blog.propertiesonline.com http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com Technology Tools and Tips for the Real Estate Professional Wed, 22 May 2013 18:05:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Social Media and the Real Estate Agent – Best Practice http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/social-media-and-the-real-estate-agent-best-practice/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/social-media-and-the-real-estate-agent-best-practice/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 18:02:27 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2748 According to the 2011 REALTOR® Technology Report by NAR, 90% of brokers and 91% of agents use social media, primarily to engage with consumers and other real estate professionals. The trend is growing almost exponentially. Most readers will be quite familiar with the main general social networking sites that can offer something to realtors – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+ and Instagram and Flickr. Did you know there are real estate specific social media sites, as well? Activerain and RealTown provide access to communities, networks, content and thought leadership. Today’s agent needs to engage with social media. Here are some best practice tips. You can’t engage in best practice until you’ve actually engaged – so step one is putting yourself out there. Start promoting your brand via social networking sites. If you’re overwhelmed, start small by selecting just one or two sites, and build as you gain confidence and experience. Remember that social media gives you a great opportunity to combine your professional reputation and brand with something a bit more tangible and real. Let your personality shine through. Share your knowledge, but don’t cram your listings or commentary down people’s throats. There is nothing more annoying than popping on to Facebook and seeing 10 ads in a row from some “professional” I thought I liked. Don’t be that guy. Social media, like most marketing efforts, is not a magic solution. You won’t see results in a day. Keep at it, make sure people can find you easily, stay relevant and current, find other professionals you respect and follow their lead – if you put the effort it, you’ll eventually see results, and will most likely end up enjoying yourself quite a bit along the way! Don’t be afraid to blog – it’s a free way to prove yourself as a thought leader, an expert in real estate, a committed agent and more. Blogging gives you a platform to share your ideas, thoughts, knowledge and commentary in far greater detail than, say, Facebook and LinkedIn. A blog is also highly complimentary to your efforts on the aforementioned sites. Promote your blog posts via your social networking profiles, and remember to link EVERYTHING back to your website. Your bios should be similar across all sites – brand consistency is key – but they shouldn’t be identical. Pay attention to the atmosphere. Interaction is important when it comes to social networking. If you’re doing it right and well, you’re having a two-way (or more!) conversation – not a one way dump. Remember how important the old fashioned phone call used to be? Social media relationships and conversations are just as important now. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers – how many followers and likes you receive. But you’re doing this to support your business objectives. Quality is what you need, much more than quantity.   Social Media and the Real Estate Agent – Best Practice is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Social Media and the Real Estate Agent – Best Practice is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/social-media-and-the-real-estate-agent-best-practice/feed/ 0 Secure Listings with Single Property Websites http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/secure-listings-with-single-property-websites/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/secure-listings-with-single-property-websites/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 16:23:45 +0000 Vered http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=574 Are you using single property websites for your listings? If you’re not, you’re missing on a great opportunity to impress sellers and win listings. Single property websites are web pages that are entirely dedicated to just one property. They have many different advantages that make them an important tool in any realtor’s marketing arsenal. Single property websites provide a one-stop destination for buyers who want info on the property. They can be used to promote the property in social media, and they are great for SEO because they include the property’s address in the URL. Above all, property websites impress sellers. We haven’t yet come across even a single seller who remained indifferent to their house being featured on a website that is fully dedicated to that house! Sellers love single property websites because they create a highly professional, beautifully packaged presentation of their house. The best single property websites, such as those offered by Listing Domains, enable you to create a demo website and present it to potential clients. Doing so almost guarantees that you would land the listing because it shows the sellers how hard you are willing to work for them (of course, they don’t know how easy these websites are to set up!). It also shows them that you are Internet savvy and that you are going to use advanced marketing methods to promote their property. Surprisingly, single property websites are very affordable. For a one-time fee of $60, agents who set up a Listing Domains property site get a high-quality, professional looking website that stays live for a full year and helps them secure listings, keep sellers happy, attract buyers, and establish themselves as Internet-savvy real estate professionals. Another option is to get a subscription to Listings Unlimited where you pay only $25/Month to host up to 25 Websites at any given time. Listings Unlimited includes a 3rd level domain name (12North.isForSale.com) with an option to purchase a premium domain and a custom sign rider. Secure Listings with Single Property Websites is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Secure Listings with Single Property Websites is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/secure-listings-with-single-property-websites/feed/ 0 How Real Estate Agents are Using Mobile Technology http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/how-real-estate-agents-are-using-mobile-technology-2/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/how-real-estate-agents-are-using-mobile-technology-2/#comments Fri, 10 May 2013 18:48:18 