A commentary by EXIT Realty Premier Partner, Opcity.

Opcity has facilitated more than 20,000 home sales in the last three years, and we have some interesting data on what works to convert online buyer and seller leads into closed deals.

In 90% of closings that happen through Opcity’s network, the agent and consumer met in person within 12 days of the initial introduction.

Realizing that was an “aha” moment at Opcity. We realized having an in-person meeting within that time frame is a key indicator of a successful closing that, if followed, would lead to additional incremental revenue for our brokerage partners.

While this isn’t necessarily causation, the correlation between meeting face-to-face with a client and ultimately being chosen as their agent creates a compelling case for meeting with prospects in person as soon as possible.

Real Estate is about relationships.

As a successful salesperson or broker, you already know this business revolves around relationships. Even though buyers and sellers are turning to the internet for their initial home search, they still rely on agents to guide them through the nuances of purchasing or selling a home. The real estate agent’s value hasn’t diminished, but it has changed, making the relationships agents create with prospective clients more important than ever.

Consumers are accustomed to interacting with people online , whether through a customer support chat, an instant message or via social media. Face-to-face interaction is becoming a rarity. Perhaps this is why 68% of buyers and 75% of sellers only interviewed one agent before finding the agent they would work with to help them with their real estate transaction, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

Opcity makes a warm introduction between agents and home buyers and sellers fast and the best agents leverage this speed-to-lead to meet with clients immediately following the introductory call and differentiate themselves as the agent of choice.

While it may not pay off right away, meeting in person is critically important.

Most online leads come from first-time home buyers who often require a bit more hand-holding. Agents willing to nurture these consumers have the opportunity to earn clients for life, including subsequent sales and purchases, referrals to friends and family, and more. Meeting these consumers face-to-face is the first step.

Opcity can help.

Opcity prescreens online buyer and seller leads, and our team of 450+ inside sales agents are trained to help facilitate the first in-person meeting between agents and these consumers, which includes confirming the consumer’s availability to meet before connecting them with their agent.

We work with more than 200 EXIT Realty brokerages across the U.S. Steve Humphries with EXIT Champions Realty in Davenport, Florida, says, “I would give Opcity a 10 on a scale of 1-10 of whether or not I would recommend them. As a broker, Opcity has provided my agents and I with extra closings we would not have had otherwise. Opcity saves agents a lot of time, effort, and money paying for and trying to convert internet leads from other sources. In terms of ROI, time, customer acquisition and marketing costs, it is all good.”

Click here to request more information about how brokers and agents can benefit from receiving leads from Opcity at no upfront cost.

 

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