This is an article that I found on Ezine Articles that may be useful to you all. The author, Melissa Riley, who is also here on AR, has some extremely important information to share.
According to NAR's 2008 "Profile of Buyers" and how they find properties, it makes sense to market listings using the 80/20 rule:
33% find their property through a real estate agent
32% find their property through the internet
15% through a "for sale" sign
Based upon this 80%, how would you develop your listing marketing strategy?
Let's start with marketing to other real estate agents. After placing the listing on MLS, this segment is virtually disregarded by many listing agents. Do you know the top agents who are most likely to show and sell your listing? Do you have their email addresses? How do you market to them? With inventory levels high in many areas, it's important to keep your listing "top of mind" to those top agents. Prudential Real Estate Affiliates has "ecards", which are effortless to send out. Some agents use Constant Contact, and some use "Floor Plans Online". Whatever you decide to use, be consistent with your contact to agents, highlighting the most compelling features of the house.
Next is the internet: Let's begin with the basics of photos. Do your photos present your listing in the best possible light? Do they help your listing stand out from the competition? Are you maximizing the number of photos allowable on every site? Since over 87% of all buyers begin their search on the web, attention to the quality of photos becomes one of the most crucial marketing tools. Also, which sites is your company on which enable you to create a differentiation for you or your listings? Have you claimed your listings on trulia.com or zillow.com? Do you place your open houses online to drive traffic? Consumers (including us) love the detail of the information, the ability to search unassisted, that it's 2/47 and real time and the interactivity of the internet. Web presence for listing will grow rapidly for buyers as they demand more information and technology to assist them in their home search.
And, as uninspiring as they are, "for sale" signs still work. While they're not that exciting, they remain a basic tool for a consumer to find a home in an area or neighborhood with which they are already comfortable. The effectiveness of for sale signs also increases with listings with high curb appeal.
In the next few years, success in marketing listings will include a meshing of a strong, compelling and unique online presence, including social networking sites and comprehensive marketing to local, targeted agents. Top agents will persist in pushing the envelope in getting their inventory to stand out from the crowd.
I almost forgot....print advertising? A whopping 3% and dead last on the list of how buyers find properties.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_Riley
We hope that you enjoyed this great information.
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Lori Kim Polk is the Founder and Lead Designer of Artful Journey Designs and Staging, a full service Home Staging and Design Corporation combined with Ryan Dressel from Stage Right Design located in Roseville, California. Recently featured in Sacramento Magazine, Sacramento News and Review, KFBK radio and SMUD's Home of the Future. We proudly service Granite Bay, Rocklin, Lincoln, Sacramento and surrounding areas.
Call us today at 916-300-0402 or 916-517-5710 for our premier services. "The art of selling your home!"
Lori Kim Polk and Ryan Dressel are owners of Stage Right Design, a full service Home Staging and Design Corporation and nationally recognized leader within the home staging industry located in Roseville, California. Lori and Ryan have combined forces in order to better serve their growing list of clients in the Sacramento areas. They have been recently featured in Staging Standard Magazine, Sacramento Magazine, Sacramento News and Review, KFBK radio and SMUD's Home of the Future. Sponsors for the PCAR 2010 Masters Club Awards and proudly serving Granite Bay, Rocklin, Lincoln, Sacramento, and surrounding areas with exceptional home staging.
See our most recent listings: Listings for Stage Right Design
We are presently the #1 Staging Company in the Sacramento area having staged over 50 homes in the first 2 quarters of 2010. Our stats say it all.....current DOM with our staging is 20 days. Call us today at 916-300-0402 or 916-517-5710 for our premier services. "We are changing this market one home at a time!"
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These numbers are wonderful they help us put our money where the buyers are-Internet is still one of the most used sources available.
I really wish NAR wasn't telling other agents to SPAM me with their listings. If it's available, priced properly, and shows well in the MLS, I'll find it and don't need to go through all the listings in my inbox.
Personally, I don't mind receiving some announcements from those I've worked with or from an agent whose homes I have shown in the past. I also enjoy receiving email announcements on open houses. It shows me that they added me to their database and know the price range I have shown previously. Broker's open emails are a good thing as well...it's something I offer my sellers and the feedback really does go a long way with the client. If I have the opportunity, I will go check out those listings and provide feedback to the agent on my own...whether I have an interested client or not.
What I don't like is receiving countless amounts of SPAM from a broker who got my email from a list. I had to "unsubscribe" from someone last week as I received 15 announcements in a two day period. That much SPAM is uncalled for.
Maybe I'm strange, but I think it can be beneficial and a good way to get attention for your property. I've actually shared some of those emails with agents that I know have buyers looking in a specific county/town and price range and they've done the same for me.
Just my .02
Hi Pat... thanks for your input. I think the internet is Fab too.
Donna... thank you for your response. It just proves that everyone is different and what works for some may not work for others. I didn't know that NAR did that.. thanks;)
Tammi... great ".02" I sure wouldn't like that SPAM either. We do a staged listing blast for all our base and they like that because they know us. I have enough emails to deal with everyday too.