Recently some words jumped out at me from a web page. They were “Farming vs. Hunting.”

For some reason they stayed in my mind and I kept coming back to those words and pondering them all day. Words and their meanings fascinate me.

Later it hit me: For months now I’ve been using the word “prospecting” to describe the many marketing methods real estate agents use to gather in new customers and clients. The letter sets I’ve written for agents to use to connect with new buyers and sellers are even on a page that’s labeled “prospecting.”

But I was wrong.

In truth, what I’ve been advising real estate professionals to do is not prospecting; it’s farming. Prospecting is more like the “hunting” reference that got me started on this train of thought.

You’re not sifting through the sand hoping to find a golden nugget. You’re planting seeds and nurturing those seeds through the growing season and into harvest. Or at least you should be.

Your first letter is the seed, and your subsequent letters are the sun, rain, and fertilizer that helps those seeds grow. When you do it all correctly, you reap the harvest of a new client or another closed transaction with a past client.

By the time your future customers have read your 3rd or 4th letter, the seeds that are good will have sprouted, and the rest of your letters will serve to nurture them. The remaining letters will add more sun, rain, and fertilizer until they blossom and reward you with a harvest.

Farming isn’t limited to planting seeds via letters and e-mails you send to new prospects.

You plant another seed every time you meet a new person and give your elevator speech. You plant another every time you speak with someone on the phone and offer your advice or assistance. You plant a seed when you send a Twitter message or put a nugget of real estate advice on your Facebook page.

Your monthly or quarterly newsletters; your phone calls to past clients; your participation in community meetings; and even casual chats with those in your sphere of influence all provide nurturing for seeds you’ve already planted.

You may be prospecting at the same time – sifting the sand for those folks who might need your services in the future. But by continually offering your advice and assistance once you’ve found them, you’re farming – nurturing your relationship and increasing the chance that when they need the kind of help that customers pay for, they’ll call on you.

I’m sure there’s not a real estate agent on this planet who doesn’t know what I mean when I talk about prospecting. The word has been interchangeable with farming for as long as I can remember.

But there really is a difference between prospecting and farming, and we as marketers need to use both activities.

Marte Cliff is a freelance copywriter specializing in writing for real estate and related fields. She offers custom copy for websites, email campaigns, press releases, postcards, direct mail letters, newsletters, and more.

Marte also offers pre-written real estate letters for agents who know they need to prospect but just don’t have the time or desire to write their own letters. See how she can help build your business by visiting http://www.copybymarte.com

For those who prefer the “do it yourself” method, Marte has a free report on how to organize and and write a “drip campaign” that will build trust and reel in new clients. Just visit her at http://www.copybymarte.com/dripmarketing.html to request your copy.

You might be thinking of selling home while moving to another destination. You might also be aware of the basic things to do that will fetch you a handsome cost for your real estate deal. But hold on, did you ever thought of avoiding certain mistakes while selling home? If not, you must do this. Certain mistakes can result in missing on a profitable deal with a potential buyer. Read on to know what mistakes to avoid when selling home.

Don’t try to sell home when it is not ready- You must prepare your house before you offer it to the buyers. Do whatever is needed to bring home in shape- in a good shape. This may mean cleaning, painting, repairing and even remodeling. A little investment here will bring you a value for your house and a good money too!

Don’t set an unrealistic price for your house- Whatever you are doing to improve your home, do not set a selling price that is not appropriate for it. A much higher asking price will deter the buyers from offering to buy home at the first place. A right price of home (or even a slightly higher price than fair market value) will at least send them the message for negotiating about the deal.

Don’t overdo while remodeling home- Your home should not look like ‘something out of place’ from your neighborhood. If upgrading home, do it in such a way that it adds to the beauty of surroundings and does not put off the buyers at the very first sight of it.

Don’t be emotional while hiring a real estate agent- Hire a realtor simply on business rules. A professional real estate agent who knows and deals house sales in you neighborhood is the appropriate one to be hired. You can go for your friends or relatives who are realtors but only if they fulfill your requirements and have sound business knowledge.

Don’t try to hide the problem areas- If your basement leaks or the heating system is not working right, repair them before filling up the property disclaimer form. Simply filling the form cannot deter the buyer from suing you later when the problem is found out!

Don’t try to sell home fast- Last but not least, don’t ever try to sell home quickly or in a hurry. Real estates are something to be pondered upon, to be planned and to be given time for getting the right price. Being in hurry means making yourself weak while negotiating for the house price.

These were only some don’ts to be kept in mind while selling your home but the million dollar question is what you should do to sell your house in a way that you get the maximum possible profit from it? To know the answer, read about Selling House when Moving?

Deepa Roy is an expert author having interest in varied fields including textile, health and fitness, alternative health, home decor & remodeling, movers and packers industry, furniture & handicrafts among others. She uses her practical experiences as well as acquired knowledge apart from facts and statistics gathered from research and industry reports to write her articles. You can connect with her on facebook Deepa Roy Chowdhury http://www.facebook.com/deeparoyc

Buyer beware is the translation of the Latin phrase, “caveat emptor”, and this is an adage which is very relevant in many business fields, especially so when it comes to real estate. You need to be educated to be aware of the industry, specifically when it comes to real estate agents in Houston.