Thanks for all the valid comments to yesterdays post.

I still take exception to listing the house for the seller's ego. It makes more sense for the seller and your business to advertise in a way that you motivate the maximum numbers of buyers as possible to contact you.

This gives you the maximum return on your advertising investment and the more buyers you have contacting you the better resource you are for your sellers. In fact, if you work your business to develop a stable of buyers, you can tell the seller - we have ### of buyers in our data base right now. This house may be perfect for one of them and we are always actively engaged in prospecting for new buyeres.

Many sellers think listing agents are sitting around doing little to earn their commissions. Thus, all the discount services and congressional hearings.

And look at the stats - where buyers come from:

• 40% Firm Recognition or Salesperson Contact
• 20 % For Sale Sign
• 18% Responded to ad, but purchased a different property
• 8% Responded to Open House, but purchased a different home
• 7% Referral by relocation service
• 3% Purchased advertised property
• 1% Bought open house they saw
• 3% Combination of other reasons

So 3% of the people who respond to a specific ad purchase that property. How many people eliminated that house from consideration just by reading the ad. That's a lot of potential business down the drain. I think most would agree that the more houses you sell, the bigger your market share, the better off the seller is. Many agents run a lopsided business - the listing side. 

If your orientation is that the buyer side is too much work and hassle, then you are possibly not keeping up with trends and leveraging the dynamics to your advantage enough.

The Younger Generation and those most comfortable with technology:

• Spend almost 9 weeks on the Internet and visiting properties before contacting an agent.
• 51% Found their agent online.
• 38% Through a search engine.
  
• Visit an average of ten homes in 4 to 5 weeks 

Once we have a signed agreement with a buyer and they are on Listing Alert, we have them visit homes at their convenience, when they find something they like, they call us and we set up a time to show them the house. Most buyers are very comfortable with this. For those that expect the traditional hand-holding, we take them around to several properties as real estate agents have done for years.

I guess the main point here is - are you experimenting with getting out of the box? 

We're still looking for someone that wants that $50,000 to start the new year with, 

Again, thanks for all the response. Please take the time to rate the post.