First off I want to say, "Hello". I am new to the group and after reading a number of the posts here I realized how valuable this site is.

Here's my question:

For the 2 years that I have been in the biz I have primarily represented the buyers side. Recently I met an investor that I hit it off with and he asked me to represent all of his properties in four cities in the Oklahoma City metro. He did over 100 last year and is on target to do 200+ this year of which, I'll probably see 60-80

Here is my question. I got my first 3 of his listings last week, added them to our local MLS and did a reverse lookup that our MLS offers which takes the stats of my listing (size, price, beds, baths, location, etc.) and shows me other REALTORS that have buyers looking for that type of property based on the same stats.

Anyhow, I am shocked at the non response that I got - literally, zero. I got many calls because the listings hit the hot sheets and because of sign calls but it shocked me that I didn't have any response from them through e-mail. Hell, a few wrote back asking me to remove them from all "Just Listed" e-mails.

My question is this, do any of you get "Just listed" information from other agents? And if so, how much weight does it carry with you? I LIVE in e-mail (laptop access, cell phone delivery, PDA,etc.) and there is one other agent that I have received a "Just Listed" e-mail from. I actually forwarded it and scheduled it with my buyers, responded to the REALTOR and sold the house BECAUSE of the e-mail.

Would I have gotten it off the hot sheet? Yup. But I am shocked at the seeming deep fear resistance to technology of REALTORS in this area. Maybe that's the key to my longevity in the future, embrace technology while these dinosaurs continue to prod along with their antiquated way of doing things.

..Sorry, venting. I know not all OK REALTORS are this way but it's very hard not to generalize when you send out the message to over 100 agents with nothing back...Any feedback on whether or not I am chasing a rabbit down a hole would be appreciated. Also what is your effective methods for getting the message out to other REALTORS in your area?

Thanks,

Eric Richardson
www.MyOklahome.com

It carries zero weight with me and I also ask to not be e mailed with everyone's "latest and greatest" new listing.

Personally I think you are "spitting into the wind" sending those e mails. If your listing is in the MLS and someone has a buyer that wants it believe me they'll find it and get their buyer to it.

Don't waste your time or theirs adding to their spam.

My broker likes us to send our new listings out to all the agents in the office in the hopes of creating an in house sale. Personally I don't even read them I see them and then I delete them.

I don't like the spam. Most agents hate the Just Listed emails because they'd see the property on MLS if it was something their buyers had any interest in.

I actually send "not yet" listed emails when it's not yet on MLS. I send emails to agents who recently represented a seller or buyer in the same subdivision. I've gotten a much better response with this because

1) The property is not in MLS and they're getting a heads up, so can beat the crowd.

2) It's a more targeted email. If they work the area, they may have someone who is also interested in the neighborhood.

I've never had a bad response from these emails, but did get "remove me" emails when I mailed to a lot of agents.

Wow...gotta admit I'm a little surprised. I like the idea of the "not yet" e-mails because our average rehab time is about two weeks...Thanks Dee!

I think your statement is off base and unwarranted...granted, you were venting. I'm a heavy user of email and IM for communications. However, I detest email spam.

It has nothing to do with "fear" of technology, it's wanting to avoid spam that just clogs up my inbox. And somebody who sends me spam does not deserve a response, especially feedback.

Sorry if I came off a bit harsh. It was a struggle to get off of a spammers list. They (Realtors) decided to send spam (several times a day) to all agents in the city.

Who doesn't detest spam? I can understand defining spam by e-mails that tell you how to increase your love life or how to get rich helping a Nigerian royalty smuggle a kings ransom of money out of his country through your bank account.

But I guess when it comes to providing a better level of service for my clients (buyers or sellers) by notifying agents that are looking for that type of property from a direct search and not blindly sending out a "Just Listed" to every REALTOR on my board, I would and do view that as a win/win.

Different strokes I guess and I'll have to give it a second thought next time. But I still stand by my assessment of agents here. I've met them at the courses I've taught and yes, sadly, the majority of them are that afraid of technology.

Spam by any other name Okie............. :rolleyes:

But, but, but.........my spam is.........well, special becaues I'm providing a valuable service.

Unwanted, unsolicited e mail is spam period.

Here's my daily spam report from www.OnlyMyeMail.com , your "special message" would make it 220.

