Do you have a marketing plan to cover at least the next twelve months? If you don’t, how do expect to achieve your professional goals? (You do have specific professional goals, don’t you?) A well thought out and realistic marketing plan can help you get through those all-important first few years by showing you exactly what you need to do to make money while helping you to control unnecessary expenses.
A good use of the personalized items you have is to give them away at your open house. Many of the people you’ll meet are just beginning their search for a new home and are not working with an agent and this will give them an easy way to remember you. Think about it, if someone gave you a nice coffee cup or a small plant or a scented candle, you would remember them wouldn’t you?
How do you answer when someone asks how long you’ve been an agent? The only acceptable answer is the truth. “I am just starting out but I am working closely with my broker so you really have two people working for the price of one” or something similar is the standard answer. Whatever you do, don’t lie. When you’re found out, your reputation will be ruined forever.
When it comes to marketing your services, learn the methods that others have used successfully before you, talk to others to see what they are doing right now, and think up new strategies you think will work for you. Ultimately, you will need to find the combination of what works and what you enjoy doing. If you absolutely despise the idea of cold-calling, talking to FSBO’s, or walking your farm then do something else. Finding out what works and what keeps you happy will be one of the more challenging things you will do but, if you’re successful, will keep you going for the long haul.
Make sure you give the impression of being friendly, approachable, and professional. People naturally want to work with those they feel comfortable with. If you give off an attitude, people will surely pick up on it and look elsewhere for help with their real estate needs.
Do you have all the local schools and the grades they teach committed to memory. If you don’t then you better since you’re sure to be asked. Get a list from someone in your office or prepare one yourself to give to future clients. Remember, nearly everyone has an interest in the local schools: families for obvious reasons, and others for property and resale values.
Don’t waste time! Reading the sports page or surfing the Internet will not help you find clients. Any one of a hundred things would be a better use of your time. For example, you could make a list of people you need to call and then start calling them, or you could write out names and addresses on envelopes to prepare for your next mailing. Have you seen the inside of every house for sale in the area you are working?
How can you talk knowingly about real estate in your area without thoroughly knowing the streets, neighborhoods, businesses, shopping malls, schools, etc? Take the time to really learn the areas you will be working. This type of knowledge is not only appreciated but expected and will help you stand out from the other agents you will compete against.
For a longer lasting impression, consider giving away personalized items to potential customers. If you do, make sure you choose items that will be around for a while. Good - magnetic calendars, mouse pads, coffee cups, notepads. Bad - pens & pencils - they get lost too easily, chocolates or other food items - they get eaten or thrown away.
Don’t be shy! You should get into the habit of asking everyone you work with to refer you if they know someone looking for an agent. Studies have shown that more people choose their agent from those recommended to them than any other way.
With all the shows on television now that show how to prepare a house to sell, you would think everyone would know what to do. Sadly, this seems to be far from the case. In order for your client to get the most money for their house, or even sell it at all, you will have to instruct them on what they will need to do.
Prepare a list of general recommendations everyone needs to be aware of that you can give the sellers at your first meeting. Tell them to look over the list and see what they think they should do to ready their house for sale. Let them know you’ll be out to talk about it in more detail in the next day or two. The hardest problem you are likely to face is that many people are unable or unwilling to look at their house from the view of a prospective buyer. They are so used to their home they can’t see it from someone else’s perspective.
The other problem you may face is the seller is unwilling or unable to do the necessary work to get their house sold. This could be for a variety of reasons such as lack of money, health limitations, time constraints, etc. Try to offer them a solution to the problem. If it is a lack of time or because of health limits, give them the names and numbers of some cleaners, painters, and handyman services in the area. If they claim a lack of money then point out that it takes very little money to get most houses ready for sale and every bit of time and money that goes into the effort is sure to be returned with a higher price or a faster sale.
The first and most important thing you’ll want to cover with your seller is cleaning. The entire house will need to be thoroughly cleaned. Explain that everything that is not cleaned will surely be noticed and will affect the overall impression prospective buyers get. Think of the houses you’ve been in that were dirty. Would you want to buy one of these for yourself? Could you see yourself living there? Neither can anyone else.
Don’t forget about pets. Sellers that have a dog or a cat need to take additional steps to clean up after them. They probably don’t realize how many people are either allergic to animals or unwilling to move into a house that animals have lived in. Carpets and furniture will need to be professionally cleaned and all evidence of the pets should be removed if possible. This evidence will not only include any lingering scents and hair but damage to the house by the animal as well. You should also make arrangements with the sellers to be sure the animals aren’t in attendance whenever you plan to show the house. People love their pets and you will likely meet some resistance here but remember, you are getting paid for the best advice you can give.
The second item you will want to cover with your sellers is clutter. Some people are better at this than others but everyone can use at least a little help. Ask your sellers to go from room to room with a supply of corrugated boxes and remove everything they can. Often-overlooked areas of clutter are the closets. Everyone is concerned with closet space and how can a buyer tell how much there is when he or she can’t see past the doorway? Make sure to include this in your list of suggestions for them to work from. Have them remove any stacks of books and papers on desks and bookshelves. All of these boxes, along with any extra furniture, can be relocated to a rented storage area if necessary.
Explain to the sellers how much bigger and inviting the kitchen will look if they remove everything off the counter tops and the refrigerator door. Have them pack up all the small appliances that fill the kitchens of the average home. Many people will ask about the appliances. Whether they stay with the house, or not, make sure these are clean as well.
Another item you will want to talk to your sellers about is removing many of their personal items from sight. This includes pictures, awards, trophies, diplomas, etc. Explain to them the people who come in to see the house will need to picture themselves living there and having all these personal things around makes it much harder to do so.
Once you have tackled the two biggest items, cleaning and removing clutter, it’s time to work on improving what remains. The least expensive fix for any part of the house is a coat of paint. White or off-white paint or another neutral color can safely be used throughout. In fact, it is a good idea to paint over any really bright or really dark color. They may like that purple or bright pink paint but very few others will. If the carpeting is old, dirty, or in bad condition you should ask about the possibility of replacement. If the carpet, however, hides a nice wooden floor underneath, they may decide to get rid of the carpet altogether.
The list of things that can be done to a house can go on and on but this covers some of the more important ones. All of these suggestions will take the understanding and cooperation of the sellers to accomplish. If they are unwilling to do so, you will be forced into explaining to them why their house is going to have to list for less than it might otherwise be worth if they really want to sell. A prospect neither of you will find attractive.
Whenever you list a house, make sure you send out a letter or other mailer to the entire surrounding neighborhood letting them know about it. You can ask them if they know someone they’d like to have as a neighbor, or you could ask them if they are interested in selling as well.
The one thing you can do that will keep your clients happy with you is to return their phone calls and e-mails as soon as you possibly can. And, conversely, the easiest way to get them unhappy with you is to put them off. If you know you’ll be busy then leave a message on your voicemail saying when you’ll be returning calls. Then, your callers will understand and not start wishing they had gone with someone else.
