Are you using the best real estate marketing strategies you can in this difficult economy?

I just read a news release this morning painting a horrible picture. It’s almost like watching storm clouds move in slowly with a tornado forming in front of you. You can’t do anything but watch.

Bloomberg reported that over a quarter million homes received foreclosure filings in October. And that’s after laws were put in place to slow down foreclosures.

On top of all that, we’ve gotten reports that the US jobless rate is up to 6.5% which is the highest it’s been since 1994.

Can it get any worse… home prices dropped at the fastest pace on record and have fallen every month since January of 2007.

This sure does paint a bleak picture if you’re a real estate professional trying to provide for your family, doesn’t it?

I’d be willing to bet that many of you are in the same situation as the average American.

Let me give you some numbers and you decide where you fit…

• About 43% of US families spend more than they earn each year.
  
• The average household carries $8,000 in credit debt.
  
• Personal bankruptcies have doubled in the past 10 years.
  

C’mon if you’re in one of these categories you’re just average. You’re living the so-called “American Dream”.

But wait. Aren’t there real estate professionals out there actually making it?

How..?

That’s a good question… and if you’ve been paying attention around this blog I think you know the answer.

They’re doing some sort of real estate marketing.

They are using the resources they’ve been given both online and offline to find leads, find buyers, sellers, and lending.

Think about what you can do to begin marketing your real estate. Could you contact some of your local merchants and see what kind of deals you can make? Sure you could.

Let me give you an example…

Let’s say that you’re marketing your real estate with a USP. You’re the homes with pools specialist. You’ve become an expert at houses with pools. You know everything there is to know. You can tell someone the demographics of home buyers who want pools, how much they go for, how they affect the value of your home and when is the best time to buy or sell.

Now, you could go talk to some of the local pool merchants and offer up a mutually beneficial venture. You’ll market their products and services when you come across people who are buying a home with a pool. On the other side, if they go clean or assist someone with a pool who looks like they are trying to sell their home they market for you.

Now I know, it’s kind of a simple example but think of different areas you can do the same thing. Maybe it’s hooking up with a furniture store. You could use their furniture to dress out homes for sale. It can be a joint effort and you might make a little extra cash in the process.

It’s simple as that and I know you could probably come up with better examples. So start leveraging these relationships today and make it integrate with your USP.

Let’s face it. The people who are making it out there right now in this tough economy are the real estate professionals who specialize, have a great USP, and who are performing some sort of real estate marketing for themselves, their properties, or both.

Now, stop reading this and get out there and take some action.

Jay

PS If you’re wondering what a USP is you can get our Free Report and discover new ways to improve your real estate marketing strategies, find more leads, and make more money.