25 Creative Real

Estate
Marketing
Strategies
by John Burley
If you're like me, you are constantly looking for houses to acquire. And while
there are always great opportunities available in any given market, the
problem remains that only a small percentage !"#$% of sellers are motivated
with a property that meets a &evel 'ive Investor's criteria.
(otivated sellers are the sellers you should be looking for. I call these sellers
)*on't +anters.) +hat's a )*on't +anter,) -imply put, it is somebody who
*oesn't +ant the property anymore. .ften the properties owned by these
people are vacant.
/he reasons for a seller not wanting a property are numerous0 transfer out of
the area1 inability to properly manage a rental property, change in living
arrangement possibly due to death, divorce, etc.%1 inability to make the
current payments1 need for immediate cash1 etc. /he list goes on forever.
/he point is that a small percentage of sellers in any given market are ready,
willing, and able to sell their property for wholesale either payments or price%
if someone like you% will take their problem off their hands.
-o, how do you find these *on't +anters, It's a numbers game. /he more
offers you make to )*on't +anters) the more houses you'll buy.
.ver the years I've developed several creative marketing techniques
leverage% that will bring people to you rather than you going to the people.
Interested,
/hese are low"cost, low"effort marketing techniques that will bring you BI2
results. I recommend that you implement as many of these steps as humanly
possible, immediately.
1. Small newspaper ads
+eekly or community papers like the Pennysaver, Valley Shopper, and The
Nickelgive you a great )bang for your buck.) *epending on your niche place
ads like these0
I Buy 3ouses, 4ash for your 3ouse in 56 3ours
I Buy 3ouses with non"assumable &oans
!77$ of 8alue of your 3ome if you will be 'le9ible with the
'inancing
I want to buy :eal ;state +holesale"'i9ers .<
I Buy *istressed :eal ;state"4all John 56 hrs. a day for 'ast
4ash
In 'oreclosure, +e can 3elp
4ash in your =ocket in >5 3ours
I pay up to !77$ of 8alue for homes with '3A or 8A loans
'amily +ants to Buy a 3ouse for ?5,777 *own
&ook in your papers and see what kind of ads other people are running.
:emember, when people are desperate to sell they are looking in these small
papers for a lot of reasons0 they are checking on their 3ome for -ale ad1 they
are looking for a new house to buy or rent their house is often about to be
lost to foreclosure%1 and they are checking up on their other items for sale in
the paper car, furniture, etc.%.
/hese ads really pull. Be creative and have fun with them.
2. Major newspaper weekend edition ads
@se the ads we Aust talked about. But beware. /he maAor newspapers are
e9pensive. (y recommendation is to run your ad .B&C on the real estate ad
day in your local maAor newspaper. :elatively few people look at the real
estate classifieds on days other than the real state ad day.
As newspaper advertising goes I have found that we get a much better
response from the smaller local newspapers for a lot less money.
3. Signs
I have had great success putting up signs in the neighborhoods where I invest.
/hink about it. 3aven't you noticed all those signs stapled, nailed, and taped
to poles, And all the signs stuck in the ground at what seems like every
intersection, (ake sure you are not breaking any laws in your local are before
you use this method.
I use basic fluorescent copy paper. <eep it very simple. @se a one"sentence
blurb like the ads% along with your phone number.
I put the signs up on every pole in the neighborhood. =ay special attention to
the maAor intersections. Ask for what you want.
4. Door hangers
3ave you ever received one of these on your door, I have. *id you look at
yours, I did.
I have responded to door hangers before. And I'd wager you have too. ;ver
bought a piDDa from one, .rdered 4hinese food, 3ow about called a
landscaper, maintenance person, window or house cleaner, realtor, charity, or
pool man, /hey all use door hangers and you should too. @se some of the ads
that we talked about earlier.
(ost print shops will design and cut door hangers for you for Aust pennies
apiece.
*oor hangers work. I hire out the delivery Aob to high school students.
