marketing strategies

Fall Real Estate Blog Topics Every Agent Should Consider

Aug 12, 2021

What agent doesn’t relish the thought of ranking high in Google searches? Doing so without having to pay for ads is even better.

The best route to that end is by blogging, consistently.

Choosing topics can be challenging. They should be local and, when possible, timely. To help you out, we’ve come up with some topics for fall that you’re welcome to steal.

Topic if Your Audience is Home Buyers

“3 Things you Must Know About Buying a Home in [name of your market] this Fall”

This will be a post of what you expect from the local real estate market this fall. Remember, the keyword here is “local.”

Don’t be general like the Minneapolis agent we came across who reiterated what the national media is forecasting.

His introduction to the piece was: “Here’s what a few industry experts have to say about the housing market …”

Wait—aren’t agents supposed to be the industry experts?

Additional homebuyer-focused topics to consider:

The importance of preparing to enter the market. Urge them to get preapproved early in the process. Talk about ways to keep motivated during multiple offer situations. How about backup offers?
The most popular neighborhoods for homebuyers and the challenges of shopping for a home within them.
Any COVID-related restrictions in place in your market.

Holiday Series, *Autumn* Postcard shown above. Learn More, HERE

Topic if Your Audience is Home Sellers

“3 Things you Must Know about Selling your [name of your market] Home this Fall

This should be an easy topic since we’re still in a hot seller’s market. Many homeowners, however, have concerns about being able to find a replacement home. Address this concern and any others that are prevalent in your market.

Other fall home seller topics to consider:

The importance of curb appeal in fall. Offer suggestions (again, keep it local) with mentions of local gardening outlets.
- Recommended repairs to make before the home hits the market.
- What to expect when offers roll in. Remind them that sometimes better terms trump a higher price.

Topic if Your Audience is Your Social Media Followers

Community Content

Although you should share all of your blog posts to your social media feeds, community content is immensely more sharable. Check out some of these ideas:

Have COVID restrictions changed in your market? Share what’s open, what’s closed, and alternatives to the latter.
A post on local parks, with a quick review of each one.
Activities for kids during fall break. Your local Parks and Recreation Department and school websites may offer ideas.
Suggest day trips for weekends.
Best places in town to have brunch on the patio.
How to start a vegetable garden.

Posts on the best places in your market to:

Ride a bike
Go hiking
Camp out
Fish
Shop at flea markets or go antiquing
Dine outdoors
Picnic
Swim
Golf
Take your dog (dog-friendly dining, beaches, parks, etc.)
Best beach
Have a staycation

Finally, one of our favorite local topics is “Why we love fall in [name of the market].”

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If you’re considering reaching out to homeowners in your area in search of potential sellers, right now’s the ideal time (sale ends in 3 days on August 14, 21).

Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

TO LAUNCH A GET MORE LISTINGS CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

Get 10% Off, Use Promo Code: LIST10

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY until each mailing goes out (cancel anytime or change up until the night before it goes out).

Launch a Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

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

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available 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 when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –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

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a NEW 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically every month to an exclusive carrier route (membership includes your own online Homes & Life Agent Magazine). Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

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The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

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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 Free Online ROI Calculator

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Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

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The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here

The Most Valuable Features to Include on Your Real Estate Website RIGHT NOW

Jul 28, 2021

Once upon a time, the word “value,” in the real estate industry meant only one thing: how much a property is worth.

Today, it also applies to marketing your services. Your “value proposition” tells the world why they should hire you instead of the agent down the street. It’s what you offer potential clients that few others do.

“Unfortunately, many businesses either bury their value proposition in buzzwords or trite, meaningless slogans or don’t bother highlighting it on their site and in their marketing campaigns – or they don’t figure out what it is at all!” according to Dan Shewan at wordstream.com.

We think it’s safe to say that most agents want to succeed and some mimic their fellow agents in the hopes of making that success a reality.

Thus, real estate blog posts end up full of duplicate messaging (“Now is the Best Time to Sell!), overused slogans (“Everything I Touch Turns to Sold!”), and websites are devoid of a value proposition or with one every other agent offers.

Let’s talk about the latter—your website.

Figure out what real estate consumers think is valuable

To figure out your value proposition, you need to understand your target client, especially his or her pain points. Your value proposition should quickly explain how your service solves the biggest problem.

Another way to come up with a value proposition is to determine how the benefits of using you as their agent differ from what other agents offer. Do you offer free staging to your listing clients? Discounted commission?

I see that look on your face, but a discounted commission to a listing client is quite valuable, as is free staging or free handyperson service to help get the home ready for the market.

In fact, your entire website should answer a visitors’ needs, from the site loading quickly to fuss-free navigation.

