Generate Thousands of Leads with Expired Listings

Expired listing letters are a simple and powerful marketing tool.

Quick question:


How long does it take you to mail a letter? Exactly, almost no time at all! And you can have an assistant do it.


Today, I’m going to show you the exact steps to take to turn these frustrated sellers into your listings. We’ll use expired listing letters, postcards, and show you tons of free expired listing letter samples to amp up your marketing!


The first thing to understand about expired listings letters is that you must get into the mindset of a home seller before writing.


Here’s the deal:

Sellers with an expired listing are very upset! They’ve been through countless showings, open houses, excuses from their old Realtor, and more. They are very frustrated!


But why didn’t the home sell? It’s usually one of these reasons:

1) Price: The number one reasons properties don’t sell is due to pricing. You have to address this in your expired listing letter. There are numerous factors that go into pricing: the client, number of buyers, market activity, and marketing. This is a key discussion point for you to address with every expired listing.

2) Short Sale: Will the house sell for less than the debt owed? If so, you may run into a short sale.The process to overcome this can be long and turn away buyers.

3) Staging: Open houses and showings can be hard on families. It’s your job to make sure the condition of the house is not significantly impacting the value perceived by buyers.

The Insanely Crucial Thing You Need To Understand About Expired Listing Postcards And Letters:

The key with every expired listings letter is that you need to understand all the potential needs. Your understanding is directly related to your ability to relate with the seller. The deeper you feel the pain and frustration they feel, the better you will be at converting expired listings into your listings.

To fully understand this, I find it best to write down exactly what the seller is thinking and feeling. Here is a worksheet to help you write a great expired listings letter:
Download the worksheet

The Simple (But Profitable) Expired Listings Scripts, Letters, And Postcards:

Now:
You already understand the huge value that exists in expired listings. There are over 1200 expired listings in the average metropolitan area each year. And assuming even the lowest conversion numbers this can give you an addition 12 transactions per year. That’s a lot of potential! But how do you get it?

First, you need to pull a hot sheet from the MLS every morning. Second, put these contacts into a CRM of your choice. I like Top Producer, Contactually, and Base.
Now that you have their contact information, the goal becomes converting them into a listings appointment.


I recommend a 10 touch follow-up system using as many different methods of contact as possible. Why 10 followups? Because it will make you stand out. Most Realtors will give up after one expired listing letter. This is exactly what the seller is trying to avoid. They’ve already been burned by a Realtor who failed to do their job properly. You need to show that you are different. An organized 10-part marketing follow-up system is a great way to separate yourself from the crowd of other people calling on them.

These leads need to be nurtured.

Step #1 – The First Impulse – How You Use Expired Listings Letter And Postcards

The first touch of your 10-point system should be a drop-by. I find these a lot more memorable than the other letters Realtors will be sending. Remember, your true competition is the average Realtor. The average Realtor will place a call or send an email. You need to be better than that. Here are some ideas for your drop-by:

1) Starbucks gift card – Invite the seller out for a drink at Starbucks with you. Explain in the letter, with a gift card inside, that you are sorry the property didn’t’ sell. But would be more than happy to explain why it didn’t sell over a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

2) Paper towels with a letter talking about the absorption of their market.
Remember that you always need to include a call to action with these letters. The Starbucks card in step one is just to help you stand out. Your true calling card will be the call to action you place with your attention getter. The free gift is to help them remember you weeks from now when you’re still calling on them to get their business.

You’ll want to make sure you drop this off the morning their home expires. The seller will learn from day #1 that you are prompt and a creative marketer. Unique selling points is how you win expired listings. These two things will set you apart instantly.

Step #2 – Mail An Expired Listings Letter

The average agent will mail a letter on the day the house expires or the next day. You’ve beaten them by dropping off the gift yourself. Now, it’s time to follow up with your first interaction. This letter should be more standardized and mention the gift that you left for the homeowner on day one. Here’s an example:

You’ll want to send this letter the same day you drop off the gift. This way the letter arrives 1-2 days after they’ve received the gift. Remember, the call to action and empathy are the two main components in any expired listing letter.

