Tips to Get Spring Listings

CRM SYSTEM

Start with the “Z’s” because chances are you never make it to calling those people. The reason most agents don’t call everyone in our database on a regular basis is because they feel uncomfortable making the “Do you want to sell your house?” call. But remember, the market has gone crazy for the past two years and I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t appreciate a phone call from you to let them know how much their house has gone up in value. That will lead you to either them discussing selling their house, or they might know someone who would like to sell. Don’t be intimidated to pick up the phone. These are nice calls to make, and people will appreciate getting a market update. Never hang up before you ask them if they know of anyone who is thinking about selling. Without asking for the opportunity your conversations are just jibber jabber.

PHONE CONTACTS

There are likely a lot of phone numbers in the contacts app on your phone that never make it into your CRM system. Agents often overlook these prospects. You may not know where they live, so this is a great opportunity to say you came across their name and realized it has been a while since you’ve talked. The market is hot, and you were wondering if they would like to receive market updates to know what their house is worth. This gives you a reason to get their home address and now you can add them to your CRM system to receive regular updates from you. While you have them on the phone, never hang up before you ask if they know of anyone who is thinking about making a move.

BUYER PROFILES

I often find agents wait for new listings to come on the market to match it to their buyers’ profiles. The problem with this is that the agent is never the first one to see the new listing and by the time they notify their buyers they are in a line up to see the property. Ask every buyer you are currently working with: “What is the perfect neighborhood you want to live in?” Use that information to contact every homeowner in that area with an authentic reason to ask if they want to sell. You can use a system like Cole Realty Resource or Telelistings.net to find the phone numbers in the area, or even better, go door knocking. Getting face to face with homeowners is always best.

WORK YOUR FARM

Spring is here. People are out cleaning up their yards. It is time to start prospecting your neighbors. Everyone is interested to know what’s happening in the real estate market. Introduce yourself as their neighbor, so they start to recognize you as their local real estate expert. Wear your career apparel and your name badge. Keep it simple. You only need a pocket full of business cards. If you feel like you need a crutch, print off some market reports of recent sales in their neighborhood that you can hand out while you are on their doorstep.

OPEN HOUSES

In my classes right now, agents are telling me they are getting 50-100 people coming through their open houses. Many of you may be thinking that houses are selling too quickly to hold them open, but you are missing a great marketing and prospecting opportunity. Even if you have to hold off offers until after the open house, it will give you an opportunity to generate multiple offers which benefits the seller. It also gives you an opportunity to meet new buyers, many of whom won’t have representation and 50% of whom will have a house to sell. Invite your preferred mortgage specialist to co-host the open house with you. They would love the opportunity to connect with potential buyers to get them pre-approved on the spot.

EXPIRED LISTINGS

Most of you would say there are no expired listings in the market right now, but you’re wrong. I had a gentleman in my Pittsburgh class this week who prospected an expired listing, got it and sold it in two days. The dialogue you need to use when you call is “I specialize in houses that don’t sell.” If they ask why you didn’t sell it when it was on the market, tell them you focus on selling your own listings first. Never tell them you have a buyer. If they ask if you have a buyer, tell them you wouldn’t know until you’ve seen the house. “Let’s get together.”

FSBOs

With the market being as hot as it is, many sellers think they can do it without you. The list of FSBOs is quite substantial if you Google for sale by owners in your neighborhood. Can someone sell their house themselves? Yes. Can they sell it for as much money as you could? Probably not. They are doing it themselves to save the commission, but you need to explain how they are stepping over a dollar to save a dime. It is not about how much they pay you; it is about how much they walk away with. When you call a FSBO, speak their language. Always say, “If I can get you more money than you could selling it yourself, would you agree to meet with me?” Never tell them HOW over the phone, your only objective is to get the appointment. Once you are there, you can show them how your amazing marketing will put so much pressure on the front door that you can get them more money and sell it faster than they can on their own.

DERELICT HOMES

Often agents will drive past a home that is in disrepair, thinking that marketing the Munster’s house would be too big a challenge. This is understandable when you see it through the eyes of a normal buyer, but with inventory levels so critically low, many of these properties are being sold for land value and torn down for new builds. This is a great opportunity for you to connect with builders in your community. If you land these listings, rather than spending money on marketing to the general public, cherry pick several builder contractors in your area and call them to see if they are interested in a tear down.

ORPHAN NEIGHBORHOODS

These are neighborhoods that are approximately 5 years old. This is the time frame when you see many homeowners start to entertain the idea of making a move. At this point, many are either outgrowing the house because they’ve had more kids, or their kids have gone off to college so they would like to downsize, or after a few years they just want something different. Most agents haven’t prospected these neighborhoods because homes haven’t started coming up for sale yet, so they haven’t shown up on any agent’s radar. Taking this one step further, even brand-new subdivisions should be prospected. Don’t you find it surprising when, in a new subdivision before they even have the sod down, someone puts a house up for sale?

BACK UP BUSINESS

We often drive past model homes in new subdivisions. If we do go in, it is to find out if the builder will cooperate with resale agents if we bring buyers. What agents forget to do is network with the onsite sales team for their back up business. Remember, if buyers walk into the model home because they are interested in buying a new construction, they often have a house to sell, and the onsite sales team cannot close the deal until their present house is sold. Wouldn’t it be great to be the agent they call when they need to recommend someone to sell the resale property? You may think the sales team has an established relationship with an agent for these referrals, and sometimes that is true, but most of the time, they tell the buyer to go find their own agent. Don’t miss this opportunity.