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2715 2012 was a big year for mobile technology and social media use – especially in the real estate sector. Mobile technology has been called a ‘Game Changer’ for the modern realtor, and social media offers a promising return on investment. Let’s take a closer look at just how real estate agents are using mobile technology and social media. A Look at Mobile Technology The most popular device purchased by real estate agents in 2012 was a smartphone (44%), followed by tablets (27%) and laptops (19%). According to Pew Research’s study “Mobile is the needle; Social is the thread”, internet use in the U.S. has increased from 14% to 82 percent since 1995. Eighty-five percent of adults in America have a cellphone of which 45% use smartphones, 2/3 are wireless internet users and slightly over 66% of online adults use social media. The survey also revealed that: Real estate is about relationships and locations – it is not best served by being chained to an office or a desk. Mobile technology frees the real estate agent to work and connect with clients whereever and whenever. A Look at Social Media Use In its survey and report, the 2012 Use of Mobile Technology & Social Media, the California Association of Realtors (CAR), discovered that “close to two-thirds of the survey respondents measure ROI based on referrals, followed by leads, friends or followers, and website visits … In addition, social media provides a relatively inexpensive (and in some cases free) form of advertising … This could also be the reason why 66% of realtors consider social media an integral tool in a marketing plan.” The survey also revealed that: Real estate agents are using social media to: Social media is relatively new to many real estate agents and brokers. It’s been around 10 or so years, but its mainstream use is much more recent. The CAR survey found that 62% of realtors consider themselves social media beginners. But that simply tells me that there is a lot of progress to be made – and a lot of leads waiting to be captured. In fact, 90% of home buyers indicated they are receptive to receiving information about the home buying process directly from their agent via social media! The biggest takeaway is this: “The real estate business is also very much a relationship business, requiring great customer care and sales expertise. Having the tools that allow agents to be aggressive as well as keeping in constant communication with customers provides great advantage.” SOURCE: The California Association of Realtors: 2012 Use of Mobile Technology & Social Media How Real Estate Agents are Using Mobile Technology is a post from: Properties Online Blog

How Real Estate Agents are Using Mobile Technology is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/how-real-estate-agents-are-using-mobile-technology-2/feed/ 0 House Prices on the Rise http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/house-prices-on-the-rise/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/house-prices-on-the-rise/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 19:31:38 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2633 In 20 U.S. cities, home prices have reached highs not seen since 2006, according the S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values. House prices are on the rise in certain parts of the country, with residential real estate prices increasing in January the most they’ve done since June 2006. The Federal Housing Finance Agency agreed, with its records showing that real estate prices advanced 6.5 per cent in the year through January. With interest rates staying relatively low, these prices help bolster the recovering market. The highest producing city on the index was Phoenix, Arizone, with 23.2 per cent surge over the last year. Even New York, which had been in a 28 month slump, turned around with a 0.6 per cent increase for January. NAR stats showed that median home value climbed to $173,600, up 11.6 per cent on a year ago – the biggest gain since November 2005. The hope, say many, is that higher prices will encourage more home owners to list their homes for sale with an agent, luring more home buyers into the market, eventually causing more new homes to be built.       House Prices on the Rise is a post from: Properties Online Blog

House Prices on the Rise is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/house-prices-on-the-rise/feed/ 0 Home Shoppers in the Digital House Hunt Age http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/home-shoppers-digital-house-hunt/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/home-shoppers-digital-house-hunt/#comments Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:23:13 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2629 The National Association of Realtors recently collaborated with Google to research digital habits of home buyers, to “better understand the evolving role of digital media in the consumer home search process.” The result? A realization that today’s home shopper is über-connected, to say the least. The report, called the Digital House Hunt, takes a careful look at home shoppers in the digital age, specifically as they shop for real estate. “Consumers are going online at a rapid pace to look for information to support their buying decisions,” says the report. “They watch ‘how-to’ videos on YouTube, they read review sites, they look up specific brands on search engines, and even research on the go with their smartphones and tablets.” Google calls this the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT): “the idea that shopping is no longer about showing up in a store, or in our cases at a brokers’ office or an open house, seeking advice or counsel on what to buy or how much they should spend.” Over half (52%) of today’s home buyers turn to the internet first when they begin their property or home search, and 9 out of 10 rely on the web as a primary search resource. Google says real estate searches have grown 22% year-on-year, and 253% over the past 4 years, while Google real estate related searches on mobile devices grew 120% percent year-over-year from 2011to 2012. Today’s home shopper is digitally connected from multiple access points, requires flexibility, mobility and an ‘always on’ shopping atmosphere. Don’t miss these key findings: 69% of home shoppers who take action on a real estate brand website begin their research with a local term (i.e. “Houston homes for sale” on a search engine) 52% of actions on real estate brand sites come directly from a local search on a search engine Homes hoppers using search engines are 9% more likely to take action on a real estate brand website than those who do not search Real