Special offer

I Don't Need Your Email Flyer. I Have MLS Thank You!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Jonathan and Associates, Inc

It seems that every day, some agent in my market adds my email address to their email flyer distribution list.  On the average day, I receive 20-30 emails inviting me to a broker lunch, some new listing they just listed, and or one they recently reduced.  Thanks to my handy dandy email filter, they all go into the spam folder and are rarely ever seen.

It's a shame because these services aren't free.  Email flyer services start at around $20.00 per month and many are more expensive depending on how many emails are sent per month.  Additionally, most agents are sending using their business email addresses, which results in every email they send ending in the much heralded spam folder as well. 

So please email spammer, consider this: this isn't 1985.  We no longer use listing books.  As agents, we pay a heap-load of money for a multiple listing service that allows us to access every home listed for sale anytime!

If I have a buyer for your house and you entered the information in the MLS correctly, my client and I know and are in the process of rejecting your listing.

 


Damon Gettier
Damon Gettier & Associates, REALTORS- Roanoke Va Short Sale Expert - Roanoke, VA
Broker/Owner ABRM, GRI, CDPE

I must say that I do agree with you.  I am not a fan of the real estate flyer.

Nov 05, 2010 03:10 PM
Susan Emo
Sotheby's International Realty Canada - Brokerage - Kingston, ON
Kingston and the 1000 Islands Area

My area is the same and I respond by demanding they remove me from their spam list and then forward it to our local board .

Nov 05, 2010 03:10 PM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

It used to irk me when I got those as faxes and they sucked up my ink, but I don't so much mind the emails for price reductions and open houses.  If I'm not interested I can just hit the delete button, no harm done.  Just breath.

Nov 05, 2010 03:13 PM
The Elise Bickel Team
ReMax Select Realty - Pittsburgh, PA
Leasing, Property Management and Sales

PLus, I don't know about your mls, but our mls will actually email me with all of the new listings in the area/price range for each of my buyers each time they are mailed to my customer.

Nov 05, 2010 03:14 PM
Susan Haughton
Long and Foster REALTORS (703) 470-4545 - Alexandria, VA
Susan & Mindy Team...Honesty. Integrity. Results.

I just don't understand what they think they are going to accomplish!  With so many of us receiving our mail on smartphones while we are working, it's just more junk!

Nov 05, 2010 03:14 PM
Jonathan Osman
Jonathan and Associates, Inc - Charlotte, NC
Charlotte House Hunter Group

@susan I'm always concerned that by unsubscribing, I am possible enrolling myself in the certified Chump database that continues to get this spam.  Plus, typically it's the board that sold the email list to begin with

Jonathan Osman - Charlotte Real Estate Update

Nov 05, 2010 03:14 PM
Larry Bergstrom
Crescent Realty, Inc. Spanaway, WA. - Spanaway, WA
CNE, CRS, GRI

Jonathan,

I guess you have to give those agents who will do anything to sell a listing a break - or not!

Nov 05, 2010 03:15 PM
Jordon Wheeler
The Jordon Wheeler Group - Fairburn, GA
J W Group Real Estate Sales and Service

Jonathan - I confess.  I am one of those real estate guys that send out the emails when I get a new listing or when the listing is not moving.  I must say I do pick up interest and feedback that I might not have otherwise.  I do not spend a bunch of money on the process, but my time is the price paid.  I have had one agent say 'remove me from your list.'  I think that is the most polite way to handle the situation.  Thank you for the post.

Nov 05, 2010 03:18 PM
'The Diamond Group' 'A Cut Above The Rest'
The Diamond Group @ Keller Williams - Lubbock, TX
Lubbock Texas Real Estate

Wow Jonathan, I don't understand.  I think its a great way to promote your listings, to your data base and also to your fellow Realtors.  Don't know about your MLS but about 20% of Realtors sell about 80% of houses, since they have the buyers I am pushing my listing into their reticular activator. Just Sayin'

Nov 05, 2010 03:21 PM
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

Likewise, I receive several dozen of those emails per day.

If the email is about a one time event, like a Broker Open House or a Realtor Luncheon, okay, thanks for the notice.

But, "See My New Listing at 123 Elm Street"... uh-uh.  You get marked as a Spammer.

Nov 05, 2010 04:03 PM
Virginia Hepp - Mesquite NV REALTOR
Desert Gold Realty - Mesquite NV Homes For Sale - Mesquite, NV
Mesquite NV Homes and Neighborhoods - Search MLS

Jonathan - I don't mind a broker open announcement, or something - but I get everything else in updates from the MLS.  I consider most of it spam, rarely read any of it.

Nov 05, 2010 04:40 PM
John McCarthy
North Hampton, NH
Realtor - Seacoast NH

Jonathan,

I'm with you and most of the folks above. I too don't mind a one time open house notice, but the daily barrage of email flyers clogs my inbox and wastes my time. And yet, I dutifully mark each one as junk mail or add sender to blocked senders list and they still manage to slip through.

Nov 06, 2010 12:26 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Jonathan, excellent post. In Flagler County the system allows agents to chose e-mailing to other agents, and even though it is not a service that costs money, it is pretty useless, and the only value is telling the seller that the agent had e-mailed to so many thousand other agents

Nov 06, 2010 03:44 PM
Laura Pearlman Broker Associate
Gold Crown Unlimited, llc - West Palm Beach, FL
Excellence Through Experience and Resourcefulness

Hi Jonathan, yea, I'm with you on this subject. I really cant stand the ones about new listings and status/price changes. I have access to MLS, if your listing fits my clients criteria, I will find you! 

Nov 07, 2010 03:20 AM
Catherine Chaudemanche - Edison & Central NJ
Metuchen Keller Williams Elite Realty / Middlesex County, NJ - Edison, NJ
Full Time, Informed and Involved- Results Driven

Hi Jonathan,

Don't hold back, tell us how you feel about it..:). I sometimes mass email my personal database.

Nov 18, 2010 11:34 PM
David O'Doherty
Clayton, NC
Clayton NC Homes, Raleigh, NC

I agree, I've always thought that same thing, if I was interested in your listing I would have shown it. However I am guilty of doing just that yesterday. I have a new construction listing that is now finished and wanted the lazy agents to be aware of it, I only sent it internally to two of our offices....I sorry!!

Nov 29, 2010 10:31 PM