With the recent NAR settlement being enacted, real estate professionals must be more diligent than ever in ensuring their marketing efforts align with the new rules.
The settlement has introduced changes that require greater transparency, particularly in how commissions and business practices are communicated to clients.
As a result, you may need to adapt your direct mail marketing to clearly and accurately reflect how you conduct your real estate business to stay compliant and maintain trust with your audience.
Customizable Marketing Solutions from ProspectsPLUS!
This is where ProspectsPLUS! Becomes an invaluable resource. We offer a wide range of fully customizable marketing templates for postcards, brochures, newsletters, and more.
This flexibility is crucial in the current climate, as it allows you to adapt your marketing materials to meet the requirements set forth by the NAR settlement.
Adapting Your Marketing to Meet New Requirements
For example, if you are choosing marketing materials, you need to clearly explain how commissions are handled or how your business operates; you can easily modify the verbiage on our marketing materials in our editor.
ProspectsPLUS! templates are designed to be user-friendly, enabling you to quickly and easily make the necessary adjustments without compromising your materials’ professional look and feel.
Stay Compliant While Reaching Your Audience
In a time when clarity and transparency are not only recommended but required, it is essential to be able to tailor your marketing to meet these demands.
Our priority is to continue providing the tools you need to ensure your marketing aligns with the new regulations, helping you stay compliant while effectively reaching your target audience.
As you navigate the new landscape of real estate marketing post-NAR settlement, rest assured that with ProspectsPLUS!, you have the flexibility and support to keep your business thriving while staying within the rules.
Please call our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you succeed.
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 and 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 Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review
The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
Christie’s recent mailing was a Just Listed postcard (shown here). To learn more, Click Here.
Congratulations, Christie Love Oakley, on winning this week’s contest!
Christie had the following words to say about her success sending marketing out from ProspectsPLUS!,
“These guys are professional and they make it so easy! Thank you!”
– Christie Love Oakley
Christie, thank you for your review. We truly appreciate you and your support!
Don’t Forget to Enter For Your Chance to Win a $75 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card! (see how below)*
HOW TO ENTER: Just leave feedback regarding how using marketing from ProspectsPLUS! has impacted your business, and you’re automatically entered into our next contest.
*If you’ve already entered our drawing in the past and haven’t won, you don’t need to enter again. Your entry remains valid, and you still have a chance to win.
Don’t forget to watch for next Friday’s email announcing the weekly winner!
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 and 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 Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review
The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
Think back to 2006. You may remember hearing about the launch of a new social media platform, Twitter. However, you most likely didn’t because it came with little fanfare.
Posts to the social media platform were dubbed “tweets,” and tweeters were limited to only 140 characters at that time.
Does that remind you of anything?
As you know, each MLS has a limit on how many words (or characters) agents can use in the public-facing listing description. We attempted to determine the average word count restriction, but couldn’t.
Unless you write professionally, listing descriptions can be challenging to craft. But they don’t have to be if you follow a few simple rules.
The anatomy of a listing description from a buyer’s point of view
It’s common knowledge now that most house hunters turn to the internet for their initial search.
It’s also well known that these buyers won’t look at a listing that doesn’t include photos (2011 ocular tracking study E.V. Williams Center for Real Estate, Old Dominion University).
That study showed us that homebuyers overwhelmingly scan the listing photo first and spend the most time doing so. They check out the property description next.
The agent’s listing description was the last item they were interested in perusing, and 20 percent of the homebuyers studied didn’t bother reading them.
Because of this, the researchers claim that listing descriptions are unimportant.
Did they miss the fact that 80 percent DID read the agent’s listing description?
This is an important statistic for listing agents to concentrate on when writing the listing description.
Use your words . . . strategically
When asked by Shakespeare’s Polonius what he was reading, Hamlet replied, “Words, words, words.”
What he was reading, obviously, was meaningless. Words with meaning, on the other hand, are powerful and can actually help sell a home.
We don’t advocate outright lying in a listing description, but Spencer Rascoff and Stan Humphries beg to differ:
“Bottom-tier homes described as luxurious tend to beat their expected sale price by a whopping 8.2 percent.”
They go on to claim that if your listing’s value is “$110,000, but your listing includes the keyword ‘luxurious,’ you could pocket an extra $8,965.”
Additional money-making words from their study include:
Captivating
Impeccable (listings in the lower price ranges that include this word sold for nearly 6 percent more than the list price)
Stainless (a 5 percent bonus if your low-priced listing has stainless steel appliances and you incorporate that info in the listing description)
Landscaped
Granite (no surprise here, right?)
