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Goal Setting and Lead Generation If you are going to succeed in real estate, you must have a plan. Regardless of your motivation for entering the profession, success or failure in real estate lies squarely on your shoulders. It is important to know where you are going. It’s always best to be prepared and it’s never too early to determine your destination. Establishing clear goals will provide direction and smooth the road to achievement.What Are Your Goals? If you have never been to a place, would you know how to get there without direc- tions? You need know what you will do to get ahead in the business and you won’t know where you are going without clear, written goals. Goal setting is critical. Written goals are like a road map. In addition to providing direction, written goals give you a way to track your progress — so this is not an assignment to be completed and forgotten. You should consider it a long-term task and keep it on your to-do list indefinitely. Clearly defined goals can help you make decisions at critical points every day. When presented with a problem, we often consider various options as solutions. When making these decisions, you can refer to your goals. Ask yourself what ac- tions will bring you closer to your goals and what actions might move you further away. For instance, if you are spending your floor time catching up on gossip with the other agents in the office but your goal is to sell three houses this month, focusing on the goal may get you back to your desk for prospecting calls rather than hanging out at the coffee pot, talking.

Fact Market conditions can affect your business, but you are the main reason you suc- ceed or fail. There are plenty of agents making a great living in a very bad market by working toward their goals. Practice goal setting in a good market and when a bad market hits, you will not be as affected as other agents. Goals Must Be Written Down Find yourself a yellow pad or a fancy journal; it doesn’t matter where you write your goals down — it only matters that you do. Go someplace where you will not have any interruptions. Write down everything that you want to accomplish, either im- mediately or in the future. Writing goals about real estate is only a part of the goal-writing process, you need to write your other goals as well. Of course, you are in the real estate business to be in the real estate business, but you are also in the business for the quality of life it affords. Making money is not enough. What is a ton of money worth if you have no family life, poor health, and no free time? You should set goals in all the areas of your life. Write goals for your health, your family and friends, your finances, your spiritual or religious practices, and any other areas of life that are important to you. What does money mean to you? Does it mean being able to afford your kids’ soc- cer uniforms and having time to go to the games? Does it mean getting a great car or owning some rental properties? Everyone has his own concept of a good, suc- cessful life. Make your choices and write them down, so you know where you’re going. Although some of your goals will be related to real estate, such as, “I want to sell twenty homes,” you will also have other goals such as, “I want to go to Europe,” or “I want to lose weight.” Once you have finished brainstorming, read your goals and rewrite them as affir- mative statements in the present tense. Then, give each goal a specific deadline. For example, “I will sell twenty homes this year,” “I am going to Europe in Octo- ber,” “I will lose fifteen pounds by my sister’s wedding.” Goals written in this clear- ly defined, affirmative way have the greatest impact. If you were to write them as

desires, such as, “I want to sell twenty homes this year,” “I want to go to Europe sometime,” “I will try to lose fifteen pounds,” they turn into wishes, rather than ac- tual goals. Vague goals are nothing more than dreams, and they do not help you move forward. As you rewrite your goals, determine what they will cost you to accomplish. This cost needs to be measured in time as well as in financial terms.

 

Essential With respect to real estate, your plan can include goals for income, education, ranking in your office and the community, a certain number of contacts on your mailing list, a certain number of transactions for the year, or a goal to grow your business and hire an assistant.

Breaking Down Your Goals Sort your goals into categories, identifying them as short term, midrange, or long range. Some goals can be accomplished within a few weeks or months; other goals will take years to accomplish. Focus on what you can do today to further each of the goals you have set. The easiest way to do that is to break down your goals into doable segments. Let’s start with the goal of selling twenty homes this year:

1.How many people do you have to contact to find one buyer or one seller?

2.How many potential buyers do you have to work with to find one that actually

buys within thirty days?

3.How many listing presentations do you have to go on before you get a listing?

4.How long does it take for that listing to sell?

