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Archive for Expired Listings

Let Me Tell You a Secret…

By Anna Spooner on March 3, 2017

It’s no secret that reaching out to expired listings helps you in your real estate business. You’re able to reach highly motivated sellers without having to sort through a large number of prospects who may or may not be ready to buy or sell.

However, how you reach out to expired listings makes all the difference in the world.

And I have a big secret to tell you about exactly that topic…

Effective Expired Outreach Made Simple

Something that we don’t share about much at Printerbees is our special Expired Plus Package. We developed in partnership with expired listing marketing expert Borino.

He’s taught thousands of Realtors® how to systematically get more listings and we’re proud to be one of his partners in executing this expired listing program.

So we thought we’d let you know about it!

The steps in the process are simple:

Review expired listings and choose to contact only the best
Reach out to the homeowner in a memorable and professional way
Use mail to contact even the hardest-to-reach clients and build rapport

Mail Professional Brochures & Postcards to Stand Out

Some Realtors® use expired listing postcards, and that’s great. But it’s often not enough to cause you to stand out.

A tri-fold, full-color, professional brochure can be the extra boost that your mail marketing needs to make a big impact. But probably, you don’t have the time or expertise to figure out what to say and how to say it.

What if it was already done?

What if you could order a package of customized brochures and postcards that told sellers everything they need to know:

Who you are
Why you are different
Why the seller should list with you

Our Expired Plus Package is exactly what you need. Everything is customized with your contact information and your picture, and it’s been proven to be effective by thousands of agents.

Interested in learning more? Take a look at the Expired Plus Package today. If you’d just like to order the brochures or postcards on their own, we’d be happy to help with that as well.

Spring is in the air – get ready for the selling season by preparing for outreach to expired listings today!

Categories : Expired Listings

Tags : borino, expired listing brochures, expired listing postcards, expired listings

Is It Time to Focus on Expired Listings?

By Anna Spooner on November 4, 2016

While many sources continue to talk about scarcity and rising prices, in many areas the housing market is softening.

Trulia found that 70% of the largest metro areas saw a slight increase in for-sale listings with a price decrease. San Francisco had the most, with a 3.07% increase in price reductions, even though the city remains a hot market.

It’s not that home prices are declining – far from it – but that in some areas homes aren’t selling as quickly. In fact, there is also an increase in expiring listings. I know it’s anecdotal, but in my neighborhood I’ve seen homes go through three Realtors® due to expiration.

Are you ready to take advantage as the market softens?

Be Ready to Be Unique to Win an Expired Listing

If you reach out to an expired listing, you certainly aren’t the only one. Be ready to handle some frustration – not just because you’re the 1,000^th agent to call, but because an expired listing is frustrating in itself.

Be ready to show right away how you’re unique and what you can do differently. Ask questions and talk about why the home didn’t sell. Talk about what fresh approach you can provide and why that matters.

Remember that although the market is softening somewhat, competition for expired listings is still fierce. You’ll need to be prepared to stand out.

Consider a Face-to-Face Meeting

Door-knocking is still effective, especially with expired listings. They tend to be inundated with robotic calls, but have almost no one put in the effort to show up in person.

Consider dropping by the home on a weekend and asking some questions. You may even offer to take them out to coffee to discuss what happened with their listing.

When you go door-to-door with expired listings, you’ll show a higher level of professionalism and care than your competitors. Not only will that help you stand out, it will do a lot to ease the mind of someone who feels burned by real estate agents.

Take Your Time and Mail an Expired Listing Postcard

Sometimes hitting an expired listing immediately isn’t the right answer. A lot of times someone who is frustrated and disappointed needs time to cool off before they’re ready to hear another offer.

One great strategy is to forgo the immediate call and instead send an expired listing postcard. It will take a couple of extra days to arrive, and it gives you a chance to make an impression in the mail. You can choose to follow up with a call a day or two later, asking if they received your postcard.

If you’re afraid you’ll order expired listing postcards and then run out of time to send them, I understand. That’s why Printerbees offers mailing services as well! We can print the postcards and send them to your list of expireds for you.

Are you ready for a softening market? Do you know how to stand out to expired listings? Whether you decide to call, visit in person, or send an expired listing postcard, it’s time to get ahead of the game.

Don’t wait until everyone else is also focusing on expired listings. Get your strategy in order now. If you need postcards, mailing help, or more information about marketing to expired listings, just let me know – I’m here to help!

