Spring is a prime time for the real estate market, as buyers and sellers alike start to come out of hibernation and look for new opportunities. As a realtor, it’s important to take advantage of this busy season and make the most of the increased demand. However, with so much competition in the market, it can be tough to stand out and attract the best clients. That’s why we’ve put together this guide for realtors looking to win the spring market in 2024.
First and foremost, it’s important to have a strong marketing strategy in place. This means making sure your listings are well-presented and easy to find online, using social media and other online platforms to reach potential buyers and sellers, and staying top-of-mind with past clients and potential leads. Additionally, consider offering special promotions or incentives to attract clients during the spring market.
Another key aspect of winning the spring market is having a thorough understanding of the local real estate business. This means staying up-to-date on current trends, market conditions, and what buyers and sellers are looking for in your area. This knowledge will allow you to better position your listings and make informed decisions when working with clients.
Networking is also crucial for success in the spring market. This means building and maintaining relationships with other realtors, lenders, home inspectors, and other industry professionals. These connections can provide valuable leads, and can also help you stay informed about the market and stay informed about the market and stay ahead of the competition. If you’re an agent who wants to capitalize on this increased demand, you need to be ready for spring. Fortunately for you, we have a list of things that will help you get ahead of the curve:
Follow up with clients from earlier in the year
If you’ve been in the business for a while, it’s likely that you’ve worked with clients in past years. Your follow up should be on them. Are they ready to move this year? Do they want to buy a new home or sell the one they have? Are they satisfied with their current situation, or are there things that could be improved? If your client is interested in selling, do they have any referrals for other agents who can assist them with their sale?
You may find yourself surprised at how many people are ready to move on from their current homes and would be happy to recommend an agent such as yourself if given the chance. Now is the perfect time to ask these questions so that when spring arrives next year—and especially if housing demand picks up—you’ll already have contacts ready-made for referrals!
Be present on social media channels
Social media is a great way to reach people who may not be looking for you but could benefit from your services. If a potential client wants to buy a home in the next year and doesn’t know you, how will they find out about you? Social media offers an opportunity to reach people who don’t have time or inclination to look through the yellow pages or search online listings. In addition, social media can serve as an extension of your brand awareness efforts by keeping your name front-of-mind with past clients and referrals so they think of you when they hear someone needs real estate help.
Start blogging and speaking at conferences
I think blogging and speaking at conferences are two of the best ways to get new business and stay top of mind with clients,” says Dawna Clarke, a realtor who owns her own company in New York City. “If you’re writing a blog post, you’re keeping yourself relevant in your clients’ minds—and when they’re ready to buy, they know who to call.”
Both blogging and speaking at conferences can help you build your reputation as an industry expert, which is another great way to attract new leads. Speaking at events helps you network with other successful realtors from around the country. These connections can lead directly to referrals from colleagues who have worked with clients before or know someone who does now.
Refresh your website for spring
Your website should be a reflection of the season: fresh, bright and informative.
- Make sure your website is updated with the latest information
The ideal time to refresh your website is before spring hits. As soon as houses go up for sale in your area, buyers will be searching for them online. Make sure your listing information is up-to-date so that you don’t miss out on potential clients. Also, if any changes have been made to the property since its last listing (such as a new roof), make sure that those are reflected on your site as well!
- Ensure it has a responsive design
A responsive design means that your website looks good regardless of what device it’s being viewed from—whether it’s a desktop computer or mobile phone screen size.* This makes sense because more people are browsing real estate listings via their phones than ever before (about 50%). The most important piece of advice here? Don’t forget about tablets either! It’s best practice to create separate mobile versions of each page so everything looks nice whether someone visits using their device’s full-screen mode or not.
- Use Narratives to establish your value with buyers
Create personalized videos for your buyers by easily recording your video and audio over any piece of content, be it a Buyer’s Guide, MLS listings or Pre-tour guides with help of Narratives. Videos make your offerings easier to understand and more memorable.
This helps in staying top-of-mind with your buyer and gaining their trust and results in retention.
See how other agents are using Narratives to guide their buyers.
Get your referral systems in place
When it comes to closing on a home, referrals are your best friend. You can’t always count on third party websites like Zillow and Trulia, as they don’t always provide accurate data and may not show all the listings that are available in your area. In fact, research shows that 93% of home buyers use online sources to find their next home – but only half of buyers actually see an agent before making an offer.
With this in mind, it’s extremely important that you stay top-of-mind with clients who are thinking about buying or selling their homes by following up with them frequently. If someone asks how things are going at work or if you have any plans for the weekend, answer honestly and keep an eye out for opportunities where we might be able to meet again soon (such as attending parties hosted by mutual friends).
If someone tells me “I’m looking at houses” or “I’m thinking about selling my house soon,” I will always ask them if they need help finding a Realtor—and then follow up with them every month until they sell!
Send out past client postcards
The easiest way to get the word out about your services is by sending out postcards to past clients. This is a great way to not only let them know you are around, but also remind them of how much they liked working with you.
Your postcard campaign should be sent out within one month after each closing or transaction has been processed (or as soon as possible). You can use a simple template that includes your contact information, company name and logo, along with any special offers that are available now or in the future (such as referrals).
Make sure that everything on these postcards is accurate—including addresses and phone numbers—so that people can reach out if they want more information about what you have to offer. You may also want to include a personal message from the agent who worked on their case so it feels even more personal than simply receiving an advertisement in the mail!
Finally, make sure there’s something at the bottom where buyers/sellers can call if they’re ready to buy or sell their home right away!
Get a head start on tracking your transactions throughout the year
Realtors have a unique perspective on the buying and selling of homes. In order to be successful in your business, you need to understand how different factors affect the real estate market.
Tracking your transactions throughout the year can help you identify trends, set goals for yourself, and prepare for future projects. It’s a great exercise in self-evaluation too! One way to track your transactions is by using an online platform that allows users to create reports based on specific criteria (like property type or price range). This will allow you to see if there are any patterns or anomalies within your transaction history while giving insight into where improvements may need to be made.
Being prepared before the peak season can help you succeed during it
This can help you win the spring market. Being unprepared and unprepared to take advantage of this time-sensitive opportunity can have dire consequences on your business and your bottom line.
What are some things you can do now to prepare for the upcoming peak season?
- Get organized – You may be thinking that this is obvious, but being organized is more than just having a pretty desk or office space. Organizing is about having your paperwork in order so that you aren’t scrambling at the last minute to fill out paperwork for new transactions or listing appointments with buyers. A lack of organization will cause stress when deadlines are approaching, which could ultimately affect how much money you make from each transaction.
- Hire an assistant – If you’re serious about expanding your real estate business over the next few years, hiring an assistant is one of the best investments you can make in yourself as well as in others who depend on it for their livelihoods (i.e., agents/brokers). Having someone else around who helps keep track of tasks related to running an office means that there’s someone else available during off hours if something comes up unexpectedly during those times when everyone else has left work early or taken vacation days off together already—which tends to happen often during “dead times” such as Thanksgiving weekend!
Conclusion
Spring is a busy time for real estate agents, but with the right preparation and the right mindset, you can be successful. Be sure to set aside time for training and networking so that you don’t miss out on opportunities during this peak season.