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Trends: Working With Clients During This Challenging Time

By Anna Spooner on April 1, 2020
Today, we are featuring a guest post from Amy Snook, Partner on the Lang Realty team!

Helping Hands

It is hard to say what our future will look like in real estate or for that matter anything in our world, post this pandemic. While there is a lot of “bad” to focus on, I am really trying to focus on any positives that may come out of this time.   I am certain for many of us, the time at home with our children has provided us with opportunities that we most definitely did not prioritize in the past.

Realtors are constantly “on” – responding to clients, conducting searches, showing property, coordinating towards closings, educating ourselves, sharing information with our clients and prospects and so on.    So, to “have” to slow down has been actually wonderful.

I am spending time doing things with my son that I just hadn’t found the time – we played checkers, twister and even taught him how to cook (even though it is most definitely not my forte).

As for business – when I slow my mind down and really pay attention to the calls we are receiving – I realize that our clients, friends, prospects DO rely on us for real estate guidance.   I think this has always been there, but I just didn’t slow down to realize it.

Today a prospect called and asked us to list one of his homes for rent.  He had been listed as for sale by owner and hadn’t received calls – the truth is for this one, I analyzed how he was marketing the home and his price point and gave him guidance rather than taking the listing.

Why?

Because his margins are very tight and I felt that I could help him without his having to pay an agent for this rental – so he reduced to the number I suggested based upon comps and I had him reorder his photos, remove some photos, alter his write up and voila – the phone started ringing.

We are here to help – give guidance, be supportive, educate and be a resource for all.  As a thank you for helping him with his rental listing…. And unbeknownst to me…he has another property that he wants us to put up for sale.

For my fellow Realtors, be a trusted resource, offer guidance, continue your education so you can continue to be an expert.  Now is the time when you can create some blogs, record videos, etc. and work to share your knowledge.

At PrinterBees, we are committed to serving the real estate industry and helping your marketing be the very best it can be, no matter what.

Are you looking to raise the level of your outreach while everyone’s at home? Check out our real estate marketing materials today!

 

Amy Snook is a partner in the All About Florida Homes team of Lang Realty, along with co-partner Noreen Payne of Delray Beach. She has been practicing real estate and title insurance for 17 years and is currently the Florida State Vice President for Women’s Council of Realtors. Amy is also a director of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches and Greater Fort Lauderdale and a director of Florida Realtors.
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How to Market During Social Distancing

By Nadine Larder on March 14, 2020

Marketing During Social Distancing

Society has really been turned on its head thanks to Covid19.

Whatever you might think about the severity of the illness or the overall response to it, the fact remains that it has caused significant disruption in the way our society is operating this spring. And that’s going to make real estate marketing challenging.

Fortunately, you can still market your business AND real estate during times of social distancing. Here are some tips to get you started!

Use Postcard Marketing to Stay in Touch

This probably won’t be the best year to do a door-to-door popby campaign, at least not until summer. Fortunately, you can still get your smiling face in front of prospects with farming postcards!

As a lot of in-person events are canceled or postponed, you’re not going to have the opportunity to shake hands – which may be for the best right now anyway. But you can still maintain contact on a regular basis by sending monthly postcards.

By using a variety of approaches – from seasonal postcards to noting specific holidays to inviting folks to get a market analysis – you can stay fresh and relevant through the mail.

Get started with farming postcards today!

Lean on Social Media

Social media is another way to stay face-to-face without being, well, face-to-face. There are SO many things you can do.

Live video open houses. At a time when having a crowd isn’t a good idea, you might consider making your open houses this spring virtual. You can do a Facebook live at your listing, walk around and showcase the best parts of the home, and answer questions live. You’ll save time, energy, and keep everyone safer!

Use video to answer questions. Homeowners have a lot of questions, whether they’re getting ready to sell, trying to maximize their renovations, or just trying to keep their property in top shape. As a Realtor®, you have a lot of expertise. Share it online!

Post humor and inspirational quotes. In tough times, be an uplifting voice. Consider appropriate funny memes, encouraging quotes, and other positive content. After all, no one can get enough of baby Yoda! It can bring a smile, which can be exactly what someone needs.

