real estate self promotion: You’re in a tough real estate market right now.
- 08/23/24 01:13 PM
It isn't easy to sell houses when they aren't for sale!
Based on annualized predictions using the number of homes sold in the first half of this year, the number sold in 2024 will be 37% lower than the number sold in 2021.
To compare:
2021: 6.12 million homes sold in total. 2022: 5.03 million 2023: 4.7 million 2024: The annualized projection at mid-year suggests around 3.89 million homes will be sold by the end of the year. I think it will be very interesting to see the statistics when this year is over, because I have a feeling that where sales are falling is … (11 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Will rising interest rates gain you more listings?
- 04/20/22 01:16 PM
For quite a while now I've been thinking that ever-rising housing prices could not be sustainable. They would eventually reach a point where home buyers simply could not afford to go higher.
But - the experts were all saying I was wrong. They predicted that prices would continue to rise, often by double-digit percentages. That is, until about 3 or 4 weeks ago.
Now, faced with unprecedented inflation and rising interest rates, they're changing their tunes. While there are still more buyers than sellers, experts are saying that housing affordability is at its lowest since 2007 or 2008 (depending upon which expert … (17 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Is your elevator speech effective?
- 06/04/21 11:51 AM
You do have an elevator speech, don’t you?
If not, now is the time to write it and say it so many times that it doesn’t sound at all rehearsed.
In case you haven’t heard that term before – your elevator speech is something you can say in the time it takes to go between floors in an elevator. In other words, it’s short. Perhaps 30 seconds or less. You say it in answer to “What do you do?”
You might be tempted to say “I sell real estate.” Or, if you’re an investor, you might say “I buy houses.” Neither one is a … (8 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Consistent real estate follow-up – a must for success
- 05/27/21 04:33 PM
Consistent real estate follow-up is one of the keys to success. Without it, there is not much point in bothering with lead generation. And – without it you’ll have little chance of repeat business and referrals from past clients.
What does consistent real estate follow-up mean?
How often is often enough? What is the best means to follow up? What should you say when you follow up? “Consistent” means different things in different situations.Past clients and your sphere of influence:When following up with past clients and those in your sphere of influence, monthly is probably often enough. Even quarterly should prevent … (15 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Prepping for a successful listing presentation
- 04/23/21 01:17 PM
In today’s low-inventory climate, most real estate agents want listings – the more the better. You get them with good leads, combined with a successful listing presentation.
First come the leads. How do you get them?
In some cases, it’s through prospecting – sending a message that impresses a homeowner, so you are the agent who gets the call. Sometimes your new listing lead comes from a referral – and is almost a sure thing. It might be from the content on your website. Your bio, your community pages, your blog posts, and the way you present your listings have combined to … (3 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Real Estate Prospecting Can’t Be a One-time Shot
- 07/11/20 03:03 PM
Choose your target, then market consistently.
Over the years I’ve met agents who mistakenly felt that direct mail for real estate prospecting was the same as direct response marketing. They thought they “should” get results from just one mailing.
Unfortunately, marketing studies show that if they have the right list they might get a 1% response.
Real estate prospecting is not at all the same as direct response marketing.Direct response marketing fits into the “instant gratification” category. You’re selling a product and people either want it or don’t want it. They order today or possibly tomorrow, and that’s that. Quite often, the purchase … (15 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Seen while reading real estate ads
- 05/30/20 04:53 PM
The local freebie ad paper came out a few days ago with the usual pages of real estate ads.
Some of the agent promo ads with photos caught my eye.
The first was a glamour shot of a young woman dressed for perhaps a night out on the town. From the low-cut nature of the top, I wondered what she was selling. The first line added to that thought: “Relationships are important.”
The ad went on to tell of “Sam’s” many accomplishments, volume sold, etc. Then at the end, was the call to action: "If you want first rate service, call me."
Wait – we‘ve … (15 comments)
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real estate self promotion: If your marketing isn’t working, is this the reason why?
- 02/08/20 04:10 PM
This morning I started looking back through quotes I’ve collected, and I found this bit of wisdom:
"90% of marketing doesn’t work because it doesn’t get done."
Neil Bradman
It reminded me of someone I worked with once upon a time. He came into the office and found me typing prospecting letters. (Yes, this was years ago, and I typed them one by one.) He asked if that’s what I was doing and when I said yes, he said “I’ve tried it. It doesn’t work.”
I went on with my typing, and later learned why it hadn’t worked for him. He wrote … (35 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Remind your 2019 home buyers...
- 01/09/20 03:31 PM
A conversation last night with a neighbor reminded me that agents need to send their home buyers a reminder at the first of the year.
We were discussing property taxes - how insanely much people pay in some communities compared to what we pay here.
She said "Our property taxes sure went down when I found out about the homestead exemption."
I was startled - they'd been paying as if they were out of state owners for the past several years. For some reason she was talking with someone in the assessor's office who said "I notice you haven't filed a … (21 comments)
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real estate self promotion: I can't quite picture this...
- 07/24/19 07:52 AM
Every morning there’s an email from Realty Times in my in-box. Most days I read the titles, then delete it.
Once in a while, however, a title catches my attention, and today was one of those days. The title seemed so goofy that I had to check it out. It was: Understanding Customized Shirts as an Effective Marketing Tool in Real Estate.
Understanding shirts? What is there to understand about shirts?
I still don’t know the answer to that, but I sure can’t picture any of my friends at Active Rain taking the advice in the article.
