With the mad scramble to get offers in on properties that are likely to be sold in hours all but over, listings are sitting on the market longer and agents are boosting their marketing and prospecting.
I covered ten things agents should do today in the first half of this article. Here is the second half with 10 more activities agents should do to market proof their businesses.
Save at least five new auto-property searches for yourself.
Use your brokerage’s IDX website or your MLS to its fullest. it’s never been more important to stay on top of changing inventory, price decreases, and withdrawn or expired listings to make sure that you’re able to advise your clients using real-time data.
Complete the National Association of Realtors’ Fairhaven challenge.
Assuming you’re a Realtor, you already have access to this important learning tool about how much you understand about fair housing. Log in and get started!
Preview a new home development.
Even with inventory going up, it’s likely that you’ll have customers looking at brand new builds in the upcoming months. Make sure that you are on top of the trends by touring some model homes. Double down on this effort by creating and posting content to your social channels!
Pull stats for a specific neighborhood.
Use the MLS, Showing Time’s Info Sparks, Realtor Property Resource or your favorite stats platform and create a micro-market report to share on your social channels. Commit to updating it once a month — you’ll be surprised at how quickly your followers will start to engage with this information if you post on a consistent basis.
Deliver five CMAs or property reviews.
There are countless ways to do this — you could pull a brief Comparative Market Analysis from your MLS, print it out and mail it, drop it off, email it, etc. The point of this exercise is to start a conversation with a homeowner you know by providing a summary of their neighborhood’s market activity.
Don’t overthink it, just do it. Send 10 handwritten cards.
No, you can’t copy them on a printer. No, you can’t use stickers to address them. Put some thought and love into a personal note — it might be the only one your customer receives at this time of year, so think about how they’re sure to smile and appreciate you as they read it!
Deliver 10 pop-by gifts .
Again, don’t just dump one of your company mugs on the porch and run away. Think about what your customers might appreciate and deliver with care. It might be as simple as a yummy watermelon or a cherry pie, or go for it with a back-to-school survival kit, bottle of bubbly or basket of locally-sourced goods.
Make sure to text ahead that you’re popping by, hopefully you’ll get a chance to catch up, see what they’ve done with their home, or meet a new puppy, too!
Host an open house
Yep, open houses are back! Now that properties are sitting for more than a minute, this is a great time to get back to this real estate staple.
Pro tips: Always have at least two adults present. Ask a brand new agent, your favorite lender or your title rep to come hang out with you, meet some new people, and create energy around a listing.
Work a floor shift
If your company offers floor time, pick up a shift or two. Even if you’re a seasoned agent who works solely on repeats and referrals, spending some time in the office is a great way to work on your business (including crossing off some of these tasks!), reconnect with the staff and fellow agents, and make sure that real estate still feels like a real job, even if you’re not as busy as you’d like.
Take a hike
Get outdoors, treat yourself to some time in nature, and get some fresh air. Leave the Airpods behind, smile at strangers, literally stop and smell some flowers. This market shift is the perfect opportunity to find a little more balance, in business and in life.
Stacie Staub is founder and CEO of West + Main Homes in Colorado.
