New Realtor With a Website? Here's What to Expect.

So you've got your real estate license, found a Broker, got your business cards, and set up a website. You're all ready to start your career as a Realtor. You might be wondering what kind of business your website will be bringing you?

Providing you work hard on your SEO and get decent Search Engine generated traffic, or buy some PPC ads, you should get people visiting your website.

From my own experience of having three websites serving three different California communities, here are a few generalizations I can pass on to you:

• 95% of your leads will be buyers.

Why?    Because people that own a home and are looking to sell it already have an existing relationship with a Realtor. The Realtor helped them buy the house they live in now.  Unless they had a bad experience with the Realtor when they bought the house, or unless the Realtor retired or died, they will likely start the home selling process by contacting the Realtor they know. 

The selling prospects you will get off your website will likely be people that, for whatever reason, don't want to use their "old" Realtor.  you might get a divorce situation where the parties have agreed to use a "neutral" Realtor. But, as a general rule, 95% of your leads will be buyers.
 

•  75% of the buyer leads from your website will be looking at low-end homes. Many will be first time buyers, some will be out of town investors, but both will be looking for the same home - 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, at the entry-level price for your market. A portion of the first time buyers will be looking for an entry level Condo.

Why?    First time buyers do not have an existing relationship with a Realtor, and they tend to be younger and more Web savvy. They found your site by Googling, and if your site is highly ranked, it gives you a certain amount of legitimacy in their eyes. So they contact or call you. Out of town investors do their home search the same way as first time buyers, so they end up as prospects for you, too.
 

• Very few $1,000,000 leads will come off the website.

Why?    Most people buying at that level are moving up from another house. So they already have a relationship with a Realtor. Also, when you get to the $1,000,000 home level, it's all about relationships. People in the million dollar range generally don't surf the net looking for a stranger to help them buy or sell a home. They go with the person they already know or the person that is recommended by a friend. Or they use person they met at the Country Club Christmas party or the Chamber of Commerce mixer.

Of course, there are exceptions. I did get a $900,000+ listing off my website a while ago, so it is possible. I've also gotten a listing from my Active Rain profile, so anything can happen.

But don't be disheartened by my seemingly gloomy forecast, I'm just trying to set realistic expectations. The fact is, with a quality web presence, you are in the sweet spot for building a long term business as a Realtor.

The buyers you close from your website leads will bring you referral business and they will move up to another home in the future. That's when you will list their entry level home and help them find a larger home.

Combine a good web presence with other advertising, your community involvement and relationship building with friends, neighbors, PTA parents and business/charity contacts, and you can build a large and diverse pool of clients.

Perhaps my guidelines above are not representative of all parts of the country, or perhaps the demographic market that your website targets might provide different results. I'm just relating my personal experience, other Realtors might like to chime in and offer their opinions as to the accuracy of my figures.


As they say in the advertising....."your results may vary..."





    

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