Are you focused on expired listings? Why or why not? Share in the comments!

Categories : Expired Listings

Tags : expired listing postcard, expired listings

Beat the Expired Listing Rush – By Waiting

By Anna Spooner on July 2, 2015

Calling expired listings is a tough job. This is especially true because you’re hardly the only agent calling – a new expired could get over a dozen calls offering new representation. How do you stand out?

The best way to stand out is through a highly unorthodox tactic – waiting.

You may think that if you wait, you’ll miss out on the best expireds. However, that isn’t true. There are many reasons that a newly expired listing may decide not to re-list right away. When you use expired listing letters to mine the old expireds, after other agents have already moved on to a new batch, you’ll not only hit the homeowners at a better time – you’ll have almost no competition doing so.

Why Newly Expired Listings Decide Not to Relist

If a listing doesn’t sell, there was obviously a problem. Maybe there are needed repairs. Maybe the agent didn’t do a good job. Or, maybe the seller was unreasonable about price or other provisions. Regardless, the homeowner may not be in a position to relist right away.

Homeowners with expired listings are often worn out by the selling experience and disillusioned with their Realtor®. This alone may make them decide to take time off and relist at a different time. In addition, the deluge of calls and visits they get right after their listing fails is likely to irritate them rather than encourage them. Any Realtor® who approaches them at that time may well get a firm “no” for no reason other than overwhelm.

After a few months, these homeowners are more ready to be approached about listing again. In addition, after failing to sell the first time, they may be more ready to hear suggestions about repairs, staging, and price. This makes it a great time to reach out to them with expired listing letters.

How to Connect With Old Expireds

The great news with older expireds is that you won’t be competing with dozens of other agents to get the listing. Most agents give up after the initial “no” and move on to the next new list. By reaching out with expired listing postcards or expired listing letters after three or four months, you’ll be able to connect with homeowners more easily.

Make sure your expired listing letters address the homeowners emotions about not selling the home, but don’t place any blame on them for failing. Offer to help them discover, and correct, any issues that blocked a sale. You can keep it especially simply by sending an expired listing postcard inviting them to contact you.

Why am I recommending mailings instead of a call? For a couple of reasons. First, with cell phones being everywhere it’s easier for a call to catch people at a bad time, resulting in a “no” based more on convenience than actual consideration of your offer. Secondly, many people screen calls or don’t answer their phones. A mailing will be more likely to get attention, be able to say more for you, and faces less competition than calls or emails.

Expired listings are a great source of listing leads, but if you’re looking to beat the rush, try a new technique. Wait a few months, then follow up with expired listing letters or expired listing postcards. The seller will be in a better frame of mind and you’ll have much less competition. That’s a win-win.

Looking for help? We have a variety of expired listing postcards you can use. Take a look today!

Categories : Expired Listings, Listings

Tags : expired listing letter, expired listing postcard, expired listings, Listings

The Four Most Effective Real Estate Marketing Strategies

By Anna Spooner on March 24, 2015

In real estate, there are dozens of strategies available. It can be hard to know where to start. Fortunately, there are some that are tried-and-true real estate marketing strategies that you can employ simply and consistently. Here are the four most effective real estate marketing strategies and how to implement them to your best advantage.

Farming a Neighborhood

Although this real estate marketing strategy requires time to work, the returns are amazing. I recommend this strategy for every agent – and stick with it! Start by choosing the neighborhood where you want to excel. Then, take the following steps to obtain maximum results from your efforts.

Research the area, including sports team affiliations, where the residents tend to work (do they commute downtown?), family profile (lots of children? Retirees?) and more.
Once you know the area well, consider sending an introduction letter with some materials about your brokerage and practice. Include some key real estate information about the area, like market reports and a neighborhood profile.
Finally, follow up with a consistent outreach program. Consider sending weekly materials for a couple of months, followed by an ongoing monthly newsletter, postcard, or other information.

These efforts will keep you top of mind to homeowners in the area. In addition to mailings, make yourself physically present in the neighborhood as much as you can. Walk your dog there, go to community events, and even shop in the area occasionally. The more they get to know and trust you, the more likely you are to be their agent of choice when they buy or sell.

Just Sold/Just Listed Flyers

Sharing the success of your real estate practice is a great way to get attention from other homeowners in the area. Two real estate marketing strategies are helpful in doing so. A “Just Sold” flyer – focused on the customer and home more than on you – can be a great way to point out that you are a successful agent with a great track record. “Just Listed” flyers draw attention to your business while also bringing potential buyers to the property, which is a win-win for any agent.

