Three years ago, a team in Italy found a four-pound white truffle worth approximately $1,000,000. The owner is pretty coy about the exact methods used to unearth the record-breaking delicacy, but traditional methods include using a truffle-sniffing pig or dog to hunt for them in Italian forests. Either way, one thing is sure: they were searching for it.
You know the value of searching for new leads, but effective methods can feel as elusive as truffle-hunting secrets. Thankfully, there are three great ways to get the most out of every listing.
1. Don’t leverage the listing—exploit it!
Once you have a listing in a neighborhood, don’t just be satisfied with the one sale. Invite the neighbors to the open house, then update them when it goes under contract, and then update them again when it sells. Let them know that every person who walked through is a potential buyer for their home.
2. Leverage low inventory as a way to call into neighborhoods.
Tell the stories of buyers who are looking for a home in the neighborhood. For example:
- “I have a great family with two school-aged children who would love to get into Maxey Elementary…”
- “A client of mine is looking to move into this subdivision so he can move his family closer to their in-laws.”
- “Longtime clients of mine are now empty nesters. Since their kids are out of the house, they can now move into their dream neighborhood. We are just looking for the right house to come on the market.”
3. Build your pipeline.
There are two important numbers you need to know here:
- Twelve percent of homeowners will move within the next year. That means, statistically, more than one out of every 10 homeowners you talk to will be moving in the next 12 months—some of them don’t even know it yet.
- Seventy to 80 percent of sellers interview only one agent. If you connect with sellers before anyone else, you have the market cornered on that lead.
Even if the homeowners that you talk to aren’t ready to sell, you’re building a relationship with them and their neighborhood that can pay off for years to come.
When it comes down to it, the impression that you make when you call into neighborhoods is that you’re someone who will do whatever it takes to sell their house and get them the best price.
Cole Realty Resource allows you to get phone numbers, cell phones, and e-mails in real time to maximize your listing exposure, find other sellers in the neighborhood, and build your pipeline. That beats aimlessly walking a pig through the forest looking for a million-dollar truffle.
Call Cole Realty Resource today at 888.231.0732 or visit them online at www.colerealtyresource.com.
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