QuantumDigital has been working closely with real estate professionals for over 20 years. The company is focused on truly understanding the needs of the industry, educating brokers and agents on best practices, and developing marketing tools that offer results. Specializing in streamlining direct marketing campaigns, QuantumDigital’s real estate lead-generation marketing programs combine targeted, data-driven direct mail, email marketing and on-demand print collateral with new technology so agents can be more effective with their local prospecting and marketing efforts and ultimately get more leads. 

“QuantumDigital is taking real estate marketing to a new level,” said Eric Cosway, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of QuantumDigital. “With our services for direct mail, printing and email still tried and true, we’re rolling out new products, tools, tips and trends to help real estate professionals stay focused on what they do best, while we handle the marketing aspects of their business.” 

Conference attendees can visit QuantumDigital at booth #1941 to find out how real estate brokers and agents are already generating leads and realizing true profit. 

For more information, visit www.quantumdigital.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

The initiative widens the exposure of “For Sale” Southwest Florida property listings online by leveraging Point2’s syndication and re-syndication network of nearly 40 high traffic search engines, real estate search sites and media websites to maximize listing visibility with prospective buyers. According to the company, a simple dashboard provides participating brokers and agents with complete control and choice over syndication destinations, on a listing basis, and enables them to track traffic results generated on key websites. 

“The partnership with Point2 will enable our brokers and their agents to maintain profitability and grow their businesses, while protecting their listing assets,” said Suzanne Sherer, Association president. 

“It’s exciting to see the real estate industry take back its future by way of organized and supervised dissemination of listing data to the Internet and beyond, with Point2 participating as a key enabler of this progress,” said Saul Klein, chief executive officer, Point2 Technologies Inc. With Point2 syndication, we are enabling organized real estate to empower real estate professionals on the ground with control over when and where their listings are published online, on the most popular websites, while ensuring leads generated from the listings are directed to the respective listing owner.” 

For more information, visit www.Point2.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Regardless of the causes, the real estate market is going through some fundamental changes, and the real estate agents who will survive, are the ones most able to adapt to the new paradigm. The credit bubble distorted the market for some time, with so-called “luxury” mansions and condominium developments sprouting like weeds all across the world, making the term “luxury” all but useless to describe a property, spawning new improved, better-than-before superlatives like ultra-luxury. 

Many luxury real estate agents are discovering that they are not luxury real estate agents after all, and it takes more than granite counter tops and gourmet appliances to distinguish a luxury property from any other. This distortion in the marketplace means that amongst the vast array of property for sale, it is necessary to become more focused on a specific niche to be found. Zillow.com claims to have over 3 million homes for sale listed on their website, and rather like being faced with too many choices in a grocery store, this is probably off-putting to many potential buyers. Another aspect of the changing marketplace is the amount of foreclosure and bank properties for sale, with some estimates that around 50% of all sales currently are of financially distressed property. With sales volumes slowly picking up and prices still falling, it becomes necessary to specialize to attract potential buyers. 

The Internet is often the first place many buyers start their search for a property, and getting found for your particular geographic area is becoming more and more difficult. The competition is strong, and another approach is to specialize in small niches, which is proving a successful strategy for some agents. One example that comes to mind is Glenn Plantone at Viewpoint equity, who currently specializes in foreclosed condominiums in Las Vegas after seeing a opportunity and educating himself on this micro-market or niche. 

Buyers know that it is not possible to be an expert in all markets and for all property types, and are now expecting to find an expert in the niche that interests them. But how to create Web traffic to a particular niche is an interesting dilemma. The first step in any Web-based promotional campaign is to begin with the URL, or Web address of a particular property. Bank properties as an example. The term “bank properties” or a derivative using both of these words is searched for on Google approximately 14,000 times a month and is far less competitive than a broader search term which will have hundreds of thousands – perhaps millions of websites competing to be found higher up the search engine results. So, creating a URL such as http://bankproperties.com/listing-crestmoor-park-colorado-reo-81.html will have automatic authority over some thing such as http://joebloggsrealty/bankproperties/listing-crestmoor-park-colorado-reo-81.html because the search term is at the beginning of the URL and matches the term used. 

Thus, the first step in dominating a niche market online is here – using a niche property portal that matches your niche as closely as possible. Obviously, this is just the first step, but using this approach give obvious advantages over using a large “jack of all trades” portal where your property is listed with 3 million other properties. 

Mark Knowles is a long time professional real estate investor and analyst who now concentrates on online real estate. He currently writes the luxury property blog as the executive blogger for niche properties. He can be reached at mknowles@lux.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com. 

For more real estate tips and topics on RISMedia.com, be sure to see:
1.4 Million Families Have Taken Advantage of First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, More Claims Expected
Freddie Mac Takes Its Home Affordable Modification Program to the Streets

Highlights of the new @properties site include: Chicago neighborhood guides featuring business reviews, photos, detailed school reports and hyper-local news content; a customizable property search tool that allows users to draw their own search boundaries directly on an area map; an open house touring tool that allows users to choose the homes they wish to tour and get printable point-to-point directions and email listing alerts for both new properties and property status changes, so users can monitor specific properties and market segments. 

