by Christy Stratton

Home sales are surging. Are you doing all you can in your business to take advantage of the momentum? New home sales will add a big spark to your business. Ever sold a new home? If so, congrats! If not, by the time you are reading the last words on this page you’ll be lacing up your running shoes and sprinting out the door to sell your first one. It’s your time to seize your share of the market. Some researchers anticipate over 26,000 new homes will start in 2013. That’s a lot of homes, and a lot of opportunity.

Just over a year ago, data from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M shows that new home starts leapt over 20,000 in the Houston area in 2011. Only an estimated 8,800 new homes were sold via MLS that year.

So what does this tell you in 2013? Go with me here. Drawing a very loose conclusion, it tells you that over 50% of additional homes not listed on MLS were up for grabs in 2011. With an increase of 6,000 new home sales in 2013 over 2011, it tells you that you better start grabbing.

Builders work with REALTORS® and the transactions can be easy!

Here are four REAL easy steps that will amp up your new home sales numbers:

  1. Rely on Your Association: Did you know that HAR is a member of the Greater Houston Builders Association and Sales & Marketing Council? You can become a member too. And at a special HAR REALTOR® rate. Get prime connections to the builders in the Houston market, develop relationships, gain knowledge about the industry and – there’s so much more. Check out www.ghba.org/membership/benefits-of-membership for details.
  2. Engage with New Home Sales Folks: Visit a new home community sales office in your farm area. Introduce yourself and tour the homes. Ask questions and learn about the product and services offered. Set up a follow up meeting and develop a relationship. Take your new friend lunch. Continue visiting, learning and getting to know the guys and gals who sell this community. People like to do business with people they like. Don’t you?
  3. Ask to Co-Market: As you develop that relationship help the sales associate sell more homes. Brainstorm about what you can do to build your business together!
  4. Leverage Resources: Builders have tons of snazzy marketing pieces. Leverage and share them with your customers and clients. If a builder produces YouTube videos, send your clients the links via email. Add the link to your channel and playlists. Post them to Facebook. Tweet them. What a great way to provide your clients and customers here in Houston or across the pond an easy arm-chair tour of a home. You never know, it might just be the one!

Now get out there. Get running. Go grab. Go seize. Build big.