Telephone prospecting is just one of the ways that you can generate business. Telephone prospecting, especially with people you know, has proven to be a quick and effective way to generate business and it should be included in your goal- setting activities. “Cold calls” are telephone calls to people with whom you have no previous relationship. Your telephone strategy to achieve your goals of acquiring buyers, sellers, and listings should be comprised of either many cold calls or fewer warm calls (calls to people with whom you have a previous relationship). A sample telephone prospecting plan may look like this: Cold Calls

Make five calls a day for twenty days to receive 100 contacts.Assume that from every 100 contacts you make, you receive one buyer.Assume that one out of five buyers will buy within thirty days.

With this formula you will need to make 10,000 cold calls to sell twenty homes. Warm Calls

Make five calls a day for twenty days to receive 100 contacts.Assume that for every 100 contacts you make, you receive ten buyers.Assume that one out of five buyers will buy within thirty days.

With this formula you will need to make 2,000 warm calls to sell twenty homes.

What if one of my goals is to win the lottery? By breaking down your goal into manageable chunks you may discover that win- ning the lottery is a 1 in 10 million chance. If this is the case, how many lottery tick- ets do you need to purchase to guarantee you the win? A sample telephone prospecting plan for securing a listing may look like this: Cold Calls

Make five calls a day for twenty days to receive 100 contacts.Assume that out of every 100 contacts you make, you receive one listing pre-

sentation.

Assume that one out of five listing presentations culminates in a listing.

With this formula you will need to make 10,000 cold calls to list twenty homes. From here you need to figure out market time in your area to see how long it will take these listings to sell. Warm Calls

Make five calls a day for twenty days to receive 100 contacts.Assume that for every 100 contacts you make, you receive ten listing presen-

tations.

Assume that one out of five listing presentations culminates in a listing.

With this formula you will need to make 2,000 warm calls to list twenty homes. From here you need to figure out market time to see how long it will take these list- ings to sell. In a good market, you may be able to make fewer calls, half as many or less, to accomplish your goals. In a tough market, it may take more calls to accomplish your goals. The “warmer” your warm calls are, the fewer calls you will need to make to secure a buyer or a listing. When breaking down your goals into daily actions, set aside time, every day, for telephone prospecting. In the previous example you may have “make five prospect- ing calls every day” as one of your goals. Farming This type of prospecting is designed to “cultivate” leads over a period of time. Generally speaking, farming does not generate leads quickly but if performed con- sistently, it will produce results over the long term. Start by choosing a farm area. Your farm area can be a geographical farm, such as a particular subdivision, condominium complex, or neighborhood. Your farm area can also be a nongeographical farm, such as people you know, tenants, or busi- ness owners. Once you have decided on a farm you will need to “work the farm.” Sending regular mailers with information that your farm will find helpful is a part of the process. Geographical farms may include statistics on the neighborhood or news of an upcoming homeowner’s association meeting. If you are farming a condominium complex, attend the homeowner’s meetings and add their infor- mation to your mailers. If you are farming tenants, you may want to send them information about the latest loan program that can help them get qualified to pur- chase a home. When farming business owners, you may want to concentrate on good investments in the real estate marketplace.

No matter what type of farm you have, it is important to give all the prospects with- in the farm something worth keeping, along with your photo and contact infor- mation. If they keep and use the item you send, your prospects will view your pic- ture and contact information repeatedly over a period of time. This will make your name recognizable and synonymous with real estate in their minds.

Examples of items you can give to the community you are farming are a monthly recipe card, a magnet with the local sport team’s schedule, or a wallet-sized tipping chart. All of these items give you the opportunity to keep your name fresh in the minds of the individuals you seek as clients. Farming will rarely produce results overnight. Most people receive piles of mail and may not notice your mailer unless they are specifically looking for a real estate agent. You can increase the value of your farming with follow-up calls and (in a geographical farm) by being visible in the neighborhood. Door Knocking When used in conjunction with a neighborhood farm, door knocking can increase your results. Going house to house and greeting people at their door, checking to be sure they received your mailer and asking them if they are in need of any real es- tate services, will make you the one person they think of if they are selling in your area. Expanding on this by holding neighborhood block parties, delivering flags on the Fourth of July, or pumpkins at Halloween can establish your image as the agent who knows the neighborhood. If you are farming a neighborhood, making a breakdown goal to expand your mar- keting activities beyond mailings will give you a consistent presence. These goals might include, “knock on ten doors every Saturday,” “deliver seasonal gifts to the farm every two months,” or “hold a block party once each summer.” open Houses Holding an open house can be a good way to generate leads. If you do not have a listing of your own, you can volunteer to hold an open house for one of the other agents in your office. Many sellers believe that an open house will sell their house. However, it is actually more of a lead generator for the agent holding the open house than for the seller. It is more likely that you will find a buyer for another property than for the property you are showing. You may also receive a lead for a listing, as other potential sellers often check out their competition before placing their house on the market.

