Why is being an Estate Agent getting harder each year?
Tough out there isn’t it?
Can you remember the good old days?
Landlords and vendors walked through your door ..
The phone rang off the hook for free vals ..
Listings were plentiful – fees were good
But over the last few years – things have progressively got tough for us letting and estate agents.
The number of agents in your town has grown like a virus.
But less people are selling
Competition is fierce, really fierce
Agents prostituting themselves on dirt cheap fees
Its hard enough to keep the market share you have – let alone improve it.
I have walked in your shoes fellow agents
I was an agent for over 15 years
I thought there had to another way to attract and retain landlords and homeowners in this new world..
So, a few years ago, I decided to find another way
Another way, so we could enjoy the job again, get the landlords and vendors we deserve and all with decent fees
I looked at the good, the bad and the indifferent
… and boy there was plenty of bad
…. Lots of indifferent
but did see some good .. in fact .. very good
It was staring me in the face ..and its been staring you in the face .. for years
The Savills, Douglas and Gordon and the Knight Franks of this world .. they don’t have the same issues us High St agents have …
What do these guys at Savs, D&G and Knight Frank do differently from the normal high street independent agents (like you and I)?
Yes, they attract high class properties with decent fees – but what do they actually do differently, different that attracts these vendors and landlords prepared to pay a decent fee?
.. because they are estate and letting agents .. just like you and I .. (albeit with a posh accent) .. but still agents. … they have brochures, they do boards, they have floor plans, they go on the same portals .. they are to all intents and purposes … they are same as High St agents
But why are the TV are always quoting them, why are they are always in the Evening Standard or The Times or Telegraph .. why?
.. then it dawned on me –
There is one thing they do differently.
They create and write and publish property reports about the various London property markets their offices are. They guys on the front line don’t write and create them … no no .. they are way too busy .. their Research Dept does it for them.
Their Research Dept’s produce reports on the various suburbs in London and the posh ‘Home County’ commuter towns they also operate from and throw them out to the word and the people suck it up .. because the Brits are obsessed about the property market .. .. but more importantly .. what’s happening to their local property market
Look at what Sav’s have produced recently …
…and Douglas and Gordon
…and Knight Frank
They produce these expensive property market research reports to make themselves the experts, the authorities on the local property market.
…. and that made me think
Why can’t independent agents have such reports?
Time and Money
The old foes of everyone
Savills must spend millions a year on these Research Dept’s
.. and as an independent agent – its hard enough to run the office on a day to day basis with offers, property inspections and chasing sales – let alone take a few days off a week to write and research such property market reports
.. but I thought, just like you outsource your board erection, your EPC’s, your photography .. why not outsource the writing of these reports?
You could have your own property reports, just like Savills/Knight Frank/JohnD.Wood have .. but on your town and with your estate / letting agency logo?
This would level the playing field wouldn’t it?
Give one man band independent agents like you access to these sorts of local property reports .. allowing you to compete … and win .. because you are an awesome agent .. and you go the extra mile
Make you the trusted agent
Make you look like you know what you are talking about
Whilst other call themselves ‘local property experts’ .. this would prove you were!
Sod Purple … This is gold!
.. and there are plenty of agents in the UK that have outsourced their research to produce such ‘local property reports’
Here are some examples from independent UK letting and estate agents around the UK – have a look at them – just think if this was your town – with your logo – and its all written and produced for you .. its all done for you … letting you get on with what you are good at – selling and letting houses
- Cardiff Property Market Report
- Chichester Property Market Report
- Exeter Property Market Report
- South Manchester Property Market Report
- Sidcup Property Market Report
- Otley Property Market Report
In fact .. here are over 20 other example newsletters from UK agents here .. https://goo.gl/BaxxsE
Wouldn’t these reports, all written and sorted for you .. make you look good .. make you stand out from the 20, 30, 50, 100, 150 agents in your town or city?
You could email PDF copies to all your database?
You could get it out on social media?
Print a few copies out and send them to all the accountants and solicitors in your town?
Many use them to drop on houses for resi sales? (great excuse to visit)
They look awesome on the free valuation/market appraisal
… because that is what it all about
How do you stand out from the crowd?
How do you differentiate yourself as a letting or estate agent?
You produce something that your potential landlord or house seller would be interested and fascinated in .. the local property market
… because, think for one second … ‘What if your arch rival ah-gent in your town got these reports?’
So what next?
If you are reading this .. you are a letting or estate agent
If you are a Neg, Property Manager or Lister … and your boss keeps banging on about getting more free valuations, more listings, more stock, more new instructions … then listen in
I bet you get paid bonus and commission on the more properties you sell and let?
If you do .. do yourself a favour
Forward this article to your boss
Forwarding this article isn’t going to get you the sack nor make you look bad
Just say ..” I saw this and thought you might be interested in what this guy has to say. Nothing more than that”
It will make you look good in the eyes of your boss and if the boss likes and decided to take it …it will earn you more money .. because it will get you more free vals and more market appraisals .. and if you are as good as I think you are .. you will be able to convert them into more listings, more instructions…. Then its more bonus/commission for you … (all for forwarding a weblink to your boss – because you don’t know if they will read this post?)
IF YOU ARE THE BOSS …
You are going to have questions ..
- Cost – All depends on what you want from us –
Those clients that prefer to design their own in house newsletter style (about 50% of my clients do this) – they spend on average £325 per month for the raw words and graphs (and you will be amazed what you get for that – not just one article – but one a week and you put the weekly articles into the monthly PDF newsletter)
If you don’t have graphic designer, (about 50% of clients don’t) .. I have people who will set your newsletter for £125 (for the A4 design) to £175 per month (for the A3 design) with a one-off template set up cost of £25 to £50 [all plus VAT]
- Time – Yes, there will be social media posting and yes, you will be printing a delivering the newsletter .. but you probably already pay for they – so just replace your existing leaflet with this newsletter
- Exclusivity – I only work for one agent in one town, city or suburb with this service.
- Training – i will train you how to implement it – its all part of the package
So if you want to know if I can work for you .. text me on 07950147572 with the name of your town, city or suburb.
There is no need to add your name or the name of your agency to the text because I wont be ringing you afterwards (unless you ring me) .. I cant be doing with hardsell as I am sure you don’t.
So if you were in Luton .. all you would need to do is text the word LUTON to 07950147572 and I will text you back with the word AVAILABLE (which means I could work for you) or NOT AVAILABLE (which unfortunately means i cant work for you) … and I will never contact you again, text you or make one contact using that number …unless you ring or text back .. because after sending available/not available … I will then delete your original text
You are an awesome agent .. you just need to prove it ..
The ball is in your court
Kind regards
Christopher Watkin
- Ghostwriter for UK Estate and Letting Agents
- YouTube Channel
- Blog
- Website
- 07950147572
- christopher@christopherwatkin.co.uk
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