Along with the holidays come those predictable holiday objections. Your sellers want to ‘take a break’ and your buyers are constantly rescheduling. It’s a busy time of year for everyone.
How can you take a breath, enjoy the merrymaking and still keep your momentum? Below, you’ll find our top ways to do just that.
Respect the wishes of your clients
If they’re adamant about tapping the breaks until after the season, simply set a tentative appointment to resume the active status of their listing or an afternoon of showings for your buyers. Watch your expiration dates for listing agreements and get an extension if necessary, and be sure to pop by with an ornament, cookies, or another token of your appreciation for their continued business.
Discuss the advantages of being listed during the holidays
The following list is based on our experience of selling between 100 and 200 homes per year for nearly a decade, thousands of coaching calls with our top-producing coaching clients, and basic market stats that virtually never change, even in a shifting market.
Listings will have fewer showings, but better showings
Anyone who is actively looking to purchase a home in the next six to eight weeks is highly likely to be: very serious, highly qualified, and highly motivated. Just the type of buyers you’re looking for, right? Buyers this time of year are typically relocating executives, sellers who have already sold their homes and haven’t found something yet, or well-qualified younger buyers who are on month-to-month leases. Fewer but better showings.
Homes on the market during the holidays are likely to look their best
One of the most common questions buyers ask is, “Where will we put the Christmas tree?” Or “Will our dining room table fit here?” During the holidays, homes are dressed their best and can often answer those questions for the potential new owners. They’ll get that warm and cozy feeling!
Showing times can be managed
Many sellers will tell you that they want a break this time of year because they have family coming over, parties, or events happening at their homes. Simply offer to control the showings around their
calendar. You don’t want to risk losing out to the competition (now that listings actually HAVE competition), due to a scheduling issue. Most showing requests can be modified, especially if you’re talking about well-qualified and highly motivated potential purchasers.
Keep your own momentum
We know for an absolute fact that agents who end the year on track or ahead of their goals did so primarily because they had an amazing first quarter of the year. That first quarter is influenced by what you’re doing today, this week, and this month.
Play the ‘yes game’
The ‘yes game’ means that you say yes to every holiday party or event that you’re invited to…especially the ones that your own past clients or sphere of influence invite you to! Don’t forget to have your own client appreciation party or pop-by week. Always ask, “Whom do you know who could use my help buying or selling real estate?” You’ll be surprised how many organic leads you can produce by simply talking about real estate, but you must do it more frequently, in more places, in front of more people! So just say YES!
Hold open your listings that are most desirable and staged well
There’s a lot of ‘stale’ inventory out there, and the impression buyers have is that they’ve seen it all, so make sure your listings stand out against the crowd, and they’ll be the clear choice for those buyers still out there looking. Meanwhile, done correctly, your open houses will generate many potential new buyer and seller leads for you!
Don’t go into next year without a plan
Failing to plan means you’re planning to fail. Take the remaining time this year to double down on not just your proactive lead generation, but also on your goal setting. What’s most important to you next year? How will you achieve it? Take time to enjoy the holidays but don’t check out of the business. What you do now largely determines your success next quarter, and that quarter sets the tone for your year!
Tim and Julie Harris host a podcast for Realtors called Real Estate Coaching Radio. They’ve been professional real estate coaches for more than 20 years, helping agents succeed in many different market conditions.
