Real estate industry expert, Lisa B, helps you double down over Christmas so you can get a jump on New Year!
Once Christmas decorations and Christmas trees start to appear, something happens in the world.
A lot of people start switching off from their normal routines. They get busy planning holidays, organising their family, buying presents and working out how to manoeuvre around everyday life during the busy holiday period.
But not you ― because you’re going to be working!
For whatever reason, you’re working over the Christmas period.
Maybe you’ve just started in a new office and you can’t take holidays yet. Maybe you just don’t want to take holidays now and you’d prefer to take holidays later in the year.
Maybe you’re a business owner and you don’t want to close your office.
Regardless, while others are switching off, this could be the time for you to switch on. While others are in holiday mode, you may have the opportunity to capitalise.
What can you expect in real estate at Christmas?
Some buyers and sellers may be totally switched off to the idea of buying or selling during the holiday season.
They may be flat out trying to function in normal life. Maybe they’re not thinking of doing anything real estate-related in the next month or so as they are tied up with Christmas parties, friends and family. They could even be getting ready to go on holidays.
Despite all the people who are ‘too busy’ or think ‘no, this is the wrong time’, there’s one thing I do know…
Around this time of year, there are those who are really PUSHING to sell or buy property; those who are on deadlines, and sometimes, these sellers or buyers can be quite desperate for a result.
They can be serious lookers that have to buy as soon as they can and they can be armed with all sorts of reasons why. They may want to relocate into the area before school starts or maybe for a job transfer.
Likewise, they may be serious sellers, with a multitude of reasons for needing to get this sale over the line quickly.
This is why asking qualifying questions is imperative. Make sure you ask, do you need to sell / buy NOW?
What should you be doing leading up to the Christmas break?
Those that say it’s quiet over Christmas, often let it become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you are the only one open in your area, you will more than likely be busy, providing you focus on the following –
- Make and set up sales
- Set appointments for now and in the new year. Hopefully you have some momentum on this. Make sure you keep busy right up until the last minute.
- Secure listings. Help potential sellers overcome concerns about the time of year by explaining that people buy and sell all year long.
- Re-establish contact. Call everyone you have sold for and sold to in the past. Call everyone you know who lives in your local area to say Merry Xmas and Happy New Year and to check in on how the last few months have been for them…. It’s a great excuse to call people. When you are talking you can casually mention you are working over the break and taking on new listings.
- Be available.
Know your outcome
Make sure you have the right mindset leading into the silly season. It can be easy to get distracted or unfocused, but having a vision and goal for the period can keep you on track.
The outcome must be that you are aiming to convince sellers to list with you NOW or early in the new year!
Other keys areas of focus
Planning
Plan for next year. Plan your prospecting. Plan your marketing. Organise your systems.
Planning is great, but also make sure you work on having the discipline to execute your plan.
Networking
You can choose to call your network before Christmas or after to say Happy New Year. If you are working before Christmas and you have nothing else to do, then maybe you should make contact before the new year.
Call all local businesses and ask if they are ok if you promote them on your blog/website. This improves and enhances your network and keeps people visiting your site during the festive season.
Sell current stock or set up to sell
Focus on getting price reductions on over-priced properties very early in the new year. Historically, around New Year’s, there will be limited stock on the market so it is a great time to focus on sales.
Appointments / listings
Work doubly hard to get listing appointments booked.
If you have loads of listings, then it may be wise to come back early and sell those listings.
Make appointments in December for the new year. This is where determination and discipline comes in. Keep calling and calling and calling!
What if you ARE having a break over the Christmas holidays?
You need to make sure you are always building momentum.
Ideally, when you come back to work, you want to come back loaded with the start of your first quarter’s listings.
If you don’t have listings before you go on your break, then you may decide to come back early, say the first week of January, and have another break later in the year.
Sometimes that may not be an option, but being on holidays doesn’t mean you can’t still be generating leads at the same time.
Have a look at our article on automating holiday marketing communication — think about setting up a series of scheduled marketing emails, texts and even social ads to drive leads so you can dive straight into nurturing them when you come back.
While your competitors are sitting on a beach somewhere, you can get the jump on them and get as many listings as you can.