In addition to this standard letter, it helps to supplement the mailer with a free market report. Maybe you have a newsletter you send your clients about market activity? Include that. Or maybe you can pull a detailed value analysis from the backend of your office software? Print that and mail it to them.

The key is to go above and beyond a simple letter.

Step #3 – Expired Listing Letter

The next step is to show them the marketing plan. There were three main reasons why their house didn’t sell, and a few other reasons why the seller probably doesn’t like Realtors. This third step actually shows the seller why you are different and shows them that you’ve cared enough to put in the work before a listing appointment.

If you don’t know what type of marketing plan to put together, check out these tips on using social media to sell a home.

Free examples for your expired listing letters:

Sending expired listings letters is all about creativity and substance. You need to be creative enough to be noticed, but you need to be based in fact enough to be trustworthy. These sellers have had a very recent bad experience with a Realtor. It’s your duty to fix that. Here are some ideas for the remaining 10 steps:

1) Follow Up Letter – The simplest letters are the ones that convert the best. Did your big packet containing the value analysis not yield a call? Follow up with a simple card saying: “Dear Mr./Mrs. Seller, when’s a good time to discuss the value of your property? – Tyler”

2) Testimonials – Your testimonials can be gold when converting expired listings. Social proof is great for people who have recently been burned by another Realtor. This type of listing should relate to the prospect, transition, and then explain the testimonial. Finally, include a call to action at the bottom of the mailer.

3) Your Brokerage Information – Why do you work for your brokerage? Almost every brokerage has a selling point! Use this to your advantage. You should be able to easily craft a letter explaining this advantage to the seller. After all, you bought into that selling point yourself.

4) Community and School Information – Does your website have a tab for their community or school? If not, make one! This is a great selling point. You can show the buyer that your website actually has a page dedicated to their specific neighborhood and gets SEO traffic because of it. This also makes you look like a neighborhood expert.

5) Sample Flyers – Do you create unique flyers for your listings? Great! Send a sample flyer to the home owner. This will show marketing initiative and give you an opportunity to highlight the way you see their property. Remember, these people love their house. They have so many memories attached to it. You can create a flyer that makes their house look special.

6) Charity Events – Send expired listings letters about what you do for local charities. You will instantly stand out from the crowd! Realtor letters to expired listings typical sound like this: “I’m the best. You must list with me.” Nothing breaks down the “Me” talk like charity work.
Finally, it’s hard convert any of these leads without a great website.

Example Expired Listings Letter:

BONUS Content: Farming Expired Listings

Most Realtors are farming a specific neighborhood or region, right?
You should be farming expired listings in all your specialty neighborhoods!
For example, have you sold every property you’ve listed in that neighborhood?

Awesome!

That’s exactly what the expired listing wants to hear. You really need to follow up either with a phone call or expired listing letters to let the home owner know about your track record.

How to Market Yourself with Social Media

Despite what you may think, you do not have to be a popular, hilarious, or uber-charismatic person to maintain a positive, useful social media presence. Here are a few tips for how to get there.
We talk about different social media platforms below, but you do not have to be (and probably should not) be on all of these. That would be exhausting. So we tried to let you know which platform is good for whom.
Here's the bottom line to getting clients across platforms:

• Be a resource, not a salesperson.
• Share your passions. Show diverse interests, not just your "business" self.
• Don't complain.
• Stay in touch with past clients.
• Listen more than you talk.

Deceptively simple! Read on to find out how to do it.
Facebook
First, you have to make the decision of whether you want to use your personal Facebook profile to market yourself or create a separate page for your business.
If you’re confused on the terminology, a profile is your personal Facebook profile. It’s the thing most people (and you) probably already use, with the privacy settings you select. A page is a public page that people can like. If you post something, the post appears in your followers’ News Feeds.
If your business is just you, as it is for most freelancers, it may make sense to use your personal profile as your Facebook presence. If you decide to use your profile, you can make your profile public and allow anyone to follow you and receive your public updates in their News Feeds (without becoming your friend). For each thing you post, you’ll be able to determine who can see it.
The pros of having a public profile:

• You only have to maintain one presence (which is time-friendly)
• If someone sends you a Facebook friend request and you don’t accept them, they can still stay subscribed to your public updates. (Now you know what to do if a client friends you: reject and let them stay tuned into your public updates.)

