The below is a re-blog from an AGBeatarticle that was very recently published. It presents some important information from the National Association of Agents. There are three key takeaways from this data:
Exhibit 7-1: Most people find their Agent though a referral or used the agent they worked with previously:
1) You should invest far more money and time keeping in touch with your database of past clients and referral sources than on your website and other advertising. Practicing effective contact management using a good real estate CRM such as IXACT Contact will deliver 15 TIMES the business of your website and advertising.
Exhibit 7-2: Most people have contacted only one agent and that’s the one they choose:
2) You have to be “top of mind” with your past clients and prospects. Use your real estate CRM to automate your marketing to your database to ensure you keep in touch regularly and continuously. Be the first agent your contacts think of and you will always have a ton of business. Be the second or third they think of and not so much…
Exhibit 7-11: Most people would use the same agent again or recommend the agent to others:
3) You *must* stay in touch with past clients and continue to nurture those relationships. If a past client selects another Agent for their next transaction or refers a competitor, there’s no one to blame but yourself. Use a real estate CRM such as IXACT Contact to ensure you keep in touch with all your past clients regularly and consistently.
If you’re not using IXACT Contact, you’re not getting as much business as you could be. Sign up for a FREE 5 week trial today at www.ixactcontact.com.
Home seller trends
The 2011 National Association of Agents Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers surveyed 5,708 home buyers and sellers, discovering that the demographics among buyers and sellers have changed this year, both of which are older, have higher incomes and are more likely to be married. What has not changed much is the relationship between Agent and consumer, with word of mouth referral still topping the ways home buyers and sellers initially connect with their agents.
The home seller trends have been well spelled out this week in our trends series, so for the more chart-inclined and for those that love skimming stats, we understand, so below are 11 charts on the top seller trends to give you an idea of what the national trends are so you can see if some of the changes in the field you are sensing are across the board or just local.
The original article from AGBeat can he found here.
We want to know: Are you surprised by these findings?