Show Care as You Show Homes

Showing homes is something that has to be done in person. Be sure to take care of yourself and your clients as you do so.

First, start with a lot of photos of homes to help weed out properties so you don’t have to visit as many. Then, don’t go out if you’re ill and don’t be shy about canceling if your clients are ill. Missing one day of showings may seem like a major inconvenience, but a two-week quarantine is a LOT more inconvenient.

From there, follow the CDC’s standard advice – wash your hands regularly, avoid touching your face, and sanitize surfaces as much as you can.

Don’t Stop Marketing!

While we need to maintain social distance for a while, that doesn’t mean you can’t do your real estate marketing. Keep your brand growing and your face in front of prospects. Take advantage of print marketing, social media, and common sense.

We’ll get through this, and your business will be stronger than ever!

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A Quick and Easy Tool to Elevate Your Open House

By Nadine Larder on March 9, 2020

Make Your Open House Stand Out

Holding an open house is challenging. There are safety issues to consider and so much preparation – and all of this distracts you from the real purpose of the event, which is to show off and sell a home!

Fortunately, there’s a quick and easy tool you can use that can make everything a lot easier. Best of all? It costs less than $10!

Use unlined notecards to create mini-signs that help you highlight the home’s best features in a classy, unobtrusive way.

Cards Catch the Eye

Have you ever seen a small sign and found yourself leaning and squinting to read it – even though you have no idea what it’s about?

Me too!

Everything from bumper stickers to store signs to plaques at a museum draw your eye and make you curious about what’s being said. The same applies to your homemade notecard signs. Buyers will lean in and read them instinctively.

Go For Upscale Notecards

While you can get a pack of plain white cards for a couple of bucks, it’s best if you upscale the presentation to match the home. You can get plain cards in a variety of colors, for example, or even choose those that have a metallic sheen.

Consider decorative notecards that have a bit of a design on them for some special flair. You can often find a variety at office stores or online. Choose cards that have some weight to them, such as A6 cardstock.

Once you have the cardstock, consider how to write on it. If you have great writing, you can do it yourself. Otherwise you might want to ask a friend with great flair, or print them in an appealing (and readable!) font.

What to Highlight

Once you’ve got some fancy notecards, what do you highlight?

Walk around the home and think about what you would want a buyer to know. Also, think about the questions you get from browsers most often. New kitchen appliances, a new heating system, special molding, or recently updated windows are great candidates.

You can also highlight smart home features or eco-friendly upgrades. A smart-enabled thermostat or reclaimed wood shelving can be great selling points!

Hang up your cards with simple double-sided tape or use non-damaging hanging strips if you’re worried about paint.

Create a Curated Open House Experience

When you use notecards to call out the best features of a home, you’re creating a curated, museum-like open house experience. In fact, you may have buyers go back through the home to make sure they haven’t missed any of the notes!

This presentation will show your thoughtfulness while also drawing attention to key features in a polite way. You can be much more sure that buyers won’t miss a thing.

Ready to get started on your next open house? Check out our flyers and make sure you have plenty of updated business cards available!

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Hotel California: From BRE to DRE (Again)

By Anna Spooner on June 29, 2018

California DRE

Do you ever feel like the real estate business is a place where “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave?”

I don’t blame you. Especially if you work in California, it probably seems a little crazy!

Just a few years ago, in 2013, California changed the name of the  Department of Real Estate (DRE) to the Bureau of Real Estate (BRE). Now, they’re changing back.

Learn more about how this update impacts you below!

It’s More Than a Name Change

Yes, it’s a logistical nightmare (more on that in a minute), but the change actually affects much more than just the name.

The original change put the BRE under the Department of Consumer Affairs. This involved reducing staff, changing hierarchy, and getting all new forms, applications, and more.

Now, the department is being changed back to DRE and moved under the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency (BCSH). It is intended to reduce management tension and help bring down the sky-high wait times California real estate professionals have been experiencing since 2013.

California real estate pros are hoping for increased efficiency and more direct control by the DRE over budget, staffing, and other important issues.

What Does it Mean for California Realtors®?

Primarily, it means you have to update all of your marketing materials – again.

