Hi All,
I am curious to know if anyone does any door knocking to find their deals. If so, how often do you knock and how many doors do you knock at per time?
What do you usually say to an owner that answers the door?
A bit facetious but I had to answer.
I am curious to know if anyone does any door knocking to find their deals.
No, only vacuum cleaner salesmen do that now-a-days.
If so, how often do you knock and how many doors do you knock at per time?
I find that it is extremely difficult to knock on more than one door at a time.
What do you usually say to an owner that answers the door?
Good(Morning, Afternoon, Evening) I am you local doorknocker.
On the real side, I used to do commercial retail and frequently walked the streets and went door to door…it worked well for me. I seldom out and out asked if they were interested in real estate but would ask if they needed or wanted to expand, needed a new location, etc.
Like Bill I would say “No, only vacuum cleaner salesmen do that now-a-days.” You have to be proactive. You have to be active in social media, a website with high traffic, follow and use influencer’s for your business, connected people on your niche etc.
I used to doorknock when I first started in real-estate, because I had no name or reputation and I had no other choice. It’s great because it’s free, but that’s it really.
I’ve gotten a few leads off dooknocking and cold-calling BUT those leads took me hundreds of hours of going door-to-door. Overall, it’s somewhat effective, but I’d rather stick to online/content marketing. No old ladies that yell at you and you can do it from the comfort of your office!
BUT if you are dead set on doorknocking, I’m going to give you some tips, OP. 1. NEVER ask someone first thing if they want to sell their house first thing. Always use a “soft intro” like an invitation to an open house, event, etc. 2. It dosen’t matter what time you door knock. 3. Once you do find someone that wants to sell, add them to your database and follow up!
I have to agree, door knocking is the least effective way, and those on the receiving end find it most annoying.
I partnered with a realtor on some deals, and he started his career door knocking. Said his boss, the broker, wanted his salespeople to pass flyers, hang door knob hangers in his area, and door knock while at it. I asked him how it turned out. He shook his head and said he knocked on hundreds of doors, and didn’t get one deal out of it. Said he since found a better way.
He told me his boss’ biggest problem is to get his people to go to closings to pick up payments, such as commissions due. Usually, if you’re the agent for the deal, you should go, but you don’t get paid for going. Unfortunately, most of the agents working there are part timers, so they have to take time off from their regular jobs, or stay at home moms that has to reorganize their days, and/or hire babysitters. So he volunteered to go to closings to pick up checks for others even though he doesn’t get paid for it.
“Why do that?” I asked. He tells me he spent a year going to closings passing his business cards out to title company closers, buyer attorneys and seller attorneys. Tells these guys he specializes in foreclosure rescue, among other real estate deals. So he gets these guys to bird dog for him. What better place to market yourself, a targeted group of attorneys handling real estate? Better and easier than door knocking.
I lost track of him for a few years, till I was buying properties at auctions. By then, he was working as a closer for a title company, and he was the title company closer at my closing. Funny thing is, he got the job lead from a closer he met at one of the closings. While he gets paid per closing, he makes enough doing half a dozen closings a week, and did really well with real estate deals on the side. Also, he had his network of bird dogs attorneys set up from the time he work as a sales rep. BTW, told me the boss, the broker, let him go because he done some deals and never notified them, a no no.
I actually spoke to some of the attorneys involved while partnering with this guy, and they tell me that many clients go to them for legal advise on foreclosures. Looks like my friend found the ideal way to market to these attorneys, in person, at closings.
This is not to say this would work for all cases. At smaller brokerages, the broker himself would go to closings and pick up the checks. But for him, he solved his boss’ problem, and created an opportunity for himself.