You only need to know the slightest bit about Robert Moul to know that, as a Realtor, he does things slightly differently. For one, there are very few Realtors who have both the willingness and the ability to rock a beard like his. Sure, it might be an unorthodox look for a Realtor, but it’s a look that represents the integrity of the man behind it.
He’s a Realtor who gets hung up on the things that matter. Does the beard make him look like your usual Realtor? No, and that’s the point. You notice him, whether it’s on a billboard or his stand at the airport, and if you’re looking to buy, you remember him. And that is what really matters: Delivering for clients.
In the years since creating his own brokerage, Moul has pursued that singular goal with gusto. But more important than gusto, he’s pursued that goal with a unique perspective on the intelligence behind real estate, honed from his college studies of intel gathering in preparation for a career in government.
The government missed out on his talents, but they have proven a perfect fit for the real estate world, where his brokerage has focused on creating solutions, both old school and new, that deliver. He can look at historical data for a neighborhood and extrapolate the best strategy for his clients, landing them average selling prices as high as 98.67% of the original asking price. He and his team have created an online portal to give agents in his brokerage a full 360-degree view of their transactions and clients up-to-the-minute updates on milestones toward the sale.
In the midst of all this high-tech advancement, it’s interesting that one of the things most exciting to Robert Moul is also one of the most old-school tools in the real estate shed – the open house.
“There are certain agents that tell people open houses don’t work, so they don’t have to do the work of setting one up,” he said. “We’re one of the brokerages out there that do them.”
For Moul, it’s an extra step that is well worth the effort. He understands that an open house isn’t necessarily the place where a sale would be made. But to simply not do one is to ignore all the ancillary benefits that come from every person who walks in the door.
“I’ve been in this business 11 years, selling $250 million in real estate, and I’ve only sold three houses at an open house,” Moul said. “But it’s important, because if someone favorites the property online with one of the major real estate websites or our local MLS, they receive an email that there’s an upcoming open house and it keeps that listing at the top of mind. Because it’s a great way to meet potential buyers. Because it gets the listing back in front of real estate agents with our weekly property newsletter.”
“If you don’t do an open house, you’re simply not getting all these bonuses,” he said. As such, his team has become famous for the orange balloons that mark each open house. And they’ve also discovered that each open house seems to draw out the same “usual suspects.”
“We do a lot of these open houses, and we put a lot of time into them,” Moul said. “Some people will come in just to say ‘hi.’”
And some will come in for more. The “Muncher” for example, is that open house visitor who comes in just to see what snacks are available. “They usually know us. They come in, chitchat, grab a bite, and leave.”
The “Sleuth” is that sneaky type who slips in unnoticed, doesn’t sign in, then waits for a distraction to make a silent exit, leaving behind no evidence they were there – like a ninja.
The “Dreamer” is there just living out live-action HGTV fantasies. “Usually they come in knowing it’s way over their budget,” Moul said. “They’re just there to dream, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Of course, any open house since the dawn of time has drawn nosy neighbors, and Moul still finds them coming out on Sundays to see how the rest of the neighborhood lives. “We love to meet the neighbors,” he said.
And then there are the nit pickers, the ones who come in with gripes ready to go. “They’re usually pretty mean,” he said with a laugh.
The Moul, REALTORS® Team (from left to right): Jordan Knight, Taylor Cox, Yuri Kennedy, Robert Moul, Claudia Chapman, Jen Thomas, Melissa Epstein and Regi Johnson. (Not pictured: Matt Wyrick)
But not everyone comes to kick tires, grab cookies, and level criticism. The “Tease” will fall in love with the house, start getting in touch with their agent, then disappear completely. The “Value Vulture” is just waiting for the price to come down.
But every once in a while, you get what Moul calls the “Golden Unicorn.”
“That’s the buyer who comes in and really asks the serious questions that really matter,” Moul said.
They’re all welcome at a Moul, REALTORS® open house, even if it’s just to stop by and say hello. “Some traditional brokerages will say that open houses don’t work, that the odds are slim and there are too many what ifs,” Moul said. “But the potential is always there. And with the new rules in real estate in regards to compensation, we’re finding more buyers attending open houses simply because they don’t have to sign a buyers agency agreement.”
It’s a smart decision, one that shows Robert Moul as a Realtor who doesn’t see old school or new school. He simply sees pathways between the client and getting their home sold, and pursues the best one with intelligence, hard work, and famous facial hair you simply can’t ignore.