Creating a real estate marketing content calendar is like planning a huge trip across various terrains. An effective content calendar is more than a map to take you where you need to go – it’s the vessels you’ll use and the timing of each leg of the journey.
It might seem like a daunting task to create one, but it is so much easier than coming up with every piece of content for each marketing campaign on the fly. That is a recipe for disaster. Often, it’s a recipe for nothing at all – just days of missing or half-hearted social posts and skipped emails.
If you want more leads, sales, and success in your business, you need a detailed plan of how to get there. In this blog, I’ll show you the steps for creating a real estate marketing content calendar to keep your marketing on course and your audience engaged.
What is a real estate content marketing calendar?
A real estate content marketing calendar is a strategic planning tool for organizing and scheduling content creation and distribution, ensuring a consistent and cohesive strategy throughout the year. It includes ideas for various content formats, specific publishing dates, real estate marketing channels, target audience identification, key industry dates, content objectives with performance metrics, and collaboration details.
This tool helps real estate professionals maintain a steady flow of valuable content, build a stronger online presence, and engage effectively with their audience.
How to Make a Real Estate Content Marketing Calendar.
Step 1:Define Your Goals – Before you plot any piece of content on your calendar, be crystal clear about what you aim to achieve. Are you looking to increase awareness of your personal brand, generate leads, or establish yourself as a thought leader? Your goals should dictate the content you create. Establishing five or so primary goals and then creating a cadence for each is an effective strategy.
Step 2: Know Your Audience – Understand the needs, challenges, and desires of your target audience. This understanding will guide the topics you cover, ensuring your content is valuable and relevant to your audience. Check out Answer The Public to see the questions consumers are asking in your area. Reach out to your sphere and ask about their primary concerns and questions. Keep a notebook of what people are saying and refer to it during your content planning sessions.
Step 3: Audit Your Current Content – Take stock of what you’ve been sharing. What has resonated with your audience, and what’s fallen flat? Invest in what works but don’t allow it to make your perspective myopic. If a certain piece fell flat, what went wrong with it? Use this as a basis to see where you can improve. After evaluating your own marketing, look at what other agents are putting out. What do you want to rip-off-and-duplicate?
Step 4: Plan Your Topics – Based on your goals and audience needs, brainstorm topics for blogs, video marketing, social media posts, and newsletters. Make sure to cover key aspects of real estate that potential clients would be interested in, such as homebuying tips, market trends, and home improvement ideas.
Set a goal for each piece of content. If you have multiple goals, you either need multiple pieces of content or pieces of exceptional quality that serve multiple functions in the simplest way possible Word of warning: don’t overcomplicate each individual piece. You want a clear message or CTA that won’t get watered down by switching topics.
Step 5: Set Your Content Mix & Cadence – Decide how often you’ll post and on which platforms. Consistency is key in content marketing, so choose a cadence you can maintain. Whether it’s multiple times a day on Instagram or weekly blog posts, stick to your schedule.
Be sure to factor in how much time it’ll take you to batch content for each channel you’re working. Shooting a few videos each week might not seem like it’ll take long, but if you don’t also account for the time it’ll take to write your weekly email newsletter and long-form podcast, you might run into trouble.
Step 6: Schedule Your Production Time – It doesn’t matter how good your content calendar is if none of it ever gets created and sent. Everything must be scheduled, including the time to make and schedule your content. The best way to do this is to batch. Set aside one day to produce an entire month’s worth of content. This leads directly to the next step.
Step 7: Outsource and Utilize AI – Batching your content allows you to raise your level of production by booking a videographer, editor, or other forms of talent for a particular time. Many of our high-level coaching members have regular videographers or writers they work with for these kinds of sessions. If you work with a team, delegate tasks, and make it clear who is responsible for what roles, such as creating and posting each piece of content.
Collaboration and accountability are crucial for a smooth content strategy. And of course, you can’t forget about real estate AI, which will allow you to produce high-quality content far beyond your own skill level in a fraction of the time it would take you to make even simple pieces. Having your tech stack already set up will allow you to know what kind of content you can create and how long it’ll take you.
Step 8: Incorporate Key Dates – Factor in major holidays, national events, and local happenings that you can tailor content around. This keeps your real estate content calendar relevant and timely.
Step 9: Use a Content Calendar Tool – Whether it’s a physical planner, a spreadsheet, or specialized software, choose a tool that works for you and update it regularly. This central hub is pivotal for keeping track of what’s been posted and what’s coming up. Regardless of whether you’re running a team, I strongly recommend you use something that’s easily sharable so that your videographer, writers, or other co-creators can have access.
Step 10: Analyze and Adjust – Regularly review your metrics to see what’s working and make changes as needed. Be flexible and willing to update your strategy to align with your audience’s response and the evolving market. Remember, in real estate marketing, content is king, but consistency is the key to the kingdom. By adhering to a well-structured marketing content calendar, you’re ensuring that your efforts are systematic, strategic, and ultimately successful.
We had another stellar year in 2024 with Agents Boost. Thousands of agents from all over the world engaging with the content we’ve been posting for over a decade now.
Take some time to check them out or share with a friend. Don’t forget to drop a comment on your fave.
