About a year ago, my wife and I decided to downsize as we hit our fifties. We have four kids, but three of them had already moved out, leaving us with just one. So, we moved from a bigger house into a smaller one. We realized that there are a ton of people just like us all around the country.

Before we downsized, we used to live in a big house near a golf course, and whenever we received marketing from REALTORS, it was always the same thing: The marketing was all about them getting a listing, and we could read right through it.

They just wanted our commission, and it wasn't very effective.

Over the years, we received door hangers, mailers, and all sorts of stuff, but as a REALTOR myself, I couldn't help but wonder if these methods were effective or not. Sure, anything is better than nothing, but what can you do to be more effective?

The key is to focus on the why of someone considering making a move, instead of what you need.

Why...

Are you looking for more ways to find listings? I'm going to give you three more strategies right now.

Over at erealestatecoach, we've got hundreds of strategies over there. Lots of classes, lots of free material over there to check out. And we'll give you two weeks of free coaching. But today let me give you just three quick strategies:

1. Checking out the garage sales and estate sales that are coming up in the spring market

This is where people are downsizing all their stuff. They're doing the spring cleaning and they're deciding to get rid of a few things. But there could be an opportunity for you to reach out and make contact. Now, what would be the script? I'm going to give you those scripts right down below, but you could use this as a mailer, a postcard, an email, or just a direct approach either in person or over the phone.

So you might say:

"Hey as a local REALTOR, I noticed you had a recent garage sale. I hope it went super...

Are you doing circle marketing around neighborhoods where you have an active, interested, and qualified buyer?

If your answer is no, then you're missing a massive opportunity to unlock listings — not just for your buyer, but for yourself and for your business.

So I'm going to give you the single best circle marketing letter I've ever received as an agent. Because I own several properties, I get a lot of marketing from agents. But this particular letter really struck me as being super powerful.

I'm going to give it to you right now. And then you should take this letter and run with it. When you have a buyer that's actively engaged and wants to live in a neighborhood, send a mailing using this letter to unlock some listing opportunities.

Here's what the letter said:

"Hello, James,

My name is... and I'm a broker with 123 Real Estate. The reason I'm sending this letter is that I have a buyer who has interest in buying a home...

Studies show that 1 out of 20 homeowners is considering selling at any given point in time (roughly 5% of the homeowner population).

When a new listing hits the market in an area where there hasn't been a lot of listings it can spark conversations. This the often the trigger event, the catalyst, for  homeowners to get serious about putting their home on the market. Which is often why when one sign goes up in area, multiple listings follow. 

Take advantage of this phenomenon with a fresh approach to circle marketing. Watch and learn how using your current listings and the relationships your sellers already have with their neighbors can lead to more opportunities!

Ready for a new lead generation plan for 2019?

Explore Mastery Classes! 

• Open House Mastery 
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• Expired Listing Mastery
• Sphere of Influence Mastery

About Jim Remley:

Jim Remley is a nationally recognized expert in the field of residential real estate....