The pros of having a separate page for your business:

• You can maintain completely separate presences and avoid sending business-related items to your real friends.
• Pages also have analytics, so you can see how many people saw a post and interacted week-to-week.

Who’s it good for? Every kind of freelancer.
The Do’s:

• Share interesting, relevant news articles.
• Share short tips that you think current/prospective clients would use. For instance, if you're a freelance project manager, share a 1-2 sentence "time-saving tip of the week." Always think first about what your ideal follower would want to like and share. Their likes and shares mean your content spreads farther and shows up higher in their News Feeds.
• Share recent projects and new portfolio items -- especially visual ones.
• Thank clients (by @mentioning them) and re-post testimonials clients send you, if possible.
• Share side interests. Don’t be afraid to show yourself as a real, whole person with diverse interests.
• Get involved in commenting on brand Pages (especially those you'd like to work for!). You'd be surprised who's watching.
• Follow other freelancers -- you never know when you’ll pop up in their News Feed just when they have too many projects.
• Respond when someone asks a question/posts on your Page.
• Try micro-advertising, once you get your page up and running. Spend $50 for a very targeted ad to your geographic area. Look at the likes/interests of your ideal clients/brands and target those things in the ad, so that your ad only gets seen by the people you want to see it. Here's how to run a Facebook ad.

The Don’ts:

• Be careful posting about your services in conversations that you are not a part of. Only get involved if you have something to contribute to a conversation you are genuinely interested in.
• Don't simply post on other companies’ pages with a link to your services.
• Don't complain about other clients. EVER. It makes you look unprofessional and clients will be shy of working with someone who badmouths people on social media.
• Avoid sharing overly personal information. Some details about your life are fine. The fact that you just fought with your ex is not fine. If you have a public profile make sure you check whether you’re posting publicly or just to friends before hitting Post.
• Don't sound like a business automaton. It’s all about a personal tone minus personal details.
• Don't give yourself a hard quota for amount of content to put up each day. Never share lame content just because you have to fill a slot. A rough guideline (about 1-2 posts a day, for instance) is good.

Twitter
There are a looooot of people who use Twitter wrong and don’t get the basics of @Reply and hastags before they start. First things first, learn the basics!
Once you’ve got that down, think about what you want to use Twitter for. Have no idea? Just join, set up your profile, and listen. Listen to all the people you like and admire use Twitter. Then build your voice by responding to and engaging with those people naturally. Slowly you’ll figure out what you really want to use Twitter for and what is a waste of time.

The Do’s:

• Spend your first week 90% listening, 10% tweeting. This will give you time to adjust.
• Think carefully about the information that appears at the top of your profile. Consider tone and what you want to link to (blog? website?). Include social proof, or awards, accolades, etc.. Think about including a quirky or fun fact about you to lighten the more business-y stuff, like "Expert Brow Furrower."
• Follow past and current clients. When you see something exciting that they're up to or a good press mention, @mention them your congratulations and good wishes.
• Follow other freelancers as well, especially if they share useful info. Occassionally share information that's useful to them too, like -- oh I don't know -- stuff from @freelancersu. They're super smart. ;)
• Retweet or quote the tweets of people you would like to work for. (People have gotten jobs from being consistently nice to brands on Twitter. Yes really.)
• Follow the Twitterers you admire, so that you can learn their techniques when they pop up in your feed.
• Create Twitter Lists if you don’t want to follow thousands of people but still want to see what they tweet occasionally.
• Take part in Twitter chats in your field. For instance, see this ginormous but incomplete list: http://tweetreports.com/twitter-chat-schedule/. These are conversations you are invited to no matter who you’re connected with. Just be careful to remember that people are following you who are not involved in your chat, so don’t overdo it.
• Involve people in your process. Show people the behind-the-scenes. You’d be surprised how many people are interested in what it’s like to be you.