estate consumers who use the internet while researching a home are more likely to use multiple sources YouTube is the top video research destination for home searchers 88% of buyers use an agent Finding an agent and agent related searches on YouTube has grown 46% year-over-year   Read the full report HERE. Home Shoppers in the Digital House Hunt Age is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Home Shoppers in the Digital House Hunt Age is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/home-shoppers-digital-house-hunt/feed/ 0 Why Use Video to Sell Real Estate http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/why-use-video-to-sell-real-estate/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/why-use-video-to-sell-real-estate/#comments Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:21:24 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2626 The NAR tells us that 73% of home sellers would choose a real estate agent who uses video to sell their property over one who does not. That means the small 3% of agents who are actually using video have a major advantage. Are you one of them? Why use video to sell real estate? Well, if getting a leg up on some 97% of your competition to attract nearly ¾ of sellers isn’t reason enough, read on. People like video, and the statistics back it up. While the average web user spends 48 seconds on a website, the same user spends close to 6 minutes (5 minutes, 50 seconds) on a website that has video. It’s simple, really. If your real estate website and individual property websites include video, your visitors are likely to stay longer. And the longer a user stays on your website, the more likely they are to translate into a lead. Video is said to be a whopping 53 times more effective at drawing people in than text alone! Since 2009, video traffic from mobile devices has increased 5000%. Every day, YouTube receives 4 billion video views, and the site has predicted that this year (2013), 90% of web traffic will be video. And websites that include relevant, optimized video are 57% more likely to be on page one of Google than those that do not. Single property websites allow real estate agents and brokers to market each property to its fullest, instilling a sense of trust and competency with both sellers and buyers. Filled with images, rich text, floor plans, neighborhood information and mortgage tools, single property websites convey a strong message of professionalism. Video is today a critically important piece of the puzzle. Video gives potential home buyers a much richer online experience than video alone. The movement created by video brings still shots to life, giving viewers a feeling of walking through the home themselves. Adding video to your property websites sells more real estate by inviting more interest, more attraction and more leads. Are you ready?   Visit www.virtuets.com to get started using video to sell real estate now.   Why Use Video to Sell Real Estate is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Why Use Video to Sell Real Estate is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/why-use-video-to-sell-real-estate/feed/ 0 Get More Real Estate Leads Through Your Website http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/get-more-real-estate-leads-through-your-website/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/get-more-real-estate-leads-through-your-website/#comments Sat, 20 Apr 2013 18:58:53 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2622 There is no shortage of web development options for the professional real estate agent. But how can you ensure that what you end up with after your financial investment is, in fact, a professionally designed, high quality agent website that actually works to bring you more leads? Get more real estate leads through your website by making smart online choices and thinking comprehensively. Whether you’re a sole agent, a real estate office full of agents or a property manager, professional real estate website builders like RealEstateSites.com are your answer to a web solution that actually delivers sellers and buyers. Your website, which can be up and running within mere minutes—REALLY!—is only one part of the total package. When you’re looking for a website solution that will deliver leads, look for an integrated package that can also provide: Customizable design Personalized domain name Mobile website version Unlimited pages and links Unlimited photos and graphics Full screen photo tour Social media integration Video builder technology Craigslist integration Listing sindication Micro property sites IDX property search (MLS) CRM RSS feeds Interactive maps Neighborhood data Market reports Recently sold homes QR Code generator Postcard printing Agent blast e-marketing lists and functionality Property widgets Drip marketing Text leads Google Analytics plug-in PayPal integration YouTube plug-in Zillow market data MSN Live Earth Custom domain riders Free trial period You see how quickly a basic real estate website can turn into so much more. Trusting an expert to put all the puzzle pieces together makes good business sense, and allows you to focus your time on what you do best: selling real estate. Still not convinced? Try setting up a free demo website right now, and see just how easy it is to start generating more real estate leads online. Get More Real Estate Leads Through Your Website is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Get More Real Estate Leads Through Your Website is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/get-more-real-estate-leads-through-your-website/feed/ 0 SMS Marketing is Tops for Real Estate Pros http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/sms-marketing-is-tops-for-real-estate-pros/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/sms-marketing-is-tops-for-real-estate-pros/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:44:20 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2528 Real estate agents rely on a lot of traditional marketing tools, such as signage, to promote their properties for rent or sale. The rise of the internet brought email marketing to the fore, but it is being rapidly trumped by SMS (text messaging) marketing. And SMS marketing is a great thing for real estate professionals. Over 5 million of the world’s 6.8 million people own a cell phone, and Americans send more than 193 billion SMS and MMS messages every month. Morgan Stanley tells us that 91% of all smart phone users keep their phones within arms’ reach 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And one of the first rules of marketing is what? That’s right: go where your customers are. Marketing via text message is one of the