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Ask An Ambassador: Should You DIY?

By Liz and Bill Spear

Real Estate Agent with Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com SAL.2002007747

January 04, 2022 08:35 AM

I'm routinely faced with a decision: Do It Yourself (DIY) or hire out?

Replace a broken oven door gasket? I can do that.

Replace a refrigerator cooling fan blade? I can do that too.

Replace the dishwasher motor/circ pump? I COULD have done that, but the work would be done much more quickly by a pro, so I hired out.

Real estate is much the same.

Each activity offers you the choice of doing it yourself or outsourcing.

Should I do my own blogging? (more on that later)

Should I overhaul my own website? (I hired out)

Should I do my own social media campaigns? (I've tried both, but for me social media isn't key to my business)

Should I do my own mail outs? (A mix or self and hire out, but the ROI wasn't there).

There are pros and cons for every task.

Cost?

Control?

Quality?

Time?

Effectiveness?

My blogging is one of the activities I won't outsource.

I know there are services that provide ready-to-post content and that content may be a good fit for your needs. Affordable, good quality & time savings are all key positives.

But that content ultimately doesn't fill a key need for me: UNIQUE CONTENT THAT SUITS MY LOCAL MARKET.

Providing unique and relevant real estate content is what makes my phone ring.

Want a condo in Sailboat Pointe? The blog post from 7 years ago still works.

Want a townhome in Beacon Hill? Another old post still at work.

Want a patio home in the 55+ community? More old posts that keep on keepin' on.

Those aren't posts that for the most part can be readily written by anyone outside my local market. They're DIY work.

You have to know the communities.

You have to understand what the audience seeks.

You have to be able to answer questions prompted from a particular blog post even years later when your phone rings.

It's work, and it's work most of your competition won't be willing to do.

The posts and pages may take some time to set up, but blog posts coupled with IDX search pages for me are DIY work worth doing. They put kibble in our pets' bowls :)

Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help,

Bill & Liz aka BLiz

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Ron and Alexandra Seigel

Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA

Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Liz and Bill,

I agree with you on blog posts. Many times, we have received inquiries whether we would like a guest blogger, and offers to pay us for writing blogs. We have turned them all down...

By the way, I can fix sprinkler problems...LOL A

Jan 04, 2022 09:13 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

I've not had to deal with complicated sprinkler systems, always as easy as finding the kink in the hose or turning on the water :)

Jan 04, 2022 10:47 AM

Michael Jacobs

Pasadena, CA

Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Bill (and Liz too) - time on this planet and other experiences in life open all sorts of possibilities when it comes to out-sourcing.

Jan 04, 2022 09:30 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Michael Jacobs

Gary Larson and The Far Side once again comes to mind. 🙃

Jan 04, 2022 12:46 PM

Liz and Bill Spear

I've not been averse to outsourcing for tech or creative issues beyond my skills (e.g. creating a logo). I can do basic carpentry, but it LOOKS like an amateur did it (fortunately the cats and dogs aren't verbal critics and use the catio and the stair barrier guards without complaint).

Jan 04, 2022 10:49 AM

Hannah Williams

HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA

Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Meo miX too Liz and Bill Spear Happy New Year 2022 :-)

Jan 04, 2022 10:19 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

With our quantity of furry ones, we go through MUCH canned food and kibble.

Jan 04, 2022 10:49 AM

Jeff Dowler, CRS

eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA

The Southern California Relocation Dude

Great analogy, Bill. It's probably better to make the right decision up front about DIY or not than to learn the hard way. And it's not just about money but who can do the best job...your blogging is a great example!

Jeff

Jan 04, 2022 04:47 PM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

In my younger days I was more prone to take on most any project myself. At that point, I had the time and maybe not the money. Now, time is in shorter supply and having someone that can complete tasks for me often makes sense, but a lot depends on the complexity of the task and the wait time for help.