Where you used to list your title, “California Bureau of Real Estate”, and your license number, it now needs to have your title, “California Department of Real Estate”, and your license number.

This impacts advertising disclosures on websites, brochures, business cards, and print advertising. The effective day is July 1, 2018 – which is this Sunday!

The good news is that if the department is more efficient and effective, you’ll be able to get what you need more quickly. There’s also the hope that electronic filings will gain acceptance, saving everyone time and money.

If you haven’t gotten your new business cards printed yet, we’d love to help. Right now, through July 6th, 2018, we are offering California Realtors® a special deal. For more information, contact us today!

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Relationships with International Real Estate Agents

By Nadine Larder on November 19, 2017
Today, we are featuring a guest post from Christel Silver, Broker/Owner of Silver International Realty!

International real estate

A relationship does not happen overnight – locally or globally.

The first time I went to Germany as the liaison to Germany for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), no one wanted to talk to me. That’s because in many places, including Europe, real estate agents don’t do business the same way as we do. They don’t cooperate with each other.

You have to work hard to build a relationship and build trust. You have to understand their needs. There is a lack of inventory in many European cities.

If you have a buyer referral, chances are they will tell you they are not interested.  Since they are selling their own listings, they have a large pool of buyers themselves.  They need listings.  But they also know people who want to invest in U.S. real estate.

If you can help them understand how they can refer those buyers to you and trust you to do a great job, you can have a thriving international business.

Find Your Niche

You cannot be a specialist for the whole world – so find your niche.

The first thing I recommend is to join the local real estate association in the country in which you specialize.  Most have a publication that gives you an idea about doing business in that area.

More than that, volunteer to write an article about the local real estate market or information that is pertinent to international buyers about doing business in the United States.  Learn about their culture. You can sour a relationship by doing the wrong things.

Go to their association conventions. There you can pass out information and network with other real estate agents.

Do not forget our conventions like the National Association of Realtors where there are many possibilities to meet international attendees.  Have you used the global sites from the NAR?  You will find statistics and valuable information.

When You Travel Overseas

When you visit, meet with banks that have big real estate portfolios.

In Germany, banks are in the real estate business. I schedule meetings with the bank CEO and volunteer to show them around my state should they visit. I also volunteer to write articles about the market.

From that connection, a bank CEO called me when he was in town and asked me to show him some new constructions and some resales. The banks have connections to people with money and advise them about their investments.

When they recommend that these people invest in U.S. real estate, you want them to contact YOU! I have received more referrals from banks in Germany than from real estate agents!

Network Locally in the U.S.

Locally most areas have cultural clubs. We have many in Florida—Swedish, German, Brazil—just Google them for your area.  If you are interested in getting involved, attend some of their events and join.

I’m in a German club and I advertise in their newsletter, which is inexpensive, and I got two listings out of it. And once you make those connections and do a good job, they refer you to others.

Social media is great!  Look for groups especially on LinkedIn. As an instructor for CIPS, I suggest to the students to find a group on LinkedIn for the country you want to work with or your other specialties like oceanfront or horse properties and see what groups are established.

Look at who is in the group, listen in first and maybe respond a bit and if it’s something you want to be part of, write an article and get known, get interactive. You will connect with real estate agents from all over the world.

Do You Need a Foreign Language?

You do not need to speak another language – just build your professional team around you: attorney, CPA, lender who speaks the language. But if you are fluent in another language and you have a website, create a page in the foreign language, but also add keywords in this language.

Trade Missions

Trade missions are wonderful. I participated in trade missions to Germany, Columbia and Brazil.

We had real estate agents showing us properties and explaining the construction, which is so different. A trade mission is a good way to get a feel for the country and to learn how they do business, make connections and build on them.  Many U.S. Associations offer trade missions.

Join one and add a couple days for vacation!

Next Steps

In closing, I recommend that you get your Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation, offered by National Association of Realtors. This will educate you about all the tools you need to interact with foreign clients successfully and market yourself to international real estate agents.

 

 

Christel Silver is a full-time Broker/Owner of Silver International Realty servicing the East Coast of South Florida. The National Association of Realtor’s (NAR) President appointed her (2010-2014) as the President’s Liaison to Germany, where she grew up and worked at the Justice Department for 17 years prior to coming to this country. Fifty percent of her business is in the International arena. For more information visit www.silverhouses.com.