“This new website is the most advanced, most comprehensive and most user-friendly online tool for Chicago real estate. It was designed around Chicago homebuyers and sellers to instinctively deliver the content they want in a usable fashion,” said Thaddeus Wong, co-founder of @properties. “At the same time, the site will also drive business and serve as a valuable marketing resource for our agents.” 

For more information, visit www.atproperties.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

“Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate is focused on meeting the unique demands of today’s real estate consumer, as they trend online for information with a do-it-yourself spirit,” said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. “It only makes sense that our iPhone application mimics that same spirit to fit seamlessly into anyone’s natural home research process, whether they are actively looking for a new home, exploring their neighborhood to put a home on the market, or seeking information as they consider a renovation.” 

As consumers tour homes, they can take pictures of the property and create an album for each room, which can then be rated on a five-star scale or further defined with user notes. These images can then be searched across properties or across user-defined categories using such keywords as “kitchen” or “family room.” Content can be synced with iTunes for access on a home computer or shared with friends and family on Facebook or via e-mail. 

“Consumers want information on a home’s community and trusted advice from friends and family before they make a decision on a home,” Chris added. “Our application brings both, literally, to their fingertips.” 

For more information, visit www.bhgrealestate.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

National Association of REALTORS® research suggests that 67% of consumers cite neighborhood quality as a deciding factor in the real estate purchase. Additional research also states that school quality is among the three most important reasons why Americans move. LPS Real Estate Group’s School & Neighborhood Report data comprises more than 100 different school and neighborhood data elements, including housing trends and statistics, demographics, local economic information, school, environment and quality of life covering all 50 states. 

“We know that neighborhood and school information is of primary importance when consumers choose their homes, and we’ve conducted an extensive search to select a company that could provide the most comprehensive and timely data to meet the needs of today’s buyers,” said Michael Koval, senior vice president and chief information officer of Long & Foster Real Estate. “We are confident that the new Neighborhood and School information from LPS Real Estate Group will provide high quality, in-depth analysis and insights to help our customers make the best choice for their new home.” 

According to the company, the LPS Real Estate Group’s School & Neighborhood Reports are much more comprehensive–zeroing down to the Census Block Group Level. The data can be provided in multiple formats and can be completely customized to display exactly what customers are looking for in a particular neighborhood. Data and statistics for all states are included to provide location comparison information for buyers moving across states, relocating, or buying vacation homes. 

For more information, visit www.lpsvcs.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

1. Remember, It’s Not About You…It’s About Them
When buyers or sellers want information on moving, it’s what’s on their mind that is going to cause them to spend time on your site. 

2. Have Highly Visible Buttons and Calls to Action
Have specific sections on your site that showcase your expertise in certain areas. See www.Kristan-Cole.com to see how quickly you can get information without the hassle. 

3. Sprinkle Specific Property Searches – Increase Quality Lead Generation
On targeted pages of your website, add the ability for a site visitor to search for specific kinds of properties and in specific price ranges. Every page should creatively showcase listings. Think about even setting searches by farm area or neighborhood…now that’s creative. See www.LindaHall.com/fort_mill to get an idea. 

4. Generate Leads with a Strong IDX system
There can be huge differences between an IDX that just shows houses for sale and an IDX that has “clickable components” that generate high-quality leads. Visitors to your website who are searching for homes through your IDX will be prompted to register after viewing listing details, leading to more quality leads for you. Also, adding features such as “schedule an appointment,” “e-mail listing,” and “save” are key elements to consider. 

5. Cultivate Leads and Stay in Front of Them
There is a big difference in lead inquiries and actual leads. You want to incubate the lead and keep them in front of you. Have automated letters go out to specific niches. For example, buyers looking for REOs or foreclosures should get specialized letters on those subjects, not information on general buying. 

Tricia Andreassen is CEO/founder of Pro Step Marketing. She has 19+ years experience in real estate and as a Web marketing and branding coach. 

For more information, please visit www.prostepmarketing.com. 

Don’t miss these headlines on RISMedia.com:
Equity Financing – A Solution to Today’s Housing Crisis?
Mortgage Modification Program Hits Goal Ahead of Schedule

“We’ve done the keyword technology thing, we’ve done the sponsored links thing, we tried reciprocal linking and we hired a website company to build us a real estate site (because—they said—‘that’s all we do’ and they said they’d market it for us, too). It was nothing but a complete disaster. 

“We have spent thousands and thousands of dollars that we have basically flushed. We spent all that money and had nothing to show for it. Worse, we had no idea of the huge amount of problems we would have establishing our site again after our Web designer pulled our site down and handed us a disc with our files on it because we cancelled our $400/month ‘keyword technology’ agreement with him that we had pre-paid for 16 months. His ‘technology’ didn’t work, we never sold a home from it, we had prepaid 16 months of it, and–boom! We were on our own.” 