Jan 04, 2022 05:49 PM

Brian England

Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ

MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

I rarely try to fix something myself since my handyman skills are definitely not up to par. I could certainly learn how to fix things but I would much rather pay a fair price to have an expert do it for me.

Jan 05, 2022 04:16 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

It's the engineer in me, if it's mechanical related I can probably figure it out, but the complexity of the task and diagnosing root cause that are most likely to have me call in a pro.

Jan 05, 2022 05:26 AM

Carol Williams

Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA

Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA

Hi Bill,
My decision whether to do something myself or hire it out is determined by two things: 1) My ability to actually do it, or 2) Whether I want to do it. There are many things I could do that I just don't want to so I hire it out.

Like you, blogging is not something I would ever outsource. For one thing, I enjoy doing it and there is no way someone else could instill my voice, personality, or knowledge in a blog post. If someone is going to hire me, I want them to get a grasp of who I am before they ever meet me. You can't get that from outsourced content.

Jan 05, 2022 04:42 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

And that last part is another key reason I blog myself. I'm not looking for "sterile" content provided by someone else. In general, I can remember my posts and recognize why I'm getting a specific call. Consumers get an insight into how I work and think and that's useful for when we start working together.

Jan 05, 2022 05:28 AM

Kat Palmiotti

eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT

Helping your Montana dreams take root

Yes, we need to decide on a frequent basis whether to take care of something ourselves or hire it out. I agree about the blogging... As to home repairs, I took a course at a college about a decade ago about how to do some simple home repairs myself. For example, fixing a floor lamp. It was quite eye opening to see how easy some things are. But for plumbing or electrical repairs, I still call a professional!

Jan 05, 2022 04:54 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

I'm comfortable doing basic plumbing/electrical things (e.g. replacing a ceiling light), but more complex things I'll leave to the pros. I'm not going to run new lines, add a breaker, etc. The Navy trained me with a healthy respect for what a live circuit can do to you.

Jan 05, 2022 05:29 AM

Erik Hiss

Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty - Worthington, OH

You can trust me for all your real estate needs!

I love DIYing things I can do...but it all comes down to time. If you have any (who does?!?!) and it's enjoyable then I DIY it...but most of the time I hire out to use that time for more important things like family time.

Jan 05, 2022 06:37 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

That is often the key decider: time.

Jan 05, 2022 08:58 AM

Ray Henson

eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA

Realtor

We bring a uniqueness to our writing that is difficult to replace, plus it is something I really enjoy doing.

Jan 05, 2022 07:24 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

There are people in this community that you could provide an "anonymous" selection of their work and you'd still know who wrote it.

Jan 05, 2022 08:58 AM

Dorie Dillard Austin TX

Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX

NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good evening Liz and Bill Spear ,

I live by the motto "Do what I do best and hire the rest." It works for me.

Jan 05, 2022 04:15 PM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

Sounds like a great motto!

Jan 05, 2022 07:42 PM

Anna "Banana" Kruchten

HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ

602-380-4886

Hi Bill - to DYI or not is a great question. I am one that believes in finding ones voice and writing from their perspective - not some mass blogging machine that's writing for thousands. I'm also one to delegate and hire out when appropriate and do what I do best. Really great food for thought in this post!

Jan 05, 2022 08:29 PM

Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Liz and Bill Spear

It's that personal voice that attracts clients that align well with us.

Jan 06, 2022 02:33 PM

Patricia Kennedy

RLAH@properties - Washington, DC

Home in the Capital

You are so on point about doing your own blogging. One problem with the Hire-A-Pen operations is that the same post goes to all of their clients. If you are with a huge brokerage who provide content for their agents to email, at least some of the people in your base with get the identical message from other agents working your market area. That means it's not so hard to get busted. It's also important to have your own voice in your posts, whether you send them to your client base and sphere or to your blog buddies on ActiveRain

Jan 19, 2022 12:12 PM