“List to Last” is what real estate trainers a brokers preach to their agents.
So, how do you get listings, especially if you are a newer agent?
If done right and in a non-intrusive way, expired listings have already raised their hands and said that they were willing to sell their home in the first place.
It’s usually not the real estate agent’s fault. Sometimes it’s the home. The location. Or the seller just got tired of showings.
Oh, and you can bet that when that listing expires, the seller will be getting a ton of phone calls from other agents, which usually upsets them. After the 30th call, they will either hang up or let the calls go into voice mail.
If you don’t want to be one of those pesky agents but see the value of marketing to expired listings, there is a different way of marketing to them.
Here are some suggestions:
- Work with expired listings that are 30 days to 1 year old. Nobody is bugging them to list their home after the initial flood of agents calling them.
- Choose listings that fit within your farm area or homes that have a good chance of selling—if priced right.
- Send a postcard with a handwritten note and target expired listing that are 30, 60 or 90 days old. With newly expired listings, the home may already be relisted by the time the postcard arrives.
- Deliver a listing package, again to the older, expired ones. Do not put it in their mailbox (it’s not legal) but leave it on their door step. Personalize it with comps and suggestions on what you would do to get the home sold.
- Send a handwritten note after delivering the listing packet and ask for a meeting.
- Send a local real estate report every three weeks or so to keep them updated on local trends, days on the market, listing to selling price.
Make it simple. Choose 10 expired listings per month. Follow the steps above with the goal of landing one listing per month. Over a one-year time period, that’s 12 listings that you may never have gotten—by spending only a minimal amount of time and money.
What other tactics have you used to market to expired listings?
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