Geo-Farming—The Key To Getting More Listings

By Lindsay Dreyer

Lindsay Dreyer is the Broker/Owner of City Chic Real Estate, a woman-owned, boutique, independent brokerage serving the Metro DC, Baltimore and Fredericksburg areas. Her passion is helping agents live their dream lives through real estate.

Are you looking for a new way to get new listings? If so, you don’t need to search further—we’ve got you covered. As an agent, you get paid when you have listings, so not having any will be frustrating and stressful. Today, I will tell you the secret to getting more listings in real estate using a technique called “Geo farming.”

Geo-farming would typically be considered an old-school strategy that involves consistent effort and practice through time but will yield fruitful and long-term results. In this strategy, we’ll utilize direct mail. Nowadays, people’s emails are flooded and social media is filled with content that the next possible way to get noticed by people is through their mailboxes. This is a great way to be noticed at a low cost. To choose your farm and calculate your profit and loss, you need to keep in mind these tips:

1. Geo-farming is a long-term strategy. The first thing to remember when starting geo-farming is that it’s a long-term strategy, not a short-term fix. Make sure you have the budget to sustain this effort for at least 18 months, which is the minimum duration for effective farming. Many agents quit after just three months, but that’s not enough time to see results. If you’re starting geo-farming, you have to commit to the long haul to achieve success. You will start to see results in 12 to 18 months.

2. Start farming in your neighborhood. Starting in an area where you already live can be highly effective because you already have the “know, like, and trust” factor. Promoting yourself as the neighborhood expert who actually resides there will instantly boost your credibility. So, I highly recommend you consider farming in your community.

3. Get strategic. If you aim to break into a specific price point, demographic, or type of home, start by analyzing your past sales. Look for patterns: Are you selling a lot of condominiums or working with many first-time homebuyers? Identifying your niche can help guide your farming efforts, determine the best area to focus on, and target the market where you can excel.

4. Crunching the numbers. The final step is to crunch the numbers, which is crucial. Look for a neighborhood with a turnover rate of at least 7%. You might be wondering how to calculate this, and I have good news—a Google Sheet is available for download in this email. It will guide you in calculating the turnover rate and provide a spreadsheet to estimate your profit and loss on your farm, and best of all, it’s completely free.

Overall, geo-farming takes time, consistency, and the right strategy. Otherwise, your money and efforts may not bear fruit. If you have any questions about geo-farming, let me know by calling 703-362-1667 or by emailing me at hello@happyagent.co. I look forward to chatting with you!