customer service

Don’t Make These Mistakes with Expired Listing Leads, Part II

Dec 14, 2022

On a popular website devoted to helping small businesses, an agent and “Real Estate Sales and Marketing Analyst” offers up an article that includes several examples of expired listing letters “that work.”

Letter number two is my least favorite. It begins, “Dear Homeowner.”

If I received that letter, I would think that if the agent couldn’t even take the time to personalize his marketing letter, how much better will he do when marketing my home?

But the best one of the bunch is when the agent explains that he offers “clients a different, unique approach to getting their home sold despite the market conditions.”

And, what does he offer clients that’s so “unique” and so “different?” Here it is, in a nutshell:

“The effective use of the internet to maximize exposure for your home”
a CMA
an MLS listing
a virtual tour
and a bunch of other stuff that every single listing agent on the planet offers.

Then, there’s the advice on a Trulia thread from an agent who suggests agents should always visit the expired listing homeowner in person.

The Just Sold Follow-Up Campaign is shown above. To see more, Click HERE.

He describes the conversation you should have right up to what he calls his “big closing question,” the “money maker.”

He tells the homeowner that he never had a chance to visit the home while it was listed. “ … would it be okay if I had a quick peek at it right now?”

As a homeowner, my question when he asked to look at my home would be: If you’re the neighborhood expert and a mega-agent, why didn’t you look at the home during the 90 days it was listed?

Should you visit the homeowner? Sure, if you want to truly cement the idea that real estate agents are a bit aggressive.

Thankfully, you’re different

The one indisputable fact about expired listings, you will have a ton of competition when pursuing them. But, your competition will often approach the homeowner using ineffective advice offered by real estate gurus.

This should make it much easier to create a positive impression for the agent who can manage to come off as human, as empathic, and professional.

Those three qualities alone will set you apart from the agents you’ll be in competition against. So, personalize all communications with the homeowner, don’t be salesy, and come up with your unique value proposition – that “stuff” you offer or do that makes you better than most.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks these boxes but is also a business-building machine. In two easy steps, you can build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

The Number One Home Seller Expectation Continues to Remain the Same

Dec 1, 2022

Anyone who has been a listing agent for more than a minute understands that the number one priority for your clients (as well as yourself) is to get their homes sold for the most money possible in the least amount of time.

But what do they expect their agent to do to accomplish this? Many first-time sellers may have no idea, while repeat homeowners most likely have a range of experiences on which to base their expectations this time around.

For the answers, we turn to the National Association of Realtors, which asks homeowners what they want from their listing agents each year.

The number one home seller expectation for the last decade is to help the seller meet their timeframe for selling.

The second and third top “wants” are to help achieve a competitive price for the home and help market the home.

Seller timeframes

Listing agents understand that the time it takes to sell a home varies according to certain factors and that the home’s price is chief among them.

Other factors include:

The type of market. For instance, currently, the typical home spent 51 days on market. According to Realtor.com, this is 6 days more than last year at this time.
Condition. with inventory remaining low, the current buyer pool still shows interest in even substandard homes. In a balanced market, however, there may be a different story.
Location. Another factor that buyers are still ready to compromise on right now is location. It won’t always be this way, as you well know.

Once you understand your client’s timeline, communication is key. Be honest about how realistic the timeline is, according to the market, the home’s condition, and the location.

The Get More Listings Campaign is shown above. To see more, Click Here.

Pricing your client’s home

The one nugget of information that all homeowners wait for during a listing presentation is your suggested list price.

Many don’t know how you arrived at this figure, and some don’t care. Agents we’ve spoken with suggest that listing agents ask their clients what they’re hoping to get for the home before compiling the CMA.

This way, you’ll have time to lay out a plan to explain why your clients’ estimation is so far off the mark (if that is the case) rather than be blindsided by finding out during the presentation.

Marketing

That marketing is in third place regarding seller expectations should be no surprise. In the present market, not as many homes require an in-depth marketing campaign.

If your clients’ home only requires a basic marketing campaign, let them know that and the reason why. Even if you think it’s common sense that everyone knows, communicate what you’re thinking and planning.

