How to Compete with “Billboard Agents” in Your Area (on a Budget)
There’s probably an agent in your area whose face seems to be plastered everywhere you look. You’re driving down the road and, boom, you see
5 Reasons You Might Want to Open the Door If a Real Estate Agent Is “Door-Knocking” in Your Neighborhood
If you see someone walking up the street knocking on your neighbors’ doors, your first inclination is probably to turn off the lights, close the blinds, and make as little movement or noise as possible until they pass your house. But if you have good eyes, or a pair of binoculars handy, check to see if the person happens to have a name badge on that indicates they’re a real estate agent, and get ready to open your door and chat.
Some of your neighbors will still likely hide from them, or open the door just to yell at them and say they’ll NEVER buy or sell a house with someone who dared to knock on their door. But that’s their loss!
Agents aren’t going door-to-door trying to convince you to buy or sell a house (although they’d be thrilled if you did); they just want to introduce themselves and get to know you so you’ll call them when you’re ready to buy or sell. And in exchange for that brief interaction, they usually come bearing valuable information… and maybe even gifts!
Here are 5 reasons to open the door the next time you see a real estate agent on the other side of your peephole:
1) Get some scoop on your neighbors…
Been wondering if Sally and Bob are calling it quits and getting a divorce? Think Jaime just got a huge raise after seeing the new car in the driveway? Well, an agent isn’t likely to tell you that kind of gossip, but you might just find out that Jaime or Sally and Bob have decided to sell their house.
While they may not be able to confirm that the reason a neighbor is moving is due to your suspicions about their lives, you might just get the inside scoop on a house one of your neighbors is selling before it even hits the market! One of the main reasons agents knock on neighbors’ doors is to let them know that one of their neighbor’s houses is about to hit the market, just in case you have interest in buying the home, or know someone who might.
2) …or some scoop on the local market
Real estate news can be extremely misleading, since most of it is based upon national trends. But your local real estate market can be much different than what the headlines are saying, and even your neighborhood, type of house, or price range might be different than other parts of your town.
If you want to get the most accurate value of your home, you’ll need the agent to do a thorough CMA (Comparative Market Analysis)… which they’ll gladly do for free! But they’ll certainly be glad to give you a pretty good idea about the value of your home and how much demand there is for it, if you just open the door when they knock!
3) Tips on what to do (or not do!) to improve the value of your home
Been thinking about sprucing up your digs? Opening up for that door-knocking agent is your ticket to some free advice on the most in-demand features and feels buyers are looking for in a home.
On the other hand, if you’ve been thinking about putting on an addition, or doing a major kitchen renovation, the agent might save you from investing more money than the project will return, if you just ask for their opinion on how much value it’ll add in the long run.
4) Gifts!
Don’t expect every agent who is door-knocking to bring you a gift, but a lot of them bring what are called “pop-by” gifts to give to the lucky folks who open their door! Sometimes they’re useful little gadgets. Other times they may be a seasonal or holiday related gift. Or it could be something yummy to eat!
Some agents might leave a gift on your porch, but the only surefire way to make sure you get what they’re giving out is to open up that door when you see one walk up to your house.
5) Meet an incredible agent!
Last, but certainly not least, you could meet an incredible real estate agent who you’ll grow to know and trust with all of your real estate needs!
Any agent you see knocking on your door is certainly one who cares about helping people, is willing to put in effort other agents avoid, and isn’t afraid of facing rejection… which is exactly the kind of agent you want to help you buy or sell a house when the time comes!