Ready to Dump Online Marketing
It wasn’t always that way for Willard Morris. When he started selling new construction almost 30 years ago, he didn’t even need a license. People delivered, generally, on what they said they would deliver, and vendors tried to provide useful service to clients. When the Internet started to be known for its impact on real estate sales, Willard was quick to try to seize the opportunity to tap into the vast resource it promises to be. 

The only problem was that he needed professional assistance to help him, and for the longest time, he couldn’t seem to find effective solutions that actually would help him sell houses to Internet buyers. He was so disgusted, he said, that he was thinking of just leaving ‘Internet success’ to someone else. (His story sounds like a nightmare thousands of agents have also had). 

But—even a seasoned pro like Willard Smith has a limit of patience and after the debacle with his webmaster; he was ready to give up on the Internet. “When someone asked me if I were receiving leads from my efforts, I replied ‘A website generates leads? Really? (Insert sarcasm here). We thought it was just a business card for people with computers.” To say Willard was fed up doesn’t begin to cover how he felt. “The ‘net is something we have struggled with for 10 years,” Willard continued. “Getting a reliable site built is harder than you think. We have been taken to the cleaners more times than we care to admit. Even when we think we have ourselves covered it turns out we just don’t know enough about how it all works. We finally started to reverse that by having a company that specializes in online marketing services for Realtors evaluate our website through an offer we found on a real estate online newsletter. 

“We were so impressed with the person that called us back and the report that was presented as well as the plain English explanation given to us on what it all meant. We were looking for something new at that time because we knew what we had wasn’t working. We liked the guarantees offered with the product and we liked the price; it turned out that changing from what we were doing then would actually save us money even if it did nothing. We signed up, expecting very little. When our webmaster found out, our website then became a nightmare and everything started to go wrong. Our Web host was also the webmaster and site designer and when we opted out of his keyword marketing program he refused to maintain the site anymore. He was forthright enough to admit the reason: without his ‘special programs’ there was no money to be made for him in simply maintaining the site. He told us that we could keep paying him for a “keywords program” that didn’t work, or we could find another webmaster. We were lost and knew nothing about choosing a website company. We phoned our rep at our new online marketing services company and told them the problem. They referred us to an approved website vendor and introduced us to them. We sold our first home from the website in May of 2009, just 60 days later.” 

10 Times His Money Back in Six Months
“That first sale earned us a $9,600 commission, and before the summer was out, we had closed on two others—one that earned us $5,400 and one that earned us $20,300. We were very pleased that our $3,400 investment brought us $35,300 in commissions we would have never made in just a few months—especially after all we went through for all those years attempting to make the Internet work for us. But, our pleasure at our program comes from more than only making money: it comes from being better at what we do because we are now effective online. 

“For example: We were approached by an out-of-area Realtor because his brother wanted to sell his lakeside home. We convinced the Realtor it would be to his advantage to work with us and not against us. We already agreed on the price for the home but had to convince the city Realtor that even though he lived close (only 90 minutes away) we were the logical choice because Sylvan Lake is our market; after all, we had great marketing, our website was in first page positions on Google and the others, we lived right there to accommodate viewings—plus we had an impressive list of buyers just waiting for the right product. The homeowner agreed to a joint listing. We put the home up on the website on a Friday afternoon and we got the call Friday night from an out-of-town buyer who found us on the ‘net and had created a listing alert for lakeside homes. When he got home from work, he saw the notification in his e-mail, logged in and viewed the details. He called and made an appointment to see the home Saturday. We had the offer in-hand by Monday. This property was exactly what the buyer was looking for. We closed that deal in 12 days, got the seller 98% of his list price ($747,500) and did it all in a nearly dead market place, all because of the power of the Web and our ability to sell homes there because of our ability to be found there.” 

Buyers and Sellers from Anywhere
Since being able to be found online, Willard has sold homes to people from England and sold one for people in Thailand. Willard’s marketplace is a town called Sylvan Lake in the province of Alberta, which is situated in close proximity to two of Alberta’s largest cities, Edmonton and Calgary. It’s a small town with a cosmopolitan atmosphere. You can feel the energy coursing through this town. Sylvan Lake has become a residential hub for people working in the oil and gas industries, commuters working in the City of Red Deer, people who work and service the town itself and recreational users who inhabit the town and summer villages year round or on a seasonal basis. In the past, Willard would sell between 80 and 85 units annually. Despite the economic slowdown worldwide, he continues to sell properties at a rate that assures that he won’t be hurting anytime soon. 