The NAR’s “Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends” report compiles an annual list of what homebuyers find the most valuable on real estate agents’ websites. Here are the top 5:

Photos of homes for sale and neighborhoods
Detailed information about homes for sale
Floor plans
Virtual tours (not video; those came out near the bottom of the list)
Real estate agent contact information

Your MLS listings will hopefully fulfill the first two wishes. Do you offer floor plans to listing clients? Buyers want them. What about 3-D tours or virtual walk-throughs?

Finally, and it may seem quite basic, but ensure that your contact phone number is at the top of every page on your website.

Stay in Touch With Your Sphere, Effortlessly, With a Holiday Campaign.

They’re Currently on SALE 10% OFF the First Month – FOR 3 MORE DAYS!

Holiday Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

TO LAUNCH A HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out).

Launch a Holiday Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

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

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

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

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

New Agents: Fill Your Pipeline Quickly with Facebook Real Estate Leads

May 26, 2021

Has cold calling officially become a thing of the past? There are more than a few agents out there and several well-known real estate coaches that would say NO.

I would say minimally, it might not be the most efficient option. Unless you consider spending 7.5 hours to make 209 phone calls to get one appointment efficient.

Generating real estate leads on social media, if done right, is not only efficient but pleasant as well.

Facebook can be a goldmine for new real estate agents.

Why Facebook?

The platform’s demographics are one of the most compelling reasons to use Facebook for real estate lead generation. The largest age group among Facebook users is 35 to 54 (right in line with the average real estate consumer). Next, nearly 75 percent of users earn more than $75,000.

Finally, a study of CRM data from various companies across the planet finds that while the highest lead conversion rates come from referrals, the second-highest can be attributed to leads generated on social media.

If you understand the power of Facebook when it comes to real estate lead generation but haven’t quite figured out how to tap it, consider starting with Facebook groups.

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Join some groups

Start by finding some groups that Facebook thinks you might like. You can do that by going here and then clicking on “Discover.”

Naturally, if you post frequently to Facebook, the algorithm is going to assume you are interested in real estate so be prepared for lots of real estate-agent-related groups among the suggestions.

There’s nothing wrong with joining these groups but to generate real estate leads, however, go where consumers hang out.

You’ll find a “Categories” list on the left side of the page. And, since “all real estate is local,” the best category for a real estate agent to peruse is “Local.”

Here you’ll find some interesting groups. Mine includes one for a popular neighborhood in my city (with 31,000 members). As an agent, I would join that one. But there are tons of others to join as well.

Choose groups with interests that you can blog about because that’s one of the ways in which you’ll be using these groups to generate real estate leads.

Don’t be “that annoying real estate agent”

When interacting in your Facebook groups, keep your focus on the “social” aspect of social media. You’re not there to sell yourself or your business but to build relationships and get your name in front of people.

Don’t just use the groups to share your blog posts; interact with other group members.

And, keep in mind that some groups have rules, so learn them and abide by them.

It’s also important to keep in mind that interacting in groups is not about getting a flood of leads right now. Like most lead gen strategies, you’re building future business.

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

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 Attract Home Sellers and Whip up New Listings

Apr 15, 2021

In March 2021, the average list price reached an all-time high of $370,000, up 15.6% compared to this time last year.

Home sales were 9.1% higher than one year ago and although the mortgage rates have increased slightly to the highest levels this year at 3.09% for a 30-year fixed, there are reasons to believe the housing market will continue to be strong throughout 2021 (NAR source).

This means it’s still a seller’s market, which is the key point you’ll want to make when communicating with the homeowners in your CRM.

1. Nothing better than a warm call

Comb through your CRM for the warmest leads among your homeowners and start your campaign with these people as your target audience. Yes, even friends and family and past clients.

Pick up the phone and start dialing for dollars. And, naturally, during the conversation you’ll want to let them know how desperate homebuyers are for homes in the area and, oh, by the way, “Do you know anyone who might be considering selling their home?”

You’ll most likely not get the name of a red-hot listing lead, and that’s ok. You are now top-of-mind with these people.

2. Go back after lost listings

Not taking the listing after a presentation is painful. But, remember another old real estate lesson: “Stay in touch until they list – and beyond.”

St. Paul, MN broker Teresa Boardman once spoke about one of her most cost-effective listing generating techniques that you can copy.

Go through your CRM, looking for homeowners for whom you gave a listing presentation over the past three years.

Check the MLS to find out if the home ever sold with another agent. If not, take this condensed list of sellers and send them a Real Estate Times postcard. Catch them up on the current hot market and explain why now is the perfect time to join it.

Or stay in front of this hand-picked list for six months or more with a scheduled FARM, Get More Listings campaign. Learn more, HERE.

Remember, #StayHome made millions of homeowners overly familiar with their homes, and many have found that the home no longer fits their needs.

