How To Sell A Home With The Neighbors Help

Selling a home is a big job, but sometimes the buyer is hiding in plain sight, the surrounding neighborhood.  That’s right. I am willing to bet that most neighborhoods have a resident who knows someone looking to move there.  But how do you find out if they know a buyer? Ask them.

Some of you may be thinking “I don’t need to do that my listing will sell in a week” or “the market is hot, it will sell quickly.”  The market won’t always be hot, and there’s more to this plan then just selling a listing.  

Let me explain.

We are going above and beyond to make a lasting impression and build relationships with potential sellers in a neighborhood.  

The old way of thinking: you sell a listing without engaging with the neighborhood on a personal level.  You send out the same generic just listed and sold cards like everybody else and never make a human connection.  You’ll need to send out more cards to build a presence than you will if you follow-up a mailing with an in-person visit.  

A new way of thinking: You personalize your postcards AND walk the neighborhood knocking on doors after sending them.  

Which do you think will have a more significant impact?

 

Here’s how you can do it:

Walk the neighborhood and knock on doors.

When your new listing hits the market, cast a net around the ten homes on either side of the subject property and across the street (or more if you like).

Tell the residents that you have just listed a house on their street and you want to give them an opportunity to help find their new neighbor.  You are planning an exclusive event and invite them to bring any potential buyers for a first look. This is your opening to a conversation. Build some report.  Even if they don’t attend, you may make a lasting impression on them.

TIP: If you are squeamish about knocking on doors, bring a colleague.  Having a familiar person to feed off of can add a layer of fun to the conversation and may put you at ease because the focus isn’t solely on you.  I am not much of a door knocker but find this method makes me more comfortable.

Host a neighbors only open house event.  

I say event because it should be unique and not just another open house.  This idea excites me for a few reasons. You get to meet new people and develop a relationship.  Relationships in the real estate business are everything.

Approach the guests with a genuine interest in getting to know them rather than “what can I get” mindset.  Even if they don’t have a buyer in mind, it will make planning a housewarming or block gathering easier when the right buyer comes along (more on that later).

Take ten minutes and present the home.  

Every home has a story; this is your chance to tell it.  Share what the current owner loved most, how they cared for it, and any interesting facts or history.  Create a unique take away gift that people will want to keep around or share with others.

One of my favorites is a branded key-shaped USB drive.  

You can load the virtual tour video, property details, and business card onto it.  

TIP:  Purchase a drive that has at least 4GB of space (easy to find on Google), so the guest has the option for personal use.  The idea is to give them the property info and something of value that they will keep around. Every time they use it, they will hopefully think of you.

Invite some neighbors to talk about why they love living there on camera.  

You may get some resistance here but go for it anyway.  Even if you get a couple, it’s worth it. Be careful they don’t unintentionally violate any fair housing or other laws.

Even though they said it, you are responsible because you used them in your marketing.

Tip: Look for the outspoken neighbor who is passionate and heavily involved in local happenings.  Every neighborhood has a mayor.

Be transparent with your plan to use the video and always get their permission.  You can repurpose these testimonials in a few ways.

  • Weave them into your property tour video.  Embed into an email blast for other real estate agents and your sphere of influence.  
  • Share them on social media.
  • Embed them into a blog post about the neighborhood.

The after party: Follow up with a handwritten thank you note.  If you received any phone numbers or email address at the event, get there feedback on the home.  

Once you find the right buyer for your listing, help coordinate a block party or house-warming event.  

The experience you create is what people will remember the most.

I would love to hear about your experience with neighborhood open houses or events.  Please share them with me in the comments.

How To Build Meaningful Relationships On Instagram

How to grow your instagram following organically

Building a significant following on Instagram takes time and work. If you use it for business, you are going to have to commit to a strategy to build trust with your audience.

Just like Facebook and all the other social platforms, we are in the attention business. Once we get our target audiences attention, we have to keep it.

Gaining followers is the easy part. Attracting the RIGHT ones and keeping them takes work. There are followers, and there are the RIGHT followers. You want the latter.  

The following tips are proven to work, but you have to be consistent. Don’t give up!

 

 

Here are my tips to build meaningful relationships on Instagram:

1. Create a compelling bio that depicts who you are as a person or business. Complete every detail and be creative.  How do you want to be remembered?

2. Think about how you want your feed to look and how your audience will feel when they view it. Your photos and videos should tell a story and be visually appealing. Instagram users will decide in seconds if they want to follow you or not.

3. Post quality images or video consistently. You will have to find your sweet spot. Some people recommend 1-3 times daily or 5 times per week. Only you know your audience, and they will let you how you are doing by their actions.

4. Follow people your product or service can help, related to your field and whom you have a genuine interest. I recommend 5–10 per day.

5. Follow hashtags. This is a newer feature that many people do not even know about or use yet. You will see content from these tags in your feed and can meet people you might have interest in following.

