Working in the world of real estate can be exciting and interesting. At the same time, though, it can be really challenging, especially when you are first starting out. Not only are you working on commission, but you also need to find leads to actually generate any business. Unless you already know a lot of people who are hoping to buy or sell a home, you will need to do the work of getting in touch with people who are buying, selling, or even renting. And you’ll need to know how to find those people before you can even contact them.
Another issue is that people mostly trust real estate agents with some experience. They want to see some successful deals to decide whether they can really trust the agent. So newbies have to go the extra mile to prove that they are reliable professionals.
How can you find leads when you’re working as a real estate agent and want to do your best to get the most listings and help the most buyers? Keep reading to access some helpful tips that you can put to use right away.
Contact Listings That Are For Sale by Owner (FSBO)
If you have told everyone that you know, and everyone on your social media networks, that you are now a real estate agent and you are ready to get to work for them if they need to buy or sell, that’s a good place to start. But if you don’t get any interest or business from people you know, and you are ready to reach out to strangers, a smart place to start is For Sale by Owner listings (FSBOs).
Once you compile a list of these listings, you can contact the owners directly. Introduce yourself and let them know about the benefits they would derive from working with you rather than trying to sell their house on their own. You might need to contact them more than once before they decide to hire you, but be patient and it might all pay off.
Get in Touch with Listings That Expired
Sometimes, a house is put on the market and it just doesn’t sell. Perhaps the real estate agent didn’t perform as well as the owner anticipated, and the home was taken off the market. Well, you can contact listings that expired without selling, as this can give you the opportunity to promote yourself and try to get the listing.
Pro tip: Whether you’re getting in touch with FSBOs or expired listings, using a resource like Nuwber can give you more information on the owners of a property.
Create a Social Media Presence
One of the ways that you can effectively put yourself out there in front of the masses is by creating a social media page that will showcase your real estate skills. Select a few social media platforms that you want to use, and that you think will help you generate the best leads. For example, you might decide that your target audience will likely be on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or you might even want to get on a platform like TikTok if you think that will work for you.
The key is to create a page and then consistently post to it. Use hashtags so that your posts will be easier to find by people who are interested in working with an agent, and use those same hashtags to find relevant posts and reach out. It’s all about networking, so even if you are getting in touch with other agents and brokers, that’s great! After all, agents can definitely help one another succeed in the real estate market.
Talk to other agents to find out if they have any tips of their own. Ask your clients to spread the word – after all, people trust the suggestions of their friends and family more. Building your own network and having a strong online profile will help you tremendously in your quest to get more leads!