To make your flyer stand out, be creative without losing the key message. Instead of “Just Listed”, for instance, try something like “Could This Be Your New Home?”. For a “Just Sold” flyer, lead with “Moving on Up”, and then provide information about the home and sale.

The key with any marketing material is to make sure it’s relevant to the person receiving it. Don’t spend time trumpeting about yourself and your success. Feature a testimonial from the homeowners that have benefited from your expertise, or highlight the features of the new listing that could benefit the reader. In that way, you’ll hold attention while still building a strong awareness of your practice.

Contacting Expired Listings

Expired listings are an amazing real estate marketing opportunity for any agent, but some Realtors® feel uncomfortable approaching them. Remember that these are homeowners that need additional help selling their home, and don’t be afraid to offer that help. If the previous agent couldn’t help them, then perhaps you can!

There are many ways to contact expired listings. You can call them directly and ask them about the experience they had and what struggles occurred with the listing. You can email them as part of an email marketing campaign. You can also send expired listing postcards or letters. My personal preference is the phone call, simply because you can direct the flow of the conversation and get specific questions answered as you offer your services.

No matter how you contact an expired listing, as part of your real estate marketing strategy be sure to get the most out of it by focusing on the homeowner. Empathize with their frustration. Feel out the nature of the problem they had. If appropriate – and it usually is – offer yourself as a possible solution to the issue. Trust your gut – some listings expire because the homeowner isn’t ready to sell at an appropriate price or has some other difficult attitude. Most of the time, however, you can come in and save the day.

Seasonal Marketing

In most areas of the country, the seasons are a very significant part of how and when homes are bought and sold. Whether people move in the summer to avoid disrupting their child’s school year, or decide not to list in the winter because the house is less attractive, seasonal concerns are in the forefront of real estate.

As a Realtor®, you can use these concerns to your advantage as you plan your real estate marketing strategies. By using postcard marketing, email marketing, or social media posts, you can acknowledge each season and tie it in to your real estate message.

Information about standing out as one of few listings in the winter can boost business during a slow time. Notes about spring cleaning, home staging, and taking advantage of prime listing season can help kick off the spring. Summer and fall likewise offer their own holidays and advantages that can be highlighted in your marketing.

Remember that your seasonal communication doesn’t have to be a hard sell. Sometimes a fun word search or an invitation to a fall ‘Harvest Party’ at your brokerage is all you need to recognize the season while keeping your real estate business front-of-mind for residents.

Choosing your real estate marketing strategies can seem overwhelming, but sticking to the basics can make it much easier. By farming neighborhoods, using just sold and just listed flyers, contacting expired listings, and using seasonal outreach, you can keep it simple and still become one of the top performing Realtors® in your area.

If we at Printerbees can help you in any way, let us know! We’re always here for you and would be delighted to help you implement any or all of the above strategies.

What’s your favorite real estate marketing strategy? Share in the comments!

Categories : Expired Listings, Farming, Lead Generation, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Marketing Ideas

Tags : business building, Expired Listing Letters, expired listing postcards, farming, just listed postcards, just sold postcards, lead generation, real estate marketing strategies, seasonal marketing

Why Real Estate Postcard Marketing Works

By Anna Spooner on March 13, 2015

Considering that 52.5% of consumers read postcards (compared to 33% who read sales letters), there’s no reason for real estate agents not to be involved in real estate postcard marketing.

Some Realtors® avoid it because they think it’s expensive or they aren’t sure how to use postcards. But it doesn’t have to be difficult or costly. In some cases, you can send a mailing to a specific group, such as recently expired listings. In other cases, you can choose a neighborhood or area in which to focus your farming efforts, without having to mail postcards to every neighborhood nearby. Make sure your postcards connect with the recipient and answer the question, “What’s in it for me?”

There are so many different types of postcard marketing available to Realtors® that it can be hard to know where to start. In this post you’ll get an overview of the various types of real estate marketing postcards and how to get started with them.

Expired Listing Postcards

Expired listing postcards are perfect for putting yourself in front of homeowners who haven’t been able to sell their homes with their current real estate agent. Use your postcard to express empathy to the homeowner and offer yourself as someone who has a new idea on how to position the home on the market. The homeowner isn’t going to be looking for the same old techniques!

