Real Estate "Farming"

Second sale of the year on Friday night. I have been sending monthly mailers to the Old Orchard area for over thirty years, and the sellers of this Old Orchard townhome told me that they felt as if they already knew me, and that I would represent them when they decided to sell.
So many agents try "farming" a neighborhood, and give up after a few months of seeing no results. A good percentage of my business has always come from mailing a newsletter or card to a couple of my favorite areas in Sunnyvale. In the beginning, they were typed and copied monthly market updates, with a recipe and a contest included. Then as technology changed, they became more professional looking...computer generated, but still personal...following the market up as it went from $100,000 to a million dollars for single family Sunnyvale homes.
My monthly contact is now a large postcard that connects potential sellers with an online link to the current value of their individual homes. My personal opinions on the market are here in this blog.
All parties in the sale the other night(including the buyer's 83 year old mom) ended the evening with hugs and champagne. No wonder I don't retire...I'm having too much fun!