From a Complete Skeptic to a Believer
“You have no idea how skeptical we were when we made the decision to give online marketing one more try. Now, we feel like it should be our best kept secret,” Willard continued. “We are so pleased by all the levels of service and the fact that this vendor did everything they said they were going to do. Not only that, anytime I had a question or a problem the support team has been able to answer it or solve it. Their IT guys are amazing, our CSR and our lead generation specialist tells it like it is. If he thinks an idea won’t work or won’t benefit us he says so- and we appreciate that. Some companies just say, ‘sure, if you want to do that it’ll cost you this’ and they don’t care if it works or not. All they care about is their revenue. Our online marketing services company not only cares about our success, no one in service or IT ever tries to sell you anything because there’s nothing else to buy. There are no “extras” or “upgrades.” Our subscription has one cost and we can’t buy anything else—everything is included.” 

“My subscription brought me 10 times my annual investment in the first six months I subscribed. We are very pleased and we are hoping it continues to do that and better for a very long time. Other than my great assistant, Patti, my online marketing service is the most valuable tool I possess and I now have the confidence that we will become even better Internet Realtors as time goes on. That’s a pretty huge turnaround and believe me, it’s a pleasure to feel that way in these times.” 

Mike Parker has written more than 200 published articles about online marketing services for Realtors. For help in making your Internet marketing successful even if you’ve had experiences like Willard Morris or to request a free review of your website to determine if it can be found by internet buyers and if it is set up to be effective for you, click here and we’ll review it for you at no cost or obligation. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com. 

For more real estate related headlines on RISMedia.com, be sure to see:
A Fix-Up Strategy Works in Long Run: If You Have Time on Your Side, Improve and Enjoy Your Home
More Than an Agent—Today’s Real Estate Advisor

According to Varo, one of his favorite functions is the mobile application’s ability to generate a one-day access code—without needing to be at his computer. With the new application, he can generate secure, one-day access codes from his mobile phone, which he can then provide to another agent or contractor. “Having the ability to generate a one-day access code in just seconds using my mobile phone, and then immediately provide it to an out-of-area agent or contractor is a huge time-saver,” Varo says. “This application saves me time and money: I don’t have to needlessly burn time driving to a listing to let someone inside the home, yet I know exactly when someone entered and left the home,” he explains. 

“SentriLock’s new mobile application definitely gets an ‘A’ from me.” And Varo isn’t alone in his use of and enthusiasm for the new mobile application. Since the application was launched, “hundreds of SentriLock REALTOR® Lockbox customers signed up for the service, which to us indicated a real desire among agents and brokers for smart, easy-to-use, time-saving technologies that make their demanding jobs a little easier,” says SentriLock CEO Scott Fisher. “The mobile application makes it incredibly easy for our customers to manage a variety of things, including updating their SentriCard®, getting a one-day code or viewing who has accessed a lockbox and more,” adds Fisher. 

Varo, for one, doesn’t need any more convincing. “Now I can be at a listing appointment or be managing other business, yet still have the ability to let agents into my properties,” he explains. “This feature has truly made my life as a real estate broker a lot easier.” 

For more information, visit www.sentrilock.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com. 

Don’t miss these headlines on RISMedia.com:
1.4 Million Families Have Taken Advantage of First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, More Claims Expected
Industry’s Most Powerful Associations Send Letter to Administration Advocating for Extension of Homebuyer Tax Credit

Robb Murry
Chief Marketing Officer
The Personal Marketing Company
www.tpmco.com 

Building an effective personal brand goes beyond an elaborate personal logo and catchy tagline; it lies within how consumers in your market perceive you. Whether you are managing it, or even aware of it, every contact with a consumer defines and reinforces your personal brand. From your personal website and e-mail marketing, to your Facebook page and the way you answer your phone, all of the marketing communications you distribute work together to define your personal brand. 

Your brand personality is how customers perceive you, for better or worse. Managing that perception across every contact with consumers is critical in today’s market where consumers increasingly perceive all real estate agents to be the same. To set yourself apart, you must differentiate your personal brand from your competitor’s. 

Over the years, many agents have gotten away with selling or providing great service alone without truly managing a personal brand. Changes in the market and how agents are marketing themselves have made it clear that achieving long-term success in real estate requires an effective personal brand. 

How well do you manage your personal brand? Do your customers’ perceptions match the personality you want them to see? How well do you manage these perceptions? Here’s a great way to grade yourself on how well you’re managing your personal brand. 

1. Do you treat clients like real people? Your commission check might come from a company, but people are choosing to work with you. Your marketing should speak directly to the person about things that are important to them. Hint: All good marketing makes an emotional connection with consumers, not a factual one. Make sure your marketing message communicates the answer to the old advertising idiom WIFM (What’s in it for me?) 

2. What’s different? Are you really any different from the other agents in your market? Trying to differentiate on great service is a common mistake. The customer expects it rather than viewing it as an added benefit—every other agent in your market can promise great service. You must find the benefit to the consumer that only you provide. Your “one big thing” must be relevant to your customer as well as to you. 

