I spend so much of my time looking for Real Estate listings in Westfield, Sheridan and Cicero Indiana that it has become automatic to me. When I talk about my process to new agents I tend to oversimplify it and at times it reminds me of how easy it is to create a system and strategy for getting a meeting with the right person. So below I am going to highlight my 4 step strategy that seems to give me a leg up with other brokers on my tale. It's the identify, contact, learn and repeat system that has worked for me and I will continue to use it throughout my career in Real Estate.
Identify - This is one of my weaknesses when it comes to dwelling on finding good listings. I have spent countless hours and by default end up browsing GIS sites to see who might own a parcel, where the utilities are or what land area may be important for development. Since I don't like to waste my time on just any piece of land I have a niche focus and in that I spend all of my time finding sites that fit. The buyers I am seeking sites for have certain must haves and based on my experience, I only deliver those that could be a potential option for them. Identifying quality developable sites is my main priority in prospecting for listings.
Contact - Sellers can be sneaky but many times they are closer than I plan. Thanks to social media and the interweb it is pretty easy to figure out if I am one connection off or if I need to be more aggressive. Working in a small pond has made it efficient for me to utilize my network and making direct connections to many land owners, so that is always my first way to contact. I ask people that may know the land owner if they can connect me or find out where they stand as a seller. That is effective probably half of the time but just as much I have to dig a bit deeper. So whether its door knocking, mailers or cold calls I have to start ticking away at those options to make contact. There is nothing if I don't have contact and from my years doing this, most sellers are not offended to know the market is interested in their holdings. So I am persistent in this step and it has paid off over time. This may sound obvious but pushing yourself to make good contact as soon as possible is the hardest step. Once you have contact, even if it is cold you always have a way to connect.
Learn - This is a step I think comes in second to contact because it really gives you the insight needed moving forward. The learn phase is when I am asking questions and doing my research to best suit the property for a potential listing or for a particular client. Learning what the sellers intentions are is most important especially if they are aging and looking to be strategic with a sale. Learning what the highest and best use and how that relates to the comprehensive plan gives me guidance on who may be the buyer. And once we have an ideal buyer type you can create the price or value for a list price. I also think the Learn phase is the time that my local expertise and market knowledge come into play, creating the most value for my services.
Repeat - Want to see salespeople fail? It is because they stop repeating what has worked for them in the past. They stop prospecting and making good contact with owners. Once you find a recipe for success you need to create a process to repeat over and over again. If you follow great brokers all of them have this in common. They repeat a sales process forever and when they begin to slow they can typically show it is because of uncontrollable market shifts or a change in their process. Repeat what works over and over again.
I love prospecting and I really like working with those sellers that are looking to get the most out of their property, so having a good system in place to get to that point is most important. Hopefully this is helpful and you are able to create a repeatable process in your line of work that increases efficiencies and success.
Curt has been in the Indianapolis Real Estate business for over 15 years and spent his first years learning all aspects of commercial management and brokerage. He has had great success in managing existing commercial projects and new retail and office developments. Curt specializes in building owner representation and purchases in the Westfield Indiana market as well throughout the Indianapolis Metro area. Curt is passionate about growing the local Westfield community and in his free time volunteers with Student Impact and raising 2 children with his wife Jennifer.