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Staying Professional While Helping Clients Through Hard Times

By Nadine Larder on October 26, 2017
This post may contain affiliate links. We truly love, use, and recommend the best!

Clients in Tough Times

We’d like to think that being a real estate agent is always a joy. You’re always helping someone move up and move into something better.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Sometimes clients come to us because they are in the middle of a very difficult or stressful time. Divorce, downsizing, or losing a spouse can all cause someone to need to buy or sell a home.

As real estate professionals, it can be difficult to help clients with real estate when their personal problems seem overwhelming. Here are ways you can keep it professional while still being compassionate.

Refer Clients to Appropriate Professionals

While we sometimes feel like therapists or counselors, most of us are not qualified to fill these roles. It’s tempting to simply be there as a “listening ear,” but then our contribution as real estate agents is lost in the shuffle.

Instead, draw some strong but compassionate boundaries in your business. When someone is going through a very difficult time, let them know that you care and that you want them to have the best help they can get. Which means they should talk to someone other than you.

It can be especially helpful if you have connections with therapists or counseling services in your area. These folks will be much more helpful to the client than you will, and it will keep you from having to carry the emotional burden.

Focus on Real Estate

People who are going through difficult times are often very unfocused. They have a hard time staying on track, and may not be good at making decisions.

As a real estate professional, this is where you can really shine. Keep things moving on the home sale or purchase. Ask questions to keep your client on track. Narrow choices down so they only have to choose between two or three things, not 50.

It can also be helpful to bring out the positive aspects of the transition. When done with sensitivity, this can help the transaction move forward smoothly.

As an impartial professional, you can give a clear-eyed view into what might be a very emotional situation for your client. This impartial advice is extremely valuable, and you shouldn’t feel bad about separating your emotions from the transaction.

Understand When They’re Just Not Ready

Not everyone in a difficult life situation is ready to buy or sell a home. We never like to “fire” clients, and it can be especially hard when someone is struggling. However, there are times you simply have to realize they are not ready, and walk away.

You do a lot of marketing to get a client, so it’s hard to cut someone off. But unless you want to be going back and forth with a grieving widow about selling her home for several years, you need to have a point at which you step away and check back at a better time.

The good news is that many times when you return to the situation months later, the client has worked through their grief and emotions and is in a much better place to pursue a real estate transaction. You can end up with a dream client if you just wait a little while.

 

Do you have any advice for handling clients who are in a rough spot? How do you keep it professional? Share in the comments!

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Build Trust with Useful Information (FREE DOWNLOAD)!

By Nadine Larder on August 26, 2017

Scroll Down for Your Free Download!! 

Build Trust with Information

Have you ever wondered if it was worthwhile to give away a free report or newsletter to your farm? It can be a fair amount of work to put one together – unless you can get it free (keep reading!)

Giving away freebies is an effective way to create customers and generate income. But you can make your freebies even more helpful by giving away useful information.

Why Give Away Free Information?

Giving away information can feel like you’re giving away trade secrets. Why would you want to help clients prepare their homes for sale, or take perfect listing photos?

There are a variety of reasons. They all revolve around one word: trust.

Free information shows you care. When you share information that’s relevant to your prospects, you demonstrate that you “get it.” The people you are building relationships with can see that you care about what matters to them and are willing to provide solutions. As a result, they will be more likely to work with you.

Free reports demonstrate expertise. If someone is looking to sell their home, would they choose someone who gave them a free report on neighborhood market conditions, or the person who just said, “Pick me!” When you give away free information, you’re showing that you know your stuff and it helps people choose to work with you.

Free content builds loyalty and name recognition. When you’re someone who shares helpful information regularly, people will remember you. Just like free giveaways that are useful, your reports, giveaways, and checklists will keep your name front-of-mind. People tend to want to help those who have helped them, so you are building goodwill.

Don’t feel like you’re creating FSBOs by giving away free information. Most people won’t follow through and implement marketing information. You can also provide information that tells people what to do without telling them how to do it, or information that’s unrelated to marketing.

