All Forum Posts by: Chris Farrugia

I have a local Facebook group with 99k members and it's just a group for our town. There are people there from all walks of life, people coming here on vacation, etc. and I have had luck marketing to them. Currently, they get a few emails from me after they join. They are:

* A welcome email and invitation to join our group's monthly drawing for a gift card

* An offer to help any way I can (recommendations for things around town, etc.)

* An offer to send them my vendor list (this one gets HUGE response)

* An offer to join Homebot for their homes here or up north

* A question of who keeps them up to date on the sales in their neighborhood and an offer to be that person. (Big response here too)

By having their email address, they also are getting my monthly newsletter.

Do you have any ideas of any other emails I could send them? They don't have to be real estate related is what I'm finding. The recipients see my email signature and know I'm an agent. What else could I send them that adds value and keeps us in contact?

Hi friends,

I want to start sending printed newsletters into a neighborhood of 400 homes that I farm. I figured they'd be 8.5" x 11" booklets but the printer is quoting $400 to create them. Even online printers are above $300. How do you guys make your newsletters? How many pages? Where do they get printed?

I own a Facebook group with 70,000 members so I am going to have my VA handle moderating that and approving members. I have a number of tedious tasks (compiling tax records, data entry, etc.) but I wanted to see how you guys use your VA's. What sort of tasks do you give them?

Hi friends,

I'm putting a list together now that I'm documenting all of my systems and want some ideas for what you do to market your listing. I start with the very basics and go on from there. I'm talking about things like,

• Order yard sign
• Post on MLS
• Run Google Adwords campain
• Run Facebook/Instagram Ads campaign
• Order text for more info for yard sign
• Email blast to all local Realtors
• Reverse Prospect

There's a lot of things but what am I missing here?

I live in a ridiculously competitive market (6k agents in my one town) and want to start a program to target FSBO's. Now, my approach is going to be that I don't want their listing because I know they can sell it. I want their PURCHASE once they sell their home. I have a feeling that I will eventually get their listing anyway once they aren't having luck and they find a home they really like elsewhere.

I refuse to door knock because I think it severely cheapens our industry and I don't want to cold call constantly and annoy people the way Tom Ferry encoursages us to do. I can email, mail letters, etc..

I've done a similar approach with expired listings and had success although I am targeting them to relist their home. In that regard, I mean that I'm not cold calling or door knocking.

What do you fellow agents suggest as some content to send?

I have created a program for myself and it just isn't working as is. I would love for you to have a look at it and critique it. Keep in mind as you look at this, I do not go after listings the day they expire. This is for listings that expired at least a month ago and aren't relisted yet. The ones that expired today receive 10 calls before 8am in my market.

A screenshot of my program is below.

With this said, set 4 is to send a message asking I can bring a buyer and get 3%. This is my way of seeing if they are still looking to sell.

When I mail MLS data, I am highlighting that listings ARE selling right now.

My "What I do differently" sheet shows my marketing plan (that impresses every person once I go on a listing appointment).

Finally, I basically give up on them and try for them to give me permission to send them market updates by email and then finally to like my Facebook page. After all of that, they go into a "Cold Leads" bucket so they get my newsletter emailed, etc...

How can I make this better? Why is it failing to produce listings? What step am I missing?

I should note that this is only one of the things I do. I do FSBO's, SOI, etc. of course but I want this program to succeed.

I would suspect it is overpriced or is a very nice home but not in nice surroundings.  When something lingers on the market that long, price is generally the reason.

Tom Ferry is stuck in 1970's real estate in my opinion.  Go watch his YouTube channel and you see what I mean relatively quickly.

Just one point--please tell me you're using Every Door Direct Mailing from the USPS.  I have literally seen agents put stamps on 1000 postcards before. Every Door Direct Mail is very cost effective.  Plus, don't go to a local printer.  UPrint or one of those is so much better and have specific sections of the site for EDDM pieces.  Best of luck!

One other thing... was just about to hit submit... I do "Just Listed," "Under Contract" and "Just Sold" post cards for neighborhoods.  In one neighborhood, the average days on market is 103 with the fast sale in the past 120 days being 33 days.  I had it under contract in 8.  That was a very powerful piece that goes out.

I've always been a one-man show doing everything myself.  I'm about to hire a personal assistant though to help me with some of the marketing, advertising, follow-ups, etc. but it has me really thinking about the step after that--when to start a team.

If you've started a team, when did you decide it was the right time? How many listings did you have and what was your volume?  Who was your first hire? Buyer agent? Seller agent?

I'd love to hear your input!