In real estate, everyone claims to be a “market expert.” But when a potential seller asks you what’s happening in their neighborhood, most agents mumble something about “strong demand” and “low inventory” without any specifics.
I decided to be different. I decided to show, not tell.
And it changed my entire business.
The Saturday Morning Email
Every Saturday at 8 AM, 847 people in my farm area receive an email from me. It’s not a listing blast. It’s not a “just sold” brag. It’s a one-page visual market report for their specific zip code.
What’s in it:
- Median price trend (last 6 months)
- Days on market comparison
- Inventory levels vs. last year
- Price per square foot by neighborhood
- My “market temperature” gauge (buyer’s market to seller’s market)
All charts. Minimal text. Their zip code prominently displayed.
Open rate: 62% Average time reading: 2 minutes 14 seconds
For a real estate email, those numbers are unheard of.
How It Started
Three years ago, I was a middle-of-the-pack agent doing about 15 transactions a year. Good, not great. I was spending a fortune on Facebook ads that felt like shouting into the void.
Then I attended a marketing conference where a speaker said something that stuck: “The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like value.”
I thought about what homeowners actually want to know: What is my house worth? Is now a good time to sell? What’s happening in my neighborhood?
They don’t want my opinion. They want data. But data in a spreadsheet is overwhelming. Data in a beautiful chart is powerful.
The ChartPuppy Setup
I subscribed to MLS data feeds for my target zip codes. Then I built a system:
- Data flows into a Google Sheet every Friday evening
- ChartPuppy generates 6 charts from templates I created once
- Charts export to my email platform (I use Mailchimp)
- Email sends Saturday 8 AM automatically
My total time involvement: about 20 minutes per week to review and add any personal commentary.
The Charts That Work Best
After testing dozens of variations, here are my winners:
1. The Price Trend Line
Simple line chart showing median sold price over 6 months. I use a green gradient when trending up, subtle enough to be classy but optimistic.
2. Days on Market Bars
Bar chart comparing current DOM to 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month averages. Sellers obsess over this one.
3. The Inventory Gauge
A semi-circular gauge showing months of inventory. Under 3 months = seller’s market (red/hot). Over 6 months = buyer’s market (blue/cool). This visual is incredibly intuitive.
4. Neighborhood Comparison
Horizontal bar chart ranking neighborhoods by price per square foot. Everyone wants to see how their neighborhood stacks up.
5. New Listings vs. Sold
Dual line chart showing the balance between supply and demand. When lines cross, I add a callout annotation.
6. Year-Over-Year Snapshot
Simple comparison boxes: this month vs. same month last year for key metrics.
The Results
In year one of sending these reports:
- Listing appointments increased 340%
- I became the #1 agent in my zip code by volume
- 67% of my listing clients mentioned the Saturday email as why they called me
In year three:
- I’ve expanded to three zip codes
- My team sends 2,400+ emails weekly
- We closed $47M last year
- Other agents ask me to teach them
| Metric | Before Reports | After Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Annual transactions | 15 | 58 |
| Listing appointments/month | 2-3 | 12-15 |
| Referrals from sphere | ~20% of business | ~55% of business |
| Marketing spend | $2,400/month | $400/month |
That last line is important. I actually spend less on marketing now because the email does the work.
The Psychology Behind It
Why does this work so well? I’ve thought about it a lot:
1. Consistency builds trust Every Saturday, like clockwork. People start to expect it, even look forward to it. One subscriber told me she reads it with her coffee as part of her weekend routine.
2. You’re the expert before you meet By the time someone calls me, they’ve seen 20, 30, 50 of my reports. They already trust my knowledge. The listing appointment is basically a formality.
3. Visual = memorable People remember images 6x better than text. When they think “real estate market,” they see my charts in their mind.
4. It’s genuinely useful This isn’t marketing disguised as value. It IS value. People forward it to friends considering a move. That’s marketing you can’t buy.
Objections I Hear From Other Agents
“I don’t have time for this.” Once set up, it takes me 20 minutes a week. ChartPuppy’s templates do the heavy lifting. You’re probably spending more time on Instagram posts that get 12 likes.
“My area is different.” Every market has data. Every homeowner wants to understand that data. This works in hot markets, cold markets, urban, suburban, luxury, first-time buyer neighborhoods—everywhere.
“What if the market data is bad news?” Share it anyway. Honesty builds trust. When things are cooling, I say so. Homeowners respect that more than spin. And bad news for sellers is good news for buyers on your list.
“I’m not technical.” If you can copy data into a spreadsheet, you can do this. ChartPuppy is designed for non-technical people. I taught my 63-year-old partner to run her own reports.
Pro Tips
Brand it beautifully Your charts should be as polished as your listing photos. I use my brand colors, include my headshot and logo, and keep the design clean. ChartPuppy makes this easy.
Segment your audience I send slightly different reports to different neighborhoods. The core charts are the same, but the data is hyper-local. People notice when you’re talking about THEIR streets.
Include one personal note At the bottom, I add 2-3 sentences about what the data means or what I’m seeing in showings. Human touch on top of data credibility.
Make it mobile-friendly Most people read email on phones. ChartPuppy’s exports look great on mobile, but I always test before sending.
Track engagement I know which charts people click on most. That tells me what matters to them. Use that intelligence in your listing presentations.
The Conversation Starter
Last month at a neighborhood block party, three different people approached me saying, “Oh, you’re the chart lady!”
I used to cringe at nicknames. Now I embrace it. Being “the chart lady” means being the expert. And experts get the listings.
Start This Week
You don’t need a complex system to begin. Here’s your homework:
- Pull last month’s sales data for one zip code
- Create three simple charts in ChartPuppy (price trend, DOM, inventory)
- Email it to 50 people in your sphere
- Ask for feedback
I guarantee you’ll get responses like: “Wow, this is so helpful” and “Can you keep sending these?”
That’s your sign to build the system.
Three years from now, you’ll thank yourself for starting today.
Diana Reyes is a luxury real estate specialist with Coldwell Banker in Orange County, California. She’s been in the top 1% of agents nationally for two consecutive years and speaks at real estate conferences about data-driven marketing. Her Saturday Market Reports have been featured in Inman News and Real Estate Magazine.