3owever, a lot of people pass out the door hangers themselves. It's a great
form of leverage. +here else can you e9ercise, do market research, become
educated listening to tapes%, and make money all at the same time,
-o get out there and do this one now.
Beware0 In the @nited -tates the @- =ostal -ervice considers it a felony to
tamper with the mail. If you live in the @- do not place your flyers or hangers
in people's mailbo9es.
5. !lletin "oards
If you look, these are available all over town. &ook at your 4ommunity 4enter,
unemployment center and /own 3all. @se the same ads you've already been
using.
#. $ando!ts
Cou can either hand out or put your message on car windshields. *o this at
shopping centers, parking lots, school events, and sporting events in your local
area.
%. Realtors
(any realtors spend a great deal of their time trying to get listings. But, alas,
they often fail.
/ell them that you are willing to make a wholesale offer cash or terms
depending on your Biche% on every property they list. *on't shortchange
them. =ay them the normal commission usually E$% on the acquisition.
But remember, you'll probably sell the house yourself without the help of a
realtor. /his way the new buyer can pay the commission.
/his strategy can put doDens of realtors out in the field working for you every
dayF
&. E'pired M(S )M!ltiple (isting Servi*e+ listings
A lot of people who list their house with a realtor have their listing )e9pire)
without the house being sold. (any times these are people who are very
desperate to sell. /he problem wasn't their house or the price. It was their
realtor.
Because the realtor didn't understand how to implement )+rap,) )&ease
=urchase,) or )&ease .ption) strategies, the property never sold.
Ask your realtor for a copy of the e9pired (&- listings. 4ontact the people and
see if they are still interested in selling. If they are you've got yourself a )live
one.) 2et out there and help them.
,. Re-errals
/ell everybody you know that you buy real estate. &et them know that you will
pay a referral fee ?!77"?#77% on every property they refer that you acquire.
Cou'd be amaDed at the results this strategy can produce. -ome people are
great )bird dogs) when properly motivated with a little cash.
=lease be sure to check your local rules and regulations in regards to referral
fees.
1.. Mailers
4ontact a mailing house found in your yellow pages% and get a list of all the
houses in your areas%.
=ut together a simple mailer telling people what you do. /his does not need to
be fancy or e9pensive. In fact, one of the best ways to do this is to use a post
card with your message and phone number. /he nice thing about post cards is
that the postage is less and you don't have to pay for an envelope. (ost
mailing houses have a department that can help you design low"cost mailer
pieces that work really well.
11. Cooperative )Co/op+ advertising
*o you ever receive Aunk mail containing advertisements for multiple
companies, I do. /he company in my area is called 8alue"=ak. /hey send out a
mailer in an envelope with advertisements from several different companies.
;verybody shares in the cost, thus greatly reducing your individual cost.
Again, put together a simple message. &ike the mailing houses the 4o"op
advertising companies will usually have people on staff that can help you put
together a piece.
*irect (ail 'act0 (arket research obtained in too many studies to even number
unequivocally shows that you will receive a much higher rate of return people
who are interested in what you want or are offering% with a E"step or 6"step
mailer. (eaning you mail a piece usually different each time% to the same
people E or 6 times.
I have also had great success mailing the same basic piece over and over
once a month to once a quarter% to a neighborhood I am targeting.
12. (egal newspapers
=eople in foreclosure, divorce, bankruptcy, etc, will often look in the &egal
Bewspaper to see their legal notice. (ost investors overlook this opportunity.
(ost of these papers do take classified advertising. -o put your ad in and let
the people looking at their ad see your ad offering to help as well.
13. 0ro*er1 store *arts and "en*hes
(any grocery stores sell advertising space on their carts and front benches.
(any realtors use this space so why don't you,
14. !s stops
(any communities sell advertising space at the bus stops. /his advertising is
seen not only by the people commuting on the bus. =edestrian traffic and
people driving by also see it. /his is particularly good if you can place a sign
near a stoplight.
15. (a!ndromats
=ost your message on the bulletin boards of the local &aundromats. Ask the
owner if you can put up a sign. If necessary offer to pay a very small fee.
