Having spoken with many FSBO’s, I assure you that almost all of them do not appreciate unsolicited mail from Realtors who want to represent them. IMO, a Realtor can do their reputation more harm than good in this way.

These are some positive ways a VA can assist a Realtor using Zillow:
1) Post photo’s - of homes or of their neighborhood on Zillow. In this way, the Realtor becomes known as the local expert on Zillow.
2) Find Home Q&A in the Realtor’s area for them to answer. It’s a great way to meet prospective buyers.
3) Post the Realtor’s listings on the site (with up to 50 photo’s for free.)
4) A busy Realtor might not have tome to fill out their own profile page - help them with that.
5) Report homes for sale. While only a listing agent can advertise a home on Zillow, anyone can report which homes are for sale if those homes aren’t already advertised. Great exposure for a buyers’ agent who might not have listings!
6) Run EZ Ads for the Realtor. EZ ADs on Zillow only cost 1c per view and take just minutes to set up but to create a good performing ad, normally requires some experimentation and creativity with copy and design. Buy EZ Ads here: http://tinyurl.com/25d6k4

I hope that helps!

February 21, 2008 at 9:30 am

admin

Those are some excellent suggestions and we have worked on those activities for agents.

One thing I would like to point out is that NAR statistics show that FSBO’s work with real estate agents 80%+ of the time. (I would guess those numbers may be different for 2005-2006.)

Another statistic is that owners will list with the first agent they talk to 72% of the time, which is hard to believe, but that is the statistic.

IMO, I doubt unsolicited mail will damage an agents reputation. If so, there are some churches, veterinary clinics, insurance agents, dentists, etc. who are damaging their reputation every month.

I will add another idea for our service to agents,
we can search sites, such as Zillow, Trulia, etc. to find unlisted properties for your buyers.

So far only one client has asked us to find addresses for him. I haven’t heard if it yielded anything.

February 21, 2008 at 11:02 pm

David G from Zillow.com

Those stats may be accurate but they’re irrelevant. They don’t tell you how the sellers engaged the Realtor.

In the era of the do-not-call registry it’s important to learn that consumers want to make the first move. Spam is spam; it doesn’t matter who sends it and I definitely wouldn’t attend even a church that electronically harassed me without my permission. Zillow’s forums are littered with FSBO’s complaining about being harassed by listing agents - sometimes the Realtor’s name is mentioned - trust me, it’s not a good reputation to have in your neighborhood.

February 21, 2008 at 11:36 pm

admin

My apologies, we have misunderstood each other. I was speaking of addresses for postcards or letters. Mailings are the last socially acceptable form of direct marketing. I wouldn’t be apart of Spam even if it got results.

I will keep in mind what you say but you must agree that there are many agents that are successful with FSBO’s. When I was an assistant to one agent there were at least two FSBO’s who were very happy that they met that agent.

Another agent I know offers flat fee, which surprisingly few owners know about (save web heavy owners) and offers 1% for the listings side. Of the clients he gets from his postcards, 65% or so pick the 1% option instead of flat fee for $495. It surprises me as well as him. Many FSBO’s think it will be easier than it is.

Also I would like to say that I think what you are doing for your company is great. You follow what is said about the company and refute, expound or explain. More companies should do that.

What Can A Virtual Assistant Do?

Pages

Links

Wordpress Resources

4 comments

Recent Articles

Blogging In America

We Love The Internet

Busy, Busy

Track How You Spend Your Time Online.

Realtor.com