Communication, in fact, is key in meeting all three of these home seller expectations. That, and following through on your promises, is one of the best ways to build referrals.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes but is also a business-building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

How to Ease Buyer Frustration Over the Current High Mortgage Rates

Nov 16, 2022

“America’s housing dream is broken,” claims a CNN.com headline. The New York Times wants us to know that “The Housing Market Is Worse Than You Think.” Finally, CNBC.com resorts to the scary stuff with an article about “… how much equity U.S. homeowners have lost since May.”

Is it any wonder that homebuyers, already fatigued by competing with multiple buyers, watching home prices skyrocket (seemingly overnight) and, now, escalating mortgage rates, are beyond frustrated?

Is it impossible, as many think, to buy a home? While it may be challenging, you and I both know it’s not impossible. At least not for many Americans. They just need a lot of educating, counseling, and, maybe, a whole lot of hand-holding.

Are they aware of the ins and outs of mortgages?

Direct Response Reports. **See more Here.**

Naturally, you’re hesitant to get too deep into the mortgage weeds when advising clients. After all, you’re most likely not a financial expert and, therefore, shouldn’t be counseling clients about financial subjects.

You can, however, suggest that they get to know and understand the following concepts and strategies and talk them over with a lender:

Discount points – Discount points, also known as points, lower a borrower’s “… interest rate in exchange for paying an upfront fee,” according to the experts at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. Pass the link on to your clients for an excellent description of buying points and the pros and cons of doing so.
Adjustable-rate mortgage – The loan of choice for the past few months, adjustable-rate loan applications have “… more than quadrupled since the start of the year,” according to Melissa Dittmann Tracey at nar.realtor. This may be the ideal solution for a buyer who plans on staying in the home for a reasonable length of time. Get the house with an ARM and then refinance into a fixed mortgage when rates drop. This strategy is not without risks, however.
Help them strategize coming up with a heftier down payment – Yes, this is a tough one for an agent to suggest. It may mean putting a hot buyer on hold for a time. April, however, is right around the corner, and if your client is expecting an income tax return, depending on the amount, it could go a long way toward helping to lessen the impact of a higher-than-expected mortgage rate.

Keep an eye on the news

If ever there was a time for Congress to act quickly, it would be now. Several bills remain in the works from last year that can greatly ease the pressure on hard-hit, moderate-income homebuyers.

Direct Response Report, **See more Here.**

Keep an eye on Congress because if any of these passes, it could be a boon for your clients.

The First-Time Homebuyer Act of 2021. Introduced in late April 2021, this act revises the IRS code to provide first-time buyers up to $15,000 in tax credits. At the time of this writing, the act sits with the House Ways and Means Committee.
Downpayment Toward Equity Act of 2021. This program will be administered by HUD to “… states and other entities to provide qualifying assistance to certain first-time, first-generation home buyers in purchasing their first homes,” according to the bill’s text.
LIFT Homebuyers Act of 2021. Introduced in September 2021, The LIFT Act will provide 20-year fixed-rate mortgages for “… first-time, first-generation homebuyers whose incomes do not exceed a certain amount,” according to the bill’s text. These loans will be offered by Rural Housing Services or the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

The First Step to Winning More Expired Real Estate Listings

Nov 14, 2022

Have you ever watched those YouTube videos of agents making cold calls, FSBO calls, and expired listing calls?

Most of them use the same script or at least parts of the same script.

“I’m just calling to see when you’re going to be interviewing agents for the job of selling your home.”

You could build a drinking game around that one line, shared by almost all the video agents I watched.

Does this script, in the hands of thousands of agents, in any way raise the bar? Or does it perpetuate the myth that “all real estate agents are alike?”

Dump the scripts and dialogs and come up with a way to make this conversation authentically yours.

How to approach your expired listing homeowner

First, don’t assume, as so many do, that the homeowner with an expired listing is “angry” or “frustrated.” You don’t know why the listing expired. You don’t have any idea how this person is feeling.

Maybe he or she is elated that the home didn’t sell. Maybe the agent is her Aunt Maggie, and she could never be angry with her. Maybe they’re chalking the failure of the home sale up to the market and feel it’s nobody’s fault.

Go in with guns blazing, telling the homeowner that you know exactly how they feel and that “there are only three reasons a home fails to sell” is for other agents. You’re smarter than that. You are better than that.

The goal of this first conversation is to set an appointment to meet with the homeowner to find out exactly what happened. Only when you know can you provide a solution. Guesses don’t count.

And, yes, you should empathize. But empathize with what you actually know is happening:

The Expired Listing Postcard Campaign is shown above. To see more, Click **HERE**.