 

Personal Marketing Nearly all real estate agents are self-employed. Even though the firm you represent might print your photo and contact information in its general ads, you are respon- sible for planning and paying for nearly all aspects of your own marketing. Your personal marketing campaign will change as you determine which techniques work best for you, but it’s critical to implement at least a few marketing strategies from the very first day you go to work. Establishing an Image Your personal image is linked, in part, to your dress and appearance. What is prop- er for one agent doesn’t necessarily work for another. As noted earlier, suitable at- tire varies depending on where you work and the types of properties you work with, so don’t assume that a business suit is your best choice. Agents who sell large tracts of land won’t be ready to help buyers find property lines if they show up in a suit and tie — casual clothes and hiking boots might be more appropriate. Agents working in a tourist area, where people buy second homes, might opt for dressy- casual clothes. That is likely what their clients will wear when they take advantage of a little vacation time while house hunting. Your office might have a dress code. If it doesn’t, you can get a feel for suitable at- tire by paying attention to the dress of successful agents in your area. There is no need to mimic them exactly. Develop your own style but try to make it a style that fits in with what is acceptable in your town. Your attitude is every bit as important to your image as your outward appearance. If you’re a new agent, you might be nervous about talking with prospects, especially if you don’t feel you can answer all of their questions, and that nervousness is apparent to people. Try to relax and let your self-confidence show. Even if you don’t immediately know all of the answers to their questions, customers will have faith in your ability if they see that you are ethical and sincere about helping them. If you don’t have the answers but know where to get them, most people will still be happy to work with you. Your Business Cards Your real estate firm might have a predesigned business card for its agents, a tem- plate that is set up for each agent to customize with a photo and personal infor- mation, such as a cell phone number and e-mail address. If using a photo is

optional, always choose the photo card. Everyone you hand the card to is a poten- tial client. You want them to remember your name and your face when it’s time to buy or sell real estate.

 

ssential Be sure that the photo on your card looks like you. An airbrushed photo might make you feel better, but you want people to recognize you from the photo when they see you. Update your picture every few years. You may not think you look dif- ferent, but chances are your style has changed enough that a current picture is needed. Some firms allow agents to design their own business cards if certain company guidelines are followed, such as mandatory use of the company logo. Personal card design gives you the opportunity to make sure your name and permanent con- tact information are the most prominent aspects of the business card. You might choose not to include the firm’s phone number, or to include it in small letters. Let’s face it — agents don’t always stay with the same agency for their entire ca- reers, but people do hang on to old business cards. You want them to find you no matter when they decide to buy or sell, so your permanent contact information is the most important data on your card. Your cell phone number or personal e-mail address will move with you. Logos and Mottos Some agents use a graphic logo or short motto in all of their advertising. This is a design or statement that, after a time, always reminds potential clients of you. Let your photo be your logo, so that people remember your face. You could also choose something that ties in to your work, such as a drawing of your town or your general area. If you use a drawing, keep it simple so that it can be reproduced easily in all types of advertising formats.

