Welcome to installment 2 in my "What I've learned" series.  I was mowing my lawn a few days ago, and I learned an interesting lesson about my real estate business.  Gig Harbor, like most of Western Washington, is a pretty rainy place to live.  We get a steady amount of rainfall from October through May most years.  We average about 39″ of rainfall per year, which seems to me to be plenty of water for a lawn to thrive.  As spring descended, my lawn looked great.  Thick and green and healthy.

Then we had 2 weeks of sunny, dry weather, and the lawn died.  I mean dead, brown, dry, crackly grass.  It made me wonder how a lawn that gets so much water all year could completely die after only 2 weeks of dry weather.  Couldn't it store some water?  Couldn't it fade a bit, but still maintain some green?  Then I got to thinking about my real estate business.

Generally, when real estate agents first get a "lead," we take great care of that person.  We shower them with new listings, follow up calls, check in emails, etc.  But after a few months of constant contact, many agents give up on that lead.  "I'll let them call me when they're ready."  "These guys will never find a home they like."  Or, the agent simply doesn't have a good follow up plan and they let their potential client simply fall through the cracks.  Whatever the case, after months of "watering" that lead, keeping the potential business well fed and healthy, many agents then allow the client to dry up after only a few weeks of ignoring them.

There's few feelings in real estate worse than seeing a home come up on the MLS with a different agent when you thought you'd get the listing, only to find out that despite your months of efforts the other agent happened to call just as the sellers were ready.  Or when you see a new house come on the market, and you think "This would be perfect for the Smiths.  I haven't talked to them in a month.  I'll give them a call!" Only to find out that they just bought a place 3 weeks ago at an open house they visited.

Many agents will place the blame on the customer, expressing disbelief that the client would have a real estate transaction without them.  That'd be like me blaming my lawn for dying, exasperated that it had the nerve to die without water after I'd let mother nature water it for 8 months straight.  In my business, I make it a point to have frequent follow up.  When you first contact me about a real estate need or question, you may be months, or even a year or more, away from being ready to make a decision.  That's okay!  I don't expect all of my "leads" to be ready to buy or sell a home immediately.  If you are curious about the Gig Harbor real estate market, wonder what your home is worth, are curious what a home in the neighborhood is selling for, feel free to give me a call.  I don't mind answering those questions, and I'll keep in contact from time to time to keep you up to date about how the market is moving. 

Photo courtesy of andrewds14 and Flickr.