If you’re looking to grow your real estate agent business you must include a community engagement strategy.
Listen as Kat Robinson talks about using community engagement to grow her real estate business.
Transcript:
Chris Bounds 00:02
It’s a little differently that the industry has evolved over time. Everything works and everything doesn’t work. Of course, certain things maybe a little bit better. I mean, if you want to go out and door knock that absolutely can work, it’s gonna take a little bit of time. I love it because it’s unique. It’s engaging. And it’s also value first.
Tell me about it, when you’re doing these pop buys, give them out in just little tokens. How are you finding the world busy, no one really likes to be interrupted. But people do appreciate value in sincerity. How are you approaching these, to engage with them, not as a tape, but as a give in a way that’s relevant to them? That they remember you and your building brand?
Kat Robinson 00:56
Well, number one. That the consistency is going to allow for brand recognition, giving them something that they may or may not enjoy is kind of a roll of the dice. Right? Just letting them know that they have a professional available that’s close by is key. That’s the idea of the complete stranger that lives 12 houses down that you see them every morning at the same stop sign. It’s kind of awkward. It changes the dynamic of that relationship.
Two people will see you walking around the neighborhood, putting them out. In fact, we’ll do flags for Memorial Day in Fourth of July and people beg for those. They’re like the size of a paper and eight by eleven. We stab them in the ground right at their sidewalk. Their streets are lined with the patriotic side of America and it’s a huge gift. They love it. Usually, they intersect you somehow.
You’re able to talk and everybody’s like, okay, you’re the realtor. How’s the market? Everybody loves that question. We talk about the market every day. Hey, guess what? December sales. In 2020, we’re up 40%. Average price points are up 10%.Those are huge numbers that people love to know. If they and then you follow it up with a quick question, “hey, if you want to run some numbers and see what it looks like for you and your family, we can definitely do that. No big deal.”
Chris Bounds 02:34
Yeah. Are there any trends that you’re seeing in the communication with those? Presumably, if you’re doing that within neighborhoods, that’s you’re targeting sellers. Which are probably buyers all for you as well. Are you noticing any trends and questions or concerns engaging in a transaction during COVID?
Kat Robinson 03:01
I feel like in Houston, most people are the deep seated fear is kind of subsiding. If you notice more and more people are out traffic’s heavier. I don’t see COVID, it being fearful. I know that COVID has changed the way we live. We’ve re-evaluated how we use space and what we need at home. We’re working more or playing more at home, we’re hosting more parties at home, like small gatherings.
That re-evaluation has made a huge surge of sales, especially in the suburbs because and to like, people are working from home, and they’re not commuting. That is a huge game changer and it’s changed the dynamic of the amount of sales that we can produce right now. The reason why we’re focusing on sellers is because there’s not enough inventory at all. I think he said was sitting on like 1.9 months of inventory.
That means if nothing else came on the market, we would sell out in less than 60 days. Like that’s insane. We need sellers to like step it up and let us list their house and let us get them into a new place with these low interest rates. We’re actually getting really, really creative with sellers who have to sell in order to purchase.
Obviously, we’re using lease backs as a way to do it. We are preparing sellers to maybe move into temporary housing for three to four months if they have to build, or living with family. We’re just trying to make sure that sellers have all the options there so that we can make the best choice for their families. You know, tapping into equity, that free money passes over into bigger better house with lower interest rates. It’s it’s a win.