Nosy Neighbor?” Try, Best Ally

At least to some Realtors, neighbors are time-wasters and tire kickers.

They come through open houses not to buy, but to see how their Kitchen compares with their neighbor’s, to get interior decorating ideas, or to see what their own home is likely worth.

All (occasionally) true, but neighbors can also be the best salespeople for their block — who better to field a question about local schools, kids on the block, nearby shopping, etc.: the next-door-neighbor . . . or the Realtor trying to collect a commission?

Neighbors at open houses know who they are — but prospective Buyers typically don’t.

All they know is that the house that they may be interested in buying is full of lots of other prospective Buyers, too.

Free Recruiting

It’s also the case that neighbors recruit their friends to move nearby.

Holding an open yesterday in Golden Valley, the next-door-neighbor came over to tell me that she was hosting a party for her son’s football team later that afternoon.

If I gave her a stack of marketing flyers, she was happy to set them out where her house full of guests would see them.

I did . . . and she did.

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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