10 Point Checklist for Real Estate Success

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There are many little things that you can do in your daily real estate life to provide a better, more professional impression to others.

You want to set the right foundation and start out on the right foot if you’re a newer real estate agent. For those of you who have been a realtor for sometime, this will be a good brush-up.

So much of the business starts online – this is where we will focus most of our efforts – this online business is then converted to offline business.

So then, what are the ten things?

1. Have a sleek email signature – when emailing clients, make sure it is always attached at the end, reflects your brand look and feel appropriately and includes the most pertinent contact information.

2. Use a professional email address and not your personal email address – make sure your email reflects your real estate business and not your personal life. For instance, WineBoy@email.com or LucysMomma@email.com are great for your personal life, but are out of context in your professional business. If you’re not purchasing your own domain, I recommend doing something with your name and real estate in the email. For example: NameRealtorLocation@email.com.

3. Have a professional photo– make sure that the photo you are using on your web sites, online profiles, business cards, collateral etc reflects you well. Dress nicely (not complicated patterns), look fresh, and coiffed. I usually recommend a traditional head and shoulders shot with a professional background (grey or otherwise) or a background that reflects the market you are in.

4. Online Exposure – make sure you have yourself wired-in appropriately online. Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and Homes.com all offer free profiles. Make sure you’re information is uploaded on all of them. You can also take advantage of LinkedIn’s profile and join relevant real estate groups. As we talked about in another blog post, creating and frequently updating your Facebook business page will also help. (include a link to blog here.)

5. Reviews from clients – once your deal is closed, in your final communications, you should always be seeking ways to request reviews from clients. There’s the opportunity to integrate these reviews on Zillow and Trulia and other sites, so that when people are researching you, they can get a better idea of what it is like to work with you. More positive reviews equals more inquiries equals more business.

6. Post your past transactions – always make sure the houses you sold (either as listing or selling agent) are updated and you are given credit for on Zillow and Trulia – it is another way people can see your experience and feel comfortable making the decision to use you as a realtor.

7. Have a local telephone number – if you have relocated here from another area, make sure you have a local phone number. You want to be considered the local expert and will not be perceived that way with an out of town area code. You can easily get a Google Voice number with the appropriate business area code. It does not cost anything. You can get more info here.

8. Voicemail – sometimes this one is overlooked. Make sure your voicemail identifies you and your role clearly. It should not simply list your call back number, but should be a personalized and welcoming voice message using your own voice.

9. Set up your clients on the MLS – make sure they’re signed up to receive new listings. This is an easy way to make sure they’re getting access regular, updated information, targeted based on their individual needs, in between your personal communication with them. It’s also a good idea to make sure your MLS outbound emails are branded accordingly with a nice header and logo.

10. Focus on your personal brand – take the steps to make a commitment to your business, to your profession. Always take the road that leads you to look and become stronger than the competition. Eat, sleep and live your business so that you are at the forefront of the potential buying and selling public. It is really simple to do and costs virtually nothing.

 

Questions? Reach out to me at Phil@DaltonWade.com or 727.888.4175 I am here to help!