Free Download: Fall & Winter Maintenance Tips

The information you give away doesn’t have to be about selling a home. Providing information about basic home maintenance can be incredibly helpful and build the know, like, and trust factors.

To make this easy, we’ve created a free download you can use with your farm area or other prospects. Simply fill out the form below to get your freebie!

When you give away this checklist, be sure to attach your business card. You want folks to be able to contact you if they’re interested in buying or selling a home!

Other Ideas for Useful Information

Other than this timely checklist for fall and winter maintenance, consider creating other types of reports and flyers that you can give away. Some ideas include:

  • Prepare your home for summer
  • Free family activities in your city
  • Neighborhood real estate market conditions
  • Landscaping tips and tricks
  • How to save money on heating (weatherproofing tips)
  • How to prepare a home for sale
  • How to take amazing listing photos
  • Anything related to activities, new businesses, or construction in your area

For instance, a friend of mine lives in a town that has free music on Fridays during the summer. Simply providing a flyer of the bands that are playing, along with the time and location, would be a great giveaway for her! The possibilities are limitless. Get started today by downloading the FREE Fall & Winter Maintenance Checklist for your prospects or farm. Fill out the form below to get your freebie!

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Fun Real Estate Marketing: Silly Holidays 2017 (Part 1)

By Anna Spooner on January 26, 2017

Silly Holidays Real Estate Marketing

Are you tired of doing the same thing with your marketing month after month and year after year? Well, I have good news for you – it’s easy to shake things up!

Holidays can be a great way to connect with prospects and former clients, build your brand, and bring a smile to someone’s face. But we all know that everyone sends postcards and notecards around Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and other major holidays.

So – why not be different? Why not find a playful, fun holiday that you can celebrate with a postcard mailing, special event, or outreach?

Here are some great ideas for the first half of the year:

First Quarter: Fun Holidays in January – March

Kicking of the new year with something other than the norm is a great way to stand out to prospects and clients. Here are some unusual first quarter holidays:

  • January 4th, Trivia Day: Consider posting some trivia on your Facebook page or website, and offering a prize for the person who gets the most right.
  • January 13th, National Rubber Duckie Day: Who doesn’t love rubber duckies? Send out a postcard or letter featuring a picture of a rubber duck, or do a toy drive for charity.
  • January 19th, National Popcorn Day: Celebrate national popcorn day by going door-to-door in your target neighborhood handing out microwave popcorn and business cards.
  • February 7th, Send a Card to a Friend Day: Celebrate by sending notecards to former clients or prospects.
  • February 15th, National Gum Drop Day: You can send out candy, pass it out door to door, or host a gum drop themed event at your office.
  • March 11th, Johnny Appleseed Day: Connect with prospects in your target neighborhood by holding a funny Johnny Appleseed party, with apple pie, apple juice, and apple trivia.
  • March 23rd, National Chip and Dip Day: Invite key contacts or partners out for drinks with chips and salsa to reconnect and strengthen relationships.

Second Quarter: Fun Holidays in April – June

As we move into the busy season for real estate, don’t let your marketing lag! Plan ahead to celebrate these fun holidays in the spring and summer months:

  • April 2nd, International Children’s Book Day: Host a read-in at a local library to celebrate children’s literacy, and have business cards available for their parents.
  • April 10th, National Siblings Day: Share a story on social media about you and your siblings if you have them; if not, ask your clients and friends to share their own stories!
  • May 4th, Star Wars Day: May the Fourth Be With You! Participate in a Star Wars themed event, or share funny puns that can be used throughout the year.
  • May 15th, National Chocolate Chip Day: Post a video of yourself enjoying chocolate chip cookies or ice cream, or deliver cookies to your best clients.
  • June 7th, National Chocolate Ice Cream Day: Consider hosting an ice cream social to connect with your community, or take a poll on social media about everyone’s favorite flavor of ice cream.
  • June 18th, National Splurge Day: Consider holding a raffle where you offer a high-value reward, or ask your online community about their biggest purchase!

This is just the beginning – I’ll be sharing tips for the second half of the year tomorrow. But for now, get out your calendar and choose a couple of holidays per quarter. It will help you reach out to prospects and former clients while also having fun!

What’s your favorite off-beat holiday? Share in the comments!

