14 Ways to Get More Real Estate Listings
Want to Get More Real Estate Listings?
Listings are the key to your success in the real estate business.
The old saying “List to Last” has remained true, no matter what kind of real estate market we are in.
In our current real estate market (low inventory + rising home prices), many home owners would like to sell, but are holding out for top dollar. The challenge with this strategy is that they aren’t in the real estate business and don’t realize when home prices are leveling off or even showing signs of decline.
As an agent, this is the perfect time for you to go out and educate sellers and get as many listings as you can!
When you are determined to get more real estate listings, there are four areas you can focus on and dozens of ways to connect with potential home sellers. Below we’ve highlighted 14 ways to find those home sellers and get connected. Yes, you’ll find that several are ideas that you heard before, but before you dismiss them, give it a TRY.
Here are 14 ways to get MORE real estate listings:
YOUR SPHERE (Friends, Family, Past Clients, Local Connections)
Yes, you could potentially list the homes of the people in your sphere of influence, but more importantly, you need to connect with them on a regular basis and ask them who they know that might be selling their home this year. You can accomplish this in several ways:
1 :: Just pick up the phone! If you have 120 people in your sphere, call 10 each month.
2 :: Send a monthly eNewsletter that offers local news, events, market updates AND ask for referrals
3 :: Host get-togethers on a regular basis – happy hours, cook-outs or ask your top referrers to lunch
4 :: Send “Happy Anniversary” cards to all of your past buyer clients and congratulate them on their 3rd, 5th or even 10th anniversary. That may open up the door for a discussion about selling their home. You can also include an estimate of their home’s current value and that may pique their interest even more.
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(ALMOST) INSTANT GRATIFICATION
With this group you can market to them with direct mail and email, but it is much more important that you speak with this group and ideally, meet them in person.
5 :: Contact FSBOs (for sale by owner) properties. This isn’t always “instant gratification” but if you reach out to a FSBO that’s been on the market for 2+ months they may be more receptive to what you have to say. With FSBOs, you may have to stay in contact for a few months, but if you don’t give up on them and keep offering valuable information and tips, you will be the agent they call when they decide to list in the MLS. More tips on getting FSBO listings.
6 :: Contact Expired Listings. You can focus on those listings that just expired or expired several months ago and never re-listed their home. If you target areas that you know have experienced a dramatic uptick in pricing, it may be easier to connect with those home owners.
TIP: If you want new Expired Listings and FSBOs fed to your computer each day, check out The Redex and LandVoice.
7 :: Connect with Withdrawn Listings in your MLS. Quite often a home was withdrawn from the market because they couldn’t sell it at a price they needed. Those home owners may not realize how much home values have gone up over the last 2 to 3 years, so they may be very happy to hear from you!
8 :: “Make Me Move” Home owners on Zillow. Zillow launched a new tool that allows homeowners to post a “Make Me Move” ad, meaning that they will consider selling at a certain price point. In many markets around the country values are rising quickly so you may find that their price point isn’t too far off from reality and you need to connect with them.
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LEVERAGE YOUR CURRENT LISTINGS
9 :: Host an open house “happy hour” the weekend before it is listed and mail invitations to the neighbors. Not only could they have a friend that wants to move into the neighborhood, they will appreciate that you are going above and beyond to get their neighbor’s home sold.
10 :: Door Knocking before the Open House. Pick 100 homes that surround your listing and go out and knock on their doors to invite them to the open house (or just let them know you have a new listing coming up), it’s a great way to connect with others in the neighborhood. Be sure to share your home flyer with them and keep the focus on your current listing, but as you walk away, turn back and ask them if they are planning to move in the future.
11 :: Send “JUST SOLD” Postcards to 200 to 500 nearby homes. Include time on market and how close it sold to the asking price. We would recommend doing this when you have a true success story. For example, “123 Darling Lane sold in the first weekend for $22,000 over the asking price”. Something like that is going to get their attention! Also drive them to your website where they can get a complimentary home valuation. This strategy is VERY effective when it is a community that you regularly work in.
QUICK TIP: Always make sure that your current listing has great photos and a professionally printed flyer.
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MARKETING / FARMING
12 :: Send mailers to your “farm” every 4 to 6 weeks. Include information that is relevant to them, like recent home sales, market stats for that community, upcoming events, etc. You want them to read the mailer and not sure toss it in the trash. This is often a long term strategy, but if you are consistently mailing to your farm, you will be top of mind when they are ready to sell. More info about farming a neighborhood.
13 :: Target Yard Sales and Garage Sales. If you see ads for “Moving Sale” or “Mega Yard Sale” call them or stop by those homes each weekend and offer a complimentary home valuation.
14 :: Home Valuation Ads on Social Media. If you have a landing page or page on your website that will allow home owners to get an instant home valuation, you can run ads on Facebook and usually for less than $50, you will receive at least 10 home valuation requests. You can also promote on Twitter and Instagram, but Facebook is usually the best place to start.
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If you have any other ideas, please share in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!
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