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"List To Last"..........So How Does An Exclusive Buyers' Agent Survive???

By Barbara Todaro

Services for Real Estate Pros with RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired 104763

July 16, 2011 02:43 AM

list to last Focusing on listings is a saving grace today in allowing my team to survive in this market. We are listing agents, and I continually market for new inventory. When an agent has inventory to sell, the agent will have income.

Most methods of advertising are created specifically for marketing listings. Realbird does a fine job of creating individual websites, flyers, slide shows and videos of listings. Blogging platforms allow creative marketing to be generated and exposed to the world.

Direct mail marketing is another source of exposing listings to find potential buyers. Direct mail marketing is a wonderful method of marketing, if one needs to reach a niche group of potential buyers.

There is also print advertising in the form of magazines and newspapers. This can be very expensive, and the cost can easily exceed the cost of direct mail marketing.

There are social media platforms that are very effective in assisting in sharing information about listings. Just to name a few, they are Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin as the most widely used by real estate agents.

How does one make the phone ring, if there is no inventory to advertise? An agent can do self-promotion and offer their services as a buyers’ agent; and blogging about localism topics will attract potential buyers because the agent is well versed on local businesses, events and other local information. Networking is as critical to buyer agents as it is to listing agents.

In my opinion, unless a buyers’ agent is affiliated with a buyers’ agency firm, self-promotion may be a very long, expensive proposition in order to reach a point of consistent income. Focusing on listings is the path of least resistance in the real estate business. We are all familiar with that overused cliché of “List to Last.” There’s something to be said about that!!

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Barbara Todaro

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA

Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Praful....one person can only be at one place at a time....and if you're a buyers' agent and working "a buyer" all of your time is now devoted to that one buyer who may or MAY NOT buy for many months....if I'm a listing agent, I can list 75 properties and if I am organized enough, I will and have in the past, created a stream of income that continues to flow.....list to last.

Paula....keep doing that....we have a very long road ahead of us.....

Jul 16, 2011 03:31 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Barbara, We've been fortunate to have enough listing inventory that we get the desired level of buyers. Most of our buyers are our sellers who are under contract. They're motivated and typically won't want/need to look at dozens and dozens of homes to make a decision, and the loyalty is already there.

Jul 16, 2011 03:51 AM

Carolyn Campbell

CCI Real Estate - Bozeman, MT

Virtual R.E. Broker, Bozeman Montana

Very well put...

Jul 16, 2011 03:55 AM

Barbara Todaro

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA

Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Bliz....that's exactly how my team members work.....our buyers are our sellers who need to purchase a home after we put their home under contract.....we're not beating the pavement with no results....

Carolyn....thank you....

Jul 16, 2011 03:57 AM

Michael Jacobs

Pasadena, CA

Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Barbara -- some of those old adages may seem cliche --- but they have been around for many years because they ring true.

Jul 16, 2011 04:44 AM

Christine Smith

Buyers Brokers Only LLC - www.BuyersBrokersOnly.com - Canton, MA

Exclusive Buyer Agent & Attorney, Canton, MA

Barbara....did you write this just for me?! I could not do it alone. Since there are not many agencies that are just exclusive buyer agencies, I believe ours is the biggest EBA company in the state. And of course we offer a unique service to our buyers in that all our associate brokers are also licensed attorneys. They certainly do a fair amount of marketing & lead generation for us & of course as you know, I try to do my own too. Blogging & Google have been my friends.

The other option for a solo person would be to become affiliated with the Mass Association of Buyer Agents who also does a fair amount of marketing & lead generation for their members.

And of course, when those buyers become sellers, if we've done a good job for them, they come to us for referrals, which is another source of income. And, we help them buy their next home too.

Jul 16, 2011 04:54 AM

Barbara Todaro

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA

Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Michael....usually they ring true, but not always....

Christine....I have to admit, you did come to mind when I was thinking about this topic....

Jul 16, 2011 05:26 AM

Dr. Paula McDonald

Beam & Branch Realty - Granbury, TX

Granbury, TX 936-203-0279

I don't know how they would survive unless they are acting as a Buyers Agent on a very successful team that has many, many listings.