F.O.R.D. – Learn the Secret to Engage Your Clients – Discover a simple and powerful technique that changes a “small talk” dilemma for life which in turn will dramatically impact your business for the better. A simple acronym called F.O.R.D. which stands for Family… Occupation… Recreation and Dreams.
The Top Agents Daily Checklist – We all have the same 365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months in our real estate year and begin with an even playing field, right? So what is the secret to the top producing agents and what they do with that same time every other agent has? This week we break down the daily checklist of the millionaire real estate agents and what it is they do every day no matter what that creates a massive end result all agents are looking for.
The Secrets to Getting More Offers Accepted in Todays Market – The average seller in our area is paying approximately $13,500.00 to sell their home with a real estate professional. Is faxing, emailing and texting all your buyers and sellers can expect from you as a real estate agent when presenting and negotiating an offer? Are they getting their $33,500.00 value for this service?
How To Determine Your WHY in Real Estate – “When your WHY is big enough you will find your how.” Laith Wallace. I believe a crucial step to living a more fulfilling life is to know your “WHY” before you know your HOW. Lots of people ask me HOW to take their real estate business to the next level. I can tell them a million strategies, but if they haven’t answered their WHY first, they’re not going to put those strategies to the best use.
Powerful Pre Listing Appointment Questionnaire – One of the simplest and most powerful strategies I use to eliminate my competition and to get the inside track on a listing appointment is to use a pre listing appointment questionnaire. This simple strategy is a fantastic way to impress the prospective seller by connecting with them in advance of our appointment. By confirming the appointment date and time it shows them we were really on the ball with our service as an agent, sets us apart from competitors and helps us create a superior experience for them even before we take their listing.
20 Strategies To Get More Listings – If you believe that More Listings = More Leads and you want more of both, you’re in the right place. Read on for 20 strategies to generate listings from your past clients, sphere of influence, cold leads, and more.
Do You Have Systems, Checklists and Processes? – Systems and processes provide us all with leverage and more time as a real estate business owner. Every good organization has an operations manual for consistency, scalability and execution. Let’s look at some of the simple and powerful systems and processes you can use to take your business to the next level.
Must Have AI Tools For Real Estate Agents In 2024 – AI tools will not replace the real estate agent but help the agent with working on their business, like we have never seen before! Do you want to know my must have A.I. tools for all real estate agents in 2024?
Being Known, Liked & Trusted Isn’t Enough Anymore – “We have automated and “teched” our way out of people’s lives and relationships.” We are now in a time where it is imperative to an agent’s success the people know, like and trust you but now they also must see you!! Gone are the days you can get away from showing up and being seen by people.
Happy New Year. 2024 has been a bit twisty turvy but great overall. We have you to thank for that. We hope you have a great time celebrating bringing in 2025 and much success in the coming year.
A gratitude list may feel like the last thing you want to do in 2024. While the feeling is understandable, even with the current challenges in the world, there are still things to be thankful for during this time. I know all these things may not apply to you. Still, I hope this list will inspire you to remember the things to be thankful for. Here are 101 things to be grateful for.
1. Sight. I know there are a lot of people in this world who are blind. Even if you are, there are still other things to be grateful for. Those of you who aren’t blind, even if you must wear glasses or contacts, you can be grateful that you can see. Even if everything you see in the world isn’t as pleasant sometimes, still be grateful for the pleasant things you can see, like the nice green colors of nature outside.
2. Hearing. Similarly, to sight, many people in this world are deaf. They’ll never be able to enjoy the sounds of music or hear the voice of someone they care about. Be grateful that you can listen to relaxing music when you feel stressed.
3. Smell. As small as this may seem, I’ve heard of people who’ve lost their sense of smell, and it completely changed their life. Have gratitude for still having your sense of smell.
4. Taste. When one loses their sense of taste, they lose their ability to enjoy all the flavors of food. We can be grateful for still being able to enjoy the taste of fruits, vegetables, and all the foods we enjoy in the world.
5. Walking. Being able to get around is more of a blessing than we realize sometimes. There are people who must use canes, crutches, and wheelchairs to move around. Be grateful for being able to walk on your own two feet with relatively little pain.
6. Lungs. If we don’t have any lung issues or must use any machines to breathe in oxygen, that’s something to be grateful for.
7. Hand movement. I must type a lot to make these articles on here. I’m grateful that I have hand movement that’s free of any arthritis. Whatever you use your hands for, be grateful you can still use them.
8. Teeth. Be grateful if you’ve not lost any of your teeth, and they’re not in any pain.
9. Neck movement. As someone who deals with neck pain from time to time, even I’m grateful that I can still move my neck from one side to the other. If you can as well, you can write that on your list.
10. Memory. As we get older, our memories may not be as good as they are now. Be grateful you can still remember the things that you want in your day.
11. Heart. There are people currently waiting for heart transplants in the hospital right now. We can be grateful that we have a working heart that still beats normally.
12.Bladder. Leaky bladders are an inconvenience that we can be grateful we don’t have to deal with.
13. Stomach. As someone who’s had stomach challenges, it’s something to be grateful for when your stomach isn’t in pain. Burning inside of it is no fun. I’m grateful for when my stomach doesn’t experience that, and that I’ve been able to improve it little by little.
