[NY RE Broker]

Originally Posted by Agents

Yes, I am going to ask Realtors at my brokerage if I can host Open houses for them. I do doubt they will want me to do it, since they treasure it themselves.
As for hanging around the open houses... I am not really crazy about this idea: not all listing agents would be welcoming this and allow me to hang around.. and also, a very few buyers like this style of approaching in the area I live in (very laid back, private, etc.)

FIRST: Congratulations on your New Business (its not a job, you are now Self Employed)

I would find it hard to believe that all the Agents in your office LOVE doing Open Houses. As you become successful, you go from being a Buyers Agent to a Sellers Agent. FYI: Sellers Agent is where the money is. Why? Simple Math. I can have 4,000 Listings out there (I wish ) and I'd have our local network of over 20k agents selling them for me. I will never be able to handle more than 20 active buyers at a time. I can List and Sell a house a day, 365 day a year, but I can only take so many buyers around per day and buyers do not buy the first house they see. Well one tried, but I stopped them

You are NEW, So YOU MUST find a way to do Open Houses. Here are some hints in addition to the one above.

• Ask the Top Producers to Hold Open Houses For Them
• Network to Other Offices in your Franchise (if applicable) and Do Open Houses for them too.
• Co-Host Open Houses with others. You each take a turn giving a prospect a tour of the house. This keeps the house secure as everyone is accompanied through the house. This keeps the agents secure as they are not there alone with strangers. Market this especially to women.

Next you have to network:

• First is Circle of Influence: Family (immediate and extended) Friends & Neighbors.Send them all Letters every 3 months if not monthly. I like it better than e-mail because you should include some type of coupon in it. Do this by networking with maybe a Car Wash or Small Store. You push a product for them and drive customers to them and you get to give your network maybe $5.00 off a car wash or Free Soda with purchase of Pizza. etc. This way they look forward to getting this stuff from you and it keeps YOUR NAME in front of them. Remember you are NOT trying to get them to Buy or Sell with you...You want them to recommend YOU to their friends.
• Take 20 business cards with you every day. When you return home, you should have none! You should be handing your card to everyone you say HI to. You want every one to know you are a REALTOR.
• You should also give your cards to your immediate family. THEY too should be handing those cards out to everyone they know.
• Before doing Pay Per Click, try sponsoring local Sports Teams. Soccer, Baseball, etc. I also sponsor kids camps and those kids run around all summer with my name on those shirts. How do I know they work: I got my first listing from a Tee Shirt! How did I know they would work: At 12 yrs old my parents took us to Florida, we lived in NY. At Disney World I spotted my Dad's company name on a shirt in Disney. We caught up with the people. It was one of the teams he sponsored. Make sure YOUR Name and YOUR phone number is on that shirt. Maybe a simple web site people can remember too.
• Lastly, Keep your head up and Keep going. Real Estate is like a Snowball rolling down hill. It starts with a little effort and picks up steam as it rolls, gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Then it stops...and you make another snow ball! Too many agents forget that it actually stops at some point.

One Sale, if massaged correctly, will lead to more and then eventually those sales become listings and the listings generate more sales and so on.

Oh, And Finally...Get some info on your posts. Real Name, Location, Speciality. This site is searchable by the public. In other words; Our topics come up in search results. Make it easy for them to contact you.