The Don’ts:

• Don’t overuse hashtags. They’re only funny if they’re used sparingly or, you know, ridiculously.
• Avoid jumping in on a trending topic you have no relation to, just to get “seen.”
• Don't post angry customer service tweets to companies -- Twitter is not the place. If you’re using your Twitter as part of your business presence, it’s actually not a good place to be angry at all. Posting how much you wish X politician would die is going to turn off at least half of your potential customers.
• Be careful about inserting yourself into a back-and-forth conversation you are not a part of.
• Don't use your client-facing Twitter only to talk to your friends. This is not terrible, but constantly taking part in conversations that isolate the majority of your followers won’t inspire people to follow you.
• Don't complain about clients. Ever. Seriously -- ever. Even if you are 100% in the right and your current client is a tool. The prospective client who is interested in hiring you and sees that will not appreciate it, since they don’t know the backstory.
• Don't send your tweets to Facebook.

LinkedIn
Hate “social media” and only want to target other business-minded peeps online? Then LinkedIn is for you. The great thing about LinkedIn is that you can spend a good amount of time setting up a killer profile and connecting with the right people, and then you can (mostly) leave it be.
However, like the other social networks, if you want to spend time getting involved in groups, reposting blog posts, and keeping in contact with old business clients, your efforts can go a long way on LI.
Who’s it good for? Everybody. But if you only pick one, this is the one. Especially good for freelancers who don’t really like social media, but still want to throw social media a bone.
The Do’s:

• Add a high-quality, clear photograph. That fuzzy photo of you with your mom will not do.
• Add all your previous jobs, with a short description of each. Key word being short. No one cares about the details of every single project you’ve done.
• Use keywords in your short profile description. Companies do search for freelancers on LI. Don’t just say “freelance developer.” Say “Freelance Full-Stack Ruby/PHP/Java Developer and Teacher.” Clients will search for specific terms.
• Upload portfolio items. This is especially important for tech and visual creative folks.
• Fill in skills & expertise. This is literally the easiest way online to get other people you’ve worked with before to recommend you in a way that’s visible to boatloads of people and pretty painless for them. Just do it. Can’t get other people to recommend you? Then go around recommending other people you’ve worked with (who you genuinely recommend).
• Connect with all previous and current clients. If they’re an old client, send them a quick message to catch up. This is a great way to remind old clients that you exist!
• Follow all the brands you used to work for.
• Use the LI job boards. It costs a bit to put a job listing on LI, so you can be more sure that the companies are high-quality clients who won’t stiff you.
• Get involved in local networking chapters. Just search something like “Los Angeles Designers” in the search box and lots of stuff will pop up.
• Connect with people you’ve met (and connected with meaningfully) on other social networks. Send them a quick note that says, “Hey, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you on Twitter, and I’m hoping we can connect here, too.”

The Don’ts:

• Don't try to connect with people using the generic connect message. If you really want to connect with someone (especially an old colleague), spend the time re-introducing yourself and saying why you genuinely want to connect. If you just met someone at a networking event, remind them where you met them.
• Never lie or exaggerate your jobs. This should be a no-brainer, but it must be said. This is public information available to all of the people that know exactly what you did at a certain job.
• Careful not to misspell things. Think of LI as your most important resume.
• Don't use the words “creative,” “effective,” “extensive experience,” or “proven professional.” (Don’t use them on your resume, either.)
• Don't recommend people you don’t really know, just so they’ll recommend you back. Trust us, there is nothing creepier than getting recommended by someone you don’t really know for a skill you know they don’t know you have.
• Try not to forget to update your profile for several years. Just because this can be a low-effort platform does not mean you should forget to tell potential new clients about the great new gig you have.

Pinterest
Pinterest is the social network you should use if you a) sell physical products, b) are a designer/technologist, or c) are a blog writer. That’s because Pinterest is essentially a photo and photo-of-product sharing platform, best suited to crafty people, chefs/edible product entrepreneurs, artists, illustrators, tech-enthusiasts (sharing photos of new tech is popular), and bloggers who can share their header image of interesting posts (how-to’s are especially popular).
If you have a product you want to sell, nothing converts browser to buyer better than Pinterest. If you already blog for your business, try to develop a few boards related to your niche -- and a couple related to side interests -- and see what happens.
No matter what kind of freelancer you are, it’s important to make sure your website is Pinterest-friendly simply by adding the Pin button and other easy measures.
The Do’s:

• Spend time setting up your boards. This is the most important thing you’ll do. Often people won’t choose to follow all of your boards, but will just follow boards that interest them. Make sure the idea behind the board is shareable, the title and subtitle are short and well-thought-out, and you populate it with good starter content.
• Think about your subhead, not just the picture.
• Pin other people’s stuff more than your own. This is about cultivating a board, not posting all of your stuff (that’s what your website is for).
• Think vertical. Tall photos look better than fat ones.
• Use Pinterest for stuff that doesn’t fit into your niche, but you’re still interested in. An author can start a naval ships catalog or a style board. This is a great way to show people your diversified interests.
• Link to your website in your profile. The more traffic your page gets, the better. More traffic, more linkbacks = higher search ranking.
• Use Pinterest to get inspired. Pinterest is just a repository of interesting/cool/pretty stuff. It’s a great time-suck but also fun to browse through if you’re stuck.
• Pin a coupon for your freelance services. Great way to get new clients!

The Don’ts:

• Careful with subheads that are too long. This is about photos, not text.
• Don't overpin. Just like the other social networks, too much of a good thing is not a good thing.
• Don't pin only your own work. Share the love!
• Try not to create an unorganized board. If it says it’s about how-to tips for writers, don’t post a picture of a sunset. If you want to make a diverse board, set expectations in the title and regular content.
• Don't repost images straight from Google search. That’s lazy pinning. Pursue the source of the image so you can credit them.
• Don't post low-quality images (if possible).

Google Plus
Just like Facebook, Google Plus allows you to make a profile, connect with friends, and create posts for them all to see. At first glance, it will most likely seem like a poor substitute for Facebook. In reality, there are a lot of advantages to using Google Plus.
The Do’s:

• Make a profile and post often. Regular engagement with Google Plus helps with your Google ranking for websites and pages. +1’s (Google Plus’s equivalent of “likes”) will have a positive effect on your SEO ranking, so keep posting!
• If you’re a blogger, link your Google Plus name to your blog.
• Upload a photo. This is especially important for Google Plus if you’re a blogger and connect your Google Plus profile to your blog, because your headshot will appear in Google search results.

• Host a Google Hangout. Google Hangout is a free video chat service -- Google’s version of Skype. It also allows you to share documents, scratchpads, images and YouTube videos with other users. The Google Plus "Hangouts on Air" feature, a live broadcasting service accessible to anyone with a web browser, is useful if you’d like to present something to your audience
• Categorize your friends! One useful function of Google Plus is the ability to group your friends in a much more user-friendly way than Facebook.
• Write longer posts. Twitter limits you to 140 characters and people will hate you on Facebook if you post more than a sentence. Google Plus is friendly to longer posts and they occur regularly.
• That said, you are allowed to post the exact same content you post on Facebook to Google Plus. They are mostly different audiences.

The Dont’s:

• ​Try not to start a Google Plus profile and then never do anything with it, like just about everybody else.

Is a cloud-based brokerage the right one for you?