Remodeled
Beautiful
Spotless
Check out the rest of the list at Zillow.com. Be aware that the list is a bit old, but some of these trends still exist, such as granite (or quartz) countertops. Research is your friend.
Sure, brilliant listing descriptions aren’t that critical in the current market. But, markets change and often do so on a dime. Keep the aforementioned information in your back pocket and pull it out when homes aren’t selling as soon as listed. And, remember, adjectives, apparently, are money-makers.
Sprinkle liberally for a brilliant listing description.
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 and 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 Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review
The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
Real estate agents are always looking for ways to increase their exposure and generate leads. One effective marketing strategy that has stood the test of time is sending Just Listed and Just Sold postcards.
If you’re wondering why even the highest-producing agents still spend time on this marketing tactic, read on.
Five Reasons Why Smart Real Estate Agents Continually Send Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards:
Builds brand awareness
Just Listed and Just Sold postcards are an excellent way to build brand awareness. By sending regular updates on your recent listings and sales, you remind potential clients of your expertise in the field. This can help you stand out in a crowded market and increase the likelihood that clients will choose you over competitors.
Even if you don’t have any current listings or solds of your own, you can still send a postcard announcing to your farm or targeted neighborhood what property was just sold or just listed in the area.
Or highlight a property listed or sold by someone in your office. This can still trigger inbound leads for you.
Targets potential clients
Sending postcards to a targeted audience can help you reach potential clients looking to buy or sell a property. You can purchase mailing lists segmented by location, income, and occupation, making it easy to target your ideal demographic.
Creates a personal touch
In today’s digital age, getting lost in the noise of email and social media is easy. By sending a physical postcard, you can create a personal touch that sets you apart from competitors. A postcard is tangible, and people are more likely to remember it than an email or a social media post.
And I often hear of agents who show up to a listing appointment and are shown the collection of their postcard mailings that have been kept by the homeowner.
It’s cost-effective marketing
Compared to other forms of marketing, sending postcards is a relatively inexpensive and fast way to get in front of prospects in your market. This makes it an affordable way to reach potential clients and generate leads.
Generates referrals
Just Listed and Just Sold postcards can generate referrals from your existing clients. When people receive your postcard, they may share it with friends or family members who are interested in buying or selling a property. This can help you generate leads without having to do any additional marketing.
By sending regular real estate activity updates to potential clients, you can build brand awareness, target your ideal demographic, create a personal, tangible touch, and generate referrals.
If you’re a real estate agent looking to increase your exposure and generate leads, consider adding Just Listed and Just Sold postcards to your marketing strategy.
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 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 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
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
Chris Griffith recently sent a New on the Market, Just Listed postcard. To see more, Click Here.
Congratulations, Chris Griffth, on winning this week’s contest!
Chris Griffith had the following words to say about her success sending marketing out from ProspectsPLUS!,
“We’ve used ProspectsPLUS! for years with great results. They’re fast and efficient! Both flyers and postcards are high quality and turn out great. We even print our own calendar on a postcard with Downtown Bonita Springs events branded with Griffith Group logo. We have them shipped to us and deliver them to local businesses to hand out to patrons. We also EDDM the postcards to the homes in the downtown area. We get a kick out of seeing the postcards on fridges when we visit people!”
-Chris Griffith
Chris, thank you for this wonderful feedback. We truly appreciate you and your support!
Don’t Forget to Enter For Your Chance to Win a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card! (see how below)*
What Can You Do With a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card? Here are 5 Things:
Launch and pay for the first month of a Sphere or Farm Scheduled Campaign consisting of 130 jumbo postcards.
Send 130 jumbo Just Listed or Just Sold Postcards to a radius surrounding your listing.
Send 130 Jumbo Get More Listings postcards to an area where you want more listings.
Create a niche prospect list (empty nesters, move-up market, etc.) and mail 130 jumbo postcards.
HOW TO ENTER: Just leave a review regarding how using marketing from ProspectsPLUS! has impacted your business, and you’re automatically entered into our next contest.
*If you’ve already entered our contest in the past and haven’t won, you don’t need to enter again. Your entry remains valid, and you still have a chance to win.
Don’t forget to watch for next Friday’s email announcing the weekly winner!
PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.
1. 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 are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
2. 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
3. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
Chris Jacques recently sent a postcard from a Just Listed Series (shown above). To see more postcards from this series, Click Here.
Congratulations, Chris Jacques, on winning this week’s contest!
