I received an advertisement in the mail today from a local realtor who bills himself as the AZ Phil Dunphy (Modern Family reference). This colorful ad printed on thick cardboard stock is a report of my community with information such as active/pending/sold listings, average list/sales price, the average price per square foot and the average number of days before sold. There is also the offer of a free home valuation. This type of ad is a step above a generic mailer with no specific information.

I also receive an email once a month from another realtor. This email includes an estimated home value report for my home specifically along with a listing of five properties that have sold in my immediate area (comps). 

Between the two, I would pick the second realtor because of that level of detail and consistency in communication.

Ten years ago when I moved into my then-new house, I was inundated with every manner of salespeople. They know to catch you just as you move in. I was visited by salespeople for cable/satellite/internet service, landscaping, home painters, and pest control.

One pest control guy stood out because he was self-employed. He was the little guy trying to compete with other big companies, and he offered a good price. He also gave me an extensive list of services that he offered with each visit. One of these he called an “exclusive web-away product.” He mentioned it among a list of many other items, so I didn’t ask him about it at the time. After a couple of visits, I finally remembered to ask him about it.

BW: “Hey, I remember when you first showed up you told me you had some exclusive web-away product. What is that?”

Bug guy: “Oh let me show you.” grabs a brush with a long handle and uses it to brush away cobwebs in the corners between the walls and ceiling of the porch

BW: “Oh, ok.”

It’s all in the marketing.