Today's Marketing Tools for Real Estate

Being on the cutting edge gives sellers the competitive edge 

You have decided to sell your house. You may already have it on the market or are getting it ready to go on the market. How your home is exposed to the buying public is the key to a successful sale.

Back in the heydy of the sellers market, it was as simple as one ad in the paper. Those days are long gone and aside from the standard protocol of MLSLI (Multiple Listing Service of Long Island) exposure, many new innovations are available that benefit the seller.   

Some of you have most likely already seen the QR codes (short for quick response) that have been showing everywhere, from books and magazines, to signs and consumer products. The QR code is a box that can be scanned by your cell phone with the correct reader application to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the phone's browser.

You will see these boxes on the bottom of the broker’s yard signs. It allows you to have the information on the home and the broker with the click of your phone, including interior pictures, price and tax information, lot size.

It should be noted, that the information does not appear as impressive on a standard Blackberry as it would on an iPhone which has a better viewing capacity for pictures in general. No need to carry around a collection of property brochures, all the information is stored in your phone and easily viewed. 

Using cell phones for marketing by use of text is also becoming very popular. A buyer may drive by a home for sale and call the number on the sign and no one answers, and the flyer box is empty.

However, if the home has a “text for information” sign on it, the house hunter can text in a request and instantly receive property listing information using their mobile phones. The text messaging platform replies in seconds, delivering relevant info including bedrooms, baths, and price. The texting platform also has the capacity to allow the potential buyer to set up a showing or a call back. 

Another marketing tool is the personal property web site. This allows a web presence strictly dedicated to one individual home. It can support many more pictures of the property than MLs and can also be artistically designed to match the personality of the home with music, specific borders, and graphics.

The web site can be linked to MLS as a virtual tour tab, and it filters to numerous other web portals such as craigslist, where buyers might be shopping for a home.

The amount of visits can be tracked so the seller and agent can monitor activity.  I find many buyers like to visit the property site many times when they are in the process of thinking about making an offer, or have already gone to contract on the home and just want to keep looking at it because they are so excited.  
 
 In addition to personal web sites, 24/7 streaming video is now becoming the rage to market homes. With video it evokes a more personal response from the viewer by setting the tone with music and narration, sort of telling a story with each home that buyers can connect with.

With video you can spotlight the community, the parks, the schools, and other area attractions associated with the property. The videos can be posted on Facebook, YouTube, and other social networking applications. Consider the video a commercial about a property for sale and then airing that commercial where thousands of viewers visit every day. Viewers can fast forward, pause, and rewind the videos, and easily share them with their friends and families. 

Technology is moving forward at mind boggling speed. Just when we have a handle on something new, the next “big thing” is announced. We can’t keep track of every new advance but having a basic understanding of current trends is a good thing when the selling of real estate is on your mind. 

Your comments and questions are welcome. Email me at Succosorealty@aol.com