3. How does your brand make them feel? What’s the emotional takeaway that your clients receive when they do business with your brand? In marketing, it’s called your “higher order” benefit. Do they feel comfort knowing you are minding the details in their best interest? Or maybe they feel empowered because of your strong negotiating skills on their behalf? Make sure you are communicating how they feel when they do business with your brand. 

4. Does every touchpoint build your brand? Make sure that your one-of-a-kind personal brand is reinforced in every exposure people have with you. Your e-mails, direct mail, your personal website, the message on your voicemail, even your latest tweet on Twitter. Your goal is that if your name was covered up on your marketing pieces, someone familiar with your brand would still know it was from you. 

5. Do you deliver your marketing message in a memorable and appealing way? Defining your personal brand in today’s market is not optional, it’s necessary. Your brand should be constantly re-evaluated to make sure the message is consistent and the right message for your audience. Agents who do not maintain the brand experience in today’s competitive market will not survive.

Always remember that your clients are people with real lives, dealing with daily challenges. Your well-rounded brand message should be targeted and communicated across all marketing channels. The key to managing your personal brand is to have a marketing plan in place for your business. 

Define your message and develop an effective plan for getting that message out to consumers in a clear and consistent way. Otherwise, you’re leaving it up to the customer to decide your personal brand…without input from you. It’s then that you find you’re just another real estate agent among thousands of choices. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com. 

For more real estate tips and topics on RISMedia.com, be sure to check out:
First-Time Homebuyers Buoy Real Estate Market
Tax Credit Extension Needed to Guard Against Real Estate Decline

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com

According to the company, the Move Advocate program provides home sellers special benefits and discounts when moving their household goods long distance. 

Through the agreement, real estate agents will be able to refer their clients to the Move Advocate when they create a listing announcement through AnnounceMyMove. AnnounceMyMove provides viral marketing strategies and tools to drive traffic to listings and introduce agents to a seller’s social network. 

“Our goal is to support our members and deliver tools that add value to the transaction and help their buyers and sellers save money,” said Janelle Odishoo, Co-Founder of AnnounceMyMove.com. “The Move Advocate program is exactly the kind of cost saving service that families need, especially right now, and a great service that agents should be offering their clients. We are pleased to introduce our members to this program.” 

The referral process is simple and seamless for AnnounceMyMove members. Once a new announcement is completed, agents will have the option to refer clients to the Move Advocate for discounts and special services for transporting their household goods. 

“The ease of use and expanded service offering really helps me differentiate my listing presentations,” said Tammy Robinson of Realty Unlimited®. “With the simple click of a button I’m able to promote a client’s home through my social media network, my client’s social network, and provide complimentary move management services. It’s a low cost way I can provide high value to my clients.” 

According to the 2009 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM by J.D. Power and Associates, the satisfaction of home sellers is increasingly driven by the additional services offered by their real estate company. 

“Agents that leverage AnnounceMyMove and the Move Advocate have a competitive advantage,” said Steven Wester, president of the Move Advocate. “Clients are impressed with the creative marketing strategies and extra care their agents bring to their total relocation needs.” 

For more information, visit www.announcemymove.com or www.moveadvocate.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

According to the company, Listingbook has two portals to their website. The first is a public-facing website and the second is a password protected portal for real estate agents and the consumers they give access to. Listingbook is a private community that complements any local MLS system and contains secure access to MLS data. The agent can supply reliable, personalized, current market information, and collaborate with their buyers and sellers while guiding and monitoring their activity. 

The overhaul affected the public portal pages and there are no changes to the private portal. One of the biggest challenges the company says it faces is also one of their greatest attributes. “Our system is so deep and rich, full of valuable tools and powerful data,” says Michael Ondrejko, the company’s senior vice president of Operations. “It can be overwhelming and difficult for agents and consumers to grasp the advantages of our system. The launch of a new homepage strives to improve the experience for first-time visitors to the site, making it easier and more meaningful.” 

The external pages have been redesigned with a contemporary look, more information and friendlier navigation. Not only does the new website look better, it is also more user-friendly for consumers. Buyers and sellers can easily find an agent through the Agent Finder, gain access to Listingbook, and start the home buying or selling process. 

“We strive to create and improve our products to support our ‘Create Clients for Life’ tagline. Agents attract quality leads from our new website, nurture their prospects in their Prospect Manager and service, monitor and satisfy their buyers and sellers in their Client Manager,” Ondrejko continued. 

For more information, visit www.listingbook.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Kelly Roark
Vice President, Interactive Sales & Development
HGTV – FrontDoor.com, Scripps Networks
www.frontdoor.com 

Thanks to the $8,000 First-Time Home Buyer tax credit, first-time home buyers (FTHBs) currently account for more than half of U.S. home sales per month (NAR). Nearly 80% of them use the Web to narrow their home search or find answers to specific home purchase questions, according to real estate coach Howard Brinton. With the November 30 deadline approaching to exercise the credit, there is still time to connect with this group online and close more business. So, what’s the trick? 