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Advice Your Buyers Are Getting: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

By Anna Spooner on January 9, 2017

Advice Buyers Receive

When someone is ready to buy a home, it’s 99% certain that they are going to look up advice on how to go about the process. Even folks who are not first-time buyers look for information because they assume, correctly, that the market has changed a lot since they last purchased.

It’d be great if people took advice from you or another qualified professional, but unfortunately, they don’t. As a result, some of the information they receive is good, some is bad, and some is downright ugly.

However, being a great buyer’s agent means knowing what people are being told and how you’ll react to common question and objections. To help, here’s a list of popular advice given to buyers and how to be ready to respond.

“Don’t Buy in a Renter’s Neighborhood”

The Advice:

The idea with this advice is that it only takes a few bad renters to make the neighborhood undesirable to both the buyer and any potential residents that the client may eventually want to sell to. Similar advice is to be sure there are families on the street if you plan to have a family, so your kids have someone to play with.

How to Respond:

First, encourage the buyer to take the long view and realize that things change. Once they have a family, there may be several other families on the street. Or, the families there now may move away. In addition, there can always be renters in a neighborhood. It’s totally outside their control.

Secondly, do your best to match them with a home that fits their needs. Is there an area they could buy in where the HOA prohibits renting? Is there a neighborhood known for great schools that would naturally attract a lot of families with kids?

“Think Long Term – Look for Bones and Resale Value”

The Advice:

A lot of advice to homebuyers, especially first-timers, is to look past the initial appearance. People are encouraged to overlook junk and ignore staging, and just look at the bones of the house. In addition, buyers are encouraged to think beyond today and think about how easy it will be to resell the home in the future.

How to Respond:

First, be sure to point out factors about a possible home that lead to great resale value – a good neighborhood, nearby shopping or schools, and a quiet street, for instance. Avoid showing homes that would be poor long-term investments.

In addition, help your buyers see past staging and make a decision that’s both emotional and reasonable. If a stager put lamps in a bedroom where there are no outlets, point that out. Make sure the buyers know the value they’re getting in a good quality home, not one with pretty “makeup.”

“Know the WHOLE Cost of Owning the Home”

The Advice:

Buyers are frequently told not to budget for the mortgage alone, but also for taxes, HOA fees, upkeep, closing costs, and more. This is great advice because it ensures your buyer is ready to follow through with closing and is much less likely to get cold feet or buyer’s remorse.

How to Respond:

Provide excellent information! Be a buyer’s agent that is truly on your client’s side. Don’t show them homes “just out of range” to try to score a larger commission. That strategy makes the customer feel frustrated and disrespected. Also, it can backfire and lead to a buyer backing out before closing.

By being a buyer’s agent that helps your client understand the full cost of home ownership, you’ll be providing excellent service and generating a lot of good will that will help bring in referrals and great reviews.

“Get an Inspection to Avoid a Lemon”

The Advice:

Buyers are inundated with horror stories of purchases gone wrong and are assured that if they have an inspection, these problems will be discovered before they buy. This is partly true, but not entirely.

How to Respond:

First, help homebuyers be realistic about what they should expect in their price range. If they think they are getting a move-in ready, renovated place with a bottom-level budget, they will be disappointed. Also, help them understand the actual cost of renovation – having a partnership with a contractor they can talk to would be helpful.

Secondly, make sure you have a partnership with an excellent and honest inspector. Let the homeowners know that not all inspectors are created equal and that if they use your resource, you know they’re getting a good one.

Finally, help buyers be realistic about what a home inspection will uncover. An inspection is not a Mike-Holmes-style gut and rebuild. It won’t find everything that might need to be fixed. And repairs are part of owning a home – no inspection will change that.

“Don’t Worry About Being Pre-Approved for a Mortgage”

The Advice:

This is advice that a buyer is likely to get from a friend or relative rather than a buyer’s class or online article. The idea is that a pre-approval isn’t official anyway and that if you’re just starting to look it’s not worth the time or hassle.

How to Respond:

Let a potential buyer know that if they are not pre-approved for a mortgage before looking at homes, they won’t be able to put in an offer on a home they love. It also helps them be clear about their actual budget. Remind them how quickly homes go, and that by the time they get vetted for a mortgage the home they wanted will probably already be purchased by someone else.

