My broker is advising me to be very careful not to "bankrupt" myeslf with marketing, as it is very expensive and my funds are extremely low.

Has any one had any significant sucess running newspaper ads?

I have been using Craigslist, MLS for open houses, point2agent.com types . . . and of course my Center of Influence . . . which has been my most successful . . . I have a relative who claims to have a few leads for me - but he wants a percentage of the payment as a referral fee . . . I told him that I would of course slide him something on the side (i was thinking a free meal for he and his wife - but he is thinking like .. . . a piece of the action . . . a chunk of the commission . . .

ANY ADVICE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

We might be related. Your relatives sound just like mine. lol

Id focus on the Internet, that's where you'll get your best ROI. I still do mail-outs, newspaper ads etc, however the best ROI is from the net. Even when I was doing ppc.

Hope this helps.

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I do not think you are allowed to around "something on the side" in terms of commission split with a non licensed agent, am I wrong here?

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You are absolutely right! You can give $50. Which is more than enough especially for family.

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Delivering the right message to the right person at the right time is the key. You've only asked about one particular delivery method (newspapers). Do you already have a handle on the other aspects?

Commissions splits with a non-licensed individual doesn't usually go over well.

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well i know that an official commission split is not acceptable. i tried that argument with the relative and the only response i got was . . . "who said it had to be official. i trust you. once you get paid, just give me a call. they cant stop you from simply writing me a check. hell, i'll take a money order. who's gonna know?"

-------i know that some $ is better than no $ so im still tempted to go on and do it - but i really could do something quite harmful to this damm relative of mine!!!!
(Especially since Center of Influence has been my only success route!)
------- im not that great with the internet . . . not for real estate at least. i dont know what or how to "do stuff" to make my "site" or "webpage" stand out from others and get hits . . . and i dont have the $ to pay . . .

Whats your URL.

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The only thing other than $50 that is legal is tickets to events which can cost more than $50. I would tell the relative that after your split with the Broker and Uncle Sam there is not as much left as he might think, and if he doesn't want to help out of the goodness of his heart than he can either forget about it or get his license so you can pay him a referral that comes off as a tax deductible expense. What does your relative do? Is there any opportunity for you sending business his way?

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Dan Connolly
Atlanta Georgia
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It sounds like you have a rough relative there. I have been tempted many times over the years to do this for people, but it is a slippery slope. It's hard to refuse when you are hurting for money, but (as Dan said) it seems like your own relative would want to help you just to help you, not for a piece of your income. It just seems super-greedy to me.

I have a couple of friends that I am trying to get licensed solely to send referrals, because they know so many people. I have seen this type of "referral agent" arrangement work in a previous company.

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Jason Crouch, Broker
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