Short Sale Postcards

Short sale postcards are a great way to reach out to struggling homeowners and help them avoid foreclosure. By showing that you understand their situation and can offer them a way out, you will win business and the goodwill of the community. Consider sending these to an entire neighborhood where you know some homes have more owed than they are worth. If the recipient doesn’t need help, they may know someone who does.

Just Sold Postcards

Just Sold postcards are a great way to celebrate your successes and show your skills to a neighborhood or farming area. By bringing your name to the forefront as a successful selling agent, you’ll be likely to gain even more listings in the area. Listings also bring in buyer lead opportunities, so these postcards are a win/win!!

Farming Postcards

While all real estate postcard marketing can be considered farming, there are specific postcard options that allow you to advertise that you available to buyers and sellers. These farming postcards point out the opportunity in listing with you as a Realtor®, and also keep your name front-of-mind for those looking to buy.

Every Door Direct Marketing (EDDM) Postcards

EDDM postcards are available for a wide variety of businesses. All of the types discussed above would be considered EDDM postcards. Postcard marketing is very effective if it is done consistently over time – it builds awareness of your brand and allows people to see your successes. Real estate postcard marketing also puts your name in their mailbox where there is little competition for Realtors®.

Using real estate postcard marketing is a cost-effective way to build name recognition and gain leads. Postcards even have a lower cost-per-lead than email marketing – and that’s saying something! Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to farm your target area and gain exposure through postcard marketing.

Do you use postcard marketing? Why or why not? Share in the comments!

Categories : Expired Listings, Farming, Lead Generation, Listings, Real Estate Marketing

Tags : Every Door Direct Mail, expired listings postcards, farming postcard, just listed postcards, just sold postcards, real estate farming postcards, short sale postcards

FSBO Lead Generation Tactics – FREE Download

By Nadine Larder on November 14, 2014

When many sellers get ready to sell their homes, the first question many consider is, “Can I get away with not using a Realtor®?” With all of the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) websites popping up, it’s easy for a homeowner to think they can save money by listing the property themselves and not paying your commission. You and I know that’s simply not true and that homes sold by Realtors® sell for more and much faster, it’s been proven time and time again.

With lead generation being critical to the success of any real estate agent’s business, prospecting to FSBO’s offers an extremely targeted list of prospects/leads to target. The key is showing the person who has decided to go FSBO that it is in their best interest to use your services. Here’s some great objection handling information (which can be downloaded as a flyer…free) for you to use the next time you’re speaking with someone about the advantages of using a Realtor® vs. selling it themselves. It’s a no-brainer!

Buyer’s Commission
As a seller, you would still end up paying the buyer’s agent commission if you sell your own home. This means that your savings is not 6%, but rather 3%. That amounts to $7500 on a $250,000 house. While that may still sound like a significant amount of money, think about the amount of work you’ll do to get the word out. How much is your time worth? Realtors® really do earn their pay.

Listing Services
When you use an agent, they take care of listing your property. They do this not only locally, but also on the internet, where 90% of home buyers look before purchasing a home.

You can certainly list your own home online, but it isn’t free – sites with Multi-Listing Service (MLS) access charge anything from a $395 flat fee to $199 for a 6 month listing. And you want to make sure to hit all the major sites, free or paid. It’s the only way to make sure you are visible to all potential buyers and their agents.

A Realtor® will take care of all of these listings for you, so you don’t have to worry about which sites to use, how long they take to set up, or how much they cost.

Screening Buyers
When you use an agent, they receive all of the calls and weed out the ‘just curious’ lookers or others who would not be able to qualify to buy your house. When you list the home for sale on your own, you have to take ALL the calls and emails yourself. This is another serious time commitment. There’s nothing more frustrating than spending two weeks going back and forth with a potential buyer only to find out they never had financing.

An agent will have the experience to be able to tell right away if someone isn’t going to be able to complete a purchase. And, if a potential buyer does end up wasting their time, that’s part of what you’re paying them to handle. This way, you can spend time on your own commitments and let your agent handle the curious and the serious buyers.

There’s also the consideration of safety. Most experienced Realtors® won’t work with buyers who aren’t pre-qualified and pre-screened by a mortgage broker. Getting pre-qualified requires showing proof of identification, financial background, a credit check, etc. It’s good to avoid having complete strangers traipsing through your home with no record of who they are.

