You would think that someone who wants to list and sell real estate would pay attention to the "little things," those things that top agents do that unsuccessful agents do not do.  A few examples from my recent experience: 

Open House Directional Arrows:  My home is on the water at Lake Anne here in Reston, VA.  There are a number of homes and condos on tehwater in our community, and these properties are always in demand.  This weekend, there were two open house directional arrows leading from the main road into our waterfront community.  Neither had a "Waterfront!" rider on the directional arrow. 

These agents can't even figure out how to add instant appeal to their directional arrows?  Unbelievable! 

A Personal URL:  My informal polls in the technology seminars I teach nationwide show that roughly 80%+ of the attendees do not have their own URL.  Instead, they have URLs such as: 

• Sarah.Jenkins@ABCRealty.com
• Bruce@hotmail.com
• Sandra@AOL.com

These agents haven't figured out that #1 causes major problems if they change firms, #2 shows consumers that they are cheapskates and #3 shows the consumer is a "rookie" when it comes to today's technology?  Neither #1, #2 or #3 has figured out the value of a personal URL for their email and Web site and blog?  Unbelievable! 

Not Returning Messages From Their Web Site Within One Hour:  Every year, I do an experiment: I send an email to four Web sites in different sized market areas around the country pretending to be a buyer.  I ask for more information on one of their listings.  My message says that I have sold my home in Virginia, I have $180,000 cash and that I need to find a home in their area within 2 months.  I then wait for a response.

In the six years I have been conducting this experiment, I have had only one agent get back to me within 1 hour.  As for the rest, the earliest reply came back in seven days and 50% of the agents never replied.

Don't these agents understand that consumers seek information from many sites at the same time and that they usually give their business to the first agent who gets back to them?  Unbelievable! 

Spending Too Much Time In The Office:  You have one in your office....the agent who spends most of his time in the office.  He researches, he works the Web, he takes up everyone else's time talking about non-real estate subjects, he bitches about everything (especially the sales manager, the broker and the top agent in the office).  He goes home at the end of the day convinced that he has "done" real estate.

Don't agents such as this understand that buyers and sellers don't live in filing cabinets and that the good agents who drop by the office do not want their time wasted?  Unbelievable!

Agents Who Don't Think They Have To Sharpen The Axe:  Too many agents do not go to local seminars.....much less to a seminar out of town where they could build an agent network.  They are "too busy," or they "can't afford the fee" or, my favorite, they "have buyers" they are showing houses to.  They forget that a "buyer is only a buyer when a buyer buys," and precious few of their "buyers" buy.

Don't they realize that the way to make more money, save more money and save more time is to learn what you don't know?  Unbelievable!

Oh well....when my own life reaches the lofty heights of perfection, I'll straighten them out! :-)

It's a great evening here on the lake in Reston...hope it's a great day/evening wherever you are, too!

Allen F. Hainge, CRS

Senior Instructor, CRS 206 Technology Course

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