Real estate farming is a marketing technique used by many successful agents to develop business in a specific geographical area or sphere.  

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Where do you start?

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First, choose your farming area, but choose the right farming area for your business. Before you start farming, you need to know as much as you can about the area.  You need to become the "Real Estate Expert" who can specialize in the area.  A lot of agents choose their own neighborhood as their farm due to proximity and previous knowledge of that area as they are current residents.   

Consider the interested community, demographics, personal preferences, and interests.  Make sure to also consider the time and cost it will take to manage your farm area.  Are you casting too small of a net? Too large? It needs to be feasible and manageable while giving you enough room for networking. 

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Next, is there competition? If you're selecting a farm that already has a "dominant" agent with transactions in the area, maybe consider another area. 

 

Then, research the sales activity and the turnover rate.  Is there enough business opportunity in that neighborhood?

 

Finally, finalize your farm and develop a business plan. What is your yearly marketing budget? Once you know how much you can spend on marketing each year, we can schedule a business plan for the year to market to a geographical farm.  ​

 

Putting your business plan into action.

There are two ways to farm: traditional farming and what we like to call strategic farming.  Traditional farming is sending a postcard monthly.  This can and does work! However, if you are strategic with your farming, you'll see a great return on your investment probably in a short amount of time.  Again, the response depends on your audience, the turnover rate of the area, and the season so don't get discouraged if the first 3 - 6 months are quiet.  

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Strategic farming includes a business plan in which you are active and involved in that community. From monthly print marketing like mailed postcards to hosting events to getting involved in local businesses, charities, schools, and organizations.  When you start networking and creating real relationships with your farm's community, that's when you earn trust and credibility and stay top-of-mind.  We provide print and digital marketing for both types of farms.