Jul 16, 2011 07:04 AM

Barbara Todaro

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA

Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Paula....that's another option....if they were on a team and worked all the buyers....however, once a seller has a relationship with a listing agent, that seller usually wants the listing agent to continue to represent them on the purchase of their next home....we would have a difficult time passing off one of our sellers....

Jul 16, 2011 07:09 AM

Loreena and Michael Yeo

3:16 team REALTY ~ Locally-owned Prosper TX Real Estate Co. - Prosper, TX

Real Estate Agents

Serving as buyer's and seller's agent, and knowing how much each role takes, and knowing which role I'd prefer - and hearing "list to last" - many times, I'm not 100% sure if List to Last is the truest statement in the business.

I'm not disagreeing with you. But I can see how serving as an exclusive buyer's agent can still be a very rosy business.

Jul 16, 2011 07:40 AM

Barbara Todaro

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA

Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Loreena....I don't know if I'd call it rosy....it's much more time consuming and you can only be at one place at one time with one buyer.....you can make more money as a listing agent with less hassle.

Jul 16, 2011 08:44 AM

Loreena and Michael Yeo

3:16 team REALTY ~ Locally-owned Prosper TX Real Estate Co. - Prosper, TX

Real Estate Agents

I wont disagree about being a listing agent though. I'm not out there in the hot sun, home with my boy on a Saturday when I'm a listing agent. Guess what I'd be doing today if I showed buyers some homes?

I still do that, when duty calls.

Jul 16, 2011 09:27 AM

Barbara Todaro

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA

Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Loreena....eventually you will not want to work with buyers unless they are your sellers and the home is under agreement......you'll have to find them a home quickly and that's how you want to do it....focusing on listings will give you more free time to do whatever you want, including finding more listings....that's something that should be ongoing and I'm sure it is....

Jul 16, 2011 09:32 AM

Judith Parker

ProStead Realty - Charlotte, NC

CRS, GRI, CMRS, Charlotte, NC

Hi Barbara, what a wonderful post and I am suggesting. It hit me between the eyes this morning..."list to last". I need to focus each week on getting more new salable listings when I am planning my lead generation time. Thank you!

Jul 16, 2011 12:56 PM

Barbara Todaro

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA

Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Judith....yes, that would be to your advantage....the adage of list to last is one worth remembering.

Jul 16, 2011 01:00 PM

Christine Smith

Buyers Brokers Only LLC - www.BuyersBrokersOnly.com - Canton, MA

Exclusive Buyer Agent & Attorney, Canton, MA

Not to hijack the post but just wanted to comment on Paula #22 comment.......EBAs do not work on a team with listing agents. Many buyer agents do but not EBAs. An EBA is either solo just representing buyers or works with an agency that only represents buyers.

Jul 16, 2011 02:53 PM

Barbara Todaro

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA

Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Christine.....thank you for explaining that....please feel free to do so whenever....

Jul 16, 2011 05:59 PM

Jim Palmer

Chipola Realty - Chipley Office (850) 638-2777 - Sunny Hills, FL

Washington County, Florida

When I first got into this business 20 years ago, my father told me that "You can't sell from an empty cupboard". This of course has morphed into "To last, you list". Not that I would turn down a buyer, I just much prefer working with the sellers end of the deal.

Jul 16, 2011 11:58 PM

Barbara Todaro

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA

Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Jim....that was very good advice you received 20 years ago.....listing has kept me in business for the past 33 years and it will continue.

Jul 17, 2011 12:00 AM

Mike Crowley

Mike Crowley - Spokane, WA

List to last? Have not listed a home since 1997, have not lacked a client since. Being an EBA is the best thing I ever did as a Realtor. Is it for everyone? Heck no, but I have found 5 other Realtors in my market to come work with me, and they are all doing much better than their counteparts in the traditional offices right now. Did not do the numbers last year but my office sold more homes per agent for more money in 2009 than any of the 10 largest offices in my area. Would not go back for anmy reason.

Aug 02, 2011 07:33 AM