Last updated: March 2023. The platform is constantly being developed, so if there's anything in this article that's no longer applicable, please let us know.
The reason for writing this article is that we discovered that conversion rates among real estate agents vary greatly. And by greatly, we mean really greatly:
We looked at the top 50 real estate agents who have sent the most responses on Krib. The least converting real estate agent is invited for an appointment with 3% of the responses they send. The best converting real estate agent is invited to an appointment with 52% of the responses. That's 17 times more often.
That difference also translates into assignments. The top 5% best converting real estate agencies on Krib collectively secure 41% of all assignments on the platform.
15 tips for increasing the number of invitations
Following this discovery, we researched what increases the chance of winning an assignment. Below, we've listed 15 tips that can help a real estate agent get invited more often.
- Choose an inviting profile picture
- Add employees
- Make the office information complete
- Save your recent transactions
- Report assignments as soon as they are signed
- Complete open sales assignments immediately after the property is sold
- Ensure timely payments
- Respond to properties in the neighborhood or close to properties you have sold.
- Make every sentence in a response personal
- Start your response on a positive note
- Do not leave any information from the registration unused
- Mention purchases and sales you've recently made in the area with street and house number
- Ask for a market-conform fee
- Ensure that a fee has no open end
- End your response with a proposal for a day and time
Schedule a feedback session (45 minutes)
If you find it valuable for us to give you personal feedback on how you respond after reading these tips, you can schedule an appointment for a video call.
During the conversation, we will review the performance to date together. The goal of the conversation is to help you gain more invitations and assignments from the platform. Also, if you have questions about Krib, this is a good time to schedule an appointment. We promise it will be a fun and valuable conversation.
This can be done on (almost) any Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday:
Complete your profile
- Choose an inviting profile picture
A dark photo or unfriendly look is less inviting for contact. You don't have to be a model: you can't win invitations with a good photo, but you can lose them.
Click on menu > My Account - Add employees
Show how many colleagues you can help the customer with.
Click on menu > Employees - Make the office information complete
Select your professional organization, indicate which certifications and memberships you have. Adjust the opening hours and set the work area from which you want to receive responses.
You can also create your response template here. More on this later.
Click on menu > About (name of real estate agency) - Save your recent transactions
Sellers want to know how active you are and where you are active. Make sure you've added at least the recent transactions from the past 4 months. This is not intended as a list of reference properties. See this more as your track record or CV in the area.
Click on menu > Transactions
Keep the status of requests up-to-date
- Report assignments as soon as they are signed
Which property you receive depends on how successful you have been so far. Have many of your responses turned into assignments? Then you are good at helping sellers and will receive more properties in your inbox. Always make sure the algorithm knows as soon as possible which assignment you have secured.
- Complete open sales assignments immediately after the property is sold
By completing sales brought in through Krib, the seller receives an invitation to leave a review.
The reviews are displayed under the responses you send. You also receive the average number of stars next to your name, so you stand out among other responses from real estate agents without reviews.
We realize that many real estate agents also ask their sellers to leave a review on funda. It's important to realize that only users of Krib can leave reviews on the platform. Our advice is to ask those sellers for a review on Krib and refer all your other sellers to funda.
Click on menu > Transactions > Inbox > Completed - Ensure timely payments
Real estate agencies with payment issues are a risk for us and sellers. For that reason, prompt payers receive more properties to respond to.
Make your responses surprisingly personal
- Respond to properties in the neighborhood or close to properties you have sold.
You can be very selective about what you respond to. Take advantage of that. Sellers prefer real estate agents who have a connection with the location.
In the response, the seller is shown how far your office is. We also highlight the transactions you have completed in the area over the past twelve months. - Make every sentence in a response personal
You may be used to working with a standard response text. Our advice: your response is only good when there is nothing left of the standard text. Sellers on Krib do not sign up to read a standard promotional text that is also available on someone's website. They want a response to their property and their situation.
Real estate agents who manage to avoid standard recruitment texts get the most invitations. - Start your response on a positive note
Begin your response with something positive you notice about the property or the location of the property. It's easier with applications with lots of photos or an extensive description than with a property with little information. Still, there's always something nice to say about the neighborhood. The first sentence determines whether a seller wants to read on. - Do not leave any information from the registration unused
In the explanation or on the photos of an application, there are countless hooks that you can use to make your response sympathetic. Does someone mention moving because of a new job? Congratulate the seller in your response. Is it stated in the application that the seller is waiting for a new build property? Ask the seller which project they are moving to. Do you see something remarkable in the photos, such as a music room? Use it in a fun way in your response.
Sellers make their first selection based on sympathy. Which real estate agent would I like to have contact with? What the exact sales strategy is, or how your process works, will be discussed during the appointment itself.
Show your expertise
- Mention purchases and sales you've recently made in the area with street and house number
If you've done transactions in the area, it's useful to mention this address. 'We sold Example Street 24 four weeks ago' works better than: 'we've been selling a lot in the area lately'
It helps to dress up such a sale further in the response: 'We sold number 47 & 56 on the street. We sold the latter property for 17,000 euros above the asking price. - Ask for a market-conform fee
Most real estate agents can't be convinced that sellers don't choose the cheapest real estate agent. A fee that is much lower than the rest leads to distrust and is quickly dismissed. They choose a fee that doesn't deviate too much, both upwards and downwards. A fee much higher than the rest rarely results in an invitation either. - Ensure that a fee has no open end
In some responses, it's explained that the mentioned fee is a 'starting price' or that it is still negotiable. Such an open end only leads to uncertainty for a seller. Even if that could be positive for the seller. With enough alternatives, a seller chooses the real estate agent who is clear about what it costs.
- End your response with a proposal for a day and time
Make it as easy as possible for sellers to schedule an appointment. Do this by not making it too heavy or important and by proposing a specific time when you can visit. For example: 'I am often in the area. Does Wednesday at 2:00 PM work for you?'
Examples of good responses:
If you have followed all the tips, your response will look something like this:
Example 1:
The seller indicates in the description that they want to sell due to a new job in Rotterdam. Additionally, the seller mentioned wanting advice on the timing of the sale.
Good morning Peter,
Congratulations on your new job in Rotterdam. It's a shame you're leaving The Hague for that reason, but I think Rotterdam has a lot to offer too.
Good that you took extensive photos of your house. It's nice that you have a roof terrace with the property.
I would advise you to start the sale in May. We can agree with a buyer that the transfer will only take place in September. If you want to discuss what steps you need to take for the sale, feel free to call me today or tomorrow, then I'll explain what is involved in the sale.
Regards,
Lisa
Example 2:
Hello Joris,
What a great location and it sounds like a beautiful house! The fact that it has been recently renovated is really advantageous! Buyers nowadays are also looking for an apartment with luxury finishes. I assume it's on the ground floor, is that correct?
Maybe you know our signs from the area. Recently, I sold xxxxxweg 999 and xxxxstraat 99. I will start selling a beautifully renovated upper house at number 17 on August 23.
I would love to help you with the sale. I'm very curious about your house. I'm often in the area, does it work for you if I come by on Tuesday at 1:00 PM for an introduction?
Regards,
Laura