14. Bones. I once saw a commercial with a little kid who was born with brittle bone disease. He’d broken his bones hundreds of times. There was also an inspirational speaker who had this disability but managed to live an extraordinary life. Not only we can be grateful for having healthy and strong bones, but we can be inspired to do more with the abilities that we’re lucky to have.
15. Overall health. My health hasn’t been the best in the most recent years of my life, and maybe yours hasn’t either. Nonetheless, no matter our health challenges, we’re still alive. We can be grateful for our overall health keeps us here. I’m grateful that my health is good for the most part.
16. Health insurance. I know not everyone reading this has health insurance. Those of you that do, be grateful your insurance helps to reduce your medical bills.
17. Meditation. There are many simple activities in life that can help improve our overall health. I’m grateful for meditation being one of those things that’s easy to do and helps us feel better.
18. Medicine. There have been many advancements in technology that have helped to heal many sicknesses that couldn’t be healed decades ago. Medicine is one of the top health things we can be grateful for in life, especially if you can afford it.
19. Doctors. In these times we’re living in, there are few people more deserving to be on this list than doctors. We can be grateful for all of them that dedicate their lives to making people feel well.
20. Exercise. It may not be the most fun thing to do for some of you, but be grateful if you’re physically able to exercise, and help keep yourself healthy.
21. Therapy. Mental health is just as important as physical health. We can be thankful that there are mental health professionals available to help us cope with the stress of the times.
22. Sickness. Yes, we can even be grateful for sickness. Going through it in a way makes us more appreciative when our health is good.
23. Fruits and vegetables. Some people are not in position to afford fruits, vegetables and other meals that keep us well. Be grateful you can enjoy the proper number of fruits and vegetables you need in your life.
24. Having money. While we may not have much in our wallet or our bank account, we can always be grateful we have some money to buy some things. There are a lot of people that don’t have any at all.
24. Earning money. You’ve probably seen how many people have had their jobs lost recently. If you’re still able to earn money for yourself, that’s a lot to be grateful for.
26. Little (or no) debt. It’d of course be nice not to have debt at all, but some people have 100’s of 1000’s of dollars in debt. If you’re one of the few who has low debt, it’s worth being grateful for.
27. Paid bills. Sometimes people reach a point where they can’t pay their bills for the month and their whole world is about to fall apart. It’s a blessing you can count if you can still pay your bills.
28. Shelter. Homelessness is an unfortunate crisis around the world. Be grateful if you stay in a home protected from the elements and able to live comfortably.
29. Food. I don’t have to tell you about starving people in the world. It’s sad and hopefully we can continue to improve it. Being able to have food on your table everyday can be in the top 10 of your thankful lists.
30. Clothing. It’s not just clothes we can be thankful for but being able to have clean ones through the luxury of our washing machines and dryers.
31. Clean water. Hearing about the water crisis in Flint a few years ago reminded me how lucky we are the water we drink is clean.
32. Clean air. China is one of the most heavily polluted areas in the world, with many people that end up developing respiratory issues. If you live in an area where the air around you are clean, it’s another thing to be grateful for.
33. Trees. Studies have proven being in nature is good for our overall wellbeing. Be grateful if you have lots of trees around where you live.
34. Sunshine. In some places it rains most of the time. Even if you live in a place like that, you can be very grateful the few times the sun comes out.
35. Animals. I find the sounds of the birds chirping and the movements of the squirrels to be peaceful. If you have these or other kinds of animals in your area, perhaps you can watch them for a moment. You might be thankful to just be able to see and hear nature in action.
36. Personality. You are who you are. There may be things about yourself you don’t like, but there are also things that you can appreciate. Whether it’s your intelligence or your kindness, find those things about yourself that make you thankful.
37. Childhood. Obviously not all of us had the best childhoods. Myself personally, I’d say mine was decent for the most part. However, your childhood was, find one or two memories in that make you feel nostalgic and grateful.
38. Knowledge. We have more access to knowledge than ever before. We can be thankful to be able to learn things that improve our understanding of the world and make us better people.
39. Family. The people that are there for you and help you out in life, whether they’re related to you or not, that’s the family you can be grateful for.
40. Someone special. When you think about it, it’s an incredibly rare experience to have someone special in your life. If you have that now, that can be near the top of your list.
41. Future. You might be thinking, If the future is looking bleak, why be grateful for it? The reason we can be grateful for it is because there’s always a possibility it can get better. I’ve lived long enough to see it in my own life and other people’s lives.
42. Experiencing romantic love. Unfortunately, there are people who live long lives without having that experience of romantic love. We may not know how we got lucky to enjoy it, but we can be grateful we have.
43. Soft bed. After a long day of making through another day, be glad that you have a nice soft bed to lie in and get some good sleep.
44. Waking up. As we all know, some people don’t wake up to see another day. Be grateful that you did and those that you care about did as well.
45. Making it to the end of the day. One of the things I always reminded myself during difficult days was to just make it to the end of the day. I was and still am grateful whenever I can do that.
46. Productivity. We all can be lazy sometimes. It’s great when we have days where we get most if not all the things we wanted to accomplish done If you accomplished that, you could add it to your thankful list for today.
47. Growth and perspective. I learned a lot in my 40s, and I’m still learning a lot in this next stage of my life. No matter what age, we can be thankful for growth and perspective that helps us to be calmer about the world we live in.
