Without question, spring is prime home selling season in most parts of the country – and the savvy real estate professional will want to prime the pump for new business in the weeks leading up to it. You can build momentum and get an edge on competitors by putting five strategies into play before the crocuses peek through the snow:
Set goals – The first step to growing your business is setting reasonable goals, so run a fine tooth comb over last year’s numbers and set the bar higher. Whether you cold call, follow up on referrals, or call on expired listings, commit to spending several hours a day, consistently, to generating enough leads to help you reach the goals you’ve set.
Update your database – Cold winter days are the perfect time to reach out to all your contacts. A call to say hello when the holidays are over may be a pleasant – and lucrative – surprise. Even if you have just sent a holiday mailing, telephone anyone in your database you’ve not personally talked to in a while.
Make appointments – Converting leads into appointments is key to meeting your goals. Chatting up the people in your database is a great way to find out who’s having a baby, who wants to downsize, whose daughter may be ready to buy a home. You have up-to-date rate information. You know the local market. Use every tool available to you to make appointments and share them.
Host home-buying and home-selling seminars – Interest rates are inching up. Competition may be keener this year for first-time buyers and for those who may be eligible to buy again after a foreclosure during the last downturn. For prospective buyers, focus on credit scoring tips, available loan programs, and what to expect during the loan process. Share with sellers tips on preparing their home for a quicker sale in what is expected to be a busy and competitive 2017 market.
Expand your profile – Build market share by increasing your presence in social media and by developing new marketing sources including, perhaps, some paid advertising online and/or in local venues. Many prospective buyers and sellers will make their first contacts this spring based on what they see on websites, receive in the mail, or read in the local paper. Send mailers. Energize your web page. Set up a table at weekend swap meets or at other community events.
Barbara Pronin is an award-winning writer based in Orange County, Calif. A former news editor with more than 30 years of experience in journalism and corporate communications, she has specialized in real estate topics for over a decade.