There are many balls to be juggled in the world of real estate, and your job, as a real estate agent, is to handle as much of that juggling for your client as possible. This way they get to be present in the experience of hunting for a new home. As a professional in this space, you have the opportunity to take much of the stress that comes with homebuying off of your client’s shoulders. But no matter how many houses you’ve had a hand in selling, it doesn’t change the fact that this is your client’s home buying experience, not yours.
So how can SMS help you reduce stress for your client, but keep them in the driver’s seat? It can effectively improve communication, marketing, and customer service. Here are 15 specific ways you can keep your communication on point.
1. Listing Updates:
Any client is anxious to hear when new properties matching their criteria become available. This makes property alerts a valuable service, and SMS creates timely and efficient communication. It’s a win-win situation that increases the likelihood of matching prospective buyers or renters with suitable properties quickly.
2. Market Trends:
Keep clients informed not just about market conditions, but also about what you know as a realtor. Your knowledge base may differ from what the headlines are suggesting. Share your insight on the buyer’s or seller’s market, and how it may impact their buying or selling strategy.
3. Property Showings:
Utilize SMS to remind clients of upcoming property showings, including date, time, and location. This will help manage calendars and reduce the chances of no-shows.
4. Offers & Counteroffers:
Through text, you can communicate offers received on a client’s property quickly, including the offer price, terms, and any contingencies. Every offer differs, of course, but you can use SMS to share guidance on how to best respond to situations. You can also inform clients about counteroffers and discuss negotiation strategies.
5. Sharing Reports:
There are many reports and details that require a third party. Part of your job is to be the middleman, as you often understand the lingo better and can simplify it for your client. Using SMS to share inspection reports, title search results, and appraisal results will allow any negotiations and next steps that may arise from them to begin sooner rather than later.
6. Financing Updates:
Keep clients informed about the status of their mortgage application, including whether it has been approved or if any additional documentation is needed. SMS can also be utilized here for reminders of any and all due diligence taking place for the sake of the best experience.
7. Closing Details:
You can provide details about the closing process, including the date, time, location, and what clients need to bring to the closing, as well as what to expect. You can also supply clients with an estimate of closing costs and any updates as the transaction progresses.
8. Contract Milestones:
The buying/selling process will hit specific benchmarks that you know to expect but your client may not. Utilize text to explain these important milestones in the contract process in bite-size pieces. This includes things such as the due diligence period, contingency removal, and final walkthrough.
9. Legal or Regulatory Changes:
Not all news is good news and sometimes there are changes in local real estate laws, regulations, or tax implications. These are things that may affect the transaction and not always positively. You’ll want to communicate them in an eloquent and timely manner and SMS may help.
10. Timeline Updates:
Continuously update clients on the progress of the transaction, including any delays or changes to the expected timeline. Even if you pride yourself on moving things along smoothly, setbacks do occur. Your number one job always needs to be focused on keeping the client positive about the experience. That includes through the bumps.
11. Document Signings:
SMS messaging is a great way to arrange and communicate the details of document signings, such as purchase agreements, disclosures, and addenda.
12. Congratulations and Celebrations:
You can’t miss out on this! Celebrating a successful closing is a big deal every time! So express gratitude for your client’s business, and whether it’s your first closing or 100th, make sure they know it’s a big deal to you just like it is a big deal for them. This excitement from you helps maintain a positive client-agent relationship.
13. Moving and Possession Dates:
Not only can you use SMS to confirm the date of possession, but this is a chance to create raving fans. Provide guidance on moving logistics. It’s not every day someone picks up their life and starts new. Share your insight and leave a lasting impression in the final stages.
14. Post-Closing Tasks:
You don’t want to be an agent that gets their cut and is never heard from again. Texting is a simple way to remind your client of post-closing tasks or responsibilities, such as transferring utilities, changing locks, and updating mailing addresses.
15. Stay in Touch:
You want a lifetime relationship with your clients. Use SMS to stay in touch – send them birthday and holiday greetings, check up on them during bad weather, and just randomly check in to see how they are.
Conclusion
Most people in the middle of homebuying are not only focused on their sale and move. The rest of life is happening as well, so SMS allows you, the realtor, to show up in a convenient and consistent way and keep the process moving forward even as they continue with the rest of life.
To learn more about how SMS marketing can help your real estate agency, contact us today.
