Straightforward and Stealth Pitches

Want to hear from a Realtor? 

Or more likely, lots of ’em?

Let your listing expire, and just wait.

I don’t make a practice of trolling expired listings for business, but lots of other Realtors — especially newer, less established ones — do.

Would-Be Seller Beware

The pitch can be straightforward — “Hi!  I’m Jane Doe.  I’m with XYZ Broker, and saw that your listing expired.  I just wanted to introduce myself and discuss how I can help you sell your home . . . ”

Or, it can be a little more “stealth”:  “Hi, I’m Jane Doe.  I saw that your listing expired, and may have a Buyer for you.  When is a good time to talk?”  (Note:  sometimes such Realtors really do have a client in tow . . . more often they don’t.)

Occasionally, the foregoing pitch is accompanied by the Realtor’s claim to be a “neighborhood specialist” (sometimes true . . . often not).

Jumping the Gun, or, The Especially Well-Timed Preview

In fact, agents at one Twin Cities broker are known for not waiting for listings to expire to solicit the owner.

Their “m.o.” is to screen listings approaching 3 or 6 months of market time — a common listing contract term — and “coincidentally” schedule Previews then.

The goal?

Leave their business card on the owner’s Dining Room table, and — if the owner happens to be around (permissible with Previews) — engage them in a dialogue.

With tight inventory continuing to be the order of the day, look for a proliferation of such tactics — and more aggressive variations on same — in the coming year.  

See also, “Too Much — and Too Little — Realtor Attention.”

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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