48. Travels. Traveling has many benefits to our health. We can not only be grateful for what it does for us now, but the memories it gives us to enjoy looking back on.
49. Creativity. Whether you can sing, write, draw, or dance, our creative passions give us an escape in life we can be thankful for.
50. Kindness. It may seem like there are meaner people in this world today, but there are still people that are kind. Be grateful for the kindness you receive, and the acts of kindness that still happen every single day.
51. Open-mindedness. It can be a frustrating thing in society when people aren’t more open to different ideas and viewpoints. Be grateful when you come across people who are open-minded and willing to change their mind.
52. Exciting sports game. It can be exciting sports game or some other kind of live event. While there haven’t been many of them lately, we can look back at some of the ones we enjoyed most and be grateful to enjoy them all over again.
53. Inspiring speeches. I sometimes like looking back at old speeches in history. They can be uplifting in times of uncertainty. We can be grateful for all the people who had the courage and confidence to give inspiring speeches.
54. The moment work is finished. It’s always a great feeling when you finish your work for the day. Be grateful when you reach that point in your day.
55. A slice of pizza. Pizza is one of my favorite foods. Whatever yours is, it’s something you can be thankful for when you’re enjoying it.
56. A bowl of ice cream. While I’m more of a cookies and brownies person, I enjoy a bowl of ice cream every now and then. We can appreciate when we get to enjoy our favorite dessert.
57. Making someone laugh. When you make someone laugh, you make them feel good for a moment in their day. When we make people feel good, we make ourselves feel good too. Be glad when you can do that.
58. The quiet of the nighttime. Some neighborhoods aren’t as quiet as others, but when your neighborhood is quiet, stop for a moment and appreciate the peace of the silence.
59. Feeling relaxed. There are many moments in life where we feel stressed or anxious. That moment when you feel relaxed is one you should cherish and have gratitude for.
60. Faith. It’s an inspiring force in our lives, for those of us who are faith minded. If you are, have gratitude for faith’s influence and inspiration in your life.
61. Spiritual community. Connecting with a group of people who believe the same things as you can be comforting and make you happy. Be thankful for when you enjoy these times with your faith group.
62. Spiritual growth. Living a life of faith is a journey. Be glad for how far you’ve grown in your spirituality.
63. Prayer. I personally find prayer to be comforting, even if I’m not always sure it makes a difference in my life. It’s a nice feeling to believe you can ask for good things and good things may eventually happen. You can have gratitude for being able to pray.
64. Religious text. The words of a religious text can also be comforting. We can be thankful whenever we read something that comforts and inspires us in these difficult times.
65. Technology. We’re more able to connect with people and get information than ever before. If you have worked internet and a device that easily accesses it for you, you can be very grateful for these things.
66. Heating and cooling. The weather can be very harsh in some places in the world. Some live without access to heating and cooling to make their home comfortable. If you have that access, add that to your list.
67. Your own room. Lots of people don’t have the luxury of sleeping and being in their own room. Be glad if you have an area where you can be alone and completely yourself.
68. Shower. That moment that warms water hits your skin, have gratitude for the comfort of a working shower.
69. Clean floors. You can clean your floors and be happy to be able to comfortably walk barefoot in your home.
70. Happy moments. Even if the happy moments are few and far between, have thankfulness for when they do come. Cherish the happy moments.
71. Sadness. A study on crying shows that it can make us feel good and reduce the pain we feel. Hopefully, you won’t be sad for long, but you can appreciate your tears help improve your well-being.
72. Mistakes. No one wants to make mistakes in life, but they’re one of the few ways we learn lessons in life. Be glad that your mistakes help you to grow into the better person you’re becoming each day.
73. Accomplishments. There are things you’ve done in life that you’re proud of. You can have thankfulness for those moments you achieved something great.
74. Hobbies. Everybody has something in life they enjoy doing. You can do those activities you enjoy and be thankful you get to enjoy them.
75. Favorite movies and TV shows. I like looking back at old TV shows or movies I really liked all the time. I’m grateful for the good feelings they still give me when I watch them again.
76. Thunderstorm at night. Sometimes thunderstorms can help us peacefully fall asleep at night. If it helps you, add this to your list.
77. Peaceful neighborhood. Living in a peaceful neighborhood where you feel safe is a top thing to express gratefulness for.
78. Social media. While social media rightly gets criticized for the harm it can cause to our mental health, we can be appreciative of the good it gives us in staying connected with people that aren’t near us.
79. Car. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to get on the road and go wherever you want. Be glad if you have the luxury of doing that.
80. Instrument. I haven’t played my guitar in a long time, but I’m thankful for still being able to do that. Perhaps you can grab that instrument you haven’t touched in a while and have gratitude for still being able to play it.
81. Books. While I’m not much of a book reader, I know many people are. Be happy for the books that you can enjoy reading right now.
82. Shoes. We can be thankful to have shoes that protect our feet from the dirt, grass, and rocks when we walk outside.
83. Pest-free home. Believe it or not, some people live in apartments with rats, roaches, and large spiders. If you don’t, that can be added to your list.