6. Research hashtags carefully.  The most popular ones tend to attract bots and your competitors.  Make a list of tags that are relevant to your business and think about tags YOUR audience might search for.  Use a variety of niche, industry, community, and branded tags.

7. Send direct messages to people. If someone follows you, message them and say thanks. Look at their profile for commonalities. Ask questions. Show interest. Not everyone will respond, but we do not know unless we try.

8. Use the Stories feature. Stories have grown tremendously in users and capabilities over the past year. They are a great way to gain additional exposure and allow people to experience you differently.  Be careful not to over do it.  If your stories aren’t entertaining you won’t get repeat viewers.  Posting cool stories less often will probably get your more views.

9. Add thoughtful or helpful comments on posts from users you follow and others you find on the platform. I cannot tell you how many of my relationships began in the comments.  Keep the conversation going!

10. Tag people when relevant. Add geotags to your posts.

11. Pay attention to your insights. This information will help shape your future decisions.

 

Experiment with the above suggestions. You have to be comfortable with whatever strategy you choose. What works for some may not work for others.

I feel it is more important to have meaningful connections rather than tons of people I do not engage. By growing your following organically, you will have users that choose to follow. That shows interest. The process may take more time but well worth it in the end.

The takeaway: Be active. Be consistent. Be Human.

How To Make The Most Of A Networking Event

Christopher Pagli Think Local networking event

 

Have you ever wavered on going to a networking event and left feeling glad you did because it was incredibly productive? I have.

I know how hard it can be to walk into a room full of people you do not know and introduce yourself. My top six personal tips will help you make the most of your networking experience.

 

1) Have a plan before you go. – whom do you want to meet?

Make a list of five targets and reach out before the event, so the face-to-face introduction is a little warmer. Most events have Facebook or LinkedIn groups so you can see the guest list beforehand. Join these groups and add value, videos are a great idea. If your content is excellent and makes an impact, you may be approached by some people at the event.You are setting the stage and will feel more comfortable entering the room knowing you have a plan in place.

How do I start a conversation with someone I have not met? Look them in the eye, shake their hand and introduce yourself. You are at a networking event; we expect it.

2) Arrive early, get acclimated, and dive right in. I have found this is an excellent way to stay grounded, break the ice, and greet others as they arrive. It is easier to have conversations with fewer distractions in the room.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and noticed they are listening to you with the side of their head and their eyes are roaming the room to see who is there? Not a great way to show you care.

If you cannot arrive early, survey the room; see who is there.

  • Identify people you may already know
  • Look for the popular people. These are people who can’t walk two feet without being stopped or have a large crowd around them. Make it a point to find out who these people are and meet them. Chances are you will engage with other people in the immediate area.
  • Find your targets. They will introduce you to others in the immediate vicinity, and the conversations flow from there.

 

3) Make a statement. – Are you an average Joe? What will you do to make a statement once you enter the room? I am not only talking about how we look but our confidence level. Why do you think fashion models wear their clothes so well? Confidence. It makes the outfit.

Everything we do or don’t do sends a message. Every interaction is a potential job interview.

  • Dress to impress
  • Be well-groomed
  • Smile
  • Have a firm handshake and look the other person in the eye as you shake.
  • DON’T skimp on your business card! Make sure it is high quality and depicts who you are and what you have to offer. I know business cards can be costly, but it is an extension of you and their takeaway! Check out www.Moo.com.
  • Look at others business card before stuffing it into your pocket; this is a sign of respect.
  • Make notes about your conversation on the back of the card or your phone.
  • Be a good listener and ask open-ended questions that give you more information about the person. Celeste Headlee said it beautifully in her TED Talk “You do not have to show someone you are listening if you are listening.

If you present yourself as an expert, the best, or a professional, everything else needs to match your words. Unfortunately, people judge. We want every aspect of how we present ourselves to align.

4) Keep it moving – acknowledge your friends and existing connections, they may introduce to people you do not know, but don’t hang out talking to them the entire time. You are there to make new connections and nurture existing ones. I have a goal of meeting at least 5-10 new people at each event. The more I do this, the easier it gets.

5) Know how to talk about your business – Your elevator pitch should be clear, concise, and give the listener a compelling reason to take action or learn more. I always end with what makes me different. People want to know why they should refer or do business with you, especially in a room where there are many others in the same industry.

I highly recommend spending $5 on a copy of “This Book Will Teach Your How To Write Better” By Neville Medhora. In just 50 pages you will know how to write copy that sells and talk about your business in the least amount of words.

People tend to remember the first and last thing you said. Avoid industry jargon that most people will not understand.

 

6) Send a follow-up email right after the event. It shows interest and will help you stand out. Too many people do not do this. We need to stay fresh in others minds. If you took notes about while speaking with them, reference something in your follow-up email.

We meet many people at these events and what we choose to do will make or break our experience.

Please share your tips in the comments below. I look forward to hearing them!

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