Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Final Thoughts from NAR

Max Pigman, VP of Realtor.com mentioned a smart idea for today: Every year on an anniversary of closing, hand deliver 9 volt batteries. He also said that if you are going to mail, come up with something clever and different. Instead of JustListed or JustSold, say something like, “Guess what your neighbor did last night?”


Pigman said that discount cards are a hot topic right now: energy saving appliances, or giving your clients energy saving light bulbs.
(I really like that idea!)

I also heard that people on CraigsList are getting 4-7 times as much traffic as other sites. That surprised me since there are many popular classified websites for properties. I do not have the source for that information, so don’t quote me. But, remember, it is a FREE site to use to post your listings.

And, finally Amy Chorew provided an excellent class on, among other things, how to turn photos into a video presentation to use as a virtual tour. The site, Microsoft’s Photo Story 3 for Windows, offers this service for FREE. It was an excellent presentation and the product seemed easy to use. Check it out.

Thank you for your interest and support throughout 2007. I’ll be on vacation during the holidays and back with new ideas to kick off 2008.

Have a joyful holiday season and a profitable 2008!

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

More Still From NAR

How Are You Marketing Your Listings

According to Max Pigman- VP Realtor.com at the NAR Convention, market conditions are a matter of perceptions- real estate is local. There are always people who need to buy and/or sell.

The consumer changed, according to the NAR 2006 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. Now 80% of consumers use the Internet!

Consumers said the most useful source of info is:

  • 98% Internet
  • 89% Realtors
  • 81% of Internet buyers used a Realtor vs. 61% of traditional buyers
Buyers:
  • Are 500% more likely to find the home they want to purchase online than in the newspaper
  • Buyers are 2400% more likely to find the home they purchase online than in a magazine
  • 92% of Internet buyers found an agent on an aggregate site
  • 83% of online consumers want multiple photos
  • There were 330% more views for homes with multiple photos

Yet, only 15% of agents have multiple photos!

Today, in order to be successful, you need to market online with multiple photos and virtual tours.