Always let these potential listings know how ideal the market is for sellers, how much equity they’ve built up, and about the super low current mortgage rates.

Very early in her campaign, Boardman had taken one listing and another homeowner felt like a “real strong possibility.” A third was debating renting out her home or selling it.

3. Don’t forget social media, especially now

Connecting with people on social media is so easy right now. Since the outbreak of the pandemic over one year ago, internet usage has increased 70%, according to Mark Beech at Forbes.com.

Studies from Pew Research claim that more than half (53%) of “… Americans say the internet has been essential in the past year.

The amount of time that Americans spend on social media platforms, in particular, has increased from 79 minutes per day in 2019 to 86 minutes per day in recent months.

There is a lot of engagement to be had right now online, particularly on social media.

Use all that important information you have up your sleeve to let sellers know that they won’t find a better time to sell their homes and to convince buyers that they should remain in the market.

Yes, inventory is super tight and many homeowners still aren’t getting what an amazing time this is to sell their homes for top dollar.

This is also the ideal time for real estate agents to market to niche prospects such as empty nesters, high-income renters, move-up market, fence-sitters, and more.

With nine campaign categories to choose from, it’s now quick, easy, and affordable to schedule a targeted campaign.

Hurry! FARM Scheduled Campaigns are on sale 10% OFF the first month for ONLY 3 MORE DAYS! (sale ends 4/17/21).

Fence-Sitters Series, one of 19 FARM Scheduled Campaigns (shown above). Learn more, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH AN FARM CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to get started on your FARM Scheduled Campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out. The price shown at check out is per mailing, not campaign total).

Launch an FARM Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

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

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

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

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Need More Buyers? Consider Marketing to Veterans

Mar 30, 2021

There are an estimated 18 million U.S. military veterans, an undisclosed number of surviving spouses, and 1.4 million men and women currently serving on active duty.

This means that there are in excess of 20 million Americans who may be eligible to take advantage of the VA home loan program.

The good news for an agent who specializes in VA buyers is that millions of veterans feel that 2021 is a good time to buy a home.

Nearly 60% say they intend on buying in the next five years and 34% say they will definitely buy a home this year, according to research conducted by data and consulting company Kantar (for Veterans United Home Loans).

Sounds like a lucrative niche market, right? Not so fast.

“Real estate agents who aren’t familiar with the details of the VA loan program could waste time showing you properties that have little chance of meeting VA and lender guidelines,” warn the pros at veteransunited.com.

If this is a niche you are considering in your real estate business, get up to speed on the VA loan now, because half of the veterans surveyed say they will definitely consider applying for one.

How to become a military-friendly real estate agent

No, you don’t need a background in military service to work effectively with military homebuyers. Sure, it helps when it comes to communication. The real knowledge you’ll need, however, is about the nuts and bolts of the VA loan program.

You’ll also want to get to know the needs of this group of people. Many, for instance, don’t know that they are offered a unique home loan program as part of their benefits. In other words, they are completely unaware of the VA loan program.

“If you have not used the VA home loan program, what was the main reason you did not?” was a question put forth to veterans for the VA’s 2010 National Survey of Veterans. Nearly 34% responded that “I didn’t know about the program.”

Your first job, then, is to create a direct mail piece letting these folks know about the VA mortgage guaranty and singing the praises of its benefits.

Learn what’s important to veterans

Nearly half of the aforementioned survey respondents who did use a VA loan in the past said they did so because there is no down payment required.

Another big handful of them chose the loan for its “favorable interest rate,” and, coming in third, one group said that they felt their loan was more likely to be approved if it was guaranteed by the VA.

Since these features of the program are of such high value to applicants, these are points you need to feature in your marketing pieces.

Especially when it comes to comparing the FHA-backed mortgage with that of the VA (which a substantial number of veterans do), the lack of private mortgage insurance is a biggie.

Although they didn’t mention closing costs (as is typical with most homebuyers), let your leads know that the VA puts limits on the amount that the lender can charge the borrower.

It’s not all rosy, however. The VA loan comes with a funding fee. The amount varies and you can learn more at va.gov.

There is a lot to learn about the VA loan, but it’s all well-worth knowing. The VA makes it easy for you to learn by devoting a section of va.gov to real estate professionals. You’ll find that information at benefits.va.gov.

RIGHT NOW! Absentee Owner Scheduled Campaigns are on sale 10% OFF the first month (sale ends 4/3/21).

Launch an Absentee Owner Scheduled Campaign, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH AN ABSENTEE OWNER CAMPAIGN:

Launch an Absentee Owner Campaign by clicking the “GO NOW” button, below (from a desktop or laptop computer).

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY until each mailing goes out (cancel or change up until the night before each mailing. The price shown at check out is per mailing, not campaign total).