Alert Check with your state for regulations regarding the size of company logos on busi- ness cards and other forms of advertising. Some states require that the company information is more prominent, or larger, than your personal information. Choose a motto that fits your personality or the goals you’re trying to achieve in real estate. Read real estate ads nationwide and you’ll see mottos ranging from “We buy ugly homes” to “Your hardworking neighbor.” Keep your motto short so that it’s easy to remember and doesn’t overshadow the rest of your advertising copy. Make Yourself More Visible Visibility is an important key to success in real estate, so you should take advan- tage of every opportunity you can find to promote yourself and the services you offer. It takes a little time and effort, but the good news is that you can increase your visibility without spending a fortune on expensive advertising. If you don’t already take part in local activities, do so! Become active in your community. Volunteer at charitable institutions or thrift stores. Join civic organi- zations such as your local historical society and take time to participate in their events. Do you have hobbies and special interests? Join a motorcycle club, a pho- tography group, a gem and mineral society — whatever interests you. You can become a member of your local Chamber of Commerce and participate in its activities, which are often designed to help local businesses network with each other. Set up a booth at street fairs or at other events where you have the oppor- tunity to talk to people and hand out business cards. Analyze your interests and the events that take place in your community to determine which activities are best for you. The Press Release Submit a press release to all local newspapers as soon as you become associated with a real estate firm. Press releases are regarded as news — so they are free — and a great way to notify the public that you are now a real estate agent. People who don’t know you might not remember your name after reading the press release, but your acquaintances will indeed note your new career.

Fact Radio stations in smaller towns might be willing to share your press release with listeners, but in larger markets it’s more difficult to get free press in any form. Your broker-in-charge can probably suggest local news outlets that are good about fea- turing press releases from agents. Call the newspapers before you send the release to find out whom to send it to and if they have specific wording or length guidelines that you must follow. Always sub- mit a photo with the release — if space is available, newspapers will probably use it. Mark the top of the document “Press Release,” and include your name and contact phone numbers under that statement. Write the release in paragraph format and try to limit it to no more than three paragraphs. Be sure to include:

Your name and the name and town of the firm with which you are associatedPast experience (if it is relevant to your new position)Special real estate designations or educational achievementsA brief biographical statementA contact phone number

Be sure to include interesting information as well. If you’ve lived in the town all your life, say you’re an area native and know the area inside and out. If you’ve re- ceived a broker’s license, which is more advanced than a salesperson license, be sure to announce that you are a broker associate — or use wording approved by your state or your firm. Promote yourself as much as possible without making the press release sound like an ad. If you live in a large metropolitan area that has a regional publication, send a press release to the regional paper. Newspapers in larger metropolitan areas receive a lot of press releases, so you may have to work a little harder to get your name in the paper. Set up an appointment with the editor of the business section and person- ally deliver your press release to her. Ask her how the paper expects your press re- lease to be laid out and when you can expect to see it in print. This effort can give you an extra edge over the numerous other press releases that are submitted. Many real estate offices have a standard form for a press release. If yours does not, use this example as a starting point and create your own. PRESS RELEaSE

Date, city, state — Robert Agent has joined aBC Realty. Robert brings his expertise in sales and marketing, with twenty years experience at Widget Corporation, to the world of real estate. At Widget, Robert was in charge of training the sales staff for the highest level of productivity and customer satisfaction. In the past three years, Robert has helped increase Widget’s sales by over ³⁰⁰ percent and advanced their customer satis- faction ranking to first in the nation. He received the coveted Silver Statue Award for this effort. Robert is now bringing his customer satisfaction abilities to real es- tate and has joined the prestigious firm of aBC Realty. Robert Agent can be reached at the midtown branch of aBC Realty at 123 Ridge Road. 800–555–1212. Do not expect that your phone will be ringing with calls from potential buyers and sellers from one or two mentions in the newspaper. Having your press release published is a good beginning, but your name and face must appear many places to remind people that you are a real estate agent and available to help them.

 

Local Personal Advertising There’s no shortage of places to spend your local advertising dollars, so it’s up to you to determine which avenues will yield the best return. The most basic place to advertise is in newspapers, either in the classifieds or in larger display ads that ap- pear throughout the paper. Neighborhoods often have their own newspapers and while they don’t reach as many people as citywide publication, the ads do help you target specific communities. Your MLS might publish a weekly or monthly real estate magazine and there are probably independent publishers who do the same. Ads in those publications are sometimes expensive, but the magazines are a favorite of both homebuyers and sellers, so an eye-catching ad is sure to get good readership.

