Looking for general tips and tricks to canvassing homes already on the market?
Canvassing on-market homes can be tricky. You'll have to consistently deliver value to these homeowners, to entice them away from their chosen agent.
Bear in mind, that even if you don't agree with the homeowners selection of agent, it is a decision they came to. Any criticism of the agent, criticizes the vendors decision making skills.
Review your online presence too before reaching out. If a homeowner is considering changing agent, what will they see about you if they research your website, the type of properties on it, your social media presence and any negative reviews?
Another factor to consider in the success of touting an on-market property, is whether you were called out to the initial valuation and subsequently lost the listing to another competitor. The homeowner could be too embarrassed to come back to you as they ended up picking the "wrong" agent. The worry of the "I told you so" look could be too much for them which could damage the success of your canvassing letters.
If you're also looking for help with letter content, we have some suggestions here.
At any rate, we've put together some pointers for your on-market outreach below;
New To Market
Congratulate the owner of the property for making the decision of moving home and wish them the best of luck.
Also, offer assistance with their onward move.
Week 1
Ask the question of if they have shared their property listing on social media as their connections
might be interested or know of someone that is interested.
It is not just down to the agent to post the listing on their social media page and share it in local
groups.
Week 2
You do not get a second chance at a first impression and only have a matter of seconds to capture the attention of potential buyers (give tips on staging the home).
Week 3
Are you getting feedback from viewings or as to why you are not getting any viewings?
Week 4
Are you monitoring the click-through rate of your property and making sure it does not stagnate?
Week 5
Do you have professional photos, a floor plan, and a virtual tour?
Week 6
Has the marketing been refreshed (change order of photos)?
Week 7
Do they have any ‘premium’ promotion products available on the portals?
Week 8
What is the average click-through rate of their listings and your property?
Week 9
Have they been accompanying all viewings even out of hours and on the weekends?
Week 10
Have they always answered or returned your calls?
Week 11
Are they helping you with an onward purchase?
Week 12
What’s their average time to agree to a sale?
Week 13
What percentage of sales do they agree to exchange/complete for the first time?
Week 14
Do they have a clear plan for your property if it remains unsold?
Week 15
60% of properties do not sell with the first agent
Week 16
Remember, you are on the market in competition and not isolation; how are you comparing to your competition?
Week 17
Is the price there to entice potential buyers or put them off?
Week 18
Properties often sit on top of the market rather than ever actually being in the market.
Week 19
Has your agent got your price set to make sure that you are getting maximum exposure on the
portals?
You want to be marketed at a round number; eg. £400,000, as opposed to £405,000 or £399,995, this will open up your property to more buyers and create more competition, thus increasing your chances of selling.
Week 20+
Quote the percentage of properties/values that you have sold after another agent has failed & then tell a story about what you did differently/60% not selling with the first agent.
Also mention going stale and the listing date having an impact.
Mention reviews.
Reduced
Talk about the percentage of the asking price you achieve on average and 60% not selling with the first agent.
Mention reviews.
Sale Agreed
Congratulate them on agreeing on a sale and then ask if they have found their dream home, need help with removals, solicitor, and, or, a mortgage.
Fallen Through
Mention that around 30% of sales fall through and offer advice in making sure this does not happen again.
Mention reviews.
Withdrawn
If you could achieve the price you were wanting would you still consider selling?
Or if you think something went wrong which prevented a successful outcome I would be happy to
provide a second opinion/60% of properties do not sell with the first agent.
Mention reviews.