Homes.com helps real estate professionals foster relationships with prospective clients
San Diego REALTOR® Eileen Craft clearly remembers a day nearly four years ago when she was web surfing for new and better ideas to build her referral network, referring to the casual click-through to Homes.com as a serendipitous moment in her nearly 20-year career.
The aspiring broker, who works for Downtown RE/MAX City Life Real Estate, has since closed several deals through Homes.com from leads that came to her because of her growing web presence on the platform or referrals from her broker/partner Boni Buscemi.
“I started with three zip codes as a Local Connect client during a six-month promotion and had good luck with it,” says Craft, who goes on to explain that her success with Local Connect is what prompted her to stick with Homes.com after the promotion lapsed.
“The good leads I was getting were steady, but I noticed that they started picking up earlier this year when I got a listing for a $600,000 home. And even though it’s slowed a bit with the coronavirus situation, I decided to sign up for a new zip code in an area that’s being developed around the new Chargers stadium,” says Craft, which is the second new zip code she signed up for in the past six months.
The first was located in another Southern California region where Craft is seeing a lot of interest in new home development. “This zip code had one planned community in its early stages of development, and there’s another one coming online in about two years, so it was a good move to get in on these Local Connect communities early on,” says Craft.
Her most recent Homes.com referral—which was also listed on the platform—was for a half-million-dollar property she successfully closed on in the Little Italy neighborhood of San Diego.
“When you have a listing with Homes.com, you get a lot of extra traffic because you get a preferred listing spot on their portal,” explains Craft, who was able to show the client the benefit of her relationship with Homes.com, as well as how the listing would be featured on the search engine.
“In addition to spotlighting a listing for a client, you’re generating leads that could attract new clients to other available properties in the same neighborhoods,” adds Craft.
One of the biggest advantages of being on the platform? According to Craft, it’s the platform’s user-friendly setup, as well as her ability to activate only the aspects of Homes.com that she needs to use.
“They are not there to oversell you. They make me feel like a partner, and not only are the client service reps easy to reach, but they are also eager to help. I feel like they really want to make me successful,” says Craft, who takes full advantage of the fact that seven out of 10 people who come to Homes.com to look at properties don’t yet have an agent.
“If you’re on top of your dashboard and your leads, there’s a good chance you can develop a relationship with some or all of those individuals looking in your zip codes,” says Craft. “That’s why I think Homes.com should be part of every agent’s portfolio, as they can help elevate your branding and client service.”
For more information, please visit marketing.homes.com.
John Voket is a contributing editor to RISMedia.