The real estate agent’s recipe for a successful cloud-based business By Gill South (inman.com)  Key Takeaways Doing well as a cloud agent takes the right mindset and mental toughness, according to Derrick Ruiz. Choose your first cloud brokerage based on the right leader, training and access to an online community. Cloud brokerages are not for new agents; they should start with the real thing first. Los Angeles broker Derrick Ruiz is grooming his 12-year-old-son to be a real estate agent. Kenneth sees his dad working from his home office, never wearing a suit and coming out to say “hi” when he and his sister come home from school. “I don’t have to commute to work; I can help with the Little League stuff; my professional life and family life are all enmeshed. I could be barbecuing in between writing a presentation,” said Ruiz. “We go look at properties, I take my camera. Real estate is a really good lifestyle if you do it right.” The real estate veteran of 30 years makes a good financial argument. “We make more than lawyers and doctors now — I’m working on a deal for a 16-unit apartment building for $5.5 million and will make a $275,000 gross commission, while the trust lawyer on the deal is earning $6,000 to set up the trust,” noted Ruiz. The author of the new book, “Cloud Agent: How Real Estate Agents Can Combine Cloud Technology With A Powerful Mindset To Produce Extraordinary Results,” Ruiz is enthusiastic about how his life has changed since he took his business completely to the cloud, working from home full-time and joining the cloud brokerage eXp Realty three years ago. He was previously with Keller Williams for seven years. The cloud mentality of doing deals Ruiz likes the immediacy of his work now. “Last night I had a call from a buyer who wanted a flier sent to him on a property. “ Ruiz sent off the marketing package, which gave him the property’s cashflow figures, expenses and taxes via his phone. The investor was standing at the for-sale sign at the time. Later that night the buyer texted, saying he wanted to make an offer. “That’s the the mentality of being in the cloud — for me, there is no way go back to working in an office,” said Ruiz. Choosing your cloud brokerage wisely “I left after another eXp associate showed me the idea of working for a cloud brokerage. I saw a big opportunity creating revenue share and attracting other agents to eXp Realty,” Ruiz explained. Take care choosing the right cloud brokerage, warns Ruiz, something he talks about in “Cloud Agent.” “Since joining eXp, there has been a proliferation of virtual offices or cloud brokerages — I get pitched to all the time.” He writes: “I do not understand how a 100-percent broker can afford to provide the proper technology infrastructure and training by only collecting a transaction fee.” “At eXp, we have a virtual office where we conduct training and interviews — you need to get an avatar set up and it’s like you are walking around in a (virtual) office meeting,” he said. It’s very collaborative, he added. The campus-like platform used by eXp Realty came from a gaming engine from University of California, San Diego. Ruiz is hopeful the book, published by Black Card Books in Ontario, will help himself and fellow eXp Realty agents “attract” more to the business, which is on an aggressive expansion path. “Part of the reason I wrote this book was to create a tool that my fellow agents could use to attract other agents to their team,” Ruiz explained. “I’ve offered my colleagues a greatly reduced price if they buy in bulk so that they can send the books out to other agents they want to attract.” EXp Realty’s growth EXp Realty has a seven-tier revenue system for agents who are successful at attracting new people. Glenn Sanford,  eXp Realty CEO and chairman, also formerly from Keller Williams, said: “Last year at this time, we were around 650 agents; now we are 1,400-plus agents. We’ve doubled in size and will double again over the next 12 months.” Currently in 41 states, he expects to be in 50 by the end of the next 12 months and has set a target of 10,000 agents by 2020. Sanford has strongly endorsed “Cloud Agent,” writing the foreword in the book. “Derrick is pioneering — he’s just a powerhouse of information. He understands the business of prospecting — it’s really a mindset book,” said Sanford. Sanford wrote in the book’s foreword: “We now live in an uber-connected world and physical brick and mortar businesses are fading in value in favor of the cloud, but none of this means anything without the proper mindset.” Delve deeper than the financial package at your cloud brokerage Ruiz, who has been averaging $10 million to $15 million in production a year and is at $8.5 million year-to-date for 2016, warns against moving to a cloud brokerage for its tempting 100-percent commission splits — yet limited support. “I know the agents who go to these cloud brokerages who compete on price — they are not productive; they are complainers,” he said. “I have done discount earlier in my career — and the clients that you attract are focused on saving commission and are the worst clients you could ever have. They also have unrealistic expectations.” The split at eXp Realty is more like 80/20, said Sanford. “Because we invest a lot in the agent experience. We have 30 people who are willing to do anything to help the agent do business — from their marketing, building a website, training. We have got all of the trappings of a solid bricks and mortar operation,” he said. There is also dedicated lead generation expertise. Sandord adds that the virtual office allows people to “come into a space with their avatars and they get that social piece in. In my opinion, that’s a big value add of bricks-and-mortar — agents can be social. And real estate agents, by their nature, are social beings.” EXp Realty provides all agents with a Regus HQ blue card membership so they can operate out of a shared physical office space environment if they prefer. Ruiz, however, is not interested in any kind of office outside his home. As far as he is concerned, all he needs is his phone. “Every single one of my files is on Dropbox — I can access every single piece of data that I own via the iPhone 6+,” he said. He writes: “When I worked in a busy Keller Williams office, there were constant interruptions and requests. Office and agent leadership meetings, birthday parties, requests to speak at those meetings, visits from the copier repairman … not to mention the occasional drama between agents and staff.” The busy real estate office is changing, he added. “When you walk into a bricks-and-mortar brokerage office there may be 10 people out of 150 who work there. Most agents are probably working from home or at a coffee shop. So if you’re already one of those agents who works from home, you might as well be with the cloud brokerage,” he said. Cloud brokerages are not for new agents New agents should start with a regular brokerage for the first two or three years, where they are introduced to the real estate business and are immersed in the culture, said Ruiz. “It’s not