And The QUESTION IS: Would You Cooperate?

There is an old saying in the business, "If you don't list, you don't last." Obvious to most, this is true because calls on listings are a primary source of buyer brokerage opportunities.

This idea is both about how to maximize your opportunity AND how to avoid the additional $50-$60 monthly overhead for your own call capture service.

This is not an advertisement. I'm only sharing an idea to get feedback...because I'm thinking about offering this (as a loan originator) in my south-of-Atlanta market area.

Consider:

• Who, besides you, is vitally interested in speaking with new-to-market homebuyers?
• Only prospects specifically interested in your listing are going to call you from your sign or listen to a 24/7 property information hotline.
• What if you could capture drive by prospects regardless of their interest in your listing?
• Is "cold calling" a captured phone number not your style; but you really like the potential benefits?

Follow my logic. Like the following riddle, the logic is not totally obvious:

What does a dog do that a man steps in? [Answer: Pants]

Now...What is one thing a new-to-market homebuyer is curious about and doesn't know yet? [Answer: How the homes they are driving by relate to their budget.]

So...my bright idea is this (See the sign, above). Of course I will include a brief ad for my services; then, provide 3 different Total Cash - Total Payment options. (I use proprietary automation that does this accurately and optimally...else the task would be way too much trial and error number crunching to be manageable.)

Seems to me such a service to listing agents amounts to a win-win-win proposition! The third "win" is for better serving your seller by providing the additional, apparently valuable information.

If it is your style to cold call, the loan originator can pass the Caller ID to you. If it is NOT your style to cold call, you still benefit by being recommended by the loan originator when he/she is successful in establishing a business relationship with the caller.

As for RESPA entanglements, I don't know. Seems to me it's barter: You're providing the advertising platform (the yard); I'm paying for it with leads and referrals.