Getting your first listing can be one of the biggest hurdles in the real estate sales business. There are many ways to get listings, but let’s cover some of the fastest and easiest ways. I assume you would like to keep your marketing budget low for your first listing.
I always go back to this but start by asking your family, friends, co-workers, ex-schoolmates, Facebook friends, and anyone else who knows you. Ask all the people they know who would say they are most likely to be the next person to think about selling their house. Get them thinking about it. Even if the person they tell you about is not ready to sell, you now have an excellent potential listing lead. You can follow up with them every couple of weeks and set up a buyer profile on the MLS to keep your name in front of them.
Another way to find motivated sellers is by looking for “for sale by owner” properties and following up with expired listings from the MLS. Again, I assume your marketing budget is meager, so let’s use an effective yet uncomfortable technique. You can do the same with expired listings. Go directly to the house, bring your marketing material, and knock on the door. What you say will differ between these two types of potential clients, so let’s go through both sales scripts now.
FSBO sales script.
“Hello FSBO person, my name is _______, and I’m a Realtor at _____________. I just wanted to stop by and ask if you plan to use a Realtor to help you buy your next house after you sell this one. (Let them respond). The nice thing about using a Realtor as a buyer’s agent is that you do not have to pay a commission; the seller pays that. Can I get a little information about what you will be looking for so I can keep an eye out for you? I can even set up a profile for you on the MLS that will email you listings, so you get a feel for what is out there, and of course, these services are all free for you.”
Note: Don’t ask to list their house when you first meet them. Most FSBOs think they will sell it themselves, then get tired of trying. If you are the agent that has been in contact with them during this time, then you have a great chance of being the one that lists their house.
Expired the listing sales script.
(Use this the same day the listing expires on the MLS)
Hello homeowner, my name is _________. I’m a Realtor with _____________. I was stopping by to let you know your home is no longer listed on the MLS. Your listing expired today. (let them respond). Are you still planning to sell your home? (response) Why do you think your home didn’t sell? (Response) (If they are planning on relisting with their current agent, don’t waste more time. If it looks promising, tries to go straight into a listing appointment, or at least try to set an appointment for the same day or at least within 24 hours.)
Note: Going directly to the person’s house is time-consuming but more effective than mailings or phone calls. As your marketing budget grows, your time will become more valuable, and you will not want to spend so much time going to all these houses. Use these techniques effectively, and you should be able to bring in some new listings within a week or two. It is a lot of hard work, and you will need to put in a lot of time, but this is a great way to get started spending almost no money.
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