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Sealing the Deal on Real Estate Before the Year Ends

Tips for Real Estate Agents on Closing the Sale Even in November

Closing on home sales in late fall or winter might seem more difficult than closing during spring or summer. However, you might be surprised to find out that certain real estate trends could make it easier to close, even in November. Keep the following in mind to help you close on home sales throughout the