I’m an early adopter with all things technology and as an early adopter, I’m keenly aware that there are pros and cons to buying in early. I’m ok with that. Technology changes rapidly and those of us that are early adopters buy the new technology as it comes out. The latest and greatest as they say.

Real estate marketing, however, has not changed too much for most agents. We all take photos, we all list in the local MLS system(s) and we all try to get the best price we can for each and every new listing we take. After all, it’s the price as it relates to condition and location combined with the photos that attract buyers and beget sales. Right? I think that’s true, but I think we need more, better marketing, in light of the fact that traditional resale homes are having to compete directly against somewhat comparable short sales and foreclosures that have spread like a virus across the real estate landscape.

I don’t think photos are enough. In this market, I think we have to make a more compelling case that are listings are better – worth more than the foreclosures and short sales down the street. I think we need video. I don’t mean panning still images set to some cheesy music either. I’m talking about videos that make your listings (and maybe even you) look fantastic. Here’s a video from some guys in Australia that have taken video over the top!

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Maybe you got one because you liked the idea of staying connected even while out of the office. Maybe you were drawn in by all the exciting “apps.” Or maybe it was the best deal when it came time to upgrade your cell phone. Whatever the reason for its purchase, if you have a smartphone (one that offers more advanced computing fuctions) are you making the best use of it to help your business?

Real estate professionals are especially likely to be aided by a smartphone. Rarely are they tied to a desk all day, and even more rarely do they work a “normal” 9 to 5 schedule.

Here are 6 functions that might make your job a bit easier:

1. Email – Having mobile access to email is often one of the primary attractions of a smartphone. If your company email doesn’t support mobile phone use you may be able to log into your webmail account using the internet browser on your phone. Alternatively you may be able to auto forward a copy of each email to a gmail or other personal address that you will be able to receive on your phone. Check with your company to be sure this is permitted.
2. The MLS – Stay on top of new listings by keeping the MLS at your fingertips. Access it through your web browser or through one of the many available MLS Applications. A company called Smarter Agent has even created an MLS App you can customize with your name and logo and offer to your clients.
3. Social Networking – If you are using Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, or any other social networking platforms in order to stay in front of your clients you are probably aware that these tools are only successful when you continue to provide current and interesting content. Stay connected using your smartphone and you can update your status or weigh in on a conversation on the go. Continue reading this post

One of the things that we tried a few years back at our brokerage, was to provide “online chat” on our website for visitors who wanted some quick information. The thought was that it would provide the user a better experience and that we would get many more leads because of it. We thought that the ability to provide an “instant response” would engage customers in conversation. That did not turn out to be the case. So we let the project drift for a couple of years.

So what has changed that may make this strategy become a more effective experience, marketing wise? For starters, many more websites in other industries are using it, so customers are becoming accustomed to it. Customer service off of websites has taken two routes as the battle to balance customer satisfaction while simultaneously reducing costs has raged. The first effort was to go offshore, but that has proven to be less than satisfactory to the user. Keeping a fully staffed 24 hour a day team here in the states was out of the cost range for the companies. Thus the popularity of online chat for support.

Add to that these following trends and we MAY have the making of a new option for real estate agents: Continue reading this post

One of the questions that I get from REALTORS all of the time while consulting is something like this…

“Do I need to worry about ranking in Yahoo and MSN as well as Google?”

“How much attention should I pay to Yahoo and  MSN?”

While the questions vary slightly, the meaning is exactly the same. Each search engine is different. It is one thing to rank really well on one search engine. It is another thing entirely to rank on two (or more). In the past (before Bing and Yahoo announced that Bing would be powering Yahoo), the answer was splendidly easy. Just worry about Google. The rest do not matter. They simply do not have enough market share to matter.

But what about after Microsoft has spent over $100 million advertising Bing as the “decision engine”? What about once Yahoo is powered by Bing? Will they have enough market share to matter then?

A couple of insights are helpful. The first of them is to know how to get a monthly snapshot of the search engine market share. Continue reading this post

Floor plans have been a standard element in builder marketing materials for years. Recently there have been a number of positive statistics relating to the use of floor plans in the U.K.

Several of the larger property portals there are promoting the fact that properties with floor plans receive 30% more interest than properties that don’t.

It seems like it’s an affordable marketing tool for Realtors. There are some real estate floor plan solutions out there at $10 or less per plan. One such company we’ve seen is Metropix – a floor plan creation solution for real estate professionals. Within this solution, there are multiple ways to create a floor plan, including a “draw your own service”, which costs $9.99 for 48 hours use.

It looks like it’s easy to use, too. For example, if you don’t want to draw yourself, there’s an “AutoDraw” feature that converts a rough sketch/plan into a professional floor plan for you. You can decide mid-way through to upgrade your “classic floor plan” into an interactive floor plan with photographs and/or a 3D floor plan or Walk-through.

What’s your opinion as to whether Realtors would market homes and properties with floor plans? Do you currently use a floor plan solution as part of your marketing? Would such marketing be well received by U.S. consumers?

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If you already have the e-reader device, Kindle, you know how cool it is and you may well be ahead of the game. You can now find the HomeGain Real Estate blog on Kindle.

If you haven’t heard about the Kindle yet, it’s about the size and weight of a paperback book, just 1/3 of an inch – about as thin as a magazine. No PC is required, just download blog posts and books from anywhere. You can read for days without recharging. Plus, with its new text-to-speech feature, Kindle can read every newspaper, magazine, blog, and book out loud to you. Pretty nifty.

The Kindle is much more friendly on the eyes than other portable devices like the iPhone and Blackberry as the screen is larger and not back lit.

To access the HomeGain Real Estate blog on Kindle, just type in “HomeGain” in the search line on your Kindle.

Learn more about Kindle on Amazon.com