Are you committing this mistake on your real estate website? Part 2 of 2

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Last week, I wrote the first part of the two part series called Are you committing this mistake on your real estate website? Part 1 of 2.  If you haven’t seen the first post, I suggest you head over there after you finish reading this one.  Today I am going reveal the second mistake I see a lot of real estate websites make on the internet.

So what is the real estate website mistake #2 you ask?

Mistake #2 refers to the subject of list building.  There are 2 parts to this problem.  The first problem I see a lot of real estate websites make when it comes to list building is that they DO NOT build the list in the first place.

I think that a lot of real estate investors still think that real estate business is a one deal business.  You find the property, strike a deal, close on it and  move on to another deal.  Believe me, these type of investors are leaving a lot of money on the table.

Let me just say this:  If for some reason something happened where I lost everything including all of my websites, social media profiles, thousands of Facebook friends and Twitter followers and all I was left with was my list, I would be able to rebuild my business.  On the internet, your list is your business.  Imagine this for one second, you have a list of a few hundred rehab investors in your area; how fast do you think you will be able to flip your next property?

The second portion of this problem is the fact that a lot of real estate websites ask for too much information.  For instance, I have seen websites where the owner asks the visitor for name, address, payment info, mortgage info, debt, how many payments left, etc.

Now, when was the last time you arrived at a website you found on Google and gave the site owner your personal information?  Today, people are more skeptical about internet security than ever.  Viruses appear on the internet every day, credit card numbers get stolen, identities get stolen and email boxes get spammed.  People are very hesitant to give up their information.  If you don’t think that’s true, next time you are asked for you email address by a real estate marketer, notice how hesitant you are to do so.  They have to give you something really good in return, don’t they?

What is the solutions to this problem?

First, if you are not already doing it, start building your list on your blog or website.  For instance, if you are trying to find motivated sellers, build a list of motivated sellers on your site.  Remember, you’ll need to give them an ethical bribe like a free video, audio or a PDF report that will show them how to solve their problem.  That’s how you’ll get their info.  By the way, when you ask for their info, ask for their name and email address only.

Then, after you get their info, you send them what they requested and start building a relationship with them.  You help them with their problem without ANY expectations.  Don’t sell to them, don’t try to convince them that you are their one and only answer.  Believe me, when you provide them with killer information on how they can solve their problem, they’ll ask you to help them.

They’ll feel like they made the decision themselves.  They weren’t sold and when it comes to signing that deal, they won’t back out because they feel like they got pressured into it.

Why am I building that list? What happens after I close the deal?

The possibilities are endless but that’s for another discussion.  Just remember, your relationship with that buyer, seller or investor doesn’t end there.  Think about it, what happen when someone moves into their new home?  What do they need?  What if you were the person who already took care of that for them and got them a great deal on what they want/need?  You’ll become their new best friend 🙂  Believe me, many local companies are looking for more business.  You can create a win-win partnerships and everybody wins.

So that’s all for today.  Let me know what you think in the comments below.  Remember, start building your list.

To Your Success,

Peter Kolat

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.