1). Know your audience. A range of new buyers are coming into the market, but increasingly, they include unmarried women and minorities who are more likely to be influenced by family and friends, according to Jack Haynes, SVP of Countrywide’s National Builder Division. Is this the case in your area? 

2). Send the right message. When communicating online, focus on the simplicity of the sale and share step-by-step tactics to avoid common purchase pitfalls (e.g., responding too slowly in competitive situations, not asking a lender enough questions, etc.). Also, demystify what “affordability” means and customize your mortgage calculator for “rent” vs. “buy” and/or what someone can afford. 

3). Optimize yourself for FTHBs. Focus search-engine optimization and marketing campaigns on specialized topics in your neighborhood, first-time buying, short sales and/or foreclosures included. Develop a vanity URL (e.g., myneighborhoodfirsttimebuying.com or myneighborhoodshortsaleexpert.com). 

4). Target transition points. If your marketing includes online banners, advertise on non-home sale sites where FTHBs may look (e.g., salary.com, indeed.com, rentals.com and hotpads.com). 

5). Hold a sweepstakes. Get more FTHB leads quickly by offering prize money for a down payment or cash to fix up a first home. 

6). Help FTHBs visualize their new home. If an FTHB is considering a fixer-upper or vacant property, use online tools, such as UnitedLane.com, to electronically stage a home so they can see its true potential. 

7). Start an online dialogue. Use Facebook and Twitter to share listings ideal for your FTHBs, a how-to article on first-time buying or a rent-vs.-buy guide. HGTV’s FrontDoor.com has 5,000+ how-to articles and 500 videos, which you can share via Facebook—plus a dedicated URL to access FTHB information at (frontdoor.com/first). 

8). Get FTHBs involved. Participate in an online home community where consumers share their best home renovations or favorite architectural style. An example of this would be the My First Place Gallery, which contains 27 pages of first homes users are sharing with others via frontdoor.com/myfirstplace. Or, create an area on your own site, blog or Facebook page where FTHBs can share their favorite neighborhood photo or best tip for other buyers. 

Most importantly, take advantage of this unique time in the market to develop more FTHB business. 

Be sure to check out these headlines on RISMedia.com:
More Rough Times Ahead for U.S. Economy, despite Recent Improvements
$2 Million Difference between Homes in Most Expensive and Most Affordable Market, According to Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index

“This is a very exciting opportunity for PropertyMinder. We are pleased with the recognition given to us by SDAR. We believe that our AccelerAgent™ and Single Property websites will help SDAR members achieve better Internet Marketing through our extensive tools,” said Jane Ellsworth, PropertyMinder VP of Sales. 

According to the company, the AccelerAgent websites offer a suite of productivity tools, a sophisticated client relationship management system, unlimited lead generating opportunities, tracking tools, customized IDX searches and disclosure hosting capabilities. Single Property websites allow more visibility and marketing power in the agent’s hands. Listings have their own URL. Linking this site to a personal website gives any agent more marketing power. This site includes an Open House feature and Disclosure Document hosting. 

For more information, visit www.propertyminder.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

A personal pattern of Innovation

Beckman has always been known as an innovator and an aggressive marketer of his client’s properties. For example, he combined direct mail and Internet presence to positively dominate an affluent section of suburban Seattle for many years—home to many prominent Seattle families—listing about 80% of all homes sold there. Today, on what many would call a truly basic website, prospects can sign up for his daily “Just listed” e-mail, for foreclosure listings bulletins, for first-time home buyers classes and much more. His website produces 75% of his leads for his team and, in September, originated 7 of the 11 closes his team had.

He has diversified into Property Management in order to have a core business immune from real estate slowdowns and he uses his base of renters to supply his first-time homebuyer classes with folks eager to learn the “8,000 reasons you should buy your first home now.” Beckman has practically owned the first pages of the search engines for years for his specialties and was one of the first agents to realize the tremendous benefits associated with being found on the first pages of every search engine. In sum, he is not a “rest on your laurels” kind of agent—he’s always looking to stay ahead of what is moving the market.

His innovation in 2006 helped save him in 2008

“When I realized I needed to increase my property management business (in early 2008) we had about 20 properties under management. Today, we have over 80 properties under management. It was a great help that when one enters Mason County Property Management on Google, our company comes up number one—even though I never subscribed nor optimized my site for that phrase. My CompassSearch subscription made it possible for Google to bring me people looking for property management. Lots of companies can manage properties, but we can fill them with renters because we attract renters from all over the United States online. That same subscription has me on page one of Google for Mason County Rental Properties, too, so I have plenty of renters looking for a home contact me, too. Of course, I am also on page one of every major search engine for Mason County Real Estate, one of my key phrases I chose back in 2006. The people at Compass tell me that this is what is meant by “long tail search;” evidently, a properly optimized website is found under many different searches relating to the geographic target an agent chooses. Whatever it is, I am grateful that my Internet power enabled me to expand a facet of my business I hadn’t even really thought about in 2006, but that helped save me in 2008. Without a doubt, if I had not made the $3,400 investment in 2006 to be found in organic search placement through Compass, I could not have expanded my business online in these new areas in time to avert potential catastrophe. I am extremely glad that I made the decision to move to the Internet then and that I am so dominant there, now.”