Launch an Absentee Owner Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

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

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

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

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Lessons from million-dollar real estate agents

Feb 18, 2021

There’s a funny thing about oft-repeated truisms: many of them aren’t actually true.

Take this one for instance: “10% of all real estate agents perform 90% of all transactions.”

No-one is ever given credit for this statistic; no study has been published proving it to be true. Yet, it’s repeated over and over.

Sure, it’s true that some agents make tons more money than others. RealTrends annual rankings of agents and teams, “The Thousand,” prove that. Sort of.

Take a look at the top 10% of these agents and you’ll notice that they all sling luxury property. Naturally, the more expensive an agent’s inventory is, the more money she’ll earn.

This status may have nothing at all to do with talent, expertise or any other quality than to have made a wise decision early on in a career.

The first lesson is simple: if you truly want a sales volume of $761,653,743 a year, sell luxury property.

In reality, to make the big bucks requires patience, tenacity, self-discipline and the understanding that it takes money to make money. Stop taking the cheapest route. Demand quality for you and for your clients.

Related: Learn from the Master of real estate success, Floyd Wickman. Watch his latest guest appearance on our podcast (below).

There are few overnight successes

Tony Robbins, über-successful personal development coach, often tells the story of how, at age 19, he lived in a studio apartment, cooked on a hotplate, and washed dishes in his bathtub.

He considers this period his “rock-bottom” and tells audiences how it compelled him to begin to create goals. “The timeline I gave myself for achieving these goals was any time from tomorrow to the next twenty years,” Robbins says in “Awaken the Giant Within.”

Robbins claims that he hit his first goal, to make one million dollars, five years later.

We’ve all read or heard similar stories, those rags-to-riches tales that inspire us to do likewise. The one thing that so many of us miss, however, is that there is no magic formula. No cute little fairy will land on our shoulders and “poof” us into success.

These people struggled, often for years, to reach their goals. They worked long and hard, they enlisted help and they never stopped learning and trying new things.

Just as you know that nurturing leads and prospects takes time and persistence, so does nurturing your business.

Check your attitude

“A positive attitude makes success easy; a negative one makes success pointless,” according to Geoffrey James, author and contributing editor for Inc.com.

Sure, it’s challenging to feel positive during a worldwide pandemic, when the way you do business has been turned upside-down.

James suggests that you can change your attitude in a number of ways. One of these is to surround yourself with positive people and “… and shun those who are excessively negative.”

Find the rest of his tips on how to improve your attitude at Inc.com.

Mimic the successful agent

If you’re new to the real estate industry or ready to take your game to the next level, it’s well worth your time to find a mentor. At the very least, approach one of the most successful agents in your office and request a shadowing opportunity.

A week or two following this agent around, observing his or her attitude, habits and approach is time you will never regret spending.

RIGHT NOW! ABSENTEE OWNER Scheduled Campaigns are on SALE 10% OFF!

*Absentee Owner Scheduled Campaign, Get More Listings Series*, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH AN ABSENTEE OWNER SCHEDULED CAMPAIGN:

Click the “GO NOW” button, below (from a desktop or laptop computer).

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY until each mailing goes out (cancel or change up until the night before mailing).

GO NOW

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

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

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

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Shifting Your Real Estate Marketing Strategy to Work Under Any Condition

Jan 28, 2021

It’s a new year and if one of your strategies is to create a real estate listing generating system to fit the “new normal,” consider a mix of the old-fashioned and the new-fangled.

The best marketing plans include both direct mail and digital marketing, and linking the two is even better.

We’ve come up with some safe ways to get closer to potential clients during the pandemic – some ideas to kick around as we move through 2021.

Forge stronger links with your community

Real estate agents generally tend to be quite generous with their money, frequently offering to give a percentage of each commission check to a favored charity.

Other agents are a bit more hands-on and feel that cutting a check, while admirable, isn’t enough. These are the agents who host school supply drives, winter sock collections for the homeless and actively volunteer their time and labor to local charitable organizations. The list is long and impressive.

And, they have a point, especially during the pandemic when consumers need and actively search out “warm and fuzzy” stories.

Yes, giving should be altruistic. And, we agree that using it to generate leads seems a bit mercenary.

But, it’s a win-win. Charities that are clamoring for help receive it and, if promoted appropriately, giving your time to a worthy cause can also be good for business.

Find a local group with a philosophy and cause that you can get behind and join them. Let your social media followers know how they can help too. Be passionate about the cause by letting consumers know about your acts of humanity.

But do avoid an overly-promotional “look-at-me” approach.

Who are you marketing to?

Launch a *Renter Scheduled Campaign*, Click **HERE**

“Right now, the ability to forecast is a superpower for business leaders as consumer sentiments and behaviors change,” notes Sam Acuna and Sofia Kluch at gallup.com.

