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Craigslist Lead

By
Real Estate Agent with EXIT First Realty

Ok, so you're not going to believe what happened.  Jeff (My Husband) had put a bunch of things on craigslist over the weekend.  When he puts things on craigslist he always gives his cell phone number. Yesterday we decided to go to Woodbridge, VA to look at boats and to take my Virtual Assistant and her family to dinner.  When we left, he forgot his phone.  Anyway, as soon as we walk in the door last night his cell rings.  So I hand him the phone and it was some guy wanting to buy an air hockey table we had advertised.  Jeff was giving him directions to our house and was very familiar with our area.  It was amazing, this guy lives in Waldorf and usually we get calls from DC and VA when we put stuff on craigslist.  So Jeff is giving directions and the guy new a local road because of the new houses that are being built.  So Jeff asked him if he was in the market for a house.  Jeff said my wife is a Realtor and she is very good at it, she's passionate about it and she is full time and told him some other things.  Anyway the guy tells him he just bough a house but has a house that he is trying to sell.  He said since they went to settlement on the new house the agent doesn't follow up or isn't doing anything to sell the house.  So the guy said he was very frustrated with her and wanted to fire her.  Jeff says well do you want to talk to my wife and they guy says.  No!  I'm leaving my house in 10 minutes.  I'm going to bring my wife and kids, we'll pick up the air hockey table and we will talk to your wife then.  So anyway, a minute later Jeff gets a voicemail on his cell phone from the guy and he says, we are leaving right now and we will be there in 15 minutes.  So I'm I start running around trying to get a halfway decent listing presentation together, something to hand to the guy and his wife.  Anyway, when they get here, Jeff takes him into the garage to look at the air hockey table and I go outside and introduce myself and start asking him questions.  The guy says, let me get my wife.  So I told him I was going to run inside and get a couple of things that I had printed out for them.  Next thing I know, Jeff brings them inside my house and we sit around MY dining room table and I'm doing a listing presentation.  So this is crazy, I'm doing at listing presentation for someone else's house at my house at my dining room table.  It was so weird.  Their kids are running around playing with my youngest son and we hit it off very well.  Bottom line is they couldn't believe everything that I do for my listings.  They love the fact that my VA and I both have backgrounds in mortgage and that they would be getting a virtual tour.   There current agent is doing the listing for 5% and not only did I tell them I charge 6% but I got them to lower their price by $10,000 and I haven't even seen the place, I hadn't run comps yet, I didn't even know where the house was.  Obviously I told them that I couldn't help them while they were still in a contract with their current broker but they knew what they needed to get the release from their current Broker.  They said they are going to work on that today.  They had 2 contracts fall through, and to top it off, the agents license expired so they have been dealing with the broker who apparently isn't to interested in selling a smaller price home.  They feel the broker made their money on their purchase and now doesn't want to do anything else.  WOOOHOOO for Angie and Sherrie.  The guy said that he was going to stop by a real estate office on his way to work and get someone in their to help him but then he talked to Jeff and he is glad he did.  Well that is my story for last night.  I told Jeff he needs to put more things on Craigslist.

 

Sharon Lancaster
Sage Executive Group Real Estate - Kelowna, BC
SRES, Realty Executives Okanagan
Buyers come in all shapes and sizes... or from anywhwere. Congratulations on a closed loop! Craigslist is helpful to us after all!!
S.
Oct 22, 2007 02:20 AM
Keith Hoffman
1st Advantage Mortgage - Lombard, IL
1st Advantage Mortgage - Residential Mortgage Specialist

It is amazing how we sometimes fall into something. It happens all the time. I once sat with an agent on a realtor open house and the first one who arrived was a person looking to buy a ho,e and not an agent. I prequalified him and he put in an offer with the agent before the open house ended. Nd of course I got the loan.

