First, it's presumptuous to assume that your fellow real estate professionals:
- Don't know how to use the MLS to locate your listings.
- Have the time to read your listing emails.
- Have a buyer at the time you send the email that would have an interest.
- Should just use the delete key if they don't want them.
Huge amounts of money and dues go into the construction and maintenance of MLS data systems. This is done in order to place all listings up in a uniform manner for MLS members to access them. A simple search, when it is needed for a buyer, is the way that your listing will be located.
I have seen it written many times that email flyers are necessary because some do not do a good job of locating listings. This is just plain nonsense. If a real estate agent or broker isn't capable of locating EVERY listing that might be of interest to their buyer with a search, then they shouldn't be in the business. To annoy and inconvenience 90% of your peers to placate 10% without the proper knowledge is just wrong.
And, you're only hurting yourself if you assume that it isn't an inconvenience for your fellow Realtors to use the delete key over and over for hundreds of these flyer emails. I simply mark them as SPAM, and I will never receive another one from you. BUT, that means I won't get your normal business emails either.
Whenever this subject is argued on real estate forums, invariably those who consider these real estate email listings flyers as SPAM outnumber those who don't by at least 3-to-1. So, do the right thing. Send an email to all of your MLS members asking them to reply to "opt in" to your flyer emails if they want them. If you don't get the reply, don't send that real estate listings email flyer.
What's your opinion on blast email listings flyers? Give it here.