ssential Ask everyone who contacts you how they heard about you. Over time their answers will indicate which types of advertising generate the best results. Local cable television companies have informational channels that run continuous ads while news or music is played in the background. Another advertising option is radio advertising. Advertising over the radio is affordable in smaller markets, but the cost is often more than the budget of a new agent can handle. In addition to the standard advertising options of TV, classifieds, and radio, you are also likely to be approached to pay for your name to be on everything from restaurant menus to county maps. Try to be selective. Start out by inserting clas- sified ads in newspapers and display ads in for-sale publications, then add other types of ads as you can afford them. Direct Mailings Direct mailings include postcards, flyers, letters, and other types of written corre- spondence that you send to potential and past customers and clients, locally or in other areas. The pieces you mail can be queries that ask for listings or they can pro- mote your current listings. Mailings can be educational, relaying general infor- mation about home buying and selling, or they can convey your abilities as an agent. There is disagreement among agents about the value of direct mailings but nearly everyone agrees that if you do direct mailings at all, you must send them consis- tently and for a period of time before you can expect to see results. Some agents feel results are best when they send out mailings once each month, altering the content for each mailing. And even though it is more time consuming, many people claim to see better results when recipient addresses are written by hand instead of printed on a computer-generated label. Regardless of the method you choose, mailers always get better response when they are followed up with a phone call. Be sure the person you are calling is someone you have had previous contact with, or crosscheck them to be sure they are not on the National Do Not Call Reg- istry. Another option for local advertising is the use of bulk mailings. The United States Postal Service (USPS) provides bulk mailing at reduced rates if you send identical items to multiple addresses. You’ll need a bulk-mailing permit and you must follow the USPS guidelines when you prepare and mail the documents. Many real estate firms pay the annual fees required for bulk-mailing permits to encourage their agents to send regular promotional materials. Ask your broker-in-charge if that benefit is available to you.

Question Where can I find names for my direct-mailing list? The people in your sphere of influence should be on your direct-mailing list. You can also ask your local registrar of deeds or tax assessor’s office to provide the names and addresses of all people in the area you wish to target. Some title or es- crow companies also provide mailing lists. Send out a regular first-class postcard mailing before you send bulk letters. First- class mail is returned to you with address changes if an address is not valid. That’s a service you must pay for when using the bulk mail system. Periodically doing a first-class postcard mailing is a good way to keep your address database current. outdoor advertising Billboards might be the first thing you think of when you hear the term outdoor advertising , but there are many other, more affordable ways to promote yourself to people as they drive or walk through your town. Name riders are essential for real estate agents who have listings. These small but visible signs are designed to attach to either the top or bottom of the larger for sale sign provided by real estate firms. A rider typically includes your name and per- sonal phone number printed in large letters, making it more likely that someone who wants to see the property will call you directly. Listing agents should also consider investing in brochure boxes. These are water- proof containers that are posted at a property for sale and stocked with flyers about that listing. If you use brochure boxes, check them regularly to make sure adver- tising materials are available. Some local businesses sell advertising spaces on park benches. Public transit buses usually have spaces on the back and sides where businesses can advertise. You can also turn your own vehicle into an advertising opportunity by ordering a magnetic sign for its side or paying to get personalized lettering on the back win- dow that displays your name, title, and contact information (you could also include a logo or motto for a more unique and noticeable effect). Local high schools and colleges often sell advertising banners for their football and baseball fields. Some grocery stores sell advertising on shopping carts or provide racks for promotional materials. Pay attention to the outdoor advertising methods used by other agents and busi- nesses in your town and think of ways to adapt them to suit your own needs. Special Promotional Products You’ve probably been the recipient of promotional products — pens, pencils, re- frigerator magnets, calendars — all personalized with someone’s ad and contact information. Some real estate agents purchase promotional products for use throughout the year; others choose to send them to clients with year-end holiday greetings.

Fact If you order personalized giveaways, find something that people will use. Passersby at a summertime outdoor event might appreciate a paper fan to cool them off. Clients might use a magnet with important local numbers printed on it, or they might appreciate a good pen. Find something that won’t go in the wastebasket as soon as potential clients get home. Personalized promotions can be quite expensive, so whether or not you use them depends on your budget. It sometimes makes more sense for new agents to spend those dollars for computer equipment that helps them be more productive or for advertising that will be seen by a greater number of people. Analyze your own situ- ation before you jump in. Don’t order products that might sit in your desk for sev- eral months before finding a home. Be creative and think about where other real estate agents are not advertising, not just where the top producers are getting leads. Your local high school may be happy to sell soft drinks in cups, donated by you, with your name and logo on them. Many sections of highway or local streets around the country are sponsored by people who promise to clean that section every few months or so. Having your sign on the highway and a crew, with your name and logo on the back of their shirts, picking up trash is a community-minded promotional idea.

