About two years ago it seems that agents email addresses in our area became readily available to companies who promote the distribution of email listings, or as they're sometimes called, E-Flyers. My inbox and junk mail folders have been inundated ever since.
It is a cheap way of sending out thousands of emails at a clip but I personally don't think its very effective.
I don't know of any agent who has received one of these and actually used it to show the house. Every E-Flyer I've ever received has less information than is in the MLS. They are cheap though,ranging anywhere from $10 - $15 per mailing. I guess thats why I've gotten them from as far away as California. Mostly though, they're from local agents.
From my perspective, its just a way for a listing agent to get an attaboy/attagirl from their sellers. Mr/Mrs Seller..."I just sent out five thousand emails advertising your listing." I wonder what they would do if the seller shot back, "so, how many offers did we get?"
I've tried unsubscribing but that doesn't work very well. I'm just accustomed to getting them pretty much every day and performing my inbox deletectomy. What a waste of bandwidth, but at least they are trying something to get the house sold.
I try not to take offense that the agent who sends me the email flyer must think I'm too stupid to actually find the listing in the MLS myself.
I'm sure that there is the one off success story but for the most part I see it as a waste of time.
Oh well, at least they're more eco-friendly than paper flyers.
Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114
410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
Web: http://www.RichSellsHomes.com
eMail: Rich@RichSellsHomes.com
Annapolis MD Real Estate Specialist
Bowie MD Real Estate Specialist
Crofton MD Real Estate Specialist
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Rich Iarossi is a full time licensed REALTOR®, working in Crofton, MD. My coverage areas are: Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Howard, Calvert, Queen Anne, and Baltimore City and County. I specialize in residential real estate, working with both buyers and sellers. Use the registration free search on my website at www.RichSellsHomes.com. If you’re not already working with a REALTOR®...I can help. Call me at 443-995-9595 (Cell) or 410-451-6255 (Office).
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I like the idea. I don't open all of them. I only open If the subject pertains to something in my area or a client's need. I'm going to try the listing widget this week for the first time to announce a realtor luncheon. I'm doing it for 2 reasons; 1 it will save me $ to do it instead of paper and 2 it won't waste all the paper. I guess you can say I'm going green on this.
I've gotten them all to head to junk mail.
Wendy, Certainly give it a try. I just don't see much effectiveness in my area.
Pat, Managing inboxes is taking more and more time.
inbox deletectomy ! Rich... I love it!
I don't usually look at the eflyers either, in fact, most go straight to my spam folder. If the agent's name is on the subject line and they are a friend, obviously, I look at it. Other than that, I do as you do!
I had to email our board and ask to please don't send an listing promotion if you don't have any information to share. That only makes sense if you have some addition info to the mlslisting and if everyone is sending them they all get deleted anyway. I am like you I dont want to insult anyone but there are only 24h in a day. Nice post
Richard, I take a different approach with e-flyers from other companies. They give me an idea of what is available in my market should I have a client who is looking for something I don't have in my inventory. In my area of specialization, commercial real estate, a lot these listings aren't in the MLS. In my case, they are welcomed. Having said that, I can see your point of view of getting bombarded with properties that are already in the MLS. ". . . inbox deletectomy!", good one!
I usually look at them but in this area when they use a mileage radius I end up with listings from Northern VA where I am not even able to work. I've also noticed that they don't come out in a timely fashion. I got one for an open house this past Sunday from 1-4pm. However, I didn't receive it until 6pm. Seems like a waste of money to me.
Susan, It doesn't take that long to clean out the inbox every day.
Sonja, If there is something material on the flyer that isn't in the MLS I'd like to know why.
Mike, To borrow from the book, "Residential real estate is from Mars, Commercial real estate is from Venus." Shake a commercial agent and the pocket listings fall out of their pocket.
Stacey-Ann, I get the NORVA and DC ones too and wonder why.
Richard, did I said material? I find it very upseting when agents are sending same info from mls.
Sonja, Nope, you didn't say material. That was my reply to your comment. Everybody sees these comments working a little different. I don't get upset with them sending the information, I just don't find it very useful.
Rich...
I tend to like the fact that the method is indeed eco-friendly, and it takes a second to delete. Every once in a while I see something interesting but not usually!
Richard, Initially, they didn't have the technology down pat. Some days I would get more than a hundred of the same E-Flyer. Thankfully thats been corrected over time. Now its just a minor annoyance.
I spend a lot of time in the MLS searching for my clients so the E-Flyer is just wasted on me, and I suspect a lot of other agents.
Richard- As a receiver and a sender of E-Flyers I have mixed feelings about them. I think if the flyer is offering a special message about a house and not just a generic new listing type flyer than they have value. As a receiver of one of these special message flyers I have, at times, checked out the house more closely on the MRIS especially if it brought to my attention something that was of value to someone I was working with. But thats me. BTW- I take no offense nor do I think you are too stupid to find the house yourself. :)
Martha, Some people like Vanilla, some like Chocolate. No one thing works for everybody in real estate. Thats what makes it so exciting at times.
I get them in an old email address that I don't even use anymore. When I go to that email, delete, delete, delete, delete. I will say that I did send some some out and actually had a couple of calls on my eflyers. The calls were not for the house, but the agent wondering where I got the flyers and how to sign up for the flyers? Go figure?
It was a pretty innovative idea before everyone figured out how to do it and now there is a glut in my e-mail. My absolute favorites are the ones that are 3MB+ and jam up my insanely small L&F e-mail!
Richard, I've started getting them from agents in West Virginia. Pul eeze!
MORNING RICHARD! Most of these end up in my Junk Folder in email, the rest, I put them there myself with the delete key. Which I "used wisely"! (Wink!) -- Gabrielle
Know what you mean, Richard. And I have the same reaction. Do they think we don't look at MLS? Lots of agents spend money to hire companies to make them eflyers. Well, they will continue to throw their money away because they just don't know any better. Rather than get irritated, I pity their cluelessness.