They add that “Some of these changes are likely permanent but many changes are temporary … and localized.”

Thankfully, the real estate industry is quite hardy right now and forecasted to remain this way.

In fact, the folks at mansionglobal.com say that 2021 will bring “… the most robust housing market in 15 years.”

They also mention a Redfin forecast that more new homes will be built this year than during the past 16 years.

Leverage your listings

While coaches advise that agents door-knock around new listings, this isn’t an appropriate time to do so.

Direct mail, on the other hand, is not only safe but rising in consumer popularity during the pandemic.

Listing agents should send at least three cards to each household in their target audience for each listing taken:

Just listed
Open house (if you’re holding one)
Just sold

Each postcard should include the URL to the home’s dedicated landing page and, to your virtual open house, if you’ll be hosting one.

The home’s landing page should clearly communicate your contact information and a lead magnet. A popular choice for a lead magnet is the “Mortgage Options With Low Down Payments” Direct Response Report, click HERE.

We love Tom Ferry’s brilliant addition to the typical “Just Sold” postcard.

“… add a section that says ‘How we did it’ that lists out all the steps you performed to generate offers, AND all the details of the results your efforts created… how many showings, how many offers, sale price vs. list price, etc.”

View an example of what Ferry’s referring to at tomferry.com.

*Mortgage Options with Low Down Payments* Report

People haven’t changed. Some priorities have, many of our lives may have, but inside, we’re still the same human beings with the same wants and needs, with just a few new ones added to the mix.

Download the Direct Response Report, “Mortgage Options with Low Down Payments“ and keep copies on hand for listing appointments and open houses.

Also add as an opt-in/free offer on your website, your emails, and all of your direct mail.

Need help targeting a specific niche of buyers or sellers? Use our prospect list tools to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

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

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Want to OWN THE FSBO MARKET? Send Daily Postcards for the Next 27 Days & BAM!

Dec 15, 2020

You can own 100% mindshare of the FSBO market by sending daily postcards.

The reason most FSBOs have decided to try and sell themselves is usually they are eager to save money. Many also don’t trust agents due to a bad experience from their past.

However, the truth is…

Most FSBOs do end up using an agent. According to NAR, statistics show only 8% of the homes sold are FSBOs. And 31% of FSBOs don’t market their properties. They need someone like you to lend your expertise for a headache-free sale that achieves the most money.

Other tasks that NAR has shown are difficult for FSBOs include: pricing the home right (18%), preparing the home for sale (13%), understanding the paperwork (12%), helping the buyer obtain financing (6%), timely selling (3%) and time to devote to the sale (3%).

Therefore, it is your job to earn their trust by demonstrating how your expertise can be of help.

How you accomplish this is through consistent, daily communication, professional marketing, and effective presentation tools.

The Merchandise Review

A great strategic tool that allows you to walk sellers through all the components of the saleable listing is the Merchandising Review. It even helps to answer some questions before they’re raised. The Merchandising Review is available as a Free Download Here.

As soon as you see a new FSBO, contact them to offer to complete a ‘no obligation” Merchandising Review. Explain the tool allows you to make a comprehensive analysis of whether their home is salable in today’s market. Then schedule a 20-minute time to meet with them to go over the Review.

Walk them through each item and negotiate the issues that might keep the property from selling. Correct these issues, and ask if they would allow you to show them your marketing plan.

Compelling marketing

Getting the attention of a FSBO can be challenging. Often their guard is up, and they aren’t open to talking to agents.

You can begin to open the lines of communication with something as simple as a door hanger.

Keep a stack of FSBO Door Hangers in your car trunk for a quick leave-behind any time you see a For Sale By Owner sign.

Then, add that new For Sale By Owner to your daily FSBO scheduled campaign.

To encourage inbound calls, offer a Free direct response report with all of your FSBO marketing. The report, For Sale By Owner First Aid is the ideal tool to encourage FSBOs to reach out to you.

The report contains persuasive statistics and educational content that will pique the seller’s interest and open their mind to an agent solution.

Now, you can send a FSBO postcard every day for the next 27 days & OWN THE FSBO MARKET

To own 100% mindshare in the FSBO market, every new FSBO you encounter should be put on a daily marketing campaign with the FSBO Series of 27 postcards.

And, now, your ability to do this just got TEN TIMES EASIER with the ProspectsPLUS! FSBO Scheduled Campaigns.

In one quick order, you can schedule FSBO postcards to go out for 27 days in a row and own 100% mindshare of the FSBO market.

And YOU DON’T PAY until each mailing goes out (change or cancel up until the night prior to mailing)!

To Launch a FSBO Scheduled Campaign:

Choose Your Start Date (see image below)
Pick your mailing interval
Then attach your FSBO prospect list (you can even schedule a series to go out to just one seller).