 

Marketing Your Listings Locally Discovering the best avenues for marketing your listings locally can be a challenge. There are numerous publications and other media who want your advertising dol- lars. The promise of capturing the perfect buyer for the house you are advertising can entice you to utilize every method that comes your way. What Are Buyers Looking For? It’s wonderful to acquire the perfect listing, one that buyers will flock to the minute the for sale sign goes in the yard. But perfect listings can be elusive, so a good list- ing agent must carefully analyze each property to uncover the features that buyers are seeking. There’s something unique and desirable about every listing you’ll sign a contract to market. It’s up to you to find out what the property has to offer a potential buyer. Once you’ve worked in real estate for a while, you will understand what buyers are looking for and instinctively know which features to promote most vigorously in your advertising copy. New agents don’t have experience to draw from, so they must do a little detective work to determine which features are most popular in their towns. The first place to look is in ads written by seasoned agents. Those are the people who usually know what to say to attract buyers. Which features do they mention most prominently? The list will differ for every area but you can bet that if an amenity is mentioned frequently and by many agents, it’s something that local buy- ers find desirable. Search the sold listings in your MLS, paying close attention to the number of days the properties were on the market before selling. You’ll find out right away which neighborhoods are most popular. You might also see a trend in the types of prop- erties that are selling best. Are they two-story homes, single-story ranches, homes with split-bedroom plans, houses with basements, or perhaps houses with large yards? Pay attention to land sales too, and try to determine what makes land attrac- tive to buyers in your area.

Fact Your Chamber of Commerce can probably tell you what type of buyers are most plentiful in your area — first timers, senior citizens, young professional couples. Fair Housing guidelines prevent you from mentioning specific demographic groups in your ads, but you can and should mention the features that are attractive to people in those groups. Analyze your listings to determine which amenities to mention most prominently in your ads. Query your sellers to find out if popular features might be hidden. Are there wood floors under the carpets? Would a little tree-trimming open up a view? Have the sellers made desirable updates that aren’t immediately visible, such as plumbing and wiring upgrades? What did they like best about the house when they purchased it? Your ad-writing tasks will be much easier — and more productive — once you know which features are most popular and how that popularity ties in with your listings. Local Advertising Possibilities In addition to promoting local knowledge of your availability as a qualified agent, local advertising offers many options when you are trying to spread the word about one of your listings. Most real estate firms advertise all of their listed properties in specific for-sale publications. Ads for your listings might be included at no cost to you or you might be required to pay for all or a portion of the cost; that’s some- thing you discovered in your agent interview. Many agents go beyond the ads pro- vided by their firms, promoting their listings in other ways. Good old classified advertising is sometimes the best place to advertise your prop- erties. The most optimal days to advertise will vary from town to town, but read the classifieds for a few weeks and you will be able to easily determine which days are best. Your local paper might also publish a regular real estate brochure or section. These special sections of the newspaper devoted to real estate listings are popular with the exact people to whom you are trying to market your listing — buyers who are searching for property. Other places to consider advertising include:

Your local cable television channel’s information pageBig-screen ads at a local movie theaterAds in neighborhood newspapersA page of your own in the publications where your firm advertisesGlossy home magazines such as Homes and Land or the Real Estate GuideThe Internet

One of the most important things you can do to promote your listings is to use directional signs that attract the attention of buyers, starting them at a major street intersection and continuing on to your listed property. Place your larger for sale sign on the property so that it is clearly visible from the street. Be sure to check for the sign ordinances in your area. Some areas only allow one sign at the property and some areas limit the size of the sign.

