What does Ronnie REALTOR^® mean by "profiling the buyer"? I thought that was discriminatory! Well it is, if you profile a person based on the federal and state protected classes.

But I'm not talking about that kind of profiling. I want you to ask yourself, "Who is the buyer for this house? Would this be a move-up house or a move-down house for a buyer?" Go and talk with the Seller. Ask the Seller, "Why did you buy this house? Tell me about your neighbors. Do you know why they bought here?" You need to start compiling a list of potential buyers, so you can market the property to them.

Let's look at an example. You have a $500,000 home for sale. You find out that the seller bought his house because it was close to a marina. Go to the marina and post a Fact Sheet or flyer. See if the Marina owner will give you a list of names and mail them a personal flyer. The Seller tells you there are five doctors in the neighborhood. Great! Mail out a Fact Sheet or flyer to all of the doctors listed in the yellow pages. Perhaps you'll want to send that same flyer to doctors in nearby states as well. The Seller also tells you that two or three of his neighbors actually moved up from the condos a little further down the highway. There's your next marketing area. And lastly, the Seller tells you there are quite a few families with children. STOP! You can't touch that one because familial status is a protected class.

Here's another example. You have a condo or small single family home listed for $150,000. You ask the Seller the questions from above. He tells you he doesn't really know that much about his neighbors. He bought the house because of the price. There's a lead. How much will the mortgage payment be on this house? I'll bet the payment is less than what some people are paying for rent. Find out if there are any apartment complexes in your area. You know the letter to send - Why Rent When You Can Buy! You also know the Seller came from another State where the real estate taxes were much higher than Delaware. Use the cross-reference directory and send out flyers to communities around where the Seller formerly lived.

If you're going to make any personal calls to the "profiled" buyer, be sure you check the Do Not Call Registry .

So now you know how to profile the buyer without being in violation of the Fair Housing Act and the Do Not Call Registry.

I hope this will help you sell some of your listings. Good luck!

See you next week!

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