To get started on your FSBO scheduled campaign from a desktop or laptop computer, click the “Go Now” button below.

GO NOW

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can get done today because, What GETS SCHEDULED, GETS DONE!

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

1. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent each month automatically to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

2. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists, including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here

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

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4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Business-Plan-3D-Book-New1-270x300.png

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one-page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Christmas Has Come Early! The NEW MASTER MARKETING MAGAZINE IS OUT!

Dec 10, 2020

The NEW MASTER MARKETING MAGAZINE is the ultimate educational and inspirational guide for real estate agents ready to catapult their business to the next level through highly effective real estate marketing tactics and easy, actionable steps.

Be sure to waste no time turning to the ProspectsPLUS! first time ever, “3 EXTRA CLOSINGS A YEAR GUARANTEE”. It’s an absolute game-changer for you and your real estate business!

Make sure the contents of this magazine are a “MUST INCLUDE” in your 2021 marketing success plan.

A Few Surprises That Await You Inside the Magazine Include:

The 50 people to add to your sphere to get more referrals
7 local market opportunities in your area right now
How to prove you’re the neighborhood expert & dominate
Go from one new listing to becoming a market maker
How to use Direct Response Reports to get more listings
How to uncover a goldmine with absentee owners
And, more…

Click the button below to check out the NEW MASTER MARKETING MAGAZINE, NOW!

And, don’t forget to thank Santa!

GO NOW

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

1. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

2. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Steal These 6 “Traffic Attracting” Autumn Real Estate Blog Post Topics

Oct 19, 2020

Blogging consistently can become tedious, especially when you just can’t come up with decent topics that your readers will find compelling. You know – those blog post titles that, when posted to social media, have visitors stopping by your website to read the story.

Fall, which started on September 21 this year, goes on until December 21 (based on the Farmers Almanac). So there’s still plenty of time remaining to write blogs about the season.

We decided to lend a helping hand and give you some tips and ideas for your fall real estate blog posts.

1. Real estate blog posts shouldn’t be exclusively about real estate

Surprised? Yes, valuable information about mortgage rates, market updates, buying, and selling is important. But post after post of open houses, new listings, and what your team is doing gets boring, really fast.

Intersperse your real estate posts with hyper-local information. Not only is this, too, of value to your visitors but it’s good for SEO as well.

A few ideas for posts that incorporate both real estate-related topics and hyper local information include:

Fall curb appeal

Your listing clients who are putting their home on the market soon will appreciate this information.

Don’t just give random tips, however, let them know where they can find the things they’ll need to get the job done, such as local hardware stores, home decorating stores, and the like.

For instance, “You’ll find colorful fall plants at Joe’s Nursery at 122 Main St. in Anytown.”

Fall home maintenance tips

This one is especially good for your first-time buyers. It can be in checklist form, an infographic or text.

Fall home décor trends

Again, this is a common topic on agent websites, but we’ve seen only a handful of agents who wring out every last drop of hyper-local SEO from it.

Visit decorating blogs for the tips and then point your readers to the local stores that carry similar items.

2. Thanksgiving (November 28)

Getting the most obvious topic out of the way up front: Thanksgiving alone can provide you with an endless supply of blog topics.

Are restaurants in your area serving Thanksgiving dinner? Write a listicle, including dining hours, safety precautions the businesses will be taking and how to make reservations.

In many markets, pre-made dinners have long been popular. If a grocer, restaurant, or other service is offering curbside pickup of Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings write a blog post (or add the information to the recommendation above)

Here’s one: “4 Restaurants to Pick-up Curbside Thanksgiving Dinner in [name of market]”

An excellent hyper-local topic directs the reader to non-profits that need help at Thanksgiving and all through the holiday season. Entire families often sign up to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the less fortunate. Ensure you get the address and contact information in there.

A list of binge-worthy streaming movies with holiday themes.

Netflix is offering:

Jingle Jangle—Starring Forest Whitaker and Phylicia Rashad, it starts airing on Netflix on November 13. Watch the trailer on YouTube.com.
The Knight Before Christmas—Vanessa Hudgens stars in this charming time travel-ish film. Catch the trailer here.
Bad Moms Christmas—With Katherine Hahn, Mila Kunis, and Kristen Bell. See the trailer on YouTube.com.

3. Best fall hikes in [name of market]

The air is brisk, crisp and cool – perfect for a hike. If you have a favorite local hike, write about it, otherwise, give a quick overview of hiking spots in your area.

This one can lead to similar posts, such as:’

Best fall hikes with your dog in [name of market]
Best fall hikes with your kids in [name of market]

Get inspiration from denverbyfoot.com, sandiego.org, azcentral.com, and democratandchronicle.com.