ssential Always ask for an owner’s permission before placing a directional sign on private property. In addition to being courteous, you may generate new contacts. You’d be surprised how many people will ask you about the property you are attempting to lead buyers to and sometimes you meet people who are thinking about selling their home. Buyers are more likely to jot down and remember your name if you purchase spe- cial signs, called riders, to attach to the larger sign. Rider signs typically include an agent’s name and telephone number. There are also promotional signs such as Talking House, which is a sign that gives people a brief description of the house when they tune their radio dial to a certain frequency while parked in front. Although these gimmicks are fun, they may not work in your area, so do a little research before investing in them. Getting the Word Out to Other Agents We all love to sell our own listings because it increases our earnings and gives us the satisfaction of a job well done. But how many serious buyers do you expect to work with at one time — ten, fifteen, twenty? Chances are that only a few of the buyers you help at any given time are looking for a house with features that match those of your listings. However, if you multiply each agent who is familiar with your listing by those same numbers, you can see that your pool of buyers increases greatly when other agents show your listings. It’s up to you to make sure they have all the information they need to keep your properties on their list of “must shows.” Postcards and Flyers Mailing color postcards and flyers to individual agents is one way to get the word out about your listings. You can print them easily yourself, if you have a computer and color printer. You’ll need a digital camera (or a traditional camera and scanner) to get the photos onto the computer’s hard drive. If printing and postage is too much of an expense, an alternative is to e-mail a de- scription and color photos to agents in your area. It’s best to pick up the phone and call agents to make sure they are receptive to information received via e-mail. The abundance of spam and virus attachments that are floating around cyberspace has made some people reluctant to add more e-mail addresses to their in-boxes.

Alert Take a day to hand-deliver your flyers or postcards. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to area agents. They’ll remember you — and your listing — more vividly than they would if you dropped materials in the mail. Your MLS system probably includes an option to e-mail someone a clickable text link that will open up a page of information about the listing. That might be a good alternative for agents who do not want to receive attachments. Local Real Estate agent Events Attend local events organized by your MLS or Board of Realtors®. Most offices have regular luncheon meetings and other get-togethers for their agents. Volunteer for a job in the local organization. You aren’t qualified to be an officer yet, but there are always committees that need help. Attend as many functions as you can, and get to know your fellow agents. You’ll find that a friendly relationship results in a lot more calls about your listings. Be sure to reciprocate by showing their listings to your potential buyers.

Good Photos Are Essential Photographs provide an important introduction to a property. They are especially critical now that nearly all real estate listings are displayed on the Internet in some form. A good photo helps you grab the interest of buyers and other real estate agents, slowing them down as they flip through the pages and keeping them fo- cused on your listing long enough to read the details about it. Now that most MLS systems are online, or at least computer-based, it’s more com- mon for an agent to sit down in front of a monitor with a buyer and search for suit- able listings. The agent can move through them one by one and allow the buyer to choose the properties that are the most interesting. Properties without photos are often overlooked completely. An agent who has viewed your listing in person will know when a photo is not a good representation of it, but buyers don’t have that advantage. A poor photo can be an immediate turnoff to someone seeing the list- ing for the first time, even if the agent tries to convince her that the house “looks much better in person.” If you have the ability to add multiple photos to the MLS, do so. Take pictures of the exterior, the view, the kitchen, living room, and other interesting features. Unless it is an unusually luxurious room, avoid bathroom photos.

Fact Some of the best house photos are taken on a cloudy day when there is no bright sunshine to create glare. You won’t get nice blue skies and white puffy clouds, so zoom in on the house itself. The deeply saturated colors of the house and its sur- roundings will make up for the loss of sky. No one expects you to be a professional photographer, but make an effort to take the best pictures possible. You might need to return to the house for photos after you get the listing, to capture the best view. Choose a time when the sun won’t be behind the house, glaring into your lens. That arrangement won’t produce a quality photograph, even if your camera can compensate for a backlit situation. Take some sample shots on your first visit to help you preview the best angles to use for the final versions. Inspect the photos to see if they include views that dis- tract from the property, such as children’s toys or other items that are scattered about. Are there cars that should be moved? Cars parked in front of open or closed garage doors block the view of the house and make a property appear cluttered. If necessary, ask the owner to tidy up the exterior before you take final photos.