Skip to Navigation | Skip to Page Content

Realestock Blog

The New Real Estate Sales Tools

Posted by: admin in Social Media, Sales, Realtors, Marketing, advertising on May , 2010

Any Realtor will tell you that Real Estate is a competitive industry – between competition from other agents, demands from clients, and the breakneck pace of technological updates to keep up on, it’s not surprising that some agents might be wistful for the simpler days when adding their listings to MLS, printing out some direct mail pamphlets and taking out a few advertisements in the local paper were their real estate sales tools. 
So how are successful agents marketing property now? How do you sell real estate today? It’s as simple as BYOB. No, not Bring Your Own… Beverage…
The new sales tools are all about setting up a Brand, using Yourself as a tool, getting your listings Online and setting up a Blog.


Brand
Chances are when you are thinking about a major purchase, you’ll gravitate to a brand that fits your needs. How do you know that a Honda is a better fit for you than a Hummer? Simple – if you’re looking for a car that’s reliable and fuel efficient, you know that Honda is a brand you associate with those qualities. If you already associate a brand with the things you’re looking for, you’ll turn to that brand when you want to buy.
Real estate is no different. A potential client is looking for an expert in the type of home they want to buy or sell. If someone is looking for to sell their high end downtown condo, they’re not going to start with a real estate agent that is primarily in the business of selling family bungalows.  Take what you know, and make it your brand. If you have a lot of interest in local history and architecture, brand yourself as a Historical Homes Expert, and use your knowledge to connect to people who want a heritage home. Drive sales using a unique brand as a real estate tool.


Yourself
If you feel that Twitter and Facebook are replacing ‘real’ interactions with people, you’re about half right. Yes, people are increasingly socializing online, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t want to actually socialize – quite the opposite. In the age when anyone can connect to anyone else, the best real estate sales tool you can have is… yourself! Engage your twitter followers, follow your local hashtag, attend things like ‘tweetups’ and actually become friends with the people you talk to online.  Put yourself out there as not only a real estate agent, but a friendly, local expert.


Online
Putting a listing onto MLS is now just one sales tool. Creating a website to showcase your listings, putting videos of house tours up on YouTube (way better than just a few photos), using location based listing services and specialty real estate websites can greatly increase the chances that a listing will be seen. There are numerous online real estate tools that can be used to market and sell real estate and not just to locals – buyers from other areas, and people looking for investment properties in other markets are likely to use online services to find properties. Getting online and getting exposed is the way to sell real estate.


Blog
When you want information on something, you probably hop online and Google it. Looking for a Realtor is no different. So how do you make sure your name, and your website comes up first? Blog, blog, blog! 

A blog demonstrates that you know about the local market, have good insights and are at the top of your game.  It also gives a search engine something to find you with. If you want to position yourself as the top seller of high end condos in Vancouver, start a blog – they’re one of the most powerful real estate sales tools.  If your blog has lots of posts about condos, apartments and downtown Vancouver living, it’s more likely to be picked up by search engines; therefore, when someone searches for “downtown Vancouver Condos Real Estate Agent” your blog will be one of the first to show up.

Comment (1)

What Do You Get for $1,000,000?

Posted by: admin in Vancouver, Tokyo, Seattle, Paris, New York, million dollar homes, International Real Estate, Europe on May , 2010

Imagine a million dollar home.
Did you imagine a palatial estate, with sprawling, manicured grounds, a pool and guest house? Or did you think of a glamourous  apartment, in the trendiest part of town, close to incredible shops and world class restaurants?
Depending where you choose to live, a million dollars could get you your dream palace, or it could you you an apartment that may... not live up to your daydreams. Realestock searched all over the world to show you what a million dollars will get you in five world class cities.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
vancouver 1
Well known for having the hottest real estate market in Canada, Vancouver defied market trends, with the average prices increasing despite the worldwide recession. Famous for incredible mountains, a strong economy and being an olympic host city.
What do you get for $1,000,000?
If you’re looking for a home to call your own in Vancouver without moving to the suburbs or the rougher east side, and all you have to spend is a million, you’ll be looking at a fairly modest house pretty far away from downtown. The better bet is on a condo - in the million dollar price range, you can get yourself a two bedroom sub-penthouse in the tony Yaletown district.
Size: 1049 sq feet
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Price: $999,900 CAD
Tokyo, Japan
tokyo 1
The original housing bubble economy, Tokyo real estate is expensive because the city is incredibly crowded - over 8 million people live in the city proper, but adding all the outlying suburbs and towns that are connected by the massive rail network swells that number to a mind blowing 30,000,000 people. With so many people wanting to live in a limited area, real estate is valued above all else.
What do you get for $1,000,000?
A surprisingly large apartment in Kagurazaka - a neighbourhood in the classy, ultra-modern and fashionable Shinjuku Ward of Tokyo. Kagurazaka boasts tree-lined streets, some of the best traditional Japanese restaurants in Tokyo, and lots of of history - the area was home to geisha and artists in the 18th century. Watch out for the extra fees though - parking, building management and maintenance fees are an extra $1,300 a month!
Size: 125.55 sq m (1,351 sq feet)
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 1
Price: ¥89,500,000 (or about $1,002,129 CAD)
Seattle, Washington, USA
seattle 1
Seattle - the home of high tech companies such as Amazon and Microsoft, and the birthplace of the global obsession with good coffee. Despite its high tech industry, Seattle is delightfully down to earth, filled with funky, hole in the wall eateries and friendly people.
What do you get for $1,000,000?
A brand new apartment right the middle of downtown with a waterfront view - and only a few blocks from the internationally famous Pike Place market. The Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue condominiums have floor to ceiling windows, high end appliances and all the amenities that you’d expect to have in a million dollar apartment in one of the best and most exciting parts of Seattle.
Size: varies (from 1,787 sq feet)
Bedrooms: varies
Bathrooms: varies
Price: $1,000,000 USD + (or about $ 1,032,680 CAD +)
Paris, France
paris1
Ask almost anyone to name the most romantic city on earth, and they'll probably say Paris. Historic, beautiful, and cultural. Those fortunate enough to live in Paris live in one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world - Paris gets an estimated 45,000,000 annual visitors to see its sights.
What do you get for $1,000,000?
Paris is divided into 20 Arrondissements (administrative districts), and for $1,000,000 or about €785,000 Euro, you can have your pick of where to live - one of the best places would be the 1st Arrondissement, one of the oldest in Paris, home of the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens to name just two of the famous sites. This one bedroom apartment is a little less than $1,000,000 but it's smack dab in the middle of the Arrondissement, and only blocks from some of Paris’ most famous museums.
Size: 58m sq (about 625 sq feet)
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Price: €630,000 (or about $800,000 CAD)
New York, New York, USA
new york 1
If you’re bored in New York, you’re doing something wrong. From chic galleries to broadway plays, from the quiet of Central park to the hustle of the financial district, when most people think of a world class city, they think of New York.
What do you get for $1,000,000?
Manhattan real estate is expensive because there’s just not that much to go around, but at the 1 million price point, you can live almost anywhere in the city, including the super desirable Park Avenue in midtown. A historic pre-war building with high ceilings, art deco style and doorman make it a perfect New York apartment.
Size: varies
Bedrooms: varies
Bathrooms: varies
Price: up to $1,055,000 USD (or up to about $1,094,140 CAD)

