Well that’s £1000 well spent!

Like most agents at this time of year, you may well be gearing up for (or already started) the traditional ‘awareness raising & valuation generating’ early New Year mailshot?

How much are you planning on spending? £300, £500, £1000? More? per office?  You’ll be rationalising that you only need one instruction and it’s paid for itself hasn’t it? Even if you don’t get anything right now, it’s all good for the future. Sow the seeds today, for growth tomorrow and all that…

Or do you privately feel, that just like your last mailshot, you’ll be left feeling slightly damp at the gills that you won’t be called out to that many additional valuations? If any? Or maybe of the ones you’re called out to will more than likely be tyre kickers, that may at some point in the future, come back to you to sell. Or not? Brand building for the future is all very well, but you need instructions now!!

Above all, like every other agent up and down the country, whilst you’re handing over tons of cash and hoping that all your leaflets get delivered, you’ll probably be wondering if there are any other cost effective, measurable ways to drum up business, get your branding out there and get those phones ringing. Is there anything new – something cost effective and immediate  that can help drive traffic and generate leads?  Something that produces tangible results where the motivation for you doing it is not just because the ‘other guy up the street does it’.

A board that was just for Christmas?

Did you do a Christmas fayre sponsorship for the local school, or are you planning to do the the Easter fete or similar? That’s another set of boards (& slips), the board contractor’s costs. Your time in setting it all up! Your staff’s time fielding all those calls from locals who can’t (or can’t be bothered to) read properly. It says “Christmas fayre sponsorship – not ‘for sale’ stupid”!  But again, at least your agency is interacting with the locals….

After every event, every board promotion, every marketing drop, there’s always the nagging feeling that although you’ve done it and it’s been crossed off your list, where is the bounce  – the tangible uplift in instructions. I bet it’s negligible. And of course, I also bet that you don’t measure it. Most agents don’t. Do you ask where a particular valuation lead came from, every time? And even if you did get an answer, how accurate is it?  It’s not top of a vendors list to remember where they saw your name or why they called you out. They just want their home valued!

At the end of the day, there are other options available that will produce a great bang for your buck and produce great results. Ones which will help generate leads and bring more business to your door (or phones) more or less immediately.  – Where your primary motivation is not just to ‘shut out’ your competitors from doing it instead of you. You’ve just got to know where to look!

Have a great 2016!

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

International buyer slowdown one of Prime London’s biggest challenges

The latest survey of UK prime residential agents by AgentWise has found that many believe a slowdown in international buyer activity to be one of the biggest challenges facing the market today, whilst many have also noted an increase in the number of clients looking to explore property opportunities overseas rather than the UK. AgentWise…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing market hit by £21m increase in fall-through bill

The latest Fall-Through Index by the House Buyer Bureau reveals that the number of property fall-throughs across the UK increased by 9.8% during the first quarter of 2026, resulting in an additional £20.9m in costs to the housing market compared to the previous quarter. House Buyer Bureau analysed the latest data from TwentyCi on the estimated…
Read More
Breaking News

Is UK Construction Stuck in a Rut?

Glenigan data for Q.2 shows construction performance weakening further, dashing hopes of recovery in H.2 2026   The value of underlying work starting on-site during the past three months declined 15% and fell 38% below last year’s levels. Residential construction starts fell sharply, dropping 31% against the preceding three months and plummeting 52% compared with…
Read More
Breaking News

Home sellers have a 24-hour patience threshold

Survey shows that the age of instant communication has reached estate agencies New research from Street Group suggests Britain’s home sellers have developed a “24-hour patience threshold”, with the vast majority expecting estate agents to respond, provide updates or take action within a day at virtually every stage of the sales process. The survey of…
Read More
Breaking News

Lloyds House Price Index for June 2026 – Thoughts from the Industry

The latest Lloyds House Price Index for June 2026 shows that: House prices increased by +0.2% between May 2026 and June 2026. Annual house price growth increased slightly to +0.6% in June 2026, up from +0.5% in May 2026. The average UK house price now stands at £299,330.   Thoughts from the Industry   Nathan…
Read More
Breaking News

House prices edge up in June as borrowing costs start to ease

• House prices rose +0.2% in June, following a -0.2% fall in May • Average property price now £299,330 compared with £298,812 in May • Annual growth up slightly to +0.6%, from +0.5% in May • Northern Ireland continues to record the UK’s strongest annual growth at +7.4%   Nations and regions house prices Northern…
Read More