impossible [to start off in a cloud brokerage], but there are so many lessons you learn being at a real estate office, day in, day out,” he said. As cloud brokerages become more prevalent, newbie agents will be partnered up and become part of a virtual team, said the broker, who says he has trained a lot of agents. Ruiz is a big believer in training, no matter what level you are. He advises readers to make sure their cloud brokerage takes training seriously, offers in-house trainers and runs classes regularly. EXp Realty runs 25 to 30 hours of classes a week. “We have weekly training in the virtual office space with dedicated trainers,” said Sanford. “Also, agents around the country who have specialized expertise will often do training in the cloud office as well.” Visitors are welcome, added Sanford. Agents interested in joining can visit and be active on the eXp Realty campus, including sitting in on meetings. “One of our core values has been total transparency for the industry — we let you walk in and attend a meeting. You can attend anything on campus, talk to our agents about onboarding.” It appeals to the millennial, Sanford said. Staying connected with local agents though working in the cloud Of course, real estate is a social industry, and relationships with other agents are important — but cloud agents can make it work. Working with a cloud brokerage does not negate these activities, said Sanford. “In a lot of cities, agents are getting together almost nightly for something or other,” he said. The eXp “agent attraction” program gives eXp Realty agents financial benefits from socializing with agents from other companies, too. Ruiz recommends that cloud agents start a local Realtor Facebook group, if one doesn’t already exist in their area. He writes: “I belong to several. Even though I work from home and don’t talk to many agents in person, these keep me in the loop and connected to what’s going on in the market.” They share pocket listings, buyer needs, advice and referrals for vendors. He is also on the KW Alerts email list. Tech is good, but you still need the fundamentals Though an enthusiastic techie — who cites some of his favorite cloud tools as Top Producer, Skyslope, and NotaryCam — Ruiz is an advocate of traditional habits, like cold-calling and always working on building the client database. “There is nothing like picking up the phone,” he said. Ruiz, who specializes in selling multi-family apartment buildings, spends time finding long-term owners of apartment buildings and other people who are more likely to be thinking of selling. He writes in the book: “Agents, you better get comfortable being uncomfortable; otherwise go get a corporate slave job.” Ruiz is a big fan of writing thank-you notes. Older clients, especially, remember and appreciate them. “Thank-you notes have made me hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said the broker. EXp Realty provides all agents with a Regus HQ blue card membership so they can operate out of a shared physical office space environment if they prefer. Ruiz, however, is not interested in any kind of office outside his home. As far as he is concerned, all he needs is his phone. “Every single one of my files is on Dropbox — I can access every single piece of data that I own via the iPhone 6+,” he said. He writes: “When I worked in a busy Keller Williams office, there were constant interruptions and requests. Office and agent leadership meetings, birthday parties, requests to speak at those meetings, visits from the copier repairman … not to mention the occasional drama between agents and staff.” The busy real estate office is changing, he added. “When you walk into a bricks-and-mortar brokerage office there may be 10 people out of 150 who work there. Most agents are probably working from home or at a coffee shop. So if you’re already one of those agents who works from home, you might as well be with the cloud brokerage,” he said. Cloud brokerages are not for new agents New agents should start with a regular brokerage for the first two or three years, where they are introduced to the real estate business and are immersed in the culture, said Ruiz. “It’s not impossible [to start off in a cloud brokerage], but there are so many lessons you learn being at a real estate office, day in, day out,” he said. As cloud brokerages become more prevalent, newbie agents will be partnered up and become part of a virtual team, said the broker, who says he has trained a lot of agents. Ruiz is a big believer in training, no matter what level you are. He advises readers to make sure their cloud brokerage takes training seriously, offers in-house trainers and runs classes regularly. EXp Realty runs 25 to 30 hours of classes a week. “We have weekly training in the virtual office space with dedicated trainers,” said Sanford. “Also, agents around the country who have specialized expertise will often do training in the cloud office as well.” Visitors are welcome, added Sanford. Agents interested in joining can visit and be active on the eXp Realty campus, including sitting in on meetings. “One of our core values has been total transparency for the industry — we let you walk in and attend a meeting. You can attend anything on campus, talk to our agents about onboarding.” It appeals to the millennial, Sanford said. Staying connected with local agents though working in the cloud Of course, real estate is a social industry, and relationships with other agents are important — but cloud agents can make it work. Working with a cloud brokerage does not negate these activities, said Sanford. “In a lot of cities, agents are getting together almost nightly for something or other,” he said. The eXp “agent attraction” program gives eXp Realty agents financial benefits from socializing with agents from other companies, too. Ruiz recommends that cloud agents start a local Realtor Facebook group, if one doesn’t already exist in their area. He writes: “I belong to several. Even though I work from home and don’t talk to many agents in person, these keep me in the loop and connected to what’s going on in the market.” They share pocket listings, buyer needs, advice and referrals for vendors. He is also on the KW Alerts email list. Tech is good, but you still need the fundamentals Though an enthusiastic techie — who cites some of his favorite cloud tools as Top Producer, Skyslope, and NotaryCam — Ruiz is an advocate of traditional habits, like cold-calling and always working on building the client database. “There is nothing like picking up the phone,” he said. Ruiz, who specializes in selling multi-family apartment buildings, spends time finding long-term owners of apartment buildings and other people who are more likely to be thinking of selling. He writes in the book: “Agents, you better get comfortable being uncomfortable; otherwise go get a corporate slave job.” Ruiz is a big fan of writing thank-you notes. Older clients, especially, remember and appreciate them. “Thank-you notes have made me hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said the broker.