Comment (0)

Why the iPad is the Best New Tool for Realtors

Posted by: admin in Realtors, Realestock, Marketing, iPad, Contests, Community on May , 2010

7 Ways to use the iPad in Real Estate and 1 way to win an iPad for yourself!

Why do so many people lust after iPads? These “magical” little devices are in hot demand with good reason. Early-adopting realtors have been quick to jump on the iPad bandwagon, using it to enhance their open houses, presentations, and showings.  Want to know how?

Here are 7 ways to effectively use an iPad in real estate:

  1. Use your iPad as an interactive signup sheet for open house visitors. Bonus: Don’t waste time later transcribing information into your CRM or contact management software.
  2. Use Yelp or Google maps to quickly show buyers how close by great restaurants, schools, grocery stores or any other amenities are.
  3. Set up a keynote presentation to play a virtual tour of a property, and email it to buyers who want more information after they’ve seen the open house.
  4. Keep your client’s info at your fingers by accessing documents stored online.
  5. Stop giving yourself eyestrain by looking at your iPhone to access MLS listings, emails and maps!
  6. Flag the map locations of properties for clients and get immediate driving directions from each location.
  7. Buyers not so interested in the open house, but like the area? Have PDFs of your other listings in the area easily accessible for them to browse on the iPad.

Sounds good, right? Well, the best way to see if something will work for you is to try it – and Realestock is giving away a free iPad to give you that chance!

How do you win? Just head on over to the Realestock Facebook page, and share your real estate social media success story, OR why you think an iPad would be great for your business. The most insightful or inspiring story will win – simple as that.

Contest closes June 4, 2010. Good Luck!

Comment (0)

Social Media: The Future of Real Estate Marketing

Posted by: admin in Sales, Realestock, Marketing, Community, advertising on May , 2010

Last week the Globe and Mail ran an article that suggested that not everyone needs a real estate agent to sell their property. The idea was, with enough time, effort and marketing know-how, anyone could attract buyers by using For Sale by Owner services (FSBO) and leveraging the power of the internet – blogs, websites, social media, etc.
Of course, these are all things that Real Estate agents knew already - if you advertise in the right places, potential buyers will see your product. However the question then becomes, if everyone can use these tools to sell one home, how can a Real Estate agent them to sell many, many homes?  Answer: Social Media Real Estate Marketing - a successful real estate agent doesn’t just list a property online – they leverage social media to increase awareness of their services, their listings, and connect with buyers wherever they might be. But how do you use social media to sell a home?
Get on Facebook & Twitter:
Most Real Estate agents have a Facebook page and a twitter account. However, a good real estate marketer isn’t using social media to arrange movie nights – their accounts and pages have links to their listings, interesting news, and discussions with their followers, clients and fans about real estate. It’s a place people can go to get good information and engaging discussion.  A savvy real estate marketer will have links back to their blog as well.

Reading and Writing Blogs:
A successful Real Estate Agent will have a lot of good ideas about the best ways to stay motivated, find the best possible homes for their clients, and sell real estate in their area. The best have blogs where they share this insight – positioning themselves as thought leaders in their areas. The very best read other’s blogs, taking in new information and using it. Every client wants an agent who is informed and knowledgeable, so use a blog to demonstrate how informed you are and keep yourself at the top of the game. A good blog will allow readers to share posts they like on Twitter and Facebook – even further maximizing the potential for exposure.
Creating a Connected Marketplace:
Putting a property listing on MLS is just one of the many ways to help sell it. There are many excellent real estate lead generation services that connect buyers to sellers outside of the traditional channels. Putting pictures online is one thing, listing a property with information about its location and neighborhood, connecting it to mortgage and auction services, and exposing it to buyers from all over the world is something else entirely.  These services can also be integrated with Twitter and Facebook, and help drive traffic back to a blog.
Seems circular, right? Well yes, but that is essentially the point. Each part feeds back into one another; connecting messaging to marketing to awareness. What do you think? What are the best tools a Real Estate Agent can use to connect to buyers and sellers? Do you want more specifics? Let us know in the comments section. 

Comment (0)

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories

Tags