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Real Estate Farming With Postcards: The 7 Step Guide

Want to become the #1 go-to realtor in your area so that prospects only call YOU?

Here are 7 ways to use real estate farming postcards to laser-focus your marketing efforts and generate more leads from the zone you want

Check them out!

1. Choose your farm area based on budget and location

When you’re looking at farming an area real estate direct mail, you should follow these 4 criteria:

  • Target an area where you live and that you’re familiar with
  • Choose a price range you want to focus on (aka, high sales prices)
  • Avoid areas that are dominated by another agent (aim for low competition where possible)
  • Target an area with a high turnover rate

Here’s how to find the turnover rate…

2. Use this formula to discover the turnover rate

Divide the # of homes in the area by the # of homes sold in the past 2 years.

Tom Ferry, a real estate coach, recommends only considering farming areas with a 6% or higher turnover rate.

To start farming with real estate prospecting postcards, Tom recommends you begin with 250-500 homes and plan to hit every house at least 2 times per month as a minimum with your marketing postcards for realtors.

best real estate farming postcards

As you generate response and sales, that’s when to expand your farming area.

3. Tailor your real estate farming postcards’ design to your mailing list

Here are some tips to do that:

When farming an area, pick and customize a real estate direct mail design that speaks to the prospects in that area.

For example:

If you are mailing real estate farming postcards to a certain school district, mention that school in your design, such as: “I have buyers looking for homes in the ABC school district.”

real estate prospecting postcards

Here’s another tip:

Select absentee owners or corporate-owned properties with residential land use and target monthly. Here’s a sample message you could use:

“Are you sick and tired of dealing with tenants and toilets? I can help you sell or manage your property.” Mail your farming postcards for realtors to this type of list monthly for at least 12 months for the best results.

marketing postcards for realtors

Here’s the last tip…

Let’s talk about real estate farming ideas for renters:

Target absentee-owned homes but mail to the property address to target single-family home renters with a message such as: “Tired of paying rent? I can help you find your own home in XYZ neighborhood”.

Mail real estate farming postcards to this type of list monthly for at least 12 months for the best results.

real estate farming ideas

4. Promote a special offer on your real estate farming postcards that prospects will call you for

Here are some special offers proven to generate calls for realtors based on over 7,000 real estate clients:

  • $250 Lowes/Home Depot Gift card
  • Free yard clean-up
  • Guarantee – “I will sell your home in X days, or I will sell it for FREE!”
  • Free home warranty
  • Free professional staging
  • Free home inspection/pre-listing inspection

5. Use these 8 successful real estate direct mail design elements

  • Select colors for your direct mail piece that match your branding
  • Include your headshot and property photos whenever possible.
  • Use a graphic that supports your message (the main image should be easy to understand and should help convey the headline’s message (like a house with a sold sign!))
  • Make the headline and other important text stand out in a color that contrasts well with the rest of the postcard elements.
  • Ensure your headline is big, bold, and attention-grabbing
  • List your benefits, not features — tell prospects what YOU can do for THEM — sell their house fast, for example
  • Show off some happy reviews
  • Include a call-to-action (“CTA”)

Here’s an important note on the last point — the call-to-action:

Many business owners assume people know what to do once they see your real estate direct mail marketing piece. They don’t!

A clear call-to-action on your real estate farming postcards tells them exactly what step to take next — i.e.:

“Call today for a free market analysis!”

real estate postcards for sellers

6. Deliver value to your prospects and promote yourself as the area’s expert

This is achieved by having the knowledge about the area and consistently promoting that you have it to help your prospects — knowledge such as:

  • What is happening with the values in the neighborhood
  • How many homes are currently on the market for sale
  • Local factors that may affect home values
  • Specific issues homeowners should know about
best real estate farming postcards

7. Mail repeatedly to create brand recognition that creates leads

Create familiarity over time by sending a similarly-branded real estate farming postcard design consistently —

  • Same colors
  • Same professional logo
  • And same headshot.

We recommend monthly mailings for a minimum of 12 months.

marketing postcards for realtors

Here’s why:

The more often you mail, the more likely your prospects will remember YOU above your competition, simply because:

They’ve seen your name, face, and logo many, many times, they cannot forget you, so that when they need you — or when their friend or family member needs you (hello, referrals!) — they contact YOU for help.

Design and mail your own cards using the templates from this blog post! Click here to start designing now!


My Real Estate Postcards