Buzz Creation
Real estate agents belong to a close-knit community and know how to build buzz about your property with other agents. In doing this, they are exposing your home to a market you wouldn’t have access to on your own. When a Realtor® can call up a professional contact and recommend they bring a client by, you have an immediate prospect that is actually ready to buy.

In addition, agents have a lot of experience setting up open houses and creating interest in their events. An agent isn’t going to want to waste time or money on an open house that isn’t attended, so they will put their network and advertising skills to good use on your behalf.

Price Setting
The key reason sellers choose to go on their own is to save money. Unfortunately, a real estate agent can offer significant expertise in setting a price-point for your property. They have experience in the area, so they know what price to ask for that will bring good value while also selling your property quickly.

Homeowners have the potential to fall off of both sides of the pricing wagon. Some homeowners love their house so much they price it inappropriately highly, resulting in it sitting on the market unsold for months. Others are unsure of themselves and need to move quickly, so they underprice their homes and cost themselves a lot more financially than they would have saved in commissions.

Ironically, the founder of ForSaleByOwner.com had to use an agent to sell his own home after he “mispriced” it and couldn’t sell it himself. Not only did he gain a lot of money in the price – even after the commission – the property sold quickly.

Paperwork
If you do find a buyer on your own, you’ll quickly realize the mountain of paperwork that it takes to complete a sale. It takes a lot of time to understand all the legal and financial forms you need to make available and sign with the buyer. A mistake in the paperwork and proper disclosures can open you up to serious liability or financial loss.

If you do sell on your own, the sales paperwork is an area where you can’t afford to go it alone. Make sure you do your research and perhaps even consult a real estate lawyer to help you draft the correct forms and disclosures so that you don’t find yourself in significant trouble later.

In the final analysis, you may save a few bucks by going the FSBO route. Unfortunately, you will also spend a significant amount of time, in addition to your current professional and personal obligations, to do so. You may also misprice your home, and you’ll need a lot of help with the final paperwork once you find a buyer. In the end, using a real estate agent is the easier and more affordable way to go.

Categories : Business Practices, Downloads, Expired Listings, Farming, Lead Generation, Listings, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Marketing Ideas, Real Estate Resources

Tags : advice for realtors, business building, farming postcard, For Sale By Owner Marketing, FSBO Marketing, lead generation, marketing, marketing for real estate, marketing ideas, marketing real estate, postcard marketing, real estate farming, real estate marketing, real estate marketing ideas, real estate marketing postcards, real estate marketing strategies, real estate marketing tips, realtor marketing

More About Expired Listings: The Secrets I Share With My Friends

By Nadine Larder on May 23, 2014

Expired listings are still hot…hot…hot. I live in Arizona and here they are extra hot! The weather makes it that way in the summer! LOL (A little Arizona humor…I do love it here!) With expired listing marketing being a hot topic in real estate, it seems like a good topic for discussion and answering some of the frequently asked questions we get on how to market them.

I highly recommend taking a look at the expired listing letters available here as a good place to start.

One of the questions I receive frequently when people download the expired listing letters is wanting to know the best approach to using the free letters (click here to get them). My recommendation is to create a campaign that includes the letters, a phone call, expired listing postcards and an expired listing door-hanger. By using the several different methods of getting in touch, you’re sure to stand out amongst the crowd. When a listing expires, there’s some stiff competition for being the Realtor® the seller chooses to relist with, if they choose to relist. Most agents will send out one mailing piece and that’s it. You will stand out and become familiar when you show up everywhere.

When the potential client asks, “why didn’t my home sell,” what would you answer?
I’m one of those people who simply tells the truth. If the house didn’t sell because it was overpriced, I would tell the seller exactly that. I once had a listing that expired because the house was a “hot mess” and smelled really bad. REALLY bad! The woman who owned the house was a bit of a “pack-rat”, had lived there for many, many years and had dogs that she didn’t necessarily clean up after. Let’s just say that with this client “cleanliness was NOT next to Godliness,” and it made my job of selling her home almost impossible at the price she wanted to sell it for. She was a sweet wonderful person and I really liked her, but her house wasn’t selling because of the way she cared for it and I told her the truth. As an agent, you can’t fix what the seller doesn’t know is broken. If you take the listing and things remain the same, you’ll have the same situation on your hands. If you tell the truth and help the client fix whatever it is that’s keeping the home from selling, you’ll both feel better when the home sells. As a Realtor®, you are the expert, a consultant to the seller. They deserve the honesty and integrity of your expertise. That’s what they’re paying you for.

