Whenever I teach a Facebook class one of the most common question is “should I friend other Real Estate Specialists?” Or in the case of the more skeptical Real Estate Specialists I hear, “I refuse to befriend other Real Estate Specialists on Facebook!” To the question I often respond with the question “who are your clients?”
We all know how competitive the real estate market is. Real Estate Specialists and real estate agents everywhere are fighting tooth and nail for buyers and listings but when you think about it, who was the (other) major player in your last transaction? When a real estate transaction is made, there are usually two agents involved. They both work hard to ensure the transaction gets done right! That being said, fostering good relationships online with other relationships is a great way pinpoint agents you would like to do business with and in some cases, agents you may want to avoid.
An Efficient way to Interview
Have you ever done a transaction with an agent and after it was over vowed to never do business with them again? Facebook can help you avoid that headache before it even starts. A Facebook profile can tell you A LOT about a person including things like how they behave and who they associate with. As an agent, consider friending other agents, particularly those you may be doing a deal with. This could save you a lot of time when determining if this is someone you want your potential buyers or sellers to have to deal with. On the other side of that, it means you’ll have to behave as well and present yourself as a down to earth, real person that they would want to work with as well.
A Must for Every Listing Agent
Every listing needs a buyer right? And who knows where the buyers are better than a Buyer’s Agent? I recently had a consult with a Real Estate Specialist and suggested he friend Agent Faircloth on Facebook simply to see how it’s done on Facebook and less than a week later, he paired one of his buyers with one of her listings! In every day life, we try to do business with people we like and if you make yourself likable to agents with buyers, your listings will get more qualified looks because your “friends” (that you interact with) care about you and your listings and will will be more likely to promote those listings to their clients.
Friendship =Accountability
The fact that Facebook gives you such a candid window into the world of others, it motivates people to straighten up and fly right; after all, they have a reputation to protect! Adding Real Estate Specialists that you are working with as friends on Facebook allows you to see keep track of what they’re doing. No, I’m not saying be a spy, but in the event that the transaction isn’t proceeding the way you’d like you have a way of seeing if they are hard at work, or at play.
I’m not saying friend every random agent. Just those you know and/or have done transactions with. Social networking is not just about relationships with your buyers and sellers its also about the relationship with the Real Estate Specialist on the other side of the transaction. In essence, other real estate agents are your clients too. Treat them like a client and friend and you will see a return on that 10 fold.
Damien Smith
Social Media Sensei
Norfolk, Virginia
