digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Generate real estate leads by combining your personal network, open houses, online listings (especially Craigslist), and referral and repeat business, with a strong focus on follow-up. The speaker, Graham Stephan, says Craigslist was the source of about 90% of his business, while he personally doesn't do door knocking or cold calling because he hasn't enjoyed it, though he says it works well for many agents.
Key Points
- Start by listing everyone you know, including social media contacts, and tell them you are in real estate and ready to help, without being pushy.
- Sit open houses, especially on Sundays, and get visitors to sign in with email and phone number, then follow up every six months.
- Post your lease listings and unlisted properties on Craigslist and Zillow, since callers are often already interested in that specific property.
- Referral and repeat business compound over time, and the speaker says most of his current business comes from these sources.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Make a list of everyone you know, including Facebook and Instagram contacts, and tell them you are in real estate. Post occasional real estate articles, interesting deals, or recent sales and listings on Facebook rather than aggressive "call me now" posts, which the speaker says is not his style. Ask your brokerage whether any Sunday open houses need covering, since other listing agents may not want them. At open houses, ask visitors how they heard about the event and whether they live nearby, then find out what they are looking for. Have everyone sign in with an email address and phone number, follow up around six months later, and keep following up on a regular schedule. Do not sit on your phone waiting for visitors; actively talk to them. Post listings on Zillow, including unlisted properties you have the right to advertise, and post your lease listings on Craigslist. If someone calls about one property, offer them another if it is not a fit.
- The speaker says Craigslist led to his largest sale, a $55 million deal, and a $3.5 million deal last year, both starting as lease clients.
- He describes a tenant who took about six and a half years to buy a $1.6 million home through him, illustrating the long-term value of staying in touch.
- He notes that door knocking and cold calling work for a lot of people, and that he avoids giving detailed advice on them since he lacks personal experience and doesn't want to just repeat what he's read online.
- He attributes some of his reluctance to Los Angeles conditions, such as private residents and large gates, though he admits these may be excuses.
Bottom Line
Consistent, low-pressure visibility combined with disciplined follow-up turns one-time contacts into referrals and repeat clients over time.