smartest, most effective and inexpensive options available. More than 73% of cell phone users already use their phones to send and receive text messages, and the positives only carry on from there. Text response times trump email response times nearly every time. Take this statistic from CITA.org – It take the average person 90 minutes to respond to an email, but just 90 seconds to respond to a text message. Too many emails end up unopened and unread, lost to the spam or trash folder – some 88%, in fact. But over 97% of SMS messages are opened, 93% of which are read within 3 minutes of receipt. Conversion rates and clickthrough rates (CTRs) are also much higher for text than email. The average CTR for text messaging is 14.06%, with an average conversion rate of 8.22%. But email only brings an average CTR of 6.64%, with an average conversion rate of 1.73%. And research by Search Engine Land reveals that online computer searches typically produce an action (an inquiry, sale, etc.) within a month. However, the same search on a smartphone produces an action within just one hour, says Mobile Marketer. Handy tools like Smart Lead Capture take all the guesswork out of how to create an effective SMS marketing plan. Smart Lead Capture links mobile friendly property websites with SMS and QR Capture Codes and a backend CMS to provide a comprehensive solution for the smart, busy real estate agent. Prospective buyers gain immediate access to property information while the agent lands a viable lead simultaneously. Text marketing is the easy answer to great leads. SMS Marketing is Tops for Real Estate Pros is a post from: Properties Online Blog

SMS Marketing is Tops for Real Estate Pros is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/sms-marketing-is-tops-for-real-estate-pros/feed/ 0 Notability for iPad – Take Note http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/notability-for-ipad-take-note/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/notability-for-ipad-take-note/#comments Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:39:59 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2513 2012’s bestselling note taker app for the iPad was Notability, and it’s no surprise. This intuitive, feature rich app allows users to take organized, media rich notes, record audio, embed photos, pictures drawn by hand, web pages, and more. Annotation, automated lists, and multiple backup and export options make the app even more attractive to professional users, such as real estate agents. There is no need to wait until you’ve back at the office to finalize a contract for a client. Simply open the document in PDF form using Notability and sign then and there with a finger or a stylus. Auto-synchronizing features allow users to sync tools like Dropbox between their iPad and iPhone, ensuring notes, photos, lists and more are always available. The app, created by Ginger Labs, has received a customer rating of 4.5 stars in the iTunes store. It integrates handwriting, PDF annotation, typing, recording, and organizing simply and stylishly. The latest version (4.42) is fantastic for users who regularly hand large notes and PDFs. “Not only can you bookmark pages, but you can also filter the entire note by bookmarked pages, or by PDF annotations if you’re working on a PDF,” says Justin at Ginger Labs. And Notability is now in the cloud, with Google Drive. This free cloud service allows you to store and share your notes, as well as automatically backup your notes (when combined with auto-sync). And with Google Drive, you get the added benefit of being able to import .ppt, .doc, and .xls files as PDFs into Notability. Winning. The paperless office fantasy may never materialize, but great apps like Notability get us one step closer. Notability for iPad – Take Note is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Notability for iPad – Take Note is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/notability-for-ipad-take-note/feed/ 0 Beyond Google Analytics http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/beyond-google-analytics/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/beyond-google-analytics/#comments Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:30:06 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2245 An important part of running a website – any website – is periodically checking your website statistics. After you’ve done everything you can to promote your listing website, including search engine optimization, craigslist posting and social media marketing, you need to check and see if your efforts are paying off, and fine-tune your marketing efforts accordingly. Google Analytics is an amazing tool that can help you track all sorts of facts about your website. Google Analytics is an invaluable tool for analyzing your website that delivers enterprise-class web analytics for free. In fact, if you have a website and aren’t using Google Analytics, you’re seriously missing out on some critical and usable information. Installing Google Analytics on your website can help you to track how visitors arrive at, interact on and follow calls-to-action, giving you an insider’s peek at the functionality of your website. But you may feel like it’s time to supplement or verify the data you get from GA with something more. So where else might you take a look? Get nosy with ClickTale, by watching them as they navigate your site. Where do they go, where do they place their cursors, how many clicks do they make, how long do they stay on each page? You’ll never have to guess again. Use CrazyEgg to rapidly find links on your site that aren’t leading to conversions. Then remove or change them. Use Listing Domains as a full-service web marketing shop, complete with live, advanced website statistics. Use Woopra to build a comprehensive, real-time profile and timeline for every user, tracking them from anonymous visitor to converted unique customer across multiple devices. 4Q gives you the ability to use four question surveys to capture, analyze and qualify your customers. It has been called the “best free qualitative analytics tool on the market.” More live, real time stats on visitor origin, content, searches, and more can be found using GetClicky. Learn which keywords are most important on your site with Keyword Envy, by tracking your website’s performance. Scope out your competition with SEOQuake, and find out important nuggets of information that may help explain why they rank higher than you in search engine results.       Beyond Google Analytics is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Beyond Google Analytics is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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