It’s 2018; if you’re not texting your prospects as part of your ongoing conversion strategy you are missing out on a huge opportunity to improve your results.

I know what you’re thinking: “But I don’t work with a lot of millennials.”

Well, it’s not just millennials that are using a mobile device for real estate purposes these days.

According to the National Association of Realtors®, 58% of all buyers found homes on a mobile device while 14% of all buyers found a real estate agent on a mobile device.

And those numbers are only going to go up as time wears on.

Also, it’s not just that more people are using mobile devices to perform real estate activities, you are virtually guaranteed to get your text message read when you send one.

In addition to that, text message marketing is starting to take over as one of the top methods of generating new business.

In addition to great open and read rates, text messages also help you reach more people, faster, for a whole lot less money.

The good news is that you can have a significant impact on your lead conversion with text messaging by employing even the simplest messaging strategy.

Before we share the 5 best messages to send your prospects, let’s talk about a few rules that are No-No’s in texting:

• Don’t text your prospects outside of normal business hours – receiving a text from a sales rep at 10PM on a weekend night may cross the line.
• Don’t send pictures, emoticons, or gifs. Try to keep it to a simple message, preferably in the form of a question, that can be responded to quickly and easily. You want your texts to come across as if they were coming from a friend. Short, sweet and conversational.
• Always be sure to carefully proofread what you wrote before you hit send. Autocorrect seems to have a mind of its own, so don’t trust that it knows what you want to say. You’ve likely seen the funny, embarrassing auto-incorrect goof ups. It shouldn’t be your goal to be the next funny autocorrect meme on the Internet.
• Use your “Spidey sense”. If your gut tells you it’s not right to text the person, don’t text them. Sometimes, a phone call or even a face-to-face visit is more appropriate than a text. Be sure to use your judgement in all texting situations.

Other than that, fire away and text at will!

Here are the five best text messages to send your prospects:

1. “Are you still looking to sell your home?”

Whether your seller prospect is looking to sell or not, it’s question that will often get you a response. And a response is what you need to get a conversation going.

If they say “Yes”, you can continue to ask questions about timing and motivation and work towards getting on the phone to set an qualify a listing appointment.

If you get a “No”, you can explore further and ask them if they’d be willing to sell if you had a buyer that was willing to pay their price and close at a time acceptable to them. At the very worst, you should be able to determine timing and potentially motivation to schedule in your CRM a better time to follow up in the future.

The goal is to get a response that you can work with now and into the future.

1. “Are you still looking to buy a home?”

The same logic and approach applies here. You’d be amazed at how many buyer prospects will come back to life with this simple text.

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve called and emailed buyer prospects on multiple occasions, got no response, then texted them and got a response that they were still in the market to buy a home either now or at some point in the future.

Remember, especially as it applies to Internet generated buyer leads: the average buyer prospect is as many as 4 to 6 months away from purchasing a home at the time the register on a website to search for properties.

In addition to that, most conversions happen after the 5th contact/contact attempt and that the majority of salespeople stop after the 2nd one.

1. “[Name], there’s a housing shortage right now. Sellers are getting top dollar. Are you open to selling your home?”

Again, you’re looking for a response here. And, since the number one thing that’s most important to the majority of sellers is price, it’s an effective way to get sellers to answer your text message.

If you produce a monthly market report, you can always follow up this text with a link to the market report and tell them to check out what’s happening in their price range.

The reports at www.realmarketreports.com are very detailed and tell a great story about what’s happening in every price range in any area in your marketplace.

It’s inexpensive, effective and easy to use. Plus, the information is on point and it makes you look like a genius. I’d check them out if I were you.

1. “X homes sold for full price in your neighborhood recently. Where can I send you the updated value of your home?”

Operating with the understanding that sellers are usually interested in the value of their home - even if they’re not selling at the moment - this text gets the conversation going, even if they say no.

Same thing applies here as before, a “Yes” prompts you to get timing and motivation...seeking to get an appointment.

A “No” still gives you a shot at timing and motivation here, too. Plus, you can always follow up with one of the following texts:

• “If I had a buyer who was willing to pay your price and close in your time frame, would you consider selling?”
• “If you could wave a magic wand, when do you think you’d be open to selling your home?”

Either one of those could get you a better idea of what the future looks like for following up with them.

1. “I found a home that’s priced to sell in the [neighborhood/subdivision] you’re looking in. When would be a good time to go look at it?”

This one speaks for itself.

Just as with the sellers, buyers have a criteria that’s more important than anything when buying a home: selection. And, they also like to get their hands on new listings that other buyers may not have access to.

Letting a buyer prospect know about a hot new listing is as tasty a morsel as you can offer a buyer prospect and sending it in a text that makes it even more personal is a home run.

Plus, when you consider that 87% of home buyers only work with one agent in finding a home, the impact of this strategy on your business will be amazing.

Take the time to update buyer prospects with personalized updates of homes that match their criteria and watch your conversions skyrocket.

To be a successful agent in today’s marketplace, you must actively text your prospects and engage them on their mobile device.

Failing to do so can hinder your ability to get great results in the near and long term.

The important thing to remember is that you need to text your prospects like they are your friends. Short, sweet and to the point. Do that and you’ll be in great shape to convert your prospects into listing and buyer opportunities for sure.