Nice Job,
Keith Hoffman
www.LoansAreFree.com

Oct 22, 2007 02:24 AM
Nancy Morrish
Stage Tucson! Professional Home Staging - Tucson, AZ
Stage Tucson!

congrats Angela.......you just NEVER know where business is going to come from. In your post when you're talking about the kids running around and so on, it reminded me of the time we had our house listed (this was like 18 years ago...)  The house always looked neat as a pin.......except the Saturday we were having a garage sale......and literally - the beds were all unmade, and dished were piled up in the sink from the night before..  a total wreck.  Well of course a Realtor was driving out of town clients through the neighborhood and they stopped and asked if they could see the house. I was aghast - but they were out of town people and it was now or never. Well, as you can guess, they bought the house. Later, the buyer confided in me that the reason they fell in love with the house was because of all of the neighborhood activity taking place on the driveway....  neighbors with coffee cups chatting etc...  

Really, don't you think that Seller's just want a Realtor who cares?

Oct 22, 2007 03:10 AM
Angela Crookes
EXIT First Realty - Bowie, MD

Thank you for responding back to my blog.  A quick follow up about this lead is that I got an email a little while ago from the couple.  They have already sent over the release papers so we could be getting this on the market this week. 

I love this website!!

Angie

Oct 22, 2007 07:59 AM
Simon Conway
Orlando Area Real Estate Services - Orlando, FL
Craigs has been good for me. We hit it on a fairly regular basis. Well done!
Oct 22, 2007 08:01 AM
Mark Miller
Long & Foster - Ashburn, VA
That's the power of the internet.  Internet marketing is the primary vehicle I use to sell lisitngs.  Our job is to expand the pool of eligible prospects to buy our listings.  Craigslist, yahoohomes, realtor.com, my brokerage website and others that capture MLS info free of charge and sites like postlets that posts listings to a variety of free websites is where the marketing is taking us.  A few minutes a day or an hour a week and you can let your clients know that you can get the job done.
Oct 22, 2007 08:14 AM
Angela Crookes
EXIT First Realty - Bowie, MD
I subscribe to the showcase listings in Realtor.com and I also advertise all my properties.  I use postlets also.  I love free marketing.
Oct 22, 2007 12:58 PM
Mark Miller
Long & Foster - Ashburn, VA
Angela - I agree.  Free is free.  You just never know where the next lead will come from.  I rented a house in Virginia to a family from California sight unseen except for the visual tour I created for the house.  I'll be selling these folks a house next year.  It all came from the internet.  You neighborhood is no longer your marketplace.  The globe is your marketplace and the only effective way to reach everyone is through the internet.  If you can reach them for free, you'll make more money when you sell them something.  It's pretty simple.
Oct 26, 2007 03:21 AM
Anonymous
Anonymous
Angela, Great post with very good points!  Thanks for the comments, they are very helpful.
Nov 28, 2007 01:24 AM
#9
Vangie Williams
The Evans Group DMV - Serving Virginia - Fredericksburg, VA
Real Estate with Personality
Hey Angie, I love using Craigslist.  I have gotten four leads from my on-line virtual tour flyers. 
Dec 13, 2007 10:25 AM
Frank D'Angelo
EXIT REALTY NEXUS Minneapolis & St. Paul MN - Coon Rapids, MN
Helping people is my business in Real Estate

Love how you are networking and marketing on AR. FYI, I'll be taking this exact topic to the next level and cordially invite you to attend it in person and/or CD. Hope to see you at Convention this fall in Nashville.

I'll be presenting a Web 2.0 break out session Called: Congratulations! You've Got the Listing, NOW WHAT?

It should help all associates fulfill their promises associated with the Listing Agreement as well as generate raving fans, referrals, sales and business.

Frank D'Angelo EXIT Realty Executives of Minneapolis, MN

Sep 01, 2008 02:46 AM
Lanre-"THE REAL ESTATE FARMER" Folayan
Samson Properties - Bowie, MD
I don't make promises.I deliver results.SOLD HOMES

The power of Internet Marketing. I need to advertise on craiglist more myself. Congratulations.

Feb 09, 2010 07:21 PM