Do you really know what it costs you to acquire a listing? HomeGain.com does. The site has just developed a new Listing Acquisition Calculator to help agents determine their true costs in marketing and acquiring listings. This first-of-its-kind tool is designed to help real estate agents determine how much money they spend on customer acquisition costs and how much they can save by marketing themselves aggressively online.

Designed with the simplicity of a mortgage calculator, the Listing Acquisition Calculator requires virtually no instruction to use. Agents simply enter information into fields by pointing and clicking their mouses and entering the appropriate numeric data.

Agents can include prospecting expenses, mass mailing costs, advertising, cold calling time, floor time, networking time, and the salaries of any paid assistants hired by the real estate agent. Each agent inputs the hours and number of dollars spent per week on each activity, followed by annual income, average number of listings per year and total hours spent working each week.

Available online only at HomeGain.com, the calculator promises to be an important cost control tool for agents and brokers.

In preparation of HomeGain's launch, developer Bradley Inman conducted studies and surveys which revealed that most agents spend between $1,000 and $4,000 per listing on acquisition costs alone.

"We did a series of industry research focus grousps and usability studies with agents with about 300 different agents particpating," explains Inman. "We worked with agents on the cost of acquiring the customer."

"Referrals are easy - it's half their business, but the other half is random and expensive."

Inman continues, "This is core to our business. Whenever I ask them (agents) what their costs are, I have yet to hear anyone give me the answer. Your marketing efforts should not be random. The idea is to reinforce the importance of understanding your costs. You can acquire a customer more effeciently using technology."

By accounting for both the time and financial expenses spent on prospecting and marketing activities, the Listing Acquisition Calculator generates the true cost a real estate agent will incur per listing.

"Agents work night and day and they are so dedicated to customers," says Inman. "Time is money and "bandwidth" (human hours) is money.

If human hours can be considered bandwidth, as Inman suggests, then HomeGain.com has just given the Realtor a TI line.

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Published: August 26, 1999

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Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.