What’s In It For Free?

BY MELANIE ROBITAILLE, SR. STAFF WRITER & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Everyone loves something for free, and yet the saying goes “Nothing comes for free” or worse still, the belief that “What is free is worth nothing.” Real estate professionals can challenge this thinking because of their value and knowledge, and yes, provide it to the public in a free format to build trusting relationships.

COMMUNITY & MARKET NEWS

Agents have all sorts of data at their fingertips through association reporting in Canada and the U.S., not to mention they work amidst a wide variety of local businesses and tradespeople. This is all shareable content for those seeking an advisor more than ever before. Create social media community or neighborhood groups or use your professional profiles to keep connecting within marketplaces. Share local events, financial stats or outlooks from reputable sources, even forward useful municipal news that effects homeowners. The more regularly you share info in both static post and video format, the more you become a source of knowledge. Invite questions and always try to respond in a timely manner.

INVITATIONAL & INFORMATIVE EVENTS

Another great way to engage with marketplaces is to host public information sessions. Invite the public, other professionals, and nearby business owners to a free evening of learning more about the real estate industry, first-time homebuying, or investing. Stick with what you know, or partner with other agents in the office who have differing skillsets. The brokerage provides a great space to bring people together, and some delicious, light local fare and beverages always go a long way. Have one or two knowledgeable speakers and a way for attendees to register their participation so you can follow up the event with further marketing touches. Opening the doors of your office space to the public, be it for art gallery evenings, charitable events, or the like always brings exposure.

COMPARATIVE MARKET ANALYSIS

Real estate professionals are seeing first-hand, how the unprecedented and shifting markets of the past several years have created true uncertainty in buyers and sellers. Some of the greatest value an agent can provide is a free comparative market analysis (CMA). Not to be confused with an appraisal, a CMA compares the selling prices of homes and their many features, within a specific area in order to help with pricing a property. REALTORS® have a special advantage with free access to the REALTOR Property Resource® (RPR®) database, from which members can pull together robust CMA’s and provide professional seller reports. Visit EXIT’s YouTube Channel for a quick how-to techinar on using this service.