Top 5 Ways to Prepare for the Real Estate Busy Season

Real estate's busy season always seem to creep up on you faster than expected. Believe it or not, it is almost that time of year again.

As a real estate agent, springtime means much more than beautiful weather and blooming flowers. Springtime can make or break the year for a real estate agent. It is time to buckle down and be dedicated to doing everything you can in order to have a successful season. Home buyers and sellers are geared up and ready to go by springtime, which means you need to be too.

1. Get Your Database in Order

When was the last time you reached out to your cold leads? Now is the time to reach out to them, and get an update on their intentions to buy or sell this season. Before the real estate busy season is in full swing, you want to make sure you have some clients secured. That means that right now is a crucial time to contact cold leads. Reaching out to cold leads is one of the first steps to achieving a successful busy season. Converting cold leads to clients early on can give you the traction you need to have a prosperous season.

Cold leads are not the only contacts you have that can lead you to a successful season, though. It is also time to give some attention to your business development contacts. A simple phone call, short newsletter update, or gift can go a long way in these relationships. Remind them that you are ready for a great season, and anxious for the opportunity to work with them. Any sort of small professional gesture can accomplish this—just ensure that it is genuine so that it is not immediately discarded.

2. Invest in a Transaction Coordinator

Transaction coordinators can be lifesavers when it comes time for real estate busy season. They handle all the paperwork and mundane tasks that are associated with a real estate transaction. This gives you more time to work on lead generation, have more face to face time with clients, improve your business's social media pages, or any other revenue generating task. With someone making sure all the tedious deadlines involved in a transaction are met, you can spend your energy focusing on tasks that will grow your business.

Transaction coordinators are also great because you have the option to only hire them as long as you need them. With independent transaction coordinator companies, like Transactly, you don't have to worry about paying the high expenses that come with hiring a new employee. Simply contract the services of one out for as long as you may need them, pay the company for their services, and then you don't have to worry about the expenses of extra help again until next spring.

3. Schedule Out Social Media Posts in Advance

If you have been paying attention to industry trends lately, you know that social media has become extremely influential in real estate. While you obviously don't have to be active on social media to profit as a real estate agent, it definitely makes the job more efficient and more fun. Scheduling out your social media posts in advance also allows you to be active on the major platforms without constantly having to remember to post. There are many apps and technology platforms that easily let you do this, so learning how is not a hassle at all.

Scheduling out your social media posts ensures that your clients, potential clients, and business contacts are still engaging with you, even when you may not have a lot of time on your hands. This keeps your name at the forefront of their mind, and can lead to amazing business opportunities.

4. Request New Reviews

Remember how it is time to contact your cold leads? Well, it is also time to contact your previous clients. You want to reach out to any who haven't formally submitted a review of your services and ask them to complete one. Getting new or updated reviews is great for business. Most potential clients will investigate an agent's reviews before even having a phone call with them. This meane that your reviews are often one of the first impressions a potential client gets of you. For this reason, having multiple, positive, substantive reviews in an easily accessible place is of the utmost importance.

Reviews can also easily be used as free, quality promotional material. You are able to post them to social media, put them on your blog, or even place your favorites on marketing material. Promoting positive reviews by people in your primary service area will go a long way in attracting new clients to your business.

5. Consider a New Advertising Tactic

Many top producing agents are already advertising all over sites like Zillow and realtor.com. What is seemingly overlooked, however, is the value of Facebook ads. Facebook ads gain you a ton of exposure during the real estate busy season for a very reasonable price. You can promote an open house, a seminar you are holding, or even your services in general. Real estate agents who have used Facebook ads are more than impressed with the results. Try using Facebook ads for yourself, and see if they can have a positive impact on your business too.

To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.