84. Things that are still the same. We so often get frustrated with everything that goes wrong, we forget how much continues to go right for us every single day. The bus still shows up to take us to work, our phones and computers still work, etc. Think of the good things that keep working the same every day and add them to your daily thankful list.
85. Things that change. Even when things change in life, we can be glad for that too. Changes can bring about new experiences and new opportunities that can potentially make our lives better.
86. Heartbreak. While heartbreak is never pleasant, we can appreciate it’s making us stronger than we were before.
87. Chairs. We really don’t think about how much of an inconvenience it can be to not have chairs in our home. We can be glad that we don’t have to sit on the floors.
88. Tables. Similarly, with chairs, not having tables can be an inconvenience as well. Be thankful you have something to set things on when you need to.
89. Plates. We can be thankful we don’t have to hold all our food in our hands.
90. Utensils. We can be thankful we don’t have to eat all our food with our hands.
91. Naps. Appreciate the naps that you get to enjoy in the middle of the day.
92. Sleeping in. There are many people that must wake up early for their specific jobs. I’m grateful that I don’t for mine, and you can be as well if that’s true for you.
93. Deep conversation. One of the things I enjoy most about talking to someone is having a deep conversation. Those long thought-provoking dialogues are something we can continually be glad for in 2020.
94. You had breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Unfortunately, some people can only have one meal a day. We can all be glad if we’re lucky enough to get to enjoy three or more a day.
95. Making progress. Even if the progress you’re making is small, you can appreciate it getting you closer to where you want to be in life.
96. Indoor plumbing. In some places, people must go outside to use the bathroom. Being able to use the bathroom in the comfort of our home is another luxury we can be appreciative of.
97. The past. We can be glad for our past helping us to become the best of ourselves that we are today.
98. Weekends. After a long week, if you don’t have to work on the weekends, you can be thankful for the rest you get to have.
99. Mondays. A lot of people tend to not like the start of the work week. Nonetheless, Mondays are something we can be thankful for because it’s another chance to put in work for the future we want someday.
100. Alarms. I used to be able to wake up early easily. I’m grateful that we have alarms that help us wake up at the time we need to.
101.Freedom. Finally, we can be glad to have freedom. While some of us might have it more than others, just to be able to make some of your own choices is something that should give us gratitude.
What should I put on my list? You should put whatever makes you feel genuinely thankful. We all have unique things that we can express appreciation for that are specific to our life. Think about what those things are for you and put that on your list.
What are examples of gratitude? Examples of gratitude include being grateful for your family, your friends, your possessions, and the life that you have. You can look around you to point out the people and things you have in your life to be glad for.
What are 3 things you are thankful for? Now that you’ve seen this list of things you can express thankfulness for, think of three things you’re happy to have right now. As I write this, I’m happy to have my bed, my laptop, and being able to write these articles.
How do you express sincere gratitude? If you want to express sincere gratitude to someone, tell them exactly how you feel about what they’ve done for you in life. It’s as simple as that.
Why you should be glad for your life? Gratitude helps to make us feel good. Countless studies have shown that. Being grateful for your life can help keep your mood boosted. You don’t have to be happy about everything in your life, but you can always find one thing to be glad for.
On the first day of real estate Christmas my true love gave to me… Spend some focused time on your real estate database touch plan prior to 2025. Statistics say your database if mined properly is on average a 20% return on your investment of time, money, and energy. Now if you don’t have an assembled database, then assemble one. Input names from your phone, emails, social media, and client files.
Take the time to build a monthly database touch system for 2025 making specific activities each month that deliver the unexpected, add value, and deepen your relationships with your database. Treat your clients like they are first class passengers on your own airline and not like their sitting in the back of your plane tossing them a bag of peanuts and charging them for luggage.
The “give to get” activity is the best way to increase repeat and referral business in 2025.
On the Second Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Create an online lead generation system. 94% of all real estate consumers are on the internet. Systems like using landing pages capture a seller who is curious what their current property value is or a buyer who wants to be notified of hot new listings and beat other buyers to them.
Use ChatGPT to create lead capture reports like relocation guides, divorce real estate guides and more. Look at investing in a specific lead generating website like Prime Seller Leads, Bold leads, Zillow or Agent Locator are just a few to mention. Create a system on your own with www.fiverr.com assistant creating FB ads and www.carrd.co for your landing pages.
A nice steady stream of buyer and seller leads from a good landing page keeps you from those peaks and valleys in your business. This is a great way to create more buyer, and seller leads all year long while you are busy serving your active buyer and sellers and when you don’t have the time to prospect.
On the Third Day of real estate my true love gave to me… The novel Fanatical Prospecting, where it teaches you to create 3 – 6 Separate twenty-minute sessions daily prospecting and lead generation. Who doesn’t have 20 minutes? High-volume agents don’t just service existing business and then start lead generating once they have closed most of their transactions.
Instead, they block time (usually in the morning so it gets done) to do something each business day that gets them closer to earning a new client. In a nutshell, there are two ways to be successful in real estate: By Default: live in the same area for years where everyone knows you and eventually sends your business; or By Design: time-block a relatively small portion of each business day to proactively generate for new leads.
On the Fourth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Listings is the name of the game. Send unsolicited CMA packages ( email, video, mailed versions ) to all your past clients with a follow up call the following week over the next few months which will trigger listing appointment opportunities and add value. The power of the spin is where a listing can generate up to 15 other pieces of business, if done right!
