By Builders Digital Experience
84 percent of today’s home buyers contact a real estate agent when starting their home search and according to the National Association of Realtors, 63 percent of new home buyers are represented by a Realtor®. With such a large percentage of homes being purchased with the help of an agent, it is important to have a good relationship with the agents in your area.
BDX recently conducted research that shows that 50 percent of agents prefer to sell new homes! This is a HUGE opportunity. While many of these agents understand the benefits of a new home, they don’t always feel comfortable with the new home process. Help agents get comfortable with the process of new home sales by providing training materials that not only highlight the features of your home and neighborhood but also set expectations for the sales process so agents are familiar with your procedures.
Keeping your website information current is also extremely important. This is generally the first impression agents and buyers will have of your company, communities and homes. Having outdated information may force an agent to overlook you even if your products are great. Including information specifically for agents such as your commission structure and your registration policy is also helpful.
In addition to maintaining an engaging website, expand your exposure by making sure your homes are listed on New Home Source Professional, where your communities are featured for agents to search and share with their buyers. This agent facing site is designed to help agents sell new homes and showcase all of your new home advantages.
Another way to keep agents informed of your inventory and consumer promotions is by sending e-blasts. One thing to keep in mind when creating content for your e-blasts is that 89 percent of agents think consumer promotions are very important when they are putting together recommendations for a buyer; so be sure to include them. And remember, especially in large markets, agents can receive hundreds of emails a day from builders promoting their homes so instead of sending blasts daily, try sending weekly or bi-weekly emails that are concise and have a singular focus. If you’d like help with your emails to agents, click here.
Additionally, having agent only events in your communities is a great way of targeting your best prospects. Exclusive events, like a broker’s open, can drive excitement while making a memorable impression of you and your brand and making it more likely for an agent to refer one of your homes to their clients.
It is important that we as builders give agents the tools they need to sell more new homes. In order to ensure good referrals and repeat business in the future, we must establish and maintain long term collaborative relationships. What are you doing to make the real estate agent connection?