Liaison businesses offer personal, customized services

Source: Austin Business Journal - December 2, 2005

Austin's climbing real estate sales are on par with the boom that's sweeping much of the nation. But developers and Realtors aren't the only ones getting in on the action.

Liaison businesses that aid in managing a move, home improvement and loan underwriting are emerging. Acting as go-betweens, these companies coordinate efforts between clients and companies to provide a level of service that's personal and customized.

Founded in 2001, Tying Up Loose Ends finds moving companies for clients and juggles every detail of the relocation process.

"Realtors can partner with many different kinds of liaison businesses in Austin," says Tracy Pearson, president of Tying Up Loose Ends. "Contracting companies are especially good candidates to become all-in-one shops that serve Realtors' clients."

Pearson was general manager for an Austin moving company before launching Tying Up Loose Ends.
"I found out a lot of people need more than a couple of guys and a moving van," Pearson says. "They need someone to guide them through the moving process, to help them with their packing, to find storage, to find a house cleaner for the move-out inspection."

Tying Up Loose Ends started providing household planning and coordination services for post-move needs. Pearson and her three employees now visit homes to organize rooms or meet with inspectors.

Pearson says her company doubled its revenue last year and expects a repeat next year.

Geoff Hoekstra, president of Austin-based 45Fix, launched the business last year to connect homeowners with home-improvement contractors nationwide.

The company has added more customer-service staff members to handle the rush of homeowners trying to complete projects before winter.

"In addition to our background checks, 45Fix meets face-to-face with every contractor who wishes to join the 45Fix service provider network," Hoekstra says. "We also continually monitor service-partner performance during each project and record customer comments."

45Fix finds contractors through referrals as well as through networking with local and national trade associations. 45Fix supports the regional representative with lists of candidates generated by its research department.

Once customers have made service requests online, a 45Fix customer service representative calls to confirm.

"We not only find reliable contractors, we stay involved from start to finish to make sure the project goes smoothly," Hoekstra says.

"Each customer should feel confident that reliable contractors will show up on time and that he or she will receive clear, professional proposals that explain what will happen as the project work proceeds."

One of the latest entrants onto the real estate liaison business scene is Austin-based CU Business Solutions LLC. The company officially launched in September as a real estate loan-fulfillment service for the credit union industry.

CU Business Solutions is owned by seven Austin credit unions: University Federal Credit Union, Austin Telco Federal Credit Union, A+ Federal Credit Union, Velocity Credit Union, Texas Health Credit Union, IBM Texas Employees Federal Credit Union and Greater Texas Federal Credit Union.

"If you had a commercial real estate loan need, we would meet with you on behalf of the credit union for underwriting purposes," says Lewis Aven, president of CU Business Solutions.
"Assuming that the credit unions approve the loan, then we prepare the loan documents for the borrower to sign, close the loan and service the loan for the credit unions."

CU Business Solutions is tapping into a growing market of business customers.

According to Aven, credit unions that have historically served the retail side of the financial services industry -- personal, home and car loans -- are beginning to attract more business customers.

"Credit unions have not had the expertise to take care of commercial real estate loans and other business interests in the past," Aven said. "The seven credit unions figured if they banded together, they could leverage resource sharing, minimize the investment and still run a high-quality program."

CU Business Solutions becomes the business and real estate lending expert for the seven founding credit unions. CU has completed six loan transactions and is in the process of underwriting several more.

Source: Austin Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2005/12/05/focus6.html