Letter to send to real estate agents

[Steve]

J.D. wrote me and shared with all of us this letter he is sending to real estate agents.

Thanks JD!

I recently decided to send out a ton of letters to real estate companies. I have only sent out a couple so far so I don't know how good this will work but am very optimistic in the sales strategy. I had some general fliers printed up via Vista Print. I sent a flier, business card and this letter to them.


here it is:

To Whom It May Concern:
With today’s economy and the downfall of the housing market, it is difficult at best to sell a home. Why not improve your chances? It is very important that the client perceives the home they may buy in a positive manner. You only have one chance to make a good first impression. The first impression a client has of a home will set the tone for the sales process.

With so many obstacles to overcome to sell the home, why would you want to add another one? Make sure the client is impressed by what they see. How is the curb appeal for the house in question? Is it overrun with weeds? Are there plants growing out of the gutters? Here is an excerpt from About.com:
“........Make a list of the problem areas you discovered. Tackle clean up and repair chores first, then put some time into projects that make the grounds more attractive.
• Kill mold and mildew on the house, sidewalks, roof, or driveway.
• Stow away unnecessary garden implements and tools.
• Clean windows and gutters.
• Pressure wash dirty siding and dingy decks.
• Edge sidewalks and remove vegetation growing between concrete or bricks.
• Mow the lawn. Get rid of weeds.
• Rake and dispose of leaves, even if your lot is wooded.
• Trim tree limbs that are near or touching the home's roof………”

Having a solid background in sales, I realize the importance of this as I’m sure you do. There are many lawn care/landscaping companies available for you to do business with today. How do you choose one? That is a question only you can answer. Some aspects you may want to consider are price, quality of work and reliability. Visit us on the web to see what we have to offer.

Thank You,

[elrascal]

What have your results been?

J.D. wrote me and shared with all of us this letter he is sending to real estate agents.

Thanks JD!

I recently decided to send out a ton of letters to real estate companies. I have only sent out a couple so far so I don't know how good this will work but am very optimistic in the sales strategy. I had some general fliers printed up via Vista Print. I sent a flier, business card and this letter to them.


here it is:

To Whom It May Concern:
With today’s economy and the downfall of the housing market, it is difficult at best to sell a home. Why not improve your chances? It is very important that the client perceives the home they may buy in a positive manner. You only have one chance to make a good first impression. The first impression a client has of a home will set the tone for the sales process.

With so many obstacles to overcome to sell the home, why would you want to add another one? Make sure the client is impressed by what they see. How is the curb appeal for the house in question? Is it overrun with weeds? Are there plants growing out of the gutters? Here is an excerpt from About.com:
“........Make a list of the problem areas you discovered. Tackle clean up and repair chores first, then put some time into projects that make the grounds more attractive.
• Kill mold and mildew on the house, sidewalks, roof, or driveway.
• Stow away unnecessary garden implements and tools.
• Clean windows and gutters.
• Pressure wash dirty siding and dingy decks.
• Edge sidewalks and remove vegetation growing between concrete or bricks.
• Mow the lawn. Get rid of weeds.
• Rake and dispose of leaves, even if your lot is wooded.
• Trim tree limbs that are near or touching the home's roof………”

Having a solid background in sales, I realize the importance of this as I’m sure you do. There are many lawn care/landscaping companies available for you to do business with today. How do you choose one? That is a question only you can answer. Some aspects you may want to consider are price, quality of work and reliability. Visit us on the web to see what we have to offer.

Thank You,

Hi Steve thanks for sharing this letter. I notice you posted this thread a long time ago so was wondering if you could share what your results have been like?

[Steve]

I was just forwarding what JD sent me. I dont know what his results were.

[Moki]

I wrote this a few months ago so to find this one that is so close to what I did was a bit of a surprise.

I have handed it out to several Real Estate agents but have not done much more with it.

I think I will look at the OP letter and see if I can improve my letter I also have a slightly different letter that is directed to the home owner.

Cam’s Yard Works
Professional Pressure Washing
Yard & Lawn Care Services

Curb appeal one of the top six reasons a home does not sell.

Your client’s home is competing against well priced new or immaculately maintained used homes; most of your clients do everything they can to prepare the inside but overlook the importance of cleaning/maintaining the outside.

This results in potential buyers forming a first impression and driving past without even giving you a chance to show how perfect your client’s homes could be for them.

Face it: Even the best used homes need a little outside maintenance if we hope to attract a qualified buyer.

The good news is Cam’s Yard Works specializes in curb appeal, have us remove that built up dirt and moss from the siding, driveway, sidewalks and windows, clean out the gutters, trim back the hedging trees, edge the lawn, remove the weeds and Voila! You have turned your clients curb appeal into the best that it can be.

Enhancing the curb appeal of your client’s home is inexpensive and can be one of the best returns on your time and their investment.


Call Us Today for a Free No Obligation Estimate

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

I have been shopping for houses and noticed how neglected they are. Since almost every house I see has mold all over the siding. The houses exterior are in such bad shape, I wouldnt call to see the inside. So I know others feel the same way. Sure I could clean it up in a few hours and hack that jungle down in no time but the typical home owner cant. There adding up the cost with the price of the house.

