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Simon Parker
Free botox injections and a test drive of the latest Audi cars are two novel ways in which a Californian-based real estate agent is attempting to lure agents to one of his listings.
“They may not admit it, but both sexes will want to win that Botox!,” Mike Gardner, an agent with Prudential Malibu Realty, said in his latest blog, the Malibu Real Estate Agent.
“Truth be told, it’s either update that old agent headshot or try to stay as young looking as the image that has been used for the last ten years.”
Mr Gardner said while “great food” has always been a common way to attract agents to view competitive listings, he wanted to push beyond this approach.
“We look at ourselves not just as agents, but as promoters, and want agents from Malibu to Palos Verdes either attending this event or at least talking about it,” he said of the US$8.495 million Beverly Hills-based property.
The offer includes $300 worth of free botox and a test drive of an Audi, and comes as the US property market continues to flatline. It's common in the US for agents to share their listings with each other, although recent data shows the majority of Australian agents also do the same.
“I attended a few gifting suites last year for the Emmys and Oscars and saw companies giving away great stuff to [celebrities]. I started thinking about how I could pair businesses with agents and wanted my open house…to be more like…those gifting suites.
“That’s how ideas like calling the Audi dealer started. We figured agents may want to come see some cool new cars and the Audi salesmen may want to meet agents that may want to buy their cars. Most successful agents seem to buy or lease a new car every few years and this seems like a great match.
“Agents may come for the swag, but they’ll remember the house too, especially if they came to ours and missed a different one.
“I don’t care what they come for, as long as they see the house and give me a few minutes to tell them about the home why their clients should come buy it.”
The agent told online publication AOL Real Estate that, if this approach didn’t garner a strong response, he would consider introducing other gimmicks.
“I'm thinking about having attractive women rolling cigars, golf-swing lessons and a wine-tasting bar,” he told AOL.
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