If a real estate agent is working more than 65 hours a week and not closing more than 45 transactions annually, the agent either has a time management problem and/or is working with far more buyers than sellers. You can handle four times as many listing sides than buyer sides at the same time. So, top producing real estate agents always focus their lead generation activities on the listing side.
Top listing sources are your sphere (complimentary equity analysis unsolicited every year), open house, FSBO, expired or door knock looking for a bona fide buyer.
On the Fifth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Face to Face and belly to belly activities like coffee, lunch, door knock, open house, kiosk, floor duty, networking, volunteering and a “pop by” are all great. We know conversion is higher when you are face to face and the prospect can tell if they like or trust you quickly and want to do business with you.
Although many agents are reluctant to reach out to people. This is a full contact sport. People can tell with time that you care and that they like and trust you.
On the Sixth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… An Agent-to-Agent referral system with other agents working the areas where the people and business is coming from to buy real estate in your market. Contact them once a month and stay top of mind and be that referral agent source of choice in your market area.
Share tips and ideas with other agents to keep top of mind and make them feel like they want to refer you their clients moving to your area. This is a lucrative business opportunity if done consistently.
On the Seventh Day of real estate my true love gave to me… The power of words & knowing what to say and how to say it. Scripts and dialogs are important. Successful real estate agents understand whether they use someone else’s scripts, dialogs or their own, they’ll eventually start saying the same things they know will work.
Using tested real estate scripts created by others simply eliminates the trial-and-error process and enables agents to start seeing desired results more quickly. Sound like your planned and engage and attract the clients to want to work with you with your powerful words of persuasion.
On the Eighth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Have powerful sales presentations and visuals. Pre seller and buyer packages. Don’t tell them but show and sell them. Have a visually powerful presentation for listings, buyers, and pricing. Don’t just wing it and leave things to chance but engage people to want to do business with you, your company and NOW! Talk alone is cheap.
The most powerful visual sales tool is a pad and pen and being able to show prospects and tell them has greater impact than words alone. Remember some of us are visual and some of us are auditory but we don’t know which one they are.
On the Ninth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me… Know your “why”, purpose and vision. My goal that drives me every day is to impact and improve people’s lives personally and professionally every day. Real estate is the vehicle that makes this happen. We all need to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
If your why is big enough, then the how takes care of itself!! I love having a vision board with images of the things that drive me, move me, I want and need to experience each year. Never underestimate the power of a vision, purpose or why! Create that vision board and place it on your screen saver.
On the Tenth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Be a servant and focus on helping others get what they want and you in turn get what you want. Listen for the need and be aware of others fears, challenges and offer to help.
To not “bother” the public when prospecting for new business, top real estate agents always tie the reason they’re contacting people in with providing some type of value at the same time. Always come from a mindset of contribution. Helping you is what we do. Listen for the need. Take care of people and the cash takes care of itself.
On the Eleventh Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Be a lean mean appointment setting machine. The money in sales is in the conversion that leads to the appointments. No appointments then no presentations. No presentations mean no contracts or agreements.
The lead generation is great but not having the skill to convert to the face-to-face appointment is a real estate killer. Know what you have and what you can offer for them and engage them to want to sit down and meet with you. What is your value proposition for a buyer and seller? Why you? Why now?
On the Twelfth Day of real estate my true love gave to me… Leverage by systemization and delegation. When real estate agents consistently do not have time to prospect for new business because they are too busy servicing their existing business it’s time to hire someone to help.
The first hire should be an administrative assistant, not a buyer’s agent. Administrative assistants help agents make more money by freeing up time for agents to perform more important revenue-generating activities. 3D test everything in 2025. “Do I do it? Do I delegate it? Do I just dump it?” the key questions to time management.
So, there you have your 2024 twelve days of Christmas real estate . I trust your holiday season is full of love, happiness, and joy.
We’ve all heard many reasons why homeowners or buyers want to wait till spring to make a move in real estate. The fact of the matter is the reasons are endless so it’s our job as REALTORS® to be equipped with facts and a strong reality check to combat these reasons we hear every day. To help you through the winter season I put together some of the top reasons a client would want to choose this time of year to buy, sell or list a home. I am saying stack the listing this winter if the interest rate drops over the winter create a buyer to jump in the agents with listings in the market over the winter will win early in the 2025 year and beat all the spring waiters to the punch.
Top Reasons to Sell Real Estate Over the Winter
#1 – Serious Buyers
• Yes, there are fewer buyers, but those buyers are usually very SERIOUS about making a purchase or many MUST make a purchase.
#2 – Less Competition
• Most sellers wait until the spring or summer to list, so your home will have far less competition
• Spring = Greater supply = Same Demand = Less Money
#3 – January is the Biggest Job Transfer Month
• More corporate relocation moves happen during January than any other time of the year.
• Catch the corporate relocation buyers
#4 – High Attentive Efficient Service
• By putting the home on the market during the winter you experience better, personal, and faster customer service from movers, lawyers, banks, insurance providers etc.
#5 – More Time to Get Top Dollar
• By starting to market your home early, you may be able to secure a higher price with more listing exposure time.
