Ways agents can secure properties to list

Real estate agents and realtors connect their name and contact information to properties for rent and/or sale. These professionals make finding and listing houses, condos, lofts, duplexes, ranches, multi-family homes, apartments, construction homes, and land seem so easy. 

It isn’t. To find good properties to list, it requires persistence in the right places. New agents and agents stuck in a rut should rely on their connections to score great properties.

Purge the network

There are several ways to tap into the network. Begin with friends and family. Contact them in person about properties to sell or rent, and if they know someone, refer that person to you. In-person meetings are best, but emails and phone calls will suffice. Expand by reaching out to frequent acquaintances.

Examples are laundromat/dry cleaner person, cosmetologist, fitness trainer, workplace co-worker, and nail tech. Hit up organizations and memberships for referrals. Ask for property referrals at the next networking event (doesn’t need to be industry-related for results).

Post about property searches and referrals to social media followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo, and niche social networks. 

Mention your services on the blog and website. Go to general websites for real estate like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and Movato and create a profile. Promote this profile on social media and business cards to attract property to sell.

Don’t forget to follow up on leads. Everyone in every industry has someone with a home to sell, so cast a wide net.

Be an expert in a niche area

One approach is ‘farm the neighborhood.’ Like a typical farm, agents take care of the area. Agents deliver or mail flyers with an introduction and online/offline contact information around the neighborhood.

Select the homes with the desired demographic and price range. Continue to feed information to the targeted homes through email and newsletters, especially pieces into related to market statistics and new listings.

By doing this, agents become an expert in the neighborhood, which builds experience toward landing listings within the neighborhood and/or the city.

A second way to become an expert and finding properties to list is selling a certain home type (condos, townhouses, apartments, single-family, Spanish-style, ranches, Victorian, antebellum, etc.). However, consider advertising costs before approaching this method.

For sale by owner

FSBO homes, or for sale by owner homes, originated from people who prefer to forgo agents and sell their homes independently instead. Don’t go into FSBO homes hoping to take the listing. Offer to help these sellers find a new residence.

Impress the seller by being a good buying agent. If the seller likes your style, the seller may drop the FSBO route and let you take over the listing. While the strategy is lofty, it’s worth pursuing. Follow up with FSBO home sellers with a phone call, postcard, email, or survey.

Expired and canceled listings

Good talkers and salespeople should try their hand at cold calling to gain property to list. However, it’s last on this list because it’s the hardest to obtain and requires patience for results.

Websites like LandVoice and Red X will offer expired listings with potential. MLS accounts offer expired listings too, but the seller needs to focus on the oldest listings because it increases the chance the seller is open-minded.

Cold-call these sellers in the early morning. Sellers pick one of the first three agents who call them. If you land an offer from a seller, meet in person ASAP. Keep up with successes and potential callbacks via spreadsheets. Remember, persistence is the key.

The best agents don’t rely on this information once. Successful agents rely on their connections frequently, especially during down periods, to stay afloat. Let this list inspire agents to find properties to list using other outlets such as open houses, real estate web directories, and Google My Business. Never be stuck in a rut again.

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DISCLAIMER: This article expresses my own ideas and opinions. Any information I have shared are from sources that I believe to be reliable and accurate. I did not receive any financial compensation for writing this post, nor do I own any shares in any company I’ve mentioned. I encourage any reader to do their own diligent research first before making any investment decisions.