Does the Web make farming obsolete? Not when you combine traditional postcard farming with an effective Web site.

In a recent Realtor Magazine article, Ronni Land reported that her web site - Las-Vegas-Agent.com - keeps her "out of the bread line." She works the Las Vegas area, and her farm is the small community in which she lives. It's a 3 year old development consisting of about 150 homes.

One way she helps make her web site so effective is by her innovative use of traditional farming in combination with her web site. Her postcard farming is designed to do two things:

1. Send visitors to her web site
2. Maintain her image as THE Realtor in the community

For example, Ronni photographs every new listing herself, and makes a 4x6 full color photo into a postcard by applying custom-printed adhesive stickers to the back of each photograph. She sends this out to every homeowner in the community.

"The postcard is more of a teaser than anything else. I don't give a lot of information. They have to go to my web site for details."

Ronni says that because the postcard is a full-color photograph - and because they recognize the home as one of their neighbors - people really respond.

"Once they get the postcard, they check out my web site to see photos of the inside of other homes for sale. It's a great way to snoop around the neighbor's houses!"

I asked Ronni how effective this technique has been for her.

"Occasionally, another agent will sell in here. Usually it's the agent who represented the homeowner when they first purchased new. Numerous agents have tried to farm and yes, they have all dropped out after learning about me."

"I've actually had people tell me that they don't understand why anyone in this community would list with anyone else. They say, 'Ronni's FOR SALE signs go up, and without fail, they say SOLD and come down!'"

You can't argue with results like that. Ronni says that her regular full-color postcard mailings have set her up as THE real estate expert in the area.

"They call me all the time for anything real estate! They call me for refinance information. They call for information on other homes for sale in the community. They call to get a value of their home when they are thinking of selling."

"They know that I've seen every home in the area and that I have a personal and professional interest in getting them the highest possible price without wasting valuable market time. I am never up against any other agent for the listing. When they call, it's simply to determine the value of their home and sign the contract."

Her combination of farming with a leading-edge Web site even impresses people not on the Web!

"No one has the Web presence that I have," boasts Ronni. "For people who have computers, they recognize the importance of this. For those that don't - they are in total awe. When someone doesn't have internet access, I take my laptop and show them that the whole world can see their home for sale, not just Las Vegas folks. I show them how my web site is heavily promoted and advertised all over the web, and how I get leads from all over the world. They are very impressed."

"The combination of the postcard and the web site has been a goldmine. There are four other Realtors who work this community. Not one has listed a home here other than me!"

Published: June 26, 2002

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Lawrence Schoeffler is Vice President of Dominion Homes Web Services and founder of NUMBER1EXPERT. Dominion Homes Web Services includes Advanced Access, Agent Advantage by Homes.com, and Best Image Marketing, and is a division of Dominion Enterprises. Advanced Access is the industry leader in agent websites. More agents invest in an Advanced Access website than any other. Agent Advantage is the official agent website service of Homes.com, one of the most popular real estate portals in America. NUMBER1EXPERT by Best Image offers America's Top Performing Web Sites, with traffic and leads unequalled in the industry, sold exclusively to Top Selling Agents. Email Lawrence at .