For over 25 years I was addicted to print advertising. I started by inhaling classified ads, then moved on to full page spreads in a local homes magazine. After joininh a 12 step ad-aholic program, I'm happy to say that today I'm print-free.  All my real estate advertising is done online.

At the peak of my addiction, I was spending several thousand dollars every month. Classifieds, homes magazines, yellow pages, and business directories were my drugs of choice. In the early years I got high from buyer leads. But, as time went on, it took more and more print advertising, and the results continued to diminish.

As a former Catholic, I took great pleasure in my quarter page ads in the Christian Business Directory. For over ten years I ran that ad with absolutely no real estate returns.  There were, however, numerous requests for donations from individuals with hardships and handicaps.

Fortunately, I started keeping records of the sources of my business.  If there was no return in a six month period, I tried another drug (ad). It took years to realize that if everyone is doing something, that doesn't make it right or profitable. The cost of ego ads come out of your net profits, college funds, and vacation trips.

For 20 years I advertised to fellow agents in my state association of Realtors magazine. The ad paid for itself some years, and provided me a monthly source of pride when I saw my digitally enhanced photo of the way I looked in my halcyon days. The ad was cancelled when the cost doubled and my ego wrinkled with age.

If I had a friend or relative entering the real estate business, my advice would be to concentrate on lead generation without the assistance of analog, expensive print ads. Every real estate agent should track every cent spent. If something stops working, stop throwing money at it. Drugs destroy dreams.