What if a listing is withdrawn?
If a listing is withdrawn and you’re not sure why, I’d say the best approach is to call them and find out if they plan to relist. Ask them why they withdrew the listing. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” and…What have you to loose? Add the sellers to your mailing list and drip market to them as one of your prospects. You know they were thinking about selling at one point and if you’re the one agent who keeps in touch, you just might be the one they call when they do decide to put their home back on the market. I would certainly consider a lead like a withdrawn listing, a hot lead.

How do you get them to return a phone call?
Getting return phone calls isn’t easy when they are being bombarded with many calls like yours. I’d say the best way to get a return phone call is to provide the type of value that makes them want to call you back to find out more about what you’re offering. I’d also say that the advice above about being everywhere will increase your chances of a returned phone call. There has to be something about you that makes you different than all the others. Something that’s more valuable than what everyone else is promoting will increase your chances of a return phone call. There’s no guarantees, except for the one that you’re certain not to get a phone call if you never reach out and give it a shot.

Please let me know what other questions you have about marketing to expired listings. I’m always looking for opportunities to help my friends in real estate and if you’re reading this blog, that would be you!

Categories : Business Practices, Expired Listings, Lead Generation, Listings

Tools To Take Your Expired Listing Marketing To A Whole New Level

By Nadine Larder on May 13, 2014

A few months back I came across Cole Information Systems, wondering where they had been hiding my entire real estate career! When I found what they did, I knew the agents who subscribe to this magazine would be as excited as I was to find them, especially for farming, expired listing marketing and for marketing your just listed/just sold properties.

One of the most frequent questions we get from Realtors® looking to step-up their marketing is “where can I get a good database,” and it’s not been an easy question to answer with limited resources that cost a fortune. Good databases that are affordable are hard to come by, UNTIL I found Cole Information Systems and quickly partnered with them. Cole provides unlimited databases to Realtors® looking to get targeted with their marketing. For marketing to expired listings, FSBO’s and door-knocking, the mobile app is amazing!

It’s the perfect solution for every Realtor® out there looking to execute great marketing campaigns, which requires a good quality database. The quality of a database determines the quality of the leads you attract and convert. Databases become stale in as little as a few months depending on neighborhood turnover, and when a database is the slightest bit outdated, you’re wasting time and money on ineffective marketing.

The awesome news is that because you’re a subscriber to this magazine, you get a 25% discount from Cole Information Systems. It’s a great deal! I’ve included a quick demo of what the mobile application can do for you and encourage you to contact Cole to get all of your questions answered. I’ve found them to have great customer service.

Here’s a link to their site: http://www.coleinformation.com, or reach them by phone at 800-800-3271.

When you contact Cole, make sure to mention either Real Estate Marketing Magazine or PrinterBees to get your 25% discount, without it you’re looking at full retail and who wants to pay full retail!

This video features a quick overview of what Cole Information Systems offers Realtors® in a way of databases, it really is God’s gift to Realtors® looking to build a good database, which should be EVERY Realtor® out there. Don’t forget to mention Real Estate Marketing Magazine or PrinterBees to get your discount, it’s substantial.

Categories : Business Practices, Expired Listings, Farming, Lead Generation, Listings, Mortgage Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Marketing Ideas, Real Estate Resources, Short Sale Marketing

The Hottest Trends In Real Estate Marketing You Need To Know About

By Nadine Larder on February 20, 2014

With housing markets exploding across the country, it’s a great time to get back to marketing yourself to celebrate and cash in on the activity. I can tell you as the owner of a real estate print marketing company that Realtors® across the country are ramping up their marketing to meet the pent up demands of both buyers and sellers who have been waiting on the sidelines for something to change in the real estate market. If you’re not thinking about your marketing and actually executing on it, chances are you may get left behind and miss this amazing opportunity. As a subscriber to Real Estate Marketing Magazine, we can’t let that happen to you! We have to help you keep up, so here’s what’s hot!

It’s an amazing time to be a Realtor® IF you have good real estate marketing in place to feed your business and exploit the opportunity out there.

Farming postcards are back to being popular again and Realtors® ARE farming because they know it works. These agents understand that they have to be “the first one to show up at the party” (the market recovery party!) to make sure they’re in front of their prospects when they decide to make a move.

