Marketing
{ Wednesday, February 29th, 2012 }
The Best Real Estate Marketing Video Ever
If you have not seen this video, you should. It’s incredible.
Huge Credit/Kudos: Eric Lavey
{ Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 }
Check Mapquest
In most regions of the country, real estate is marketed via a multiple listing service (MLS). Listing agents enter pertinent information pertaining to the property into the system – everything from number of bedrooms to whether or not the property is on public sewer or septic system. It allows for some pretty significant detail to be shared. On the flip side, it has no filter for laziness.
For whatever reason, it bugs me when an agent puts down “check Mapquest” or just “Mapquest” in the “directions” section of a listing. I’m not sure why. I mean, clearly all know where to find Mapquest, and access to smartphones is increasing by the second (I’m pretty sure that one day I’m going to come home to find that my 20 month old daughter has an iPhone). And looking on Mapquest is for many not only a totally acceptable option, but the preferred option. If I didn’t have a GPS in my car, I might do it myself.
Perhaps I’m subconsciously judging them for referring to Mapquest and not Google Maps. Right or wrong, I put using Mapquest on par with AOL for email, Netscape for web browsing and Friendster for social networking. I know, I’m a digital snob.
At the end of the day, I suppose that my distaste stems from the perception of laziness that “check Mapquest” implies. We’re hired by our clients to do absolutely everything in our power to sell their property as fast as possible, for as much as possible. It might be that the overwhelming majority of the people looking at the listing know exactly where the property is… but it only takes one. Directions might provide context for exactly where the house is. Directions might help articulate how close the home is to a popular coffee shop, a beautiful dog park, or a high-falutin’ sub-division. Yes, it is entirely possible that something as banal as the description in the directions section might actually help sell a property faster, and for more money.
Or not.
Regardless, if it only takes two minutes to fill out… there’s no reason not to.
{ Monday, November 21st, 2011 }
A Subtle Way of Encouraging A Breakup
In the process of searching for images for my Metrobrokers Billboard post, I came across an interesting billboard:
Turns out it’s a promotion for a real estate agency in Toronto.
Here’s my take on this: While there have been many occasions when I’ve wanted to tell people to breakup with their agent (and hire me, of course!), I’ve never had the gumption to do it. Its just never felt right. Not sure if it’s my own personal ethics, or if I’ve just assumed that by doing so it would only reflect negatively on me. Regardless, I’ve got to take my hat off to these guys for thinking outside the box. If a Realtor in Atlanta is blogging about it, I’ve got to imagine a couple thousand Torontonians are buzzing over it.
Photo Credit: Adpulp.com
{ Friday, November 18th, 2011 }
Metrobrokers Billboard Missing In Action
How many times have you seen the Metrobrokers billboard on I-85 South? You know the one that I’m talking about- it’s about a half mile north of the 85/75 connector, just next to the MARTA yard:
I don’t think I’ve ever written about a competing brokerage’s marketing, but the Metrobrokers billboard is borderline iconic. While its approach to counting home inventory is often disputed (I’ve been told that it computes the Atlanta housing market based on a 35-county radius), its impact on thousands of commuters is immeasurable. It’s turned everyone into a housing inventory expert- and has become Atlanta’s answer to New York’s famed National Debt Clock:
It’s safe to say that I was more than a little shocked to see the billboard empty when driving down 85 South last night. Not sure if it’s gone for good, or if it’s in the shop for repairs. If the fat lady has in fact sung, this is Atlanta’s greatest vehicular marketing loss since the “Gwinnett Is Great” water towers were taken down.
I suppose, at the end of the day, nothing has been the same since the loss of the So So Def “Welcome to Atlanta” sign:
Photo Credits: Metrobrokers (billboard), Telegraph (Debt Clock), Atlanta Metblogs (So So Def)
{ Monday, October 10th, 2011 }
Bad Real Estate Photography
Bad real estate photography is upsetting on a number of different levels.
For starters, it shortchanges the home that it’s supposed to showcase. There’s plenty of research out there that essentially tells us that good photography is absolutely essential in marketing a home… yet somehow, there are still pictures out there defying such logic:
This is an actual picture from an actual listing.
In defense of my industry, usually the worst offenders come from home owners who are either selling their home on their own. Foreclosures and Short Sales are habitual offenders as well- the homeowner in this case has or will absorb a substantial loss, so there’s no reason to bring Annie Leibowitz in to snap photos of the patio. But I’m still shocked- horrified really- at how often I find myself sending listings to Buyer Clients of homes that are presented so poorly by fellow agents. I understand that times are tough and folks don’t want to shell out a few hundred dollars on professional pictures, but it hurts my eyes when I see shots like this:
Another actual picture. Granted, the trucks do make the driveway look ultra-spacious... but I'm not sure they really "add value" to the marketing efforts.
Admit it- you’ve looked at real estate online and thought the same thing. You hire us to help you maximize your investment or at the very lease mitigate your loss. You expect that our motivation- either out of financial gain or professional obligation- will ensure that we do not so blatantly let you down. Yet, it still happens:
Not a promo shot for Hoarders. An actual photo pulled from a multiple listing service.
I’ve showcased some pretty egregious examples for effect. In reality, most of the mistakes that we see are much more subtle and involve lighting, focus, staging (or lack thereof) and composition. The point however, should not be lost. If you’re going to hire a Realtor to market your home, make sure that they’re committed to good photography.
Or, at the very least, photography.
An actual icon from an an actual listing. Selling a home without providing pictures is not advised.
Photo Credit: Very Vintage Vegas