"Summary of Deleted Spam Email

This report is provided as part of the spam filtering service associated with your email address.

219 emails deleted for jim@knoxvillemls.com on Tuesday, February 14, 2006" .

BTW, if you're interested in teaching your fellow Realtors something useful www.OnlyMyeMail.com catches 99.9% of my spam with about 99.99% accuracy; 3 bucks a month.

I used to send out "Just Listed" e-mails, but I got so much negative feedback from other agents that I realized it was just hurting my listings so I don't do it any more, except to the folks who e-mail their listings to me. Listing e-mails are problematic to people who integrate their e-mail and phone. It costs them money to get our listing e-mails and what they have said is that if they want to look up my newly listed property they will do so on the MLS system. That's what MLS was created for.

I do "Just Listed" postcards instead and send them directly to potential buyers (as identified through Open Houses, club and school directories, geographic area, etc.). It seems to work much better if a potential client contacts their agent and requests to see a home I've just listed.

Agents appear to rely on MLS for their info on listings, whereas the public relies on Internet sources such as realtor.com or print publications. There's no point in going around the MLS system with agents -- they are just too busy to look at other sources that contain the same info.

If someone has an in-house listing on one that is not on the market quite yet, then yes, I'd be interested in learning about that one, but if it's on MLS and it meets my clients needs -- I'll find it. No need to e-mail me or drop a printed copy of the MLS sheet in my mailbox.

I agree. While I am not afraid of tecnology, in fact, it's essential today in this business, I do not read the Just Listed emails. I search every morning and night for new listings with in my clients criteria. I already have seen the listing. However, I will inform people of an open house a couple days prior. Mainly to let them know to send their buyers and I will honor their Buyer Agency. Remember the question, What's in it for them?

Well, you've all helped change my mind

Thank you so much for everyone's feedback. It really helped in how I'll approach this in the future.

Thank you again.

Emails can be very productive, if done correctly. Do not send email blasts to every agent in your area. Chances are the agent who has never had a sale will not bring a buyer to your door.

I have worked with emails for a while and honed it down into a fairly effective tool. I have gotten response from agents. Moreover, it impresses sellers during my listing presentation.

Here's what I do:

1) I do a search to make a list of agents who have sold or listed in the neighborhood/area during the last year.
2) These agents get a phone call from me- preferably on their office voice mail that acknowledges the fact that they are an "active" agent in this neighborhood/area. I tell them of my listing and inform them they will be getting a flier via email. I ask them to preview and give me feedback (all the while stroking the ego).

If I get busy, or the list of agents is huge, I use a autodialer company (www.voiceshot.com) to make the phone calls. I schedule the emails to be sent about 2 hours after the phone call.

Like I said, it is fairly effective. I have gotten some good feedback from agents who previewed the listing after I contacted them in this manner. The real power is explaining it during the listing presentation. Informing your sellers that you are going to market their home to the most active agents gives a "no stone unturned" message to your marketing plan.

I start out with the basic "most active agents in your neighborhood/area" list. However, if you have a niche home (really effective on lake properties), a high-priced home, or an unusual home, you can derive your list from the agents who have sold that type of home in the last year.

I use the email tool from advanced access that sends a flyer and link of your listing. Make sure you follow Do Not Email guidelines.

1. The subject needs to say ADV:
2. You need an opt out link or directions on how they can unsubscribe.
3. You should say how you got their email address. AA let's you choose. I think I use "You're a member of my MLS".

There are probably others, but these are the ones I remember the most.

I don't mind getting "Just Listed" e-mails or ones announcing open houses or agent luncheons if the listing is in my area. However, metro Atlana is a huge market and I don't like getting junk mail from agents across town. Do a little research and mail to the agents who work the area.
I only send out e-mails announcing agent luncheons.

Do not forget about the CAN-SPAM Act that went into effect on January 1, 2004. As I understand this Federal law your emails must be opt-in. By that they mean you must have permission to send to the reader. You must also have an opt-out link on the email. Both of these are also just good email practice in my opinion.

If the people you are sending to are on the same list for any other types of email sends you create, you may unfortunately get a global opt-out if you are not careful. I like keeping seperate opt-in lists for seperate purposes and will only send to those who want the information.