Chris had the following words to say about his success sending marketing out from ProspectsPLUS!,
“Attractive designs! Quick turn-around. So easy to use. Every listing I send Just Listed and Just sold cards. It’s great marketing to do within a neighborhood for farming/branding and repeat business. Which makes this an essential element for my team’s marketing plan. Thanks, ProspectsPLUS!! – Chris Jacques
Chris, thank you for your wonderful feedback! We truly appreciate you.
Don’t Forget to Enter For Your Chance to Win a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card! (see how below)*
What Can You Do With a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card? Here are 5 Things:
Launch and pay for the first month of a Sphere or Farm Scheduled Campaign consisting of 130 jumbo postcards.
Send 130 jumbo Just Listed or Just Sold Postcards to a radius surrounding your listing.
Send 130 Jumbo Get More Listings postcards to an area where you want more listings.
Create a niche prospect list (empty nesters, move-up market, etc.) and mail 130 jumbo postcards.
HOW TO ENTER: Just leave a review regarding how using marketing from ProspectsPLUS! has impacted your business, and you’re automatically entered into our next contest.
*If you’ve already entered our contest in the past and haven’t won, you don’t need to enter again. Your entry remains valid, and you still have a chance to win.
Don’t forget to watch out for next Friday’s email announcing the weekly winner!
PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.
1. 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 are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
2. 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
4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
A for-sale sign went up in the front yard of a home down the street from me. Each time I drove by, I wondered what the listing price was. I finally looked it up online. I shouldn’t have had to do that. Nor should other neighbors have to do that.
A buyers’ agent with frustrated clients should’ve circle prospected around that listing. A postcard to every home in the subdivision, letting them know that a home just went on the market and the price of the home would put that agent front and center in the residents’ minds.
That is just where he or she needs to be if one of them is thinking of selling. And the chances are excellent that another home will go on the market soon.
It’s no longer enough to counsel clients on being patient, adjusting their expectations, and coming into the market fully prepared.
It’s time to get proactive. Not only is it a way to secure listings, but to expose your brand to a wider audience.
Direct mail as the centerpiece of a circle prospecting campaign is probably the best way to take charge. But, it’s not the only way, and this market demands a multi-pronged strategy.
Just Listed Postcards perfect for circle prospecting. See more HERE
1. Add a pinch of social media
You don’t need to be an influencer to obtain results on social media. Get busy posting and responding. Let your followers know what your buyers’ needs are. Share articles on the huge amount of equity that homeowners are sitting on right now and create a sense of urgency to get them off the fence and into the market.
I once read an inman.com article from seattlehome.com managing broker Sam DeBord. In it, he shared a story about how he dealt with a low inventory situation by blogging consistently and sharing his posts on Facebook.
It worked. He got a call from a stranger who read one of his Facebook posts and offered him the listing.
2. So, you didn’t take the listing
Go through your CRM and dredge up information on every listing presentation you’ve made but didn’t get the listing. Check to see if the home ever sold and, if it didn’t, reach out to the homeowner. This one is especially effective if the original market value is significantly higher today than it was when you made your listing presentation.
Chances are, it is.
3. Equity is a game-changer
Again, the equity angle will most likely move someone if they’re not opposed to selling. As I mentioned earlier, homeowners who keep up with the news understand that home prices are high.
Most, however, don’t have the vaguest notion of what their home is worth and how much equity they’re sitting on.
A proactive agent would’ve not only sent me a postcard when that home in my neighborhood hit the market, but she would’ve followed up a week or two later with an unsolicited, basic CMA. Again, circle prospecting around current real estate activity is one of the best ways to get listings.
No, these three steps aren’t new, but they may be game-changers for an agent who is struggling to find homes for their buyers. They are also terrific at getting you back to that coveted top-of-mind position with your sphere.
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 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
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
Darby recently sent a Just Listed postcard out (shown above). To see more Just Listed postcard designs, Click Here.
Congratulations, Darby Schaub, on winning this week’s contest!
Darby had the following words to say about her success sending marketing out from ProspectsPLUS!,
“Love the look! I have had instructors for real estate call me and tell me the postcards are perfect and they wish everyone in their class could see my cards. You are amazing at keeping it legal and appealing!“
– Darby Schaub
Darby, thank you for your supportive feedback! We truly appreciate you.
Don’t Forget to Enter For Your Chance to Win a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card! (see how below)*
What Can You Do With a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card? Here are 5 Things:
Launch and pay for the first month of a Sphere or Farm Scheduled Campaign consisting of 130 jumbo postcards.
Send 130 jumbo Just Listed or Just Sold Postcards to a radius surrounding your listing.
Send 130 Jumbo Get More Listings postcards to an area where you want more listings.