Real estate agents are all about a quick buck. I had one call me to cut down a 8' high hedge and when I gave her a price never heard back. I seen the apartment on clist for rent for months. Sure stick a renter in there theyll take care of it.

At the same time I contacted several real estate companies that were renting houses. I was trying to find a house to rent for a year or two before I purchase mine. I told them all I would take care of the exterior of the house for a small deduction. Not one bit the few who responded said it was the tenants responsibility. Whens the last time a renter was cleaning gutters? I'm a business and renters dont call me.

[Moki]

I agree that renters would not do the general maintance I know I didn't when I still rented.

My angle in my other letter that was to the home owner that is trying to sell is instead of dropping the price by thousands of dollars as the real estate agent will suggest they do that instead they call me and for only $500 I will give them curb appeal.

Here is a letter fom a satisfied customer of mine that got me to thinking about curb appeal.

To whom it may concern,

Re: Cam's Yard Works

This past year Cam’s Yard Works did work in landscaping and pressure washing at my residence. He also did landscaping and pressure washing at our elementary school (where I am on the school board). His work at both locations was excellent. He was very professional, pleasant and did exactly what he said he would do when he said he'd do it.

After Cam did the pressure washing at my home, my neighbour at the time asked if he would pressure wash their front driveway and sidewalk. Their property had been for sale on the market for approximately 6 months. After he cleaned it up they sold their home within a week.

I have no hesitation recommending Cam's Yard Works for any landscaping and/or pressure washing job. I hope to hire him again in the future. If you require any further information feel free to contact me on my cell phone at 1-

Yours truly,

M.D.

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

yeah you might be better off targeting the homeowner and not the agent. I did have someone contact me like this but the agent was calling the shots. She wouldnt spend 10 minutes to meet me at the property. Continued to mention that she doesnt have time to talk to me on the phone and gave me a very vague description of what needed to be done.

They wanted me to plant shrubs to cover up a lattice. I said instead of hiding it, dont you think it will be smarter to paint it and put nice flowers that attract attention in front of it? The agents reply" No, I want it covered up with big shrubs" Well who is going to maintain the bushes while the house is on the market? We get calls all the time to remove these type of hedges. My plan is to put something low maintenance and inexpensive that compliments the lattice. Agent " I dont care its the buyers problem." Well that didnt work out.

You would think someone who makes upwards of $5k per house sold would spend a bit of time doing it.

[Ducke]

I am doing work for an agent and have had great success.
I keep her loaded up with cards and she recommends my services to her clients,
especially those that are leaving their homes empty while selling.
I have also done some work for a guy that runs one of those sell your own home companies "The Property Guys" he too just recommends me to people and the seller hires me not the agent.
I did a couple of jobs for a foreclosure company out of Alberta last year as well and hope to get more in the new season.
I find all three of these easy money but that's just me. maybe after I get burned or something I might change mt opinion but so far so good.

[Moki]

I just listed/sold my house thru Property Guys I've been meaning to contact my agents and let know what I am up to now...

[turf&tree]

Great letters guys. Thanks for sharing them!
I like this forum a lot.
Jim

[Steve]

Here is a letter fom a satisfied customer of mine that got me to thinking about curb appeal.

To whom it may concern,

Re: Cam's Yard Works

What's your view on how to use such positive letters in your marketing? Can you use it as a testimonial on a flyer or door hanger? Perhaps on your website? Or another way?

[Moki]

I'll try and answer your question using an other letter that was emailed to me by the pastor of a church that I do the grounds care/pressure washing at.

Hope this endorsement finds you doing well!

"The work Cam's Yard Works does at our church is professional and top notch. As pastors we know the importance of that first impression for visitors to the church. Cam's Yard Works power-washing gave the church a real face lift. The lawn work and trimming restored that neat and organized look that makes the grounds inviting and pleasing to the eye.

I highly recommend Cam's Yard Works for any power-washing/grounds care that your church may need!"

Michael H.
Pastor,

My plan is in a few months to start mailing out a flyer = an intro letter to Cam's Yard Works to different churchs in my area about keeping Gods House the best that it can be basically work off of the curb appeal idea in th e other letter I will include in the mail out a copy of the above referral letter.

When I get a web site up (shouldn't be to long now) I will definitely post a link to any referal letter that I have been sent/given.

[glbusch]

Right track, possible new aproach.

I believe there is probably money that can be made from real estate companies. I think a different approach could be more effective. Instead of mass mailings find a real estate company that you can approach in person, talk to an agent find out what you could do to help him, his ideas on what make a property sell better and yours maybe different. Once you get a feel for what they are looking for then you can do a mailing that would be more attractive for the masses.

A while back my parents put their home up for sale in a different state as the home set on the market the real estate company told them that he would hire a lawn care company to take care of the property, but they would have to pay for the service.

About a decade ago while I was looking for a rent house I went through a local real estate agent that managed rentals. He sent me to look at a home when I got there there was a crew of people cleaning up the place. Being from a small town my wife new one of the people, and she revealed that they were being paid 300 dollars by the real estate company to clean up after the previous renters left. I know most of us would not want to clean up the inside of a house, but that could be sub contracted and we could take our share for cleaning up the yard.

Just something to think about. Hope it helps.