Very well said!  Realtors have to adapt to the changing market.

Matthew:

You post is somewhat sad BUT TRUE! Though my business is not on par with 2005 or 2006, I have participated in several transaction. The slowness has made me frustrated. I can't imagine the emotions of those without a sale.

I love working with FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS! This has been my niche for almost four years. These buyers provide me an emotionally rewarding experience. Plus, the loyalty of these clients is top notch.

GREAT POST!

One of the niches I work with is Down Payment Assistance buyers, and I have had lots of business, but the length of short sales kill it.

Hopefully the market will break open before long, I am still looking for my niche.

Matthew - as in most business's the big tend to get bigger and the small tend to get smaller with some disappearing, it sounds like some in your area are about to disappear

In the Hilton Head market, I think it's really important to find the niche market that works for you.  We have a lot of choices, as do most markets.

Matt - Not too many bloggers in my area, kind of a niche for me!

Matthew:  Makes a lot of sense.  Even in a good market, having a specialty or niche is important.

I like to specialize in "off grid" properties, as that's how I live.  Of course, I don't limit myself to that.

Good blog and true.  What what other successful agents are doing and do it better! Do whatever it takes to get your name off. Walk around with your company shirt on and pass out flyers!

Matthew, I have always been a strong listing agent. Now I am finding that working with buyers is where the sales are coming from. And I am looking at these buyers as "future listings". 

 Our "niche" has to be a bit flexible.

Matthew,

When we are able to adapt not only to we survive, we grow....nice post.

Thank you for your continued support of my post.

Good reminder. There are plenty of neighborhoods in my area that are totally saturated by realtors. They work the "good" subdivisions and the higher end demographics, and ignore the rest. All you need to do is pick an underserved neighborhood and make that your niche!

I agree with Erica...I have been looking into lower priced neighborhoods to farm. These seem to the ones that are selling anyway.

I am still looking for my niche - hope I find it soon!

When I think I've found it, new opportunities present themselves, so I'm still looking...or waiting for someone to tell me what my niche is!

Exactly!  Find your niche and study your craft.  If someone is finding this hard to accomplish, you can also write down your previous experience and how it relates to real estate - find the parallel. 

For example, I'm from the wireless communications industry - I spent 12 years in a place that was always aiming to stay ahead of the curve, set trends and be the most innovative.  This is great because it allows me to tap into my minds-eye and the way I was trained to think ahead, outside of the box and apply my second nature for technology.  So my niche would be to provide a unique way to reach the tech-savvy buyers through Mobile and hand held devices - such as text to cell features, mobile property web-sites, pod-casting, video casting and simply embracing technology into our real estate business.  Your experience belongs to "you" so place it into your niche and you're sure to stand out.

Amber