I recently spoke to my realtor friend in Tampa, FL.   She was commenting about the up-swing in her real estate business over the past 3 months.   She was listing more, she was closing more than in the first quarter of 2008.   Wandering how this could be in such terrible economic times, I inquired about her good fortune.   She quickly responded with her secret:   Relationships were the key to her longevity.   She went on to share some metrics about the real estate industry.   She estimated that about 50% of her customers came to her because their last realtor never bothered to follow up with them.   She went on to add that a customer usually listed with her after she had been in touch with them on the 5th, 6th, or 7th contact.    The difference was the relationship they had developed wit... 10/22/2008