How To Effectively Work With A Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants provide a wealth of benefits to you and your real estate company if the collaboration is executed properly. If you are trying to decide if a VA is right for you, you need to keep the following tips in mind to make sure you make the most out of your newest addition to the team.

Communicate the Duties and Responsibilities

A virtual assistant typically doesn’t require extensive training, but you will need to spend some time with them just as you would an in-house team member. Don’t expect them to come fully equipped with your systems and desires understood, you will need to communicate your needs and expectations. Creating daily lists and goals, with deadlines, will ensure the most important tasks are completed in a timely manner.

Determine the Highest Priorities

n real estate, priorities often change quickly, and this can be problematic if you don’t communicate how you want them to be handled. Provide a list of priorities over a monthly or quarterly period then have follow-up meetings to see if anything has changed and whether the goals are being met.

Let It Go – Just like the movie Frozen

It’s daunting to give up control in your business, but if you want your virtual assistant to do what you hired them for, you have to explain your needs, and back off so he or she can do it. You can always check in on certain projects, but constantly interrupting them means the work won’t get done and means that you are taking yourself away from your priorities. Once you’ve explained what you expect, let the VA come to you if there are any questions – that’s what you’re paying for.

Develop Specific Scripts

Real estate can be repetitive, but this can be a good thing. Creating scripts for certain responses will make sure your virtual assistant responds in the same manner that you would, so every client receives the same information. This is also a helpful way to make sure that someone in another state or country who may not be familiar with all the laws in your state always provides correct information.

Use Your Virtual Assistant

Handing over the reins on anything you’ve been doing yourself is difficult, but you should always consider your VA’s abilities. If they have the experience and knowledge, you should always delegate more responsibilities. This will free up your time, and make better use of your virtual assistant.

Feedback Is Important

The virtual assistant/broker relationship is unique when compared to traditional employees, but some things are the same. Feedback is the only way that your virtual assistant will know if there are things he or she can improve on, or if there are things that are done beyond your expectations. Successful collaboration has to be built on mutual respect, and providing feedback is a great way to make that happen. Make sure to ask the VA for feedback as well – there could be slight changes that would be beneficial for both of you.


Working with a real estate virtual assistant allows you to grow your business. Follow these tips, and your assistant will be a valuable asset to your team.
Give us a call today 405-928-8467 to get started!