Create a niche prospect list (empty nesters, move-up market, etc.) and mail 130 jumbo postcards.
HOW TO ENTER: Just leave a review regarding how using marketing from ProspectsPLUS! has impacted your business, and you’re automatically entered into our next contest.
*If you’ve already entered our contest in the past and haven’t won, you don’t need to enter again. Your entry remains valid, and you still have a chance to win.
Don’t forget to watch out for next Friday’s email announcing the weekly winner!
PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.
1. 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 are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
2. 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
4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
Janet recently sent a Just Listed postcard out (shown above). To see more Just Listed postcard designs, Click Here.
Congratulations, Janet Weaver, on winning this week’s contest!
Janet had the following words to say about her success sending marketing out from ProspectsPLUS!,
“ProspectPLUS! always provides great customer service, and I highly recommend them. Any time I’ve had questions or concerns, they respond and assist right away. Their website is so easy to use; it makes my job a lot easier!”
– Janet Weaver
Janet, thank you for your supportive feedback! We truly appreciate you.
Don’t Forget to Enter For Your Chance to Win a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card! (see how below)*
What Can You Do With a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card? Here are 5 Things:
Launch and pay for the first month of a Sphere or Farm Scheduled Campaign consisting of 130 jumbo postcards.
Send 130 jumbo Just Listed or Just Sold Postcards to a radius surrounding your listing.
Send 130 Jumbo Get More Listings postcards to an area where you want more listings.
Create a niche prospect list (empty nesters, move-up market, etc.) and mail 130 jumbo postcards.
HOW TO ENTER: Just leave a review regarding how using marketing from ProspectsPLUS! has impacted your business, and you’re automatically entered into our next contest.
*If you’ve already entered our contest in the past and haven’t won, you don’t need to enter again. Your entry remains valid, and you still have a chance to win.
Don’t forget to watch out for next Friday’s email announcing the weekly winner!
PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.
1. 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 are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
2. 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
4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
You know the story: you labor over your listing descriptions, trying desperately to come up with just the right words to describe your brand-new-listing-that-you-want-to-sell-today.
In reality, you should be paying closer attention to the images. Why?
Because the agent’s remarks are ignored by more than 40 percent of buyers.
Tip #1: Spend less time describing a listing and more time photographing it
Multi-Photo Just Listed postcard shown above. To see more, Click Here
I’m not making this up – studies prove it. An ocular tracking study (tracking eye movements of buyers on a real estate website) showed that “the real estate agent’s open remarks section is viewed” last and that viewers place “very little emphasis … on this section.”
In other words, you’re stressing over nothing.
Now, if the home’s photos are sub-par, you do need to stress because more than 95 percent of your website visitors will look first at a home’s photo. Then, they turn to the “quantitative property description.” That’s the MLS template stuff, like the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, etc.
Now, here’s the really surprising part of the study:
“In our experiment, participants comply by viewing the remainder of the home, but in an actual setting, one has to wonder if the agent remarks would ever get read if the home searcher does not like the initial photo of the home.”
In essence, you could probably fill your agent remarks section with “Lorem Ipsum” and nobody would even notice. Now, I’m not advocating that; just trying to make a point.
Tip #2 Who started this one?
It’s common knowledge that kitchens and bathrooms are the most important to buyers, right? Isn’t that what we all tell our sellers? Don’t photos of those two rooms dominate listings? Where did that come from?
It’s amazing how we do things without questioning why. Sure, at one time, kitchens and bathrooms may have been buyers’ hot buttons, but are they today?
Nope. New-home buyers crave a laundry room over anything else. The second in-room preference is a dining room, according to annual research for the National Association of Home Builders.
Whether you hire a photographer or DIY your listing photos, don’t neglect to feature a home’s usable outdoor space (whether a full backyard or a patio or lanai) as well. Anecdotal evidence from agents across the country hints that this is still a wildly popular feature in existing homes.
Some of the other popular outdoor features mentioned by agents include:
Updated lighting
Outdoor ceiling fan on the patio
Ample fences to keep kids/pets safely enclosed in the yard
Firepit or fireplace for those chilly nights
Allow space for photos of these items in your online listing photos.
We won’t always be in a hot sellers’ market. Someday buyers will rule and you’ll need every tool in your belt to lure them to your listings.
The Get More Listings Series is shown above. To send a one-time mailing, Click Here. To launch a Get More Listing Campaign, Click Here.
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 esthetic. 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
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
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
pectsPLUS! Becomes an invaluable resource. We offer a wide range of fully customizable marketing templates for postcards, brochures, newsletters, and more.
