Realtors try innovative ways to find homes to sell in tight market

The housing shortage in southern Denton County has created challenges for more than just would-be buyers. Local realtors are struggling to keep up with demand for pre-owned homes during the spring home-buying season.

Some, such as Jeff Brand & Associates, an affiliate of REMAX DFW Associates, have developed innovative ways to drum up additional home listings.

Jeff Brand & Associates has partnered with a PostNet in Flower Mound, part of the national franchise of neighborhood business centers that provide marketing, design and printing services for small businesses, to develop direct mail campaigns that literally blanket all the residences in selected neighborhoods with mailings. The direct mail shows testimonials of satisfied customers who’ve recently sold their homes with the goal of persuading homeowners to do the same.

Jeff Brand & Associates and PostNet are using a new program from the U.S. Postal Service called Every Door Direct Mail, which allows businesses to send mail to residences without needing to put forth the resources to build or purchase lists of potential customers. PostNet designs and prints the direct mail and drops it off at the post office. Postal workers then deliver the marketing collateral to every residence in a specified area.

“Like other tried-and-true marketing vehicles such as print advertising, Every Door Direct Mail lets us reach potential buyers in a cost-effective manner,” said Jeff Brand. “Because of the lean housing market, we’ve almost doubled the amount of direct mail pieces we’re sending in hopes of finding homes to put on the market.”

PostNet has pioneered the use of Every Door Direct Mail among small businesses in the area. Last month, the national PostNet franchise earned a Mail Innovations Award from the U.S. Postal Service for its exemplary participation in the program.

Eric Diaz, owner of the PostNet located at the intersection of Flower Mound Rd. and Morriss Rd., believes small business owners should consult marketing experts when considering Every Door Direct Mail.

“It’s a great program but like all forms of marketing it has its pros and cons,” said Diaz. “Sometimes ads in the local newspaper or on TV are more effective, other times it could be direct mail. Small business owners tend see the most results when they combine several different marketing efforts.”