#6 – Time to Shop
• If your home sells quickly, you will be able to shop for your next home during the winter, a great time to find a bargain!
• More time to look and not pressure to shop and beat the other buyers.
#7 – More Advertising Punch
• Most REALTORS® and offices have less inventory during the winter, enabling your home to stand out even more.
• Less marketing noise out there for the buyers and they see your home with ease now.
#8 – The Inexpensive Money Is Changing Fast
• Today’s interest rates are no longer some of the lowest in history. This gives buyers less spending power and decreases your buyer pool as they continue to rise.
• When shopping for your next home, you can benefit from buying now on your new mortgage rate before it goes up.
#9 – 20% of Homes Sold During the Winter
• Buyers and Sellers are usually quite motivated to get the transaction completed.
• This can mean less price haggling and fewer hassles during the process.
#10 – Non-Contingent Buying
• By selling now, you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the spring, when more houses are on the market!
• Less “subject to the sale” offers from buyers and you are not one of them when you are buying your next home.
#11 – No Yard Work
• Great time for a home that needs a yard make over to sell.
• No need to worry about your yard work. Snow makes it look fresh and white.
#12 – Buyers Are Searching
• Buyers begin the search and purchase for spring moves in January, February.
• Busy move times are March Spring Break, April Easter, and May long weekend
#13 – No Pricing Games
• Less choice for buyers means less sellers to play pricing against each other
• Buyers will often make more concession in their buying decision with less choice
#14 – Show Time
• Property shows well, almost staged with holiday décor adding to the ambiance
• Tis the season for your home to shine!
#15 – Quality Showings
• Little chance of quick showings and not being prepared to show your home
• Easier time of year to make appointments and give sellers advance notice.
• Higher quality showings
#16 – Right Buyer, Right Time
• The odds are the same for the right buyer looking at your home regardless of the season.
• Right buyer, right time, right home
Top 10 Reasons to Buy Over the Winter
#1 – Competing Offers
• Little or no chance of multiple or competing offers for the buyer
#2 – Service
• Better service from all service providers like the agents, banks, insurers etc. Not as busy now.
#3 – Motivation
• Sellers motivated at this time of year if still trying to sell from summer or fall.
#4 – Negotiation
• Sellers willing to negotiate, been on the market for some time now. Give and take.
#5 – Expired
• Buyers can shop the expired listings market, which has the largest selection this time of the year.
#6 – Closing Options
• Good time of year to make an offer and do the due diligence, buyers can move quickly now or slower in the spring if not in a rush.
#7 – Housing Options
• Easier for sellers to find alternative housing, not as much pressure finding a rental vs. the busy spring and summer season.
#8 – Subject to the Sale
• Great time for buyers to make contingent “Subject to the Sale” offers and get them accepted and movement on the price.
#9 – Moving Services
• Easier time for a buyer to move and find help and services like movers, cleaners, storage.
#10 – Completions
• Better timing for buyers on completions with lawyers, banks land registry. Not that busy and time to attend to you now.
#11 – Competition
• Less competition for the same property from other buyers on the deals that pop up this time of year.
#12 – Rising Interest Rates
Rates continue to move up and the cost of borrowing is exceeding the pace of price corrections so waiting really doesn’t save the buyer getting into the market.
Now that you’re equipped with ammo to overcome any objection, go out there and list and sell some real estate this winter season
This is a great time of year and the upcoming holiday season for an annual client event. A client appreciation event is an opportunity to strengthen relationships, show gratitude, and create lasting memories.
For real estate agents, these events can also serve as a powerful marketing tool, helping to generate referrals and attract new listings from your database. By hosting a thoughtful and engaging appreciation party, you not only express your gratitude but position yourself as a trusted resource in your clients’ lives.
This is especially important for first-time homebuyers who may need additional support and homebuyer education. It may not be about education but showing that it’s available in a friendly context can work wonders.
How Do You Throw a Client Appreciation Party?
Throwing a successful client appreciation event is all about early planning, leaving a lasting impression, and engaging with your database in a meaningful way. Start by choosing a unique venue that offers a memorable experience. Next, consider the space and logistics—secure your venue and send out invitations well in advance.
A Memorable Experience: Hosting a holiday client appreciation party at your office is nice, but it doesn’t exactly scream “memorable experience!” And while hosting a holiday movie screening is a fun and popular idea but it doesn’t allow you the opportunity to talk and connect. It’s all about leaving a lasting impression. “Your holiday party is about rewarding your clients for being a part of your business and your life. Come up with something that’s going to reward them.
Get a Greeter: If you want your party to serve its intended purpose and be worth the money for you, you need to be there. By that I mean, get a greeter. You can’t talk with people and nurture relationships if you’re standing at the door all night. A greeter helps guests navigate the reception area, provides them their ticket or wristbands, and helps them with whatever else they need. Free up as much of your own time as possible so that you can simply connect with your past clients and the people they bring. The things you learn here can inform your touches later such as pop-bys, closing gift ideas, or other thoughtful gestures.
Think About Food: You don’t need to serve a lavish meal to impress your guests. Instead, focus on carefully selected appetizers that cater to both kids and adults. Donna’s party features a charcuterie board for adults and kid-friendly options like grilled cheese and soup. She also adds a fun twist with a hot chocolate bar, creating a unique experience that everyone can enjoy.
