Geographical Farming for Listing-Driven Growth
Agents gain steady listings by targeting neighborhoods with 8–10% turnover, using mailers, short videos and consistent outreach to build trust and grow business.
NEW YORK — For agents looking for more consistent listing opportunities, geographical farming could help. The strategy uses a repeatable system to find people and provide them with real estate services.
First, agents should identify one location or housing type they want to target, then write a letter about the business to residents of that area. Through this process, agents can establish processes for 12 to 13 farms (or areas of interest) that will provide consistent listing.
Initially, real estate professionals may want farms close to their business or farms with houses they are familiar with. Eventually, agents should branch out to different houses and geographies.
Farms can be based on annual turnover rates, with 8% to 10% considered an ideal rate, an average price point and potential commission, current market share and competition and personal connections to the demographics of homes in the farm.
Annual turnover rates provide agents with an idea of how many homes will sell in a coming year, which can provide a way to calculate how many homes an individual agent can sell. This allows agents to determine which farms will be the most consistent in terms of revenue from listings.
Agents also need to factor in $2 per household per month for annual expenditures on monthly mailers, which can include homes sold or listed in the neighborhood.
Farms with agents already dominant in the market might be less lucrative than farms where there is no agent with a dominant market share.
Video updates with walk-throughs of the latest listings, market stats and trends also can bolster interest, but these videos should be kept short. Consistent follow-through and helping people with the real estate needs will showcase the agent and the firm's expertise.
Source: Inman (06/06/25) Burgess, Jimmy
© Copyright 2025 Smithbucklin