Who to Connect with on LinkedIn as a Real Estate Agent?

There's belief amongst those at the REW Certification, that any agent on a mission to connect with as many agents as possible on LinkedIn, may be engaging a least productive approach.

Consider you're an agent in San Diego, CA, connecting with agents in Boise, ID...or Toronto Canada...on LinkedIn.  As we all believe in social networking, referral networks, etc., such approach will "bloat" your LinkIn contacts with those your likely never to do business with.

1-Degree Away Analogy

LinkedIn focuses on "Degrees of Separation" with people. 

In real estate, so is true of persons in professions that are 1 degree away.

LinkedIn can serve as a robust and descriptive "white pages" of folks who are in professions that engage potential home buyers and sellers.

Who to Connect With?

Thus we'd highly recommend connecting with individuals in the following career fields:

-- Recruiters, Head-Hunters, HR Specialists - from a job standpoint, relocation could be a requirement of those engaging head-hunters & recruiters. You need to be 1 of the 2 real estate agents on the electronic "roladex" of these local, niche professionals.  You need to know more about the major industry players in your metropolitan and engage those related to "hiring".

-- Service Professionals (all those who interact with local homeowners) - those who service: Appliances, Basements, Bathrooms, Cabinets, Countertops, Carpentry, Cleaning Services, Surfaces [concrete, brick stone], Decorators & Designers, Decks & Porches, Driveways, Patios, Walks & Steps, Drywall & Insulation, Electrical, Fences, Flooring, Foundations, Garages & Doors, Heating & Cooling, Kitches, Landscaping, Lawns, Maid Services, Moving & Storage, Painting & Staining, Plumbing, Remodels,Roofing & Gutters, Tiling & Stone, Walls & Ceilings, Pest Control, etc., etc.

In short, I'd much rather be a preferred, real estate agent contact of the top granite countertop company in town...then 1 of the many contacts of an agent 2000 miles away that I'm likely not going to immedietely do business with or have potential for steady flow of referrals.

Paid editions of LinkedIn may better provide added reach to connect with those beyond "contacts of your contacts".