Event Promotion & Plan Early: Timing is everything when it comes to scheduling and promoting your party. Thursday is a great day to avoid conflicts with other holiday gatherings. Communications go out three weeks in advance, starting with an e-vite and followed by text messages to all her past and current clients, ensuring they know that they can bring whomever they’d like but must RSVP them.
It’s About Appreciation: While some agents may feel inclined to ask for referrals during their appreciation parties. It’s about showing appreciation and genuinely thanking them for working with you, not turning a thoughtful event into a reciprocal deal.” This strategy not only fosters goodwill but also naturally leads to referrals without the need for direct requests.
Use for Marketing: Successful client appreciation holiday parties are a goldmine for marketing. Hire a videographer to capture the event, including client testimonials, which you then share online and in email newsletters. This not only showcases her commitment to your clients but also serves as a powerful marketing tool for attracting new business.
Client Appreciation Event Ideas
Pay attention to what unique gems your city has to offer. Getting your clients tickets to Disneyland would obviously be a memorable experience but might not necessarily be a wise financial decision. You’d be surprised by the great experiences that can be had on a reasonable budget.
Local Art Galleries: Rent out a local art gallery for an evening. Clients can enjoy the art while mingling, and you can even feature local artists to enhance the community feel.
Community Centers: Utilize a community center that offers space for gatherings. This is a cost-effective option that can be decorated to fit your theme.
Winery or Brewery: Consider hosting your event at a local winery or brewery. Many offer tasting rooms and scenic views, providing a relaxed environment for your clients to enjoy. Some will even offer enough kid-friendly options and entertainment to make it a family-friendly event.
Outdoor Parks: If the weather permits, an outdoor picnic, or barbecue in a local park can be a fun and casual way to connect with clients. Bring in food trucks or caterers for a unique twist.
Culinary Classes: Host a cooking class at a local culinary school or restaurant. This interactive experience allows clients to bond over food while learning something new.
Historic Sites: Look for historic homes or buildings in your area that offer event space. The unique setting can provide a memorable backdrop for your appreciation event.
Cruise or Boat Tour: If you’re near a body of water, consider a sunset cruise or boat tour. This offers a relaxing and scenic way to celebrate your clients.
Feel free to reach out and share some of your amazing client event ideas and experiences. I trust this inspires you to host your first and not last event yourself.
Today I am excited to share a guest post from Victoria Theriault, the founder and owner of DISCover What Works. She’s a certified Team Facilitator, DISC and EQ Analyst and a Keynote Speaker.
Victoria’s background includes real estate sales, as well as coaching Realtors, Brokers and Teams. Her unique perspective merges experience with data.
Victoria helps raise individual and team performance as well as notably improve client service. She’s a co-author of the book Pursuit 365, and the creator and host of the DISCovering You podcast.
Let’s get right into it…
Why knowing yourself and understanding others is key to sales success.
Real Estate is a people business; building and nurturing relationships is foundational for longevity and prosperity.
What’s the best way to develop and foster strong relationships?
Honing your communication skills!
Being an effective communicator requires self-awareness. The more you know yourself, the easier it is to recognize similarities and differences to others.
And guess what? There’s a great tool to help us do this – DISC.
DISC is an acronym describing 4 different behavioural styles:
o Dominance: Direct, driven, results focused o Influence: Friendly, spontaneous, emotion focused o Steadiness: Reflective, tenacious, amiable o Compliance: Analytical, cautious, detailed
Here’s a fun way to look at it. If DISC was coffee, it would be:
o D – Espresso: Swift, bold o I – Macchiato: Sweet, frothy o S – Latte: Smooth, mellow o C -Americano: Strong, precise
Learning techniques to recognize different personality styles will help avoid disconnects. Don’t risk losing a prospect, or have a deal fall apart because of misreading someone’s cues.
For example, someone with a strong, direct personality (High Dominance) doesn’t necessarily realize that their behaviour appears aggressive to a more reserved, contemplative individual (High Steadiness).
The potential for misunderstanding is already high; imagine what could happen with the added pressure of negotiating.
It’s worth remembering that other people cannot read our minds! So, while we know our intentions, the person sitting across from us does not. Transparency cannot be assumed.
Having different personality styles doesn’t have to result in an automatic disconnect. Recognizing the difference enables you to build a bridge to link to that style.
Here’s a brief snapshot of the 4 DISC types. Knowing the focus and motivators of each, will give you a competitive advantage to connect with them:
High D (Dominance) o Focus: Achieving goals o Want: Get to the bottom line o Do: Be direct and concise o Don’t: make excuses or take too long
High I (Influence) o Focus: Recognition o Want: Engagement with others o Do: Build a social relationship and share feelings o Don’t: Give too many details
High S (Steadiness) o Focus: Security o Want: Stability and support o Do: Give them time to reflect and process o Don’t: Rush them
High C (Compliance) o Focus: Information o Want: Knowledge o Do: Be factual and logical o Don’t: Skip details or invoke emotions
When you have this insight into each style, you know what they need to make their decisions.
Provide them with that specific need, and you will get them on board. This ensures true connection and sets up the relationship for success!