This homeowner is being hounded by real estate agents trying to get a listing.

And, yes, you want the listing too, but you aren’t about to add to the cacophony and annoyances of being called all day, every day, by people spouting the same “scripts,” offering the same solutions without knowing what the problem is.

Bullet points to cover over the phone

In your own words, start by saying you understand that they’re being beaten up by real estate agents who all say the same thing, give the same promises and assume to know how they’re feeling.

Apologize on behalf of your colleagues and explain that some will go to any lengths to make a buck.

Then, admit that you’d like the listing, too, if and when they decide to sell. But you can’t begin to offer a solution until you understand what happened with the previous listing.

If you have a particularly awesome testimonial that speaks to your ability to sell expired listings, include it in your conversation.

If you don’t have a testimonial, resist the urge to lay down your resume or any stats you think are particularly impressive.

You want an appointment, and the way to get one is by being human and by being empathic.

Check back next month when we’ll take a look at how not to approach the expired listing and whether or not to visit, in person, the homeowner with an expired listing.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

Want to Grow Your Real Estate Business? Gain Some Positive Word of Mouth

Oct 24, 2022

If you’re like a lot of Americans, you avoid listening, reading, or watching the news as much as you once did.

Hey, we don’t blame you. News stories seem to be more focused on shocking behavior than ever before.

Yes, Americans are misbehaving more than ever, and this makes for stress and tension among everyone.

This includes the real estate world as well.

It’s evidenced by agents who don’t pay attention when clients are speaking to them, who drop the ball when it comes to returning calls, and that small minority who lack morals and ethics.

We know that you aren’t in that group, but for those who think small gaps in stellar customer service don’t matter, let’s look at how playing nice with others can change your reputation and allow you to gain some positive word of mouth.

1. Be considerate of the other agent’s client

Yes, your fiduciary duties are to your buyer or seller. But you also have a duty to extend consideration to the other agent’s client.

Take the multiple offer situation, for instance. Although there isn’t as much of that happening now, it was common over the past few years. Tons of buyers’ agents were gnashing their teeth over the lack of basic courtesy extended to their clients when their offer wasn’t accepted.

The Get More Listings II Series is shown above. To see more, Click HERE.

It takes 20 seconds to dash off a text or email to the buyer’s agent, letting her know that her client’s offer wasn’t accepted. “It’s a decided lack of professionalism,” one agent said about listing agents who fail to extend this basic courtesy.

“Think of the anxious buyer,” she added.

Send this text or email or make a phone call before you update the property’s status in the MLS. It’s not fair or courteous to other agents to have to learn the bad news from anything or anyone other than the listing agent.

Then, the buyer’s agent makes an appointment to show a home and ghosts the seller.

Many homeowners run around like crazy, tidying up their homes in anticipation of a showing. When you don’t show up or don’t call to reschedule or cancel the appointment, you become one of ‘those’ agents, the bad apples who make the rest look bad.

2. Use your words

One issue we heard about from several agents is that there is almost a complete lack of feedback on showings.

Remember, the average agent is a woman in her fifties; she’s been in the biz for way more than a minute. She recalls the days when soliciting feedback from showing agents was so commonplace that listing agents wouldn’t think of not doing it and then passing it on to their clients.

After all, isn’t communicating with the seller part of the listing agent’s job? Letting your client know how buyers feel about their home is critical.

If buyers’ agents don’t offer feedback, which is courteous, it’s the listing agent’s job to solicit it.

“Politeness … can be used to signal respect and consideration for others,” according to Matteo Bonotti & Steven T. Zech. (Understanding Civility).

Politeness and communication. It’s what you need to win the exacta in the race to set yourself apart from other agents in town and truly have a chance at growing your business through word of mouth.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

Send Marketing From Inside Your CRM with the ProspectsPLUS! Manager

Oct 17, 2022

With our FREE Contact Manager, you can tag entire mailing lists or just one contact within a list, building one highly targeted list from many.

Now achieve better results from your marketing and ensure you are hitting the ideal target within your various lists with the right message at the right time!

This new tool is available to use right now on Prospectsplus.com, for free, just for being a ProspectsPLUS! member.

To check out the Contact Manager tutorial, CLICK HERE.

The Following are Five Ways You Can Start Using the New Contact Manager Today!

