Farming has been used by realtors since the 1950's. That was the period when real estate offices began to open all over the United States. These offices had agents who would compete for the listing and sales of homes. Information was kept on 3 X 5 index cards and sales contracts were only one page long. Women were not openly welcomed into real estate and had to prove their worth by obtaining two transactions, either with listings on sales, before they could join a sales office.

Times have obviously changed. Early farming methods included stopping by someone's home for coffee or having lunch with someone who had expressed an interest in buying or selling. Farming was done usually in your immediate neighborhood and you did not even attempt to reach out to a stranger. If someone was moving to your city from out of town a connection with a realtor was made through the local Chamber of Commerce, the bank, or a church.

Today we farm to thousands of people at a time. Many of these people may currently live out of the state or the country. If you are using the Internet it is just as simple to market to someone down the street as it is to someone across the ocean. Farming is marketing yourself and your services to other people.

So should you still go door to door? This depends entirely on your personality, style, and the area you choose to farm. Some people like getting out and walking. Some areas are easier to walk through than others. It used to be that Saturday morning and Thursday evening were good times to walk through your farm. More people were at home during these times so you had more of a chance to meet them face to face. Now it is difficult to say when people will be at home. Many people drive directly into their garages, go into the house, and never seem to come outside again.

If you still want to walk through a neighborhood to farm I would suggest doing it one afternoon or evening each month. You will be able to talk to a few people but primarily you will want to leave something with your name on it for the ones who are not available. I like the plastic jar openers with my name and contact information on them. Be sure to include a website where they can leave their contact information. That way you will be able to have future contact with them should they decide to list their home or look for a new one.

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