Would you like to have a whole new source of business?

Beckman mentioned being on page one of Google for the above phrases; fact is, he is found on the first pages of the search engines on over 1,000 different search phrases. Since he subscribed to CompassSearch, over 62,000 people have come to his website because of his subscription. About 20,000 Web visitors annually go to Beckman’s website, a solid base of traffic that enabled him to branch into property management and rental properties without missing a beat. Chances are, if Beckman wanted to start selling boats, cars, airplanes or widgets, he would dominate the search engines for those, too. Once you dominate your geographic identifier—your hometown marketplace or any marketplace you choose—you are found under so many different iterations that it almost defies belief. Being found will not sell homes all by itself, however. There are two other major steps to be taken, but if you cannot be found on page one of Google, Yahoo and bing! for your marketplace, you don’t need to worry about those other steps because no one will contact you. If you are waiting for the big time corporate site to bail you out, it’s been nice knowing you. You must take your Internet destiny into your own hands. Take control of your marketplace and take control of your own income and success, for good.

His sure fire method of closing all listing presentations

“I always ask them if their home could be found on the first page of Google when a homebuyer types in Mason County Real Estate, do they think their home would sell faster? They always answer ‘Yes.’ I then pop open my position report from Compass, show them my search engine positions and guarantee them that they will be on the first page of Google when they list with me, because I am on the first page of Google, Yahoo, MSN and all the rest, too. If there are any doubters at this stage, I turn my laptop around and say “go ahead. Go to Google and enter Mason County Real Estate (or any of the other terms I dominate). When I pop up, they are amazed and impressed. Every consumer today recognizes the selling power of the Internet and the advantage of being on the first page of the search engines. They get it. Once I prove to them that they can have that tremendous advantage, they are sold on listing with me and with West Realty Shelton.”

Richard’s lesson is just as vital today as it was then

There will be lots of closings in November, due to the First-time Homebuyer program (odds are it will be continued in some form) deadline. Many agents will make lots of commissions. There won’t ever be a better time to do now what Beckman did then: Establish yourself online. Maybe it won’t “save you” if another monster comes to our doors, but it certainly will broaden your client base, bring new prospects to you and enable you to earn a good living, regardless of what the markets are doing. Take a few of those commission dollars that flow now and get established where people can find you- online.

“2008 was a tough year,” Beckman told me. “Ninety percent of my property management marketing and expansion was done online. Had I not shown up on the first page of Google under Mason County property management I don’t believe I would be here today. Now that we made it through the bad times, it feels really good to get back to our real business—helping people buy and sell real estate. Also, I must say that I can’t speak highly enough about the CompassSearch service. Not only are they responsible for the internet buyers we’ve picked up, but they are also responsible for the listings, property management, and rentals. That’s a pretty remarkable return on a $3,400 investment and that’s one reason that I love the service.

Mike Parker has written more than 200 published articles about online marketing services for realtors. For help in making your Internet marketing as successful as Richard Beckman’s or to you or to request a free review of your website to determine if it can be found by internet buyers and if it is set up to be effective for you, click here and we’ll review it for you at no cost or obligation.

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I just went back and read the article and it was like reading ancient history. The pace at which technology is changing this industry is awe inspiring. In those two years, even the term virtual culture has gone from being a negative term to being regarded as cutting-edge. Now, among the top professionals in the industry, the term brick and mortar is becoming the negative term.

Not only do 80% of the Realtors not see any benefit to an office environment, but many of today’s Realtors believe that a Realtor who works out of a brick and mortar environment is contributing to the pollution of our planet. This war chant will only increase in intensity in the years ahead, with the continuing green movement.

The 20% of the Realtors who still need or want an office environment are the old timers for the most part. We grew up with getting up, putting on a tie and going to the office and putting in an 8 hour day. With the younger culture, that’s old fashion, we might as well be driving a horse and buggy to work. And it gets even worse for the broker who is tied to a brick and mortar environment. More often than not, he or she has a long term, very expensive lease, plus the costs of telephone systems, copiers, toner, long distance calling, utilities, etc. Realtors working in this setting are independent contractors and while they appreciate having that status, they don’t care to share their commission with the broker. As time goes on, it’s becoming even scarier for the broker of the brick and mortar environment. The “100% Genie” has escaped his bottle permanently. We all see 100% real estate brokerages opening on every street corner in America, every day of the week now. What is a broker of a brick and mortar office going to do, when even brand new Realtors straight out of school can now get 100% of their commission?

