Starting out in real estate in 2004 was a great time and everyone told me you need to have a real estate niche to target key buyers and sellers. Something to put on your brochure, business card, website, etc. I had been in the Hearth industry for 6 years and knew the fireplace, energy and furnace business like the back of my hand.
So, I figured since I knew energy sources, that would be my niche in real estate. I could help buyers determine the best energy sources for their home, be their foremost authority on the subject and possibly save them some money in the long run.
Baseboard was 
out, heat pumps were not common in the Seattle area because we only needed the AC part 2 weeks out of the year it seemed. But furnaces and fireplaces were my thing. I loved talking about them and discussing the benefits of a gas fireplace or propane stove.
Needless to say, it wasn't a huge selling point. Yes, my previous knowledge was beneficial when the time was right but it just wasn't the featured selling point I had hoped it would be.
I loved being a buyers agent more than a listing agent though since the stress was a little lighter from that end. But the plan that I had to forge through as the "Energy Queen" seems silly and mislead at this point.
So, with great gusto I decided to attack the rental market. With easy access to rentals in the area throu
gh my local title company I was able to market every month to about 300 rentals in my small Puget Sound town. This actually worked. I was honest and real with them. I got a couple calls and actually got a couple people into homes of their own. Unfortunately, this was at a rough sub-prime time and I can't say for sure these folks are still in their homes. (I am not an active agent so I didn't keep up with them)
But finding my niche was a lot harder than I anticipated. I really needed to make a list of what I knew and how I wanted to project myself. But no matter how many brain-storming ideas I came up with, nothing beats actual experience in the field and learning what your customers really want.
What's your niche? Has it served you well? Do you advertise and market it to your strengths or just go for it and hit a target area? Thanks for reading and happy weekend!
Check out my connection in Montana ranches real estate and Fairbanks homes for excellent niche type marketers.
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