1.Compile Contacts From Your Just Listed Just Sold Lists

Move all your Just Listed Just Sold mailing lists to the Contact Manager. As you move them, “tag” the lists with the name of the neighborhood they are from.

Now you can send follow-up postcards or schedule a campaign to go out to specific contacts from various “tagged” neighborhoods. The Just Sold Follow-Up campaign or a postcard from this series is a great choice.

2. Create Monthly Customer Birthday Lists

Upload your SOI list or move your current one into the Contact Manager. Add birthdays to each contact’s personal information in the space provided.

Now mid-way through each month, you can select and send a birthday card to all of your contacts with a “Tagged” birthday for the upcoming month. You can even schedule these Birthday postcards to go out for the whole year in one sitting.

3. Create Monthly Home Anniversary Lists

Upload your SOI list or move a current one into the Contact Manager. Add the home anniversary date to the applicable contact’s personal information in the space provided.

Now mid-way through each month, you can select and send home anniversary postcards to go out to all of your “Tagged” contacts with a home anniversary in the upcoming month. You can even schedule these cards to go out each month for the whole year in one sitting.

4. Tag Your Past Clients for Special Mailings

When your current client becomes your past client, be sure to “tag” them with a “past client” tag. Now they are ready for you to be able to quickly pull together a targeted list to send out special Customer Appreciation postcards, thank you’s, and referral reminders.

5. Tag Your Buyers Across Lists For Special Mailings

Any time you create a list of buyers, be sure to tag them with the “buyers” tag. Now you can send a targeted mailing to all of your buyers across several lists.

To get started with the Contact Manager tool now, CLICK HERE.

Or check out our basic Contact Manager Tutorial, CLICK HERE.

A couple More Notes About the New Contact Manager:

This is not a free trial. Our Contact Manager will be free to our ProspectsPLUS! members indefinitely.
If you have a CRM you currently use, by all means, continue. However, if you are purchasing a mailing list from us at any time in the future, it’s worth your time to take a moment and tag that list in the event you may want to take advantage of that tag in the future.
We don’t share or sell your data. Please visit our privacy policy in the footer of the website and if you aren’t comfortable initially take a look at our reviews and maybe just start with lists that you are purchasing from us as we already have that data and are providing it to you.
We certainly hope you choose to stay with us, but you can always download any or all of your lists out of the website at any time you choose to, and we even allow you to download a string of data that shows you the tags you associated with your contacts so that it will make it easier for you to take it to your next list management CRM platform.

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you in your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPukXEEmt5v4mU3iZ_hqYZ-W2g_Z6Ufgu

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

How to Build a Strong Vendor Referral List While Avoiding Legal Landmines

Oct 3, 2022

Call it something fancy, such as a “Concierge Service,” or for what it is, a vendor referral service, but if you plan on offering this service to your real estate clients, learn how to avoid legal and other problems.

First, however, head on over to part one in this series. You’ll find it here.

RESPA refresher course

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, or RESPA for short, contains several land mines for agents that you’ll want to avoid at all costs.

One goal of the Act was to crack down on kickbacks and other “abusive practices” which were common in the industry.

While the heaviest regulations fall on those in the mortgage and title industries, real estate agents can run afoul of the rules.

It’s a wise agent who will make the following a steadfast practice.

I will not request, require or accept “a payment for the referral of business” from anyone for making a referral.

The word “payment is used synonymously with the giving or receiving of a ‘thing of value,’” according to the experts at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

The Content Card Series is shown above. To see more, Click HERE.

It’s a fine line you’re walking

Consider not publishing the list until you have at least two companies in each section. For instance, two landscapers, two electricians, etc.

Then, cover your backside with an additional layer by displaying a disclaimer on the vendor list and anywhere it is published, such as on your website.

“When offering vendor recommendations to clients, include in writing that it is their responsibility to review vendors and select one that best fits their needs. Add language that indicates you’re providing a few recommendations for consideration, but you advise they review additional options to find the right fit,” cautions the pros at cresinsurance.com.

We found several disclaimers online, including “We do not require a fee to be on our preferred vendor list. Instead, we require a proven track record of customer satisfaction.”

Also, check out this disclaimer at sarealtywatch.com

Let’s call it something else

Dump the word “preferred” in the title’s list and never refer to a mortgage service provider by that word.