4. [Name of market’s] best attractions for out-of-town visitors

Thanksgiving is a family holiday and some of us experience an annual flock of family members from out-of-town. “How will I keep these people busy?” is a question right there in the front of your website visitor’s minds.

You may have to do some digging, but every town has interesting attractions to visit, from art galleries to museums and parks.

Maybe some of these pieces will get your creative blog-writing juices flowing:

Dcist.com – “25 Places To Take Out-Of-Town Visitors When They’re Done With The Mall”

Sacramento.cbslocal.com – “Best Places to Take Your Out-of-Town Visitors”

Timeout.com – “The best places to take out-of-towners in NYC”

5. Fall daytrips

Ok, so you came up empty with attractions in your tiny town. Suggest that your readers consider a day trip. To stay super hyper-local (and incorporate those juicy local keywords), feature destinations that are the closest to your market.

Take a tip from some of these:

Bigworldsmallgirl.com – “10 Best Day Trips From Austin”
Thecrazytourist.com – “15 Best Day Trips from Memphis”
Newenglandwithlove.com – “10+ Best Day Trips from Boston”

6. Best places to warm up on a chilly fall day

I don’t know about you, but I go out of my way to avoid Starbucks and I’m not alone. Write a piece about Starbucks alternatives for the rebels of the coffee-drinking world.

These coffee shops are generally locally-owned and loaded with personality. Here’s an example:

Rooster Coffee House – While coffee isn’t particularly known for helping one relax, Rooster Coffee House is. With a variety of different seating options, you can tuck yourself away in a corner to get some work done (free wi-fi) or enjoy the company of friends (socially-distanced, of course). Find Rooster Coffee House in Toronto at 343 King St. E, 479 Broadview Ave., 568 Jarvis St. and online at roostercoffeehouse.com.

Now that we have you in the blogging mood, don’t forget to use the posts to drive traffic back to your site. Post them in your email newsletters and on social media.

Happy fall!

Send the Fall Staging Tips postcard from the Content Card Series to promote your new listing to the surrounding area.

Need help targeting a specific niche of buyers or sellers? Use our prospect list tools to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

1. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

2. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Want More Buyers? Understand the New Homebuyer “Must-Haves”

Oct 14, 2020

Pandemic-related uncertainty has incentivized many Americans to want to “. . . permanently relocate to more sparsely populated areas,” according to Redfin.com’s Dana Anderson.

“Overall, searches for homes in small towns are surging on the Redfin.com website,” she explains.

“Pageviews of homes in towns with fewer than 50,000 residents were up 87% year-over-year recently, more than triple the 22% year-over-year increase in page views of homes in cities with more than 1 million residents.”

The ability and acceptance of working from home and new technology to make that easier has changed many home shopping wish lists on which “a quicker commute” once ranked high.

As long as there is decent internet service, small towns and suburbia offer far more security to the new migrators.

Residents of San Francisco, Seattle and the District of Columbia lead the way, with many expressing interest in homes in Montana and rural areas of Oregon and Colorado along with Nevada and Arizona.

Aside from a safe haven, away from the craziness of the cities, what else are these homebuyers seeking? Right now, what we’re hearing is anecdotal, but here’s what we’ve learned.

Space – the new frontier

“Stayhome” is more than just a term preceded by a hashtag. Isolation, hunkering down, self-quarantine – they all describe our lives during the first two months or so of the pandemic.

We couldn’t help but get to know our homes, flaws and all. I always knew my pantry was dinky, but two months of stuffing it full of “stocking up” supplies made it so painfully evident that I really resent it now.

Others have mentioned clients seeking more outdoor room for the kids and pets instead of having them constantly indoors where parents are trying to work remotely.

The desire for more elbow room is also topping the lists of luxury homebuyers. “We’re getting calls from people wanting acreage. They want grass, they want greenery, and they don’t want the city,” Colorado agent Jennifer Markus tells Mark Samuelson at DenverPost.com.

A lot of your migrating clients may have an anti-wish list – a list of what they don’t want in their new home.

Smart home security systems are all the rage

Electronics manufacturers are already seeing a growing demand for home security solutions, according to Zack’s Vasundhara Sawalka at Nasdaq.com. Sawalka also promises that new DIY home security is being rushed to the market.

You won’t be surprised then if you have homebuyers who are demanding such technology in the homes they view and your listings that offer it fly off the market.

We’d love a home gym … or at least room to create one

Gym equipment manufacturers and retailers are loving life right now. “I sold over 61,000 pounds of dumbbells, plates and kettle bells in the last eight weeks,” Stan Soboleski, operations manager at Fitness Brokers USA, told Anaridis Rodriguez at CBS Boston.