In my wildest dreams I did not imagine the demise of the brick and mortar environment as fast as I believe we will see it take place. The brick and mortar brokers who have leases expiring should let them expire, and then start their own 100% company, or associate with a current virtual national company like ours. What I’m finding very curious, however, is the fact that many of these 100% models are still tied to brick and mortar environments. I know from operating a true virtual culture real estate brokerage for two years now that the majority of Realtors don’t care about working in an office environment. It’s not like it was just a few short years ago. What Realtor in today’s world doesn’t have a home computer, scanner, and copier and probably better equipment than most brick and mortar environments?

The need for a brick and mortar environment has by and large disappeared. The productive Realtors no longer have to go to the office to do their work. If I may, I’d like to offer up a solution that may turn out to be a win-win-win. A win for our company, a win for all the brokers out there that are struggling with losing Realtors to the 100% business model and a win for the Realtor.

You have to look at our business model as an annuity. We don’t share in the Realtors’ commission. We only collect a small fee for the Realtor to belong to our company and then the Realtor keeps 100% of their commission. Therefore, our profit comes from the number of Realtors we have paying that small fee. With that said, to every broker out there in this country, I’m going to make this offer. Every time you face the prospect of losing a Realtor to a 100% company, send them to Allison James Estates and Homes, and we will pay you 20% of our gross on that Realtor for as long as that Realtor remains with Allison James Estates and Homes. That way you will be creating an annuity for yourself every time you lose a Realtor, rather than the old way of doing business and just losing all the income from that Realtor when they leave you. We will also extend our referral fees to the broker for every Realtor that joins us, and those referral fees are quite attractive.

James A. Crumbaugh III is CEO of Allison James Estates and Homes and can be reached at jcrumbaugh@allisonjames.net.

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Reviewing some of the literature and resources on the subject reveals information such as the following:

-Generation X, also referred to as the Baby Busters, number 48 million in the United States population. They are the original “Latchkey” kids—independent, skeptical and techno-literate individuals. They are the MTV generation.

-Generation Y, the Echo Boomers, numbers 80 million and is larger than the Baby Boom in size. It’s the Generation Me, confident, collaborative and bathed in bits crowd.

Knowing about and understanding the desires and preferences of these generations will better arm those looking to be of service to them.

These population groups:

-Own computers

-Use a cell phone

-Use instant messaging and social networking sites—and they log on regularly

-Use websites as their primary source of news

-Author and read blogs

-Download music and other media using peer-to-peer file sharing

-Own some type of portable music and/or video device, such as an iPod

These folks are also the young and future real estate professionals. MLS 5.0 is built to fulfill the expectations of the Realtor and consumer of today, as well as the Realtor and consumer of tomorrow.

Being at the Center of the Conversation

This is a key component to success in real estate sales in the future. It is no longer sufficient to be at the “center of the transaction.” If a Realtor waits until the transaction, it is too late. To be at the center of the transaction, the Realtor must be at the center of the conversation about real property, participating with consumers far in advance of the actual listing or sale. This has always been the case, and is now more and more taking place through visibility and participation on the Internet, through social networking and social influence marketing. MLS 5.0 on its public-facing side will give consumers and Realtors the ability to engage and discuss.

Web 2.0 concepts and philosophies, sharing and collaborating, must be built into the MLS structure and mindset. Transparency will become more important and if the industry is not ready to give the consumer what they want, the consumer will get what they want from someone else.

Tell us what you think or request the full article series to date at: thefutureofmls@point2.com.

Saul Klein is CEO of InternetCrusade and Point2 Technologies Inc.

For more information, please visit www.point2agent.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

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According to the company, Point2 allows every active SABOR broker and agent to syndicate property listings automatically, with website live feed updates from Point2 occurring every 24 hours. Users will no longer have to manually send their listings to individual websites. With the syndication dashboard provided by Point2, users can view regular updates on Internet traffic generated by their MLS listings. Users can also set their preferences on which sites they would like to have their listings placed as well as view prospect information. Members with at least one active MLS listing will be able to activate their syndication dashboards. 

“We welcome SABOR’s leadership and its 7,000 members to the Point2 community, and we look forward to helping them capitalize on the Internet’s potential,” said Saul Klein, chief executive officer, Point2 Technologies. “Distribution trumps destination on the Internet today and the members of SABOR will receive the benefit of broad listing distribution at no additional cost.” 

For more information, visit www.sabor.com or www.point2.com. 

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

According to the company, the Pedal to Properties website offers innovative ways for Pedal to Properties franchisees, agents and clients to interact online. In addition to standard home searches and detailed mapping options, the site offers information on neighborhood characteristics, local market research, nearby services and restaurants and crime statistics. Consumers also have the ability to save preferences and store and share information through the website. 

“Pedal to Properties combines innovative services, sophisticated technology and a commitment to the environment. We wanted our website to reflect that,” said Tim Majors, president of U.S. operations for Pedal to Properties. “Although the site is built on a sophisticated platform, it is straightforward and easy to navigate because we purposefully designed it with the needs of our franchisees, agents and clients in mind.” 

For more information, visit www.pedaltoproperties.com. 

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