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This post is #3 in our series Farming Isn’t Dead.
So now that we have our real estate farm chosen and have created a farming plan, it’s time for the first crucial step: Introducting yourself to your real estate farm.
There are a wide variety of ways to do this. The way I reccomend to do it is to start off with a very simple farming letter – from your office manager or broker – introducing you as the neighborhood specialist. Of course, this is widely dependent on your office manager/broker being okay with this.
Here is an example of a letter you can use to introduce yourself to your farm:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Farm Resident:
It is my pleasure to introduce Suzy Agent as the designated ABC Realty real estate specialist for your neighborhood Silver Creek Meadows.
Suzy Agent was chosen as a specialist for your neighborhood for numerous reasons and accomplishments acheived through ABC Realty. She is a dedicated full time realtor in the greater Bay area and isknowledgeable of the surrounding areas, especially your community of Silver Creek Meadows.
Suzy Agent is a Certified Residential Specialist and an Accredited Buyers Representative. Suzy Agents hard work, determination, and enthusiasm make her a special member of the ABC REalty team and we are confident in her ability to represent the residents of the Silver Creek Meadows Plan with integrity and distinction.
If we can be of any assistance with your real estate needs, please do not hesitate to call Suzy Agent at our office at (555) 555-5555. We look forward to serving you and the community of Silver Creek Meadows.
Sincerely,
Joseph Office Manager
President of ABC Realty
Obviously, the details of the farm letter are not real, but this is an excellent starting point in introducing yourself to your farm. If your broker does not want the letter coming from the broker directly, you can always opt to change this letter as a first person account.
The work of introducing yourself to your real estate farm isn’t over after the letter is mailed however. You will want to plan your very first trip to your real estate farm within a week after it has been mailed. After this letter has been mailed, all you will have to do is knock on the door and say “Hi, I’m Suzy Agent, the residential specialist for Silver Creek Meadows with ABC Realty. I wanted to stop by and introduce myself in person as well as give you our latest report on home prices in the neighborhood. If you have any questions, my card is attached and you may contact me anytime.”
The report you give to them doesn’t have to be anything fancy. But you will want to make sure it is easy to understand and read. You may want to simply list median home prices, median days on market, and of course information on all of the current listings or recent sales in the neighborhood.
Don’t expect everyone to be happy or glad to see you at first. Some homeowners may be rude or you may get chased by kids or dogs while walking and introducing yourself to your real estate farm. But you’ve made an important step in introducing yourself to your farm and establishing yourself as the residential specialist for their neighborhood. After you get back from your first walk through your farm, you can pat yourself on the back for successfully introducing yourself to your real estate farm.
Next week we’ll talk about some of the promotional materials you can use for later mailings and visits to your real estate farm.


7 Comments
Do you think direct mail still works? I think its one of the most expensive forms of marketing for Realtors.
Ana in San Antonio’s last blog post..Some of the Reasons Why We Love San Antonio
I think it works Ana if it is done effectively. The key is in the follow up, consistency, and the actual personal introduction of physically meeting them afterwards.
admin’s last blog post..Available Realtor Designations From NAR
True, we did a lot of direct mail previously. However, now that listing commissions falling like the stock market, we prefer to have a pre-approved motivated buyer
Ana in San Antonio’s last blog post..Some of the Reasons Why We Love San Antonio
Thank you for a good explanation Admin. I have same question with Ana.
Farming and doorknocking ALWAYS work because nobody else is doing it. If I want a listing, I know I can just keep knocking on doors and in a day or two I will have a listing from it. Sometimes it just takes longer, but it always works.
Door Knocking??? Not sure about that tactic, a bit to aggresive in IMO.
What’s wrong with knocking on someone’s door?
I rarely get a negative reaction. Sometimes people will say that they recognize me from my advertising. They are almost always interested in talking about the local market. I get listings this way because potential sellers realize that I am not afraid of people and I am willing to work. You can bet that they will remember me over the person who just sends junk mail.
Most people who have a problem with this will put a “no soliciting” sign on their door.