5.1 Understanding the Client

Different leads, Different Needs.

IDX and Marketplace Leads

Marketplaces are sites such as Vrolio, Zillow and Realtor.com

IDX leads come from your own website if you have the feature installed and integrated.  It turns your own site into a marketplace.

These leads are already shopping around and talking to other agents, and most likely inquiring about a specific property as they already know the market they want to be in.

The most commonly asked questions from IDX and marketplace leads:

• What are the HOA fees and what do they cover? Does the HOA permit short-term rentals?
• What are the taxes?  Is there a membership fee?  What is a CDD fee?
• Is the property close to a clubhouse or pool?  Is it a gated community?
• How far from (nearest attraction) is the property?  Do you think that is too far for STR purposes?
• Is the home sold furnished?  Will they come down lower in price if I don’t take the furniture?
• Does the home have any rental income in place? Is it sold with future bookings?  What is the nightly rate?
• Why are they selling? Why has it been sitting for so long?  Are the sellers motivated?
• Who manages the property? What are their fees? What happens if I don’t want to use that management company?

Info Leads

These leads come in off some type of educational content such as forums, trade shows, Facebook groups, lead magnets, blogs and non-property-related ads. These leads are interested in vacation rental investment because they have learned enough to have their interest piqued and now want more in-depth information.

They are often in the early stages of vacation rental investing – the information gathering stage.

They may not have selected a market yet

These clients will require an extra layer of consulting to get a better idea of where and how to invest

While they may not be immediate buyers they should go into your CRM for pipeline building.

Referrals 

The highest quality of lead you can get for a vacation rental sale.

The CVRA network is a source of referrals as are your happy clients who are earning cash flow on the properties you found for them.