It was very impressive. That’s what he said. And I suppose he was right, on the surface, if you were a novice at real estate, it would make an impression. I mean, after all, she had this big portfolio she carried around. It is also completely self-serving and totally ineffective. My client, unhappy because his home had not sold in the first week on the market, (never mind that he ignored all my advice and insisted on over pricing the home by a full $50,000) decided to consult with a ‘top producer’ and compare her marketing to mine.
So, what was this plan that he found so impressive? Gimmicks. Smoke and mirrors. Hokum. It was the same old nonsense that ‘top producing agents’ have been peddling for the past 20 years. She would send Just Listed post cards to the neighborhood. And not just any postcards, OVERSIZED post cards! YAWN! She would put an ad in the newspaper! NOW THAT’S INNOVATIVE. And she would send out an ‘email blast’ to all the other agents in the area. DO YOU READ SPAM? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Do you know why real estate agents send Just Listed and Just Sold postcards to the neighborhood? It’s not because it gets your home sold. It’s a tool to help them find other people who might want to sell their home. IT’S NOT TO MARKET YOUR HOME. IT’S A TOOL THEY USE TO MARKET THEIR OWN BUSINESS. Same with newspaper advertising. IT WILL NOT GET YOUR HOME SOLD. It will, however, make the agent look like a big name, a Top Producer.
Now, there is nothing wrong with marketing your business, you should market your business, but to indicate they do it to get your home sold is just not true. So here is a person, asking you to entrust them with the marketing and sale of your most valuable asset, your home, and the first thing they do is lie to you. How is THAT trustworthy?
That is one of my pet peeves about real estate agents, they lie. It’s not their fault, it’s what they are told to do, but nevertheless, they call you and say, “I see you are selling by owner, I have a buyer.” They don’t have a buyer, 90% of them are lying, it’s what their ‘trainers’ tell them to say. Or they say, (another of my favorite gimmicks that we will explore in a future issue), if I can’t sell your home in 90 days I will buy it myself! Guaranteed! Hogwash! Read the fine print.
Interestingly, when I looked into the record of that so called ‘top producer’ and her empty promises, I found a fraud. Her actual marketing stunk. She rarely had enough photos on the internet, she had not one virtual tour and a full 55% of her listings expired or were withdrawn from the market without selling.
Folks, if you want me to send post cards or flyers to your neighborhood, I am happy to oblige. If you want an ad in the newspaper, or in one of those monthly home magazines, we can discuss that as well. And I will even do an email blast if that is what you want. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking any of these things will get your home sold. The odds of that happening are miniscule. It will make me look good, though! LOL. Look, I am not ego driven. I am performance driven. I would much rather we spend our resources, time and money on innovative strategies that will get you the most money possible for your home.
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