1#. Car 2ashes
/alk to the manager about having them hand out your flyers. .ffer to pay
them a small amount per car. It could be a big win for both of you. Also, if
they have a bulletin board put up your message.
1%. 3ellow pages
I have seen successful investors advertise right along with the realtors. (ake
sure to mention that if they call you direct they won't have to pay a real estate
agent a commission.
1&. Resta!rants
(any restaurants put advertising on their menus. 4heck availability at the
restaurants in your area. &ook for bulletin boards and put up your flyer in the
restaurant if available%.
1,. Restrooms
*on't laughF% 3ave you noticed the advertising in the restroom stalls, It is
very low"cost and lets face it for a couple of moments you have a truly captive
audience.
2.. Mail *enters
All across the world =ak"(ail, (ailbo9es, ;tc., type places that provide private
post office bo9es and other services. /hese almost always have a bulletin
board. 2et you message up.
21. 45 g!ide
(ost -unday Bewspapers offer a free /8 guide. -mall display ads !) 9 5) are
usually very reasonably priced. -ome local shopping centers even produce
their own /8 guides with advertising.
22. 4elevision
(ost cable companies offer a /8 guide with a listing of shows on that day. .n
the top of the screen is constant advertising. Cou've seen it. /he =sychic
Betwork, credit repair, bankruptcy attorneys, etc. In many markets this is an
incredible bargain. ;specially in non"peak time. 4heck it out.
23. Spe*ial 45 programming
In the @-, many parts of the country now have )3omes for -ale)
programming. /his is where real estate agents show you videos of homes and
tell you all about them. /hese programs can generate a tremendous amount of
name recognition and business. Cou don't have to be a real estate agent to do
this. -o check it out.
24. Radio
As your business e9pands you might want to look at radio advertising. (any
stations offer )economy) packages that are quite reasonable.
25. ill"oards
I have a couple of students who have very successfully used billboards1 on the
side of the freeways, for e9ample, to advertise their message. Just imagine
the responseF Cou could have tens of thousands of people per day see your
message.
/here you have it, /he 5# -trategies of 4reative :eal ;state (arketing. /he
strategies are easy to implement and get started. (any require ne9t to no
investment.
-o commit to wealth. /hese strategies will have your phone ringing )off the
hook.) 2et out there and implement these strategies. Cou'll be amaDed by the
results.
4aution0 If you live in a rural area or small town I recommend you phase in
these steps. In a small area it is possible to overe9pose yourself if you are not
in a position to efficiently and professionally handle the large response.
:emember to go at a speed that you can handle.
/ip0 All of these techniques are fantastic low cost ways for finding properties to
buy. /hey are also the most cost effective way to re"market your properties.
&ast but not least, don't give upF Just because you don't get the response you
want right away doesn't mean anything. /hese tips are prove effective so Aust
do yourself a favor and put them into A4/I.BF
6"o!t the a!thor...
7ohn R. !rle1 has achieved what most people would consider
impossible. -tarting out with little money, a workable plan of action, and a lot
of desire, John was in a position to retire by the age of E5. John has completed
over G77 real estate transactions. /oday, his investment portfolio includes well
over !77 properties, stocks, businesses, and more.
:eferred to as one of the premier investors in America on national television,
John has been named in the Who is Who of American Business People and
International Entrepreneurs. Before becoming a full"time investor, John ran his
own successful financial planning company and has vast knowledge in the
areas of 'inance, Investments, 4orporate /a9 :eduction /echniques, Asset
=rotection, and :eal ;state.
John has shared his information with millions of people throughout the world.
3e believes everyone can achieve a rich, full life filled with prosperity and
abundance. 3e teaches in a straight"forward, step"by"step way that makes
learning how to become financially independent fun and easy.
John has earned the respect of the investment community because he is out in
the real world doing deals every day. 3e is the author of several home study
courses0
+inning the (oney 2ame
Automatic +ealth
-ecrets of =rofessional Investors with :obert <iyosaki%
(ake 'ortunes in 'oreclosures
Blueprint for -uccess -eminar