Ken Trepeta, president of the Real Estate Services Providers Council Inc. (RESPRO) told Inman.com that he thinks “… the term ‘preferred’ has become a minefield.”

“Do not designate a settlement service provider as the broker’s or agent’s ‘preferred’ company.”

Continued due diligence is a must

A one-time vetting of vendors isn’t enough. In fact, they should be vetted on an ongoing basis. The last thing you need is to have one go sour and provide crummy customer service to one of your clients or former clients.

These people reflect on your professionalism, so follow up with clients who use them. If in doubt about any vendor’s responsiveness and overall customer service, dump him/her.

While actual closing gifts are still a “thing” in real estate, we believe that brilliant customer service is the best gift you can offer. A vendor referral service is a gift that keeps on giving.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

Guess What Product Homebuyers Treasure Most from Real Estate Agents?

Aug 24, 2022

A Real Estate Referral List!

Nearly half of homebuyers surveyed (49%) by the NAR said that the third most important benefit that a real estate agent can provide is “. . .a better list of service providers,” such as a home inspector and other services. (NAR 2022 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends)

While homebuyers consider this a benefit, the industry understands it as “value-added.”

Who would’ve thought that something as simple as a list of vendors could be a treasured service?

No, it’s not a new service, but it’s become an in-demand one and a way for agents to set themselves apart while offering value to your services.

It beats a closing gift

A real estate vendor referral service is the gift that keeps on giving. If set up properly, it brings your brand before their eyes multiple times into the future. It can also benefit you by giving you “touch” opportunities down the line.

Content Card Series is shown above. To see more, click Here.

How to put together a real estate vendor referral service list

Whether you call them vendors or affiliates, the people on your list should be many and varied. Oh, and highly vetted, which we’ll discuss later.

Let’s take a look at some of the vendors you might want to include on your list:

Accountant
Appliance repair/installation
Carpet cleaner
Countertop Company
Electrician
Flooring installer
Garage door installer/repair tech
General contractor
Handyman
Handyman/woman
Home inspector
Home warranty company
House cleaner
Insurance agent
Interior designer
Landscaper
Lenders/mortgage broker
Moving accessories
Moving company
Painter
Pest inspector
Pet pooper scooper
Plumber/HVAC technician
Pool Service
Popcorn ceiling removal
Professional home organizer
Property Manager
Real estate attorney
Roofer
Septic Company
Stager
Tile contractor
Title company
Trash hauling
Well inspector
Window washer

Luxury agents might want to include:

Architect
Audio/visual services
Engineer
Home security systems technician
Home watch/Housesitting services
Landscape architect
Trust attorney

Vendor list research

If you’re just starting a real estate vendor referral service, you’ll need to do some research in your quest to figure out who to include. Start at yelp.com, read reviews, and jot down the names of those you want to interview.

Join your neighborhood at NextDoor.com. One of the main topics of conversation on the platform is “Who do you recommend for [insert the service].”

In fact, if you enter any service into the search bar at the top of the page, you’ll find every conversation having to do with it.

Finally, ask for recommendations for your real estate vendor referral service from colleagues, family members, and friends.

Once you’ve compiled a list of names, move on to the Better Business Bureau to check for complaints.

Then, ensure that the vendors you’ll interview are licensed and bonded by consulting the appropriate state licensing board’s website.

This step is very important. “… the Realtor is not responsible for the work of a properly licensed contractor, or pest inspector for that matter. When a Realtor calls a licensed professional, they are doing so only in their capacity as a representative of their client,” according to Tim Jones at DailyRepublic.com.

Still, consider putting a disclaimer, in writing, on your website.

Now, you’re ready to interview each candidate. Don’t forget to ask for references. Get the references’ phone numbers and contact each one.

There’s more to the compilation of this list than meets the eye. Avoiding RESPA violations is tricky, and we’ll cover that in Part II, so be sure to check back soon.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

3 Ways to Turn Your Hard-Earned Real Estate Prospects into Clients

Aug 17, 2022

The following are three ways to ensure you get the biggest bang for your buck after generating some real estate leads.

We’ll call them the three “T”s of lead conversion.

1. Trust

As you can imagine, confidence is a trust-builder. However, the opportunity to show off this confidence to a prospect may not appear. So, how else can you build trust? Testimonials.

There is just no substitute for a glowing review of your services, especially if it highlights your knowledge of all things real estate.