You can also choose not to work with buyers who are not pre-approved, to avoid wasting your time. Of course, you should try to convince them to pre-approve before you give up on them.

“You Don’t Need an Agent, Especially if You Buy a FSBO”

The Advice:

People who mistrust real estate agents will tell home buyers to avoid using them. The assumption is that the purchaser and seller are two honest people who will do the deal themselves and cut out the middleman. Both sides supposedly save money.

How to Respond:

This is terrible advice, and not just because Realtors® need to eat. Buying a home is a very complicated process, contracts are incredibly detailed, and inspections, assessments, and closing have a lot of moving parts that can go wrong.

The key is to help home buyers recognize that this is not the same as buying a new pair of jeans or even a new car. They could end up stuck with a home that’s in poor shape, with little to no recourse, because they didn’t handle the legal side correctly. For the biggest investment of their lives, they can’t afford to take that risk.

Are You Ready for Your Buyer?

This article only scratches the surface of the advice buyers receive. By keeping in mind the fact that clients are receiving a lot of advice, much of it from unreliable sources, you are better prepared as a buyer’s agent.

Using your print marketing to address some common misconceptions that buyers have is a good way to build trust and educate your prospects. Whether you need postcards or brochures, Printerbees is here to help!

What’s the craziest advice a buyer has told you they received? Share in the comments!

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3 Keys to Measuring Real Estate Marketing

By Anna Spooner on October 18, 2016

Keys to Measuring Real Estate Marketing

They say you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and it’s true. The last thing you want to be doing as a Realtor® is throwing your hard-earned money after marketing that simply isn’t working. Everyone has big promises, but every market is different. How can you know if your marketing efforts are really making a difference?

Determine Your Response Rate

Rather than simply throwing advertising out to your market and hoping for the best, create trackable marketing campaigns. Your postcards can ask recipients to go to your website and enter a specific code to get a free download. Your online marketing can use trackable links. You can even use QR Codes to track responses to specific mailings.

The point is, you want to know where someone saw your information when they chose to respond. Rather than relying on them to tell you, and then tracking the results manually, do it automatically. That way, faulty memories – yours or your client’s – won’t derail your system.

Once you know what’s causing people to respond, tracking your response rate is easy. How many people used the QR code, compared to how many postcards you mailed? How many people clicked that particular link, compared to how much you spent or how many views you got?

Compare your response rate among your marketing strategies. Does one stand above the rest? Then compare your response rates to the general or industry averages for that strategy. That way, you can see what’s working well in your market specifically.

Determine Your Conversion Rate

Once you’ve determined what strategies get you the best responses, it’s time to see which group of repliers does best on converting.

Do you find that folks who use the QR code seem less interested in an appointment than someone who uses a link? How many people who download a free resource from your site turn into an appointment within a few months of nurturing?

And, once you have an appointment, what’s your conversion rate into listings or buyer’s agreements? If you’re getting a good rate of appointments but aren’t getting many listings or buyer’s agreements, there’s something about your presentation you can work on.

Knowing your conversion rates will tell you two important things: 1) How high quality your leads are and 2) where your sales efforts need work (ie, getting appointments or getting transactions).

Track Response and Conversion Rates to Determine Success

A strategy that has a great response rate but a terrible conversion rate needs tweaking. So does one that has a terrible response rate but a great conversion rate for those that do respond. They key is to get your marketing to have the best response and conversion rates possible.

Test changes carefully, by changing one thing at a time. This way, you’ll know exactly why results are different.

The only way to do that is to track relentlessly. I know it’s a lot of work, but this is your hard-earned money we’re talking about! You deserve to be spending it only in ways that benefit your business the most.

Don’t get caught tracking only sales, revenue, and your number of listings. Take control of your marketing by evaluating each marketing strategy to see what truly works for you. If you haven’t set up your marketing to be trackable, 2017 is the perfect opportunity. Start tracking right away!

Are you ready to create your marketing postcards for 2017? We have dozens of templates to choose from, and you can create response codes or QR codes for easy tracking. Let us help you succeed in 2017!

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