Tactical Follow-up Real Estate Marketing During Covid-19

In order to close good deals during covid-19, you need persistent real estate marketing.

We don’t know the full effect of covid-19 on the real estate market yet. We can only predict what will happen based on history and what we know so far. But there’s still a lot we don’t know.

This uncertainty creates risk. If you buy a house today, can you predict its value in a few months? 2-3 years? Your guess is as good as mine.

Going by history, the real estate market is cyclical. With this covid-19 pandemic, we can guess that house values will likely drop in the near future.

What does this mean for you as a real estate investor when they are buying houses?

Fewer cash buyers are available

Covid-19 has created an opportunity for real estate investors. It’s created a buyers market where more buyers have pulled back from the market than sellers, tilting the market to favor buyers.

For years, sellers are used to calling the shots. It will be hard for them to start accepting lower offers than just a few months ago.

This uncertainty, has caused many real estate investment lenders to put a freeze on their lending. With massive rent defaults, record unemployment rates, and a freeze on evictions, and lenders are bracing for loan defaults.

This means cash buyers who rely on these lenders (such as hard money) don’t have the cash to buy.

Wholesalers are likely to suffer with some dropping off. But this also brings an opportunity to buy lower for the savvy real estate investors who know how to make the best of the situation.

You can now buy lower

This uncertainty created by covid-19 presents an opportunity to buy lower than you normally do.

So, you must offer less – and you’ll have a cushion because you don’t know what direction the real estate market will take.

In the current situation as a wholesaler, I’d buy at around 60% ARV – repairs to cover any unknowns. I wouldn’t go higher than that today.

But here’s the problem – sellers are not yet used to such low offers.

For this reason, you must employ FOLLOW-UP as a real estate marketing strategy.

Be there when it’s time to sell

Over the years, I’ve learned that people in trouble but not ready to sell today will be ready in future.

Most motivated sellers start in denial. They try to wait hoping things will get better. For example, they can file for bankruptcy and buy some extra time.

But when the protection is over they’ll be real motivated to sell.

If you keep in touch, you’ll be the first person they think of. And you’ll get a good deal.

There are 2 types of follow-ups you should employ in your real estate marketing:

Real estate marketing by automated email follow-ups

Most people will be ready to do business with you if they see your business 5-12 times.

This principle also applies to real estate marketing. How do you get emails from motivated sellers?

You need a real estate investor website optimized for SEO to attract leads for you. Here’s an article on how to choose the best website.

Also, whenever you send out your postcards or letter, always send them to your website.

A good website compels your leads to take action such as provide their email.

Interactive real estate investing websites, have an in-built follow-up system that automatically follows up with leads by email.

[DISCLOSURE – We created these websites in 2003, and we’ve developed and marketed them since then]

They get multiple opportunities to sign up that they can’t resist, such as to get a no obligation offer.

The website then automatically sends them carefully timed follow-up emails that are fully personalized for them.

Personalization makes them more effective – they don’t sound like automated messages.

You can control these emails from the back office – you can add, remove or change anything.

Each website is delivered loaded with these messages by default when you receive the website.

When your leads start flowing in, the website automatically kicks in your email follow-up.

Who do you think motivated sellers will call when they need to sell?

Old school follow up with direct mail

Even though most leads in this internet age will come through your website, postcards and letters still work like magic.

Most motivated sellers don’t even know they can sell to real estate investors - so I like to be proactive and send them nice postcards (or letters).

I reach them before other people do, when they’re just getting into trouble – meaning there’s little or no competition.

Usually I get more leads than I can handle – so I only put the lowest hanging fruit on my follow-up sequence.

a) I send them a postcard twice in 2 weeks.

b) If someone responds, I put them in my follow-up email sequence and they get a postcard every 2 weeks for 2 months. After that I drop them.

c) People who have inherited property get postcards and letters for a total of 6 months. Some of my best deals have come from probates.

I get these deals because I follow up.

My follow-ups are personal and don’t feel like automated messages. They create a connection with these sellers building rapport with motivated sellers until they feel I’m the best person to buy their house.

When they get ready to sell their houses. They call me.

Do you want to implement this follow-up system? Here's how you can do so:

1) Get an interactive real estate investing website. It comes with these follow-up messages already pre-loaded, automated ready to go, and personalized to sound authentic.
[FULL DISCLOSURE: - WE OWN AND RUN THESE WEBSITES]

2) Download the free ebook “How to Attract More Real Estate Investing Leads Than You Can Handle”. It comes complete with postcards you can use for your marketing.

• [THE LINK ABOVE DOES NOT REQUIRE OPTIN]

You can also click on the picture below to download it.

Click on the image to download the eBook

• [THE LINK ABOVE DOES NOT REQUIRE OPTIN]

I wish you the best in your real estate investing business!

About the author

Simon Macharia invests in real estate in Dallas Texas. He also runs Interactive Real Estate Investor Websites, built to attract leads, engage and nurture them by in-built automated email so they become ready to close deals with you.