Think again about possible challenges that may be causing your prospect to hesitate jumping into the market:

The need to sell a home before buying
Closing date challenges
Showing challenges
Equity challenges
Problems with the home, neighborhood, etc.

Testimonials that address these common challenges and how you dealt with them are like gold.

Use them on your website, in your email signature, on your business card, and on every direct mail piece you send.

Convert MORE leads into listings with the Famous Market Quotes Series. To see more designs Click Here.

2. Time

This is a lesson for agents who hope to convert more leads than their competition: be the first person to return calls.

NAR studies show that 75% of real estate consumers sign up with the first agent they interview.

Did you know, the average first call response time of all companies that responded by phone is 40 hours and 56 minutes (Xant Research Lead Response Report).

Nearly 41 hours doesn’t seem hard to beat, right?

How about five minutes? Studies show that’s the sweet spot. Conversion rates are 8X higher if contact is made within 5 minutes.

“Measure your response times in seconds and minutes, not hours and days,” cautions Dan Sincavage, co-founder of Tenfold.

That lightning-fast first touch and an automated recurring postcard campaign will help convert prospects the rest of the way: into full-fledged clients.

3. Tenacity

When you plant a seed, does it immediately spring from the soil in full bloom? Of course not.

By the same token, do we dig up seeds to ensure that they’re germinating? Nope. For some reason, we have faith that the seed will sprout.

We also have faith that if we nurture the seedling, it will grow, and we’ll realize a return for all our time spent on it.

Yet, when it comes to prospects, so many agents tend to give up after a short nurturing period; the results weren’t immediate.

“The average incubation period of a lead is 6 to 24 months,” according to coach Kevin Ward.

Knowing this should give you the patience to hang on, with faith, that many of them will convert to clients.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

3 Tips to Build Trust with Homebuyers and Win Them Over

Jun 23, 2022

“Do You Even Need a Real Estate Agent to View a Home Anymore?” asks Robert Farrington at thecollegeinvestor.com.

While he admits that “… viewing properties online will never replace checking out a property in person,” he offers two ways to view homes without an agent: “open houses, or you could simply go to the house and peek in the windows!”

Yes. He. Did.

Imagine the homeowners at the effect of this advice, with potential buyers creeping around their property, peeking in their windows.

“The only time you actually need to call a real estate agent is if you want to get inside the house without breaking in!” Farrington concludes.

One agent bravely responded to Farrington in the comment section: “Getting people who don’t know you to trust you and understand your value is hard enough without articles like this.”

So true.

When you meet a new client, there is most likely mistrust from the get-go and your first job is to win them over.

Let’s take a look at what some of the experts suggest to help you win this battle.

1. It all starts with the buyers’ consultation

Your first lengthy interaction with potential buying clients is an ideal opportunity to distinguish yourself from other agents they may have spoken with. It’s also the start of building the rapport required to instill trust.

Aside from the routine questions (when they plan on buying, whether or not they’ve seen a lender, etc.) consider asking why they are buying a home.

The answer to this may give you valuable information on which to start building a relationship, so pay close attention to what they say.

Whether your potential buying clients are getting married, growing their families, or just want a suitable space for Fido, the information gleaned from asking this question is something you can use to help build rapport.

The First Time Buyer Series is shown above. To see more designs, Click Here.

2. Which aspects of the home/neighborhood are non-negotiable?

Don’t be the agent so many real estate consumers complain about– “he kept showing us homes that were too big” “too small” “that didn’t have a pool” or “we’re in the wrong school district.”

3. You can’t build rapport in separate cars

As a buyer’s agent, think of all the rapport-building time that’s lost when your buyer takes a separate car and follows you from listing to listing.

Stop taking separate cars to view homes for sale. Use the driving time to get to know the client:

Familial status (married, children?)
Pets?
Hobbies? Your client tells you she loves to golf. “Have you played [name of golf course]?”
Job? Your client tells you what he does for a living. “What made you decide to work in [career choice]?”
Where did he or she grow up? “So, what was it like growing up in [name of town]?”

The time between viewings is so valuable. It provides the perfect opportunity to get to know your client and for him or her to get to know you.

In real estate, rapport is the basis of trust. The more that leads and clients get to know and like you, the more they will trust you enough to refer you.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine, with rich, full-color content, and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts, combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and, it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business-building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan