the property.”

Finally, she begins work on forms, including the listing agreement, property disclosures and agency relationships.

“Those are the three most critical documents for publicly marketing property mandated by the State of Oregon,” she said. “The forms are required to be filled out and available to members of the National Association of Realtors and are a sign of ethical responsibility for disclosure.”

It is a process that can take several weeks or more to complete. The work is time consuming, but the information provides a significant service to potential buyers and avoids any liabilities for the buyer or seller.

OK, but why do you need a realtor — an experienced one — to help you through this process?

“The rules are constantly changing,” Smith said. “Something you could have done 20 years ago won’t work today. My job is all about disclosures, disclosures, disclosures.”

More than one person

Smith relies on a small group of individuals to help showcase what she is selling. Hannah Hand, Smith’s granddaughter, works social media to get information out. Kim Kell is an advertising consultant at the Blue Mountain Eagle newspaper who gets the listings in print and online. Sue Stovall provides professional photography of each property and Cliff Smith gives 360-degree views operating a drone.

Smith also uses Land ID, an exclusive mapping tool, to discover parcel data and create interactive property maps that buyers can see all aspects of the property online or with a GPS.

“My biggest feature is the maps of course, and also between the photography and the drone because it provides the visual and it allows me to provide a full, complete picture of the property,” she said. “The only thing someone interested in the property has to do is drive out to it and put their boots on the ground.”

The experts

So how does each piece fill in the sale puzzle? Let the experts explain:

Stovall: “I have worked with Julie for about 10 years and I am able to take the photos, edit them and put them in files so she can share them with buyers. Each listing is different and I am able to show it with an eye for composition to illuminate what Julie wants to highlight with the property and what buyers can expect.”

Smith: “I get to places you can’t get to from the ground with a photograph. I can provide a view from 100-feet above a house, give a look down a valley or go in between tight places. It gives a dynamic look at a property. I can do more in a half hour than someone with a camera can accomplish in 10 hours, and then put it together in a 15-minute video for potential buyers to view.”

Cliff Smith provides a unique aspect because he is a licensed drone pilot with a drone certificate, allowing him to operate it and ensure compliance. There are heavy fines if drone videos are created and posted online without the operator being licensed to do it.

Hand: “I post on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram articles about her work and the properties she has for sale. Her accounts are public, and since she is new to these platforms, she gets views from a lot of people she may not have been reaching before.”

Kell: “I have worked with Julie for almost 16 years, and we start every year with a needs assessment for advertising and the outcome. I take that information and look for key ways to get her properties out there. Getting her a presence on the Blue Mountain Eagle website exposes her to a larger audience, and one that is beyond Grant County that may have potential buyers.”

Honored to do the job

Smith’s core four, along with David Hawley, vice president of new business and development for Mossy Oak Properties, are quite the well-oiled machine, providing the information Smith needs and aiding buyers looking to make the significant decision.

Smith draws interest worldwide, and that is where being the one of the few Oregon realtors connected with Mossy Oak Properties pays off.

“Mossy Oak gives opportunities for local experts like Julie to tap into that brand strength to open doors and create a bigger platform, not only for her, but exposure for her clients’ properties,” Hawley said. “We have 90 real estate brokerage franchises in 30 states which gives Julie 650-plus agents across the country at her disposal to help her find the right buyers. She can have global exposure through our digital campaigns on our website that draws more than 12,000 unique visitors each day.

“You are not going to find a broker in Julie’s service area with the amount of expertise, the level of service she provides and the global exposure she can tap into.”

It is a process Smith believes has helped her find success for 30 years in the business.

“This is a specialized area of expertise, and I am honored to be called a land broker,” she said. “I want to tell the property’s story because that is what sells it.”