In fact, don’t bother shopping for kettle bells in New York City because you most likely won’t find any.

Even with many states relaxing restrictions and gyms reopening, social distancing rules create lines at the door and long waits to use equipment. Many Americans don’t plan on returning to their gym until the pandemic is over.

Enter, the home gym. Americans have converted their guest rooms, studies and even garages to accommodate their workout equipment. When they move, they’ll want a dedicated area to put all that stuff, or at least a room that they can convert into a home gym.

Smart agents will appeal to the gym rats in listing descriptions.

Agents we’ve spoken with, depending on region, also mention that swimming pools, pergolas in the backyard and floorplans that allow privacy are on many homebuyers’ lists.

When it comes to home buyers, it appears that we may have a “new normal” in the real estate world.

Send the Multi-Photo Blue postcard from the Multi-Photo Series to promote your new listing to the surrounding area.

Need help targeting a specific niche of buyers or sellers? Use our prospect list tools to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

Take advantage of this week’s FREE Direct Response Report, “Are People Buying & Selling Post-Pandemic?”

Download the “Post-Pandemic” Direct Response Report now and keep copies available and on hand. Use the PROMO CODE: FREEREPORT at check out to get this report Free (a $19.95 value). – Click Here.

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

1. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

2. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Struggling in real estate? Try breaking away from the herd

Sep 28, 2020

Never will you find a cardiac surgeon dispensing advice about gynecological problems. Nor will you likely find blog posts on pet websites counseling readers about DIY home projects.

Yet, many real estate agents have the notion that they can be everything to everyone. Those that typically sell single-family homes think nothing of listing a condo. Those that list mobile homes don’t hesitate to take on a luxury home listing.

While this may be ok for your bottom line, it does a real disservice to real estate consumers. In all other professions they have a choice of specialists.

They can consult a divorce attorney instead of a bankruptcy lawyer. When they need a root canal, they see an endodontist not an orthodontist and they can take their Porsche to a mechanic who specializes in them.

Remaining a real estate generalist is easier. It’s safer. After all, you don’t want to miss out on even one deal by narrowing your business focus, right?

What’s unique about that?

It’s unfortunate so many real estate agents harbor a reluctance to break away from the herd. The truth is, however, if you always follow the leader you will always be behind.

Then, there’s that lump in the gut when you think of closing off your business to some parts of the real estate industry and narrowing your focus to only one or two specialties.

This move away from being “a jack-of-all-trades but the master of none” is necessary if you’re to become the best in the market in your niche.

Seth Godin, blogging master and best-selling author, suggests that real estate agents should consider “micro-specialization.”

Choose a niche and work to dominate it.

Step away from the Herd

“… you’re either the best in the world (where ‘world’ can be a tiny slice of the environment) or you’re invisible,” Godin continues.

He says that to become “visible,” requires “… being Draconian in your choices. No, you can’t also do a little of this or a little of that. Best in your world means burning your other bridges and obsessing,” Godin says.

Scary thought, right?

Let’s look at a scenario:

You’re an agent in Las Vegas, chasing after every lead that comes your way – single family homes, duplexes, condos, whatever, you’ll take it. Your website even proclaims as much – “I can help you will all your real estate needs!”

If you consider yourself the average agent, you make about $45,610 a year, give or take a few dollars, according to Daniel Bortz at Realtor.com.

Suppose you decide to step away from being “average” and that you will specialize in listing and selling high-rise condos. Last year, 607 Las Vegas high rise condo units sold, with an average sales price of $598,728. This represents a commission of about $17,962 per side (based on 6 percent total commission).

As a generalist, how many of these condos would you have listed or sold? Be honest. The average Las Vegas agent was lucky to have listed one or two in an entire year.

The specialist that targets the high-rise condo market with a laser-like focus and dominates the brand as the niche expert in the area increases his or her chances of taking more than a handful of those sides from other agents.

Let’s be conservative and say that you only close one of these condo-deals a month. Even on a 50/50 broker split, you’d be making nearly $9,000 a month in GCI, give or take a few dollars and nearly $108,000 a year – almost three times what the average agent in the Las Vegas Valley brings home.

Remember, our scenario is based on conservative estimates. Your mileage may be a lot better.

The bonus is that the more you enforce your condo-specialist brand, the more condo leads you’ll get and folks that want to buy or sell high-rise condos will seek you out.

Imagine selling 5 of these condos a month.

If you’ve been casting as wide a net as possible in the hope of reeling in the maximum number of leads, consider setting yourself apart from other agents by claiming a niche and dominating it.

Send the Tired of Being a Landlord postcard from the Absentee Owner Series to a targeted list of Absentee Owners in your area.

Need help targeting a specific niche of buyers or sellers? Use our Demographic Search Tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy). Or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

1. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

2. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

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