Just listed and just sold postcards are a great marketing tool that many agents use as part of their standard marketing plan. Using just listed and just sold postcards as part of your marketing shows you’re active in the neighborhood and know “what’s up”! There’s a huge increase in the number of agents using this method of real estate marketing to continue to build and establish their businesses in the neighborhoods they target.

Expired Listings? I’m not sure why, but there is a drastic increase in the number of people marketing to expired listings. It’s DRASTIC and definitely worth considering if you’re looking for a specific market to target or a specialty to attack as your own. Expired listings offer a very unique opportunity to market yourself to a very specific audience and a VERY targeted list. I don’t think there is a more targeted list of people you can market to in real estate. You already know they want to sell, it’s just a matter of getting them to pick you over other agents vying for their business. Here’s a link to a free download for marketing to expired listings.

Many people think that in this market, they can sell their home without a Realtor® and still get top dollar. Not a chance! I’m a licensed real estate agent who WAS going to sell my home myself. I’m qualified. I know a lot of Realtors®, the area my home is in is short on inventory, I have a lot of contacts, I’m licensed, socially connected, an expert at real estate marketing, etc. etc. I have every reason to believe I can just do it myself, but I can’t! I don’t have the time, it’s not what I do anymore as my full-time job. I listed my house for sale with a Realtor® who can properly market the property and get top dollar in a hot market. Marketing to FSBO’s is also very targeted because you can offer them assistance they can’t get anywhere else and you can sell their home for more than they can. It’s a fact and I encourage you to go after that targeted list of people.

There’s many different approaches you can take to making the most of the housing shortages and market changes happening across the country. No matter what your approach is, don’t forget about the marketing and marketing consistently, it’s the only true method to making it happen for yourself.

Categories : Business Practices, Expired Listings, Farming, Lead Generation, Listings, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Marketing Ideas, Real Estate News

Real Estate Marketing Ideas For 2014 In A Recovering Market

By Nadine Larder on December 10, 2013

All the great news about falling delinquencies and lower foreclosure rates is forcing a lot of Realtors® to revisit and redirect their real estate marketing from foreclosure marketing to more traditional real estate farming methods. Real Estate Marketing Ideas are in hot demand as we head in to the new year and a new market with unemployment rates at a five year low. Things are looking up, people are moving again and now it’s just a matter of grabbing a piece of the real estate market happenings, which takes great marketing.

States like Florida, New York, Michigan, Texas and Georgia still have larger inventories of distressed properties, but states like California, which made up for 46,000 foreclosures in the last 12 months are recovering quickly as the economy changes and shifts. Realtors® who built successful businesses and business brands selling REO’s and distressed properties are needing to shift and shift quickly from “distressed property experts” to “marketing agents” who know how to market a home and attract a lot of buyers. Sellers aren’t as interested in “getting out” from underneath their homes that were sinking in value as they are in getting to their equity, equity they didn’t have access to just 12 months ago.

For Realtors® to effectively make this transition, they need to make the transition to showing and touting their expertise in protecting equity, getting multiple offers and having a great marketing plan as part of their listing presentation and ongoing marketing. Realtors® who have experienced all kinds of markets because they’ve been around so long, should talk about and market themselves as experienced in assisting home sellers and buyers as an expert in any market, no matter what it brings. Where the markets are still shifting from distressed to equity sales, the marketing should be about the rebounding markets and your ability to educate buyers and sellers how to take advantage of the market of the moment.

For agents struggling with how to get that marketing message across, take the time to make a list of your greatest assets to the client if they were to hire you to represent them. List as many of your qualities as a Realtor® as you can come up with and then narrow the list down to what’s most important to the client and your ability to serve them. Why is it in their best interest to pick you over other agents in the area? Once you have your list narrowed down, create a list of bullet points to include on your marketing, using as few words as possible. Your marketing has about 2-3 seconds to grab the attention of the person receiving it, so whatever it is you have to offer potential clients needs to be clear and in as few words as possible. Less is always more in marketing.

Your marketing efforts and messaging will impact the type of clients you attract, so make sure it’s meaningful and directed at the right market, the market of the moment.

Stop by PrinterBees Real Estate Marketing Home Page for great marketing ideas, fantastic templates that are at the grass routs of real estate marketing. Working with PrinterBees is like having your own virtual marketing assistant!

Categories : Business Practices, Expired Listings, Farming, Lead Generation, Listings, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Marketing Ideas, Real Estate Resources, Short Sale Marketing