The writer was promoting “cheap … (29 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Marketing your real estate services - first choose your audience
- 04/12/19 02:35 PM
You need to market your services – have you chosen your audience?
Today, informed buyers and sellers are choosy. They don’t want just any agent – they want one who knows how to help them in their specific quest to buy or sell.
And not every buyer and seller is the same. A first time buyer has different needs than an affluent buyer looking to move up. A divorcing couple has different needs than an estate executor wanting to sell a house in probate or a member of the military who is being reassigned.
And then there’s you. You also have different wants and … (19 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Do you sell time or savings?
- 04/09/19 02:39 PM
An email I had tucked away in my files cited “7 Scientifically Based Copywriting Tips.” The writer said to be wary of selling “savings” and to instead sell “time.”
Are either of those what you sell when you’re marketing your services?
I think so, and I think they’re both important to your potential clients.
You sell both time and savings to a listing client when you demonstrate how you will guide them to do all the right things about pricing and presentation. By following your expert advice and availing themselves of your extensive marketing and negotiating skills, their homes will be sold quickly, … (52 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Must You Write Your Own Real Estate Marketing Copy?
- 01/17/19 03:46 PM
Does marketing have to be a do-it-yourself project?
Some say yes.
Their reasoning is that unless you write it yourself, it’s not authentic. It’s also not your voice, so if someone chooses you based on that copy, then meets you in person, they’ll be disappointed.
Others believe you must write your own copy – for real estate or any other business – because you know more about it than anyone else, and thus can do the best job.
Of course, as a real estate copywriter, I say no.
Can you imagine the owner or CEO of any large company writing all of the … (7 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Can you afford the high cost of what you don't do?
- 01/11/19 12:42 PM
You know the cost of things you do, but the cost of what you don’t do is harder to define.
You know what your marketing costs in terms of dollars and cents for things you purchase. When you contemplate adding a new marketing method or purchasing new equipment, it’s there in black and white. You can look at your income and your budget and know whether you can pay those prices.
What you don’t know is the cost of NOT doing the things that would attract new clients, put commission dollars in your pockets, and build your business.
The cost of missed opportunities is … (13 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Can you afford the high cost of what you don't do?
- 01/11/19 12:42 PM
You know the cost of things you do, but the cost of what you don’t do is harder to define.
You know what your marketing costs in terms of dollars and cents for things you purchase. When you contemplate adding a new marketing method or purchasing new equipment, it’s there in black and white. You can look at your income and your budget and know whether you can pay those prices.
What you don’t know is the cost of NOT doing the things that would attract new clients, put commission dollars in your pockets, and build your business.
The cost of missed opportunities is … (15 comments)
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real estate self promotion: It doesn't get any better than this . . .
- 12/30/18 12:00 PM
Mike Cooper brings us a winning idea for the kind of advertising you just can't buy - an endorsement from your local newspaper, recognizing you as "the" expert.
When I owned a brokerage I found many ways to get in the newspaper - from market reports, to articles about the local market, to promotions we did - like the free pumpkin give-away at Halloween.
It's hard to believe, but after I sold the agency no one else picked up where I left off - either with getting into the newspaper (for free) or with sending monthly newsletters. Their loss - we … (5 comments)
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real estate self promotion: One Reason Why So Many Real Estate Agents Fail
- 11/08/18 02:07 PM
If you stop and think about how many people become licensed and then wash out after short time, the numbers are pretty amazing.
Tom Ferry says he’s quoting NAR when he says 87% fail in the first 5 years. Here in our small town, I’ve lost count of the number who started and stopped within just a year or two.
Why?
Plenty of reasons, beginning with the expectation that real estate is “easy” and will give people plenty of free time to play while making an above average income. (That sounds just about like the hype about becoming a copywriter!)
Maybe it’s that false … (55 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Why Should Real Estate Buyers or Sellers Choose You?
- 10/21/18 01:05 PM
Do you know what makes you stand out from all the other agents in your market? Do you know what makes you the best choice for prospects in your niche or geographic territory?
Quite often, when I speak with agents who need me to write an agent bio for them, they can’t answer those questions. In fact, some tell me that there’s nothing different – they do the same job that everyone else does.
Having known a good number of agents over the 19 years that I was an agent and then a broker, I know that isn’t true.
The mere act of coming … (55 comments)
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real estate self promotion: Try Real Estate Networking - in Reverse
- 10/04/18 08:47 PM
Are you networking – talking to as many people as possible when you attend social events, handing out your cards, and taking names? Then are you following up with an email or a call?
Those are positive activities, but only if you’re “Networking in Reverse.” What is Networking in Reverse? It’s listening more than you talk. It’s being more interested in your prospects and their concerns than you are in telling them about yourself. It’s asking questions and actually paying attention to the answers. It’s giving your full attention to the person you’re talking with. And by the time … (37 comments)
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real estate self promotion: New Agents - Yes, you DO have a sphere of influence
- 10/04/18 02:03 PM
Last week a new agent contacted me to have her agent bio written. Naturally, we also talked about building a business in real estate and what she can do to jump-start her new career.
When I mentioned contacting her sphere of influence, she laughed and told me she didn’t have one.
I had to laugh too, because tThat was also my reaction the first time someone gave me that advice. “What sphere of influence? I don’t have influence over anyone!”
First, you probably do have more influence than you realize. Aren’t there people who would listen to your recommendation for a movie, … (8 comments)
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It isn't easy to sell houses when they aren't for sale! 
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