A newbie trying to fiqure it out...

Hello Everyone:

I am very new at this Real Estate Business.  I passed the state license exam in January, and then went through the two week class at the end of Feburary.   So, I have been at this for three full months.  90 days.  Long enough, I would think, to have listings, and a sale with a buyer that has called the floor line.  But, I have nothing.

I am doing what I am told.  I have my 200 COI people that I send mail to.  I sent my letter of introduction, and now send recipe cards and Open House cards as they fit to my people.  I have a open house, (and now,  two, or three) almost every week.  I telephone the visiters the same day they visit the home to see if they need any more information.  The ones that are, in my opinion most promising I send a couple letters to and call again.  When they do not return telephone calls or do not return emails I stop contacting them.  Now, when I walk around with my flyers the day or two before the open house, I take note who is nice and send them information (letter of introduction and then postcards) as well. 

My best luck has been with FSBO's.   I have almost gotten three listings with those (two knew people in the business, and were not lying, and a third took a discount broker over me), but have not totally bagged those either.

I do have two active buyers, one from an open house, the other from a floor call. 

Therefore, I am using for my avenues of business: my COI, floor calls, open houses, and FSBO's .

Anyway, I went to a seminar yesterday.  The seminar was free, so all it cost me was the gas to get there and my time.  The seminar was actually a sales pitch to go to another seminar ($425 if you sign up today, but $625 if you wait - does not matter I have been unemployed for two years, working only part time jobs through a temporary agency so money is too important at this point to spend on a seminar).

The man at the seminar basically said Open Houses are a waste of time and same with sticking postage stamps on letters.   What you needed to do is "earn the right' for referrals from 100 people.  You were to telephone these people once every forty five days with information that was worthwhile.  Meanwhile you build a data base of people that could help these homeowners  ie.  landscapers, plumbers, etc.  because people just use the telephone book, blindly call someone they don't know and hope for the best.  Meanwhile, you have the answer.  You have a trusted person known to you that can help the homeowner.  And with this knowledge, as well as the knowledge of the market, you begin to earn the right for a referral from the homeowner.   So, he states, each of the 100 people will know one person during the year selling/buying a home and send that person to you.  Can you imagine 100 people sends to you 100 sales during the year?  Awesome!   A lot of people signed up for the seminar.

I don't know.  My company requires Open Houses.  And I do not feel them to be worthless (for me).  I get to meet people when I walk around with my flyers, and send postcards to my COI that are close to the open house location. Most importantly I do have a buyer from an open house, and one of my newbie coworkers actually sold the house they were holding open at the open house  (which I would have done as well, except my buyer did not qualify for the home). 

And, I love writing to my COI.  I keep in touch, and add personal notes.  But, I think I will make a list of people that I telephone every other time.  Maybe start asking them who they use for odd jobs around the house and what they think about the individaul and start building a list of people that can help my homeowners.  So incorporate both ideas.  

And the FSBO's are fun.  I love talking to them and to find out what kind of home they have.  I feel like a know a little more about the area market.  And, there are three more new ones around my home just in the last couple days (I have scouts on the look out for me all the time).   So, I am going to go out and visit them.  And hopefully, this time my listing presentation will be so good that the discount broker does not get the listing.