Houston Apartment Portfolio

Nearly every Santa Barbara real estate agent will tell you that business is tough these days. While it’s certainly a buyers market and agents can work rigorously with buyers an agents bread and butter are sellers. Though many people have put off placing their home on the market there are still plenty of homes for sale in the Santa Barbara area and plenty of agents with a good number of listings to choose from. The real trick however in these tough times is getting sellers to choose you as their agent. Lowering commission rates is one way to make yourself look like a more attractive option however as it’s already difficult to earn a living in today’s market agents considering that route might want to rethink their strategy. Lowering your rates to much might also raise a cautionary flag with some sellers as the old adage “you get what you pay for” has never rang truer.

Many Santa Barbara real estate agents, rather than lowering their rates have begun experimenting with alternative ways to attract clients. Some real estate agents promote themselves as being willing and able to go the extra mile for you. In all honesty however this is something both buyers and sellers should look for in a Santa Barbara real estate agent and something that ever agent should be doing normally. Going the extra mile shouldn’t be something that’s based on market conditions. Other Santa Barbara real estate agents have begun offering discounts on commission when you sell in a specific area or a specific home and while this looks attractive on the surface, an agent should be offering a fair commission rate across the board, regardless of what homes or areas the seller is working out of.

The smartest Santa Barbara real estate agents however have gotten quite crafty and begun offering special promotions for both assisting in the sale of a home and for referrals. Some agents regularly hold raffle type drawings for a number of different prizes. Others bypass the tickets and drawings and simply give away one valuable item such as big screen TV’s. There are also some Santa Barbara real estate agents that offer things like a free bed and breakfast for clients who bring successful referrals to an agent and for those who buy or sell a home through them. These types of give-a-ways and promotions are not only fun for the clients but can motivate those who have trusted agents to spread the word and be on the lookout for those who need a good Santa Barbara real estate agent.

Whatever you choose to do in order to attract more business, a Santa Barbara real estate agent needs to do something. With the market being as difficult as it is there’s no room for agents who take a “business as usual” approach to their work and it’s likely that sellers and even buyers are going to opt for the real estate that gives them not only an opportunity to win something but incentives to help an agent as well. Working together for mutual benefit is the new order of the day and Santa Barbara real estate agents should be striving to give their clients and prospective clients all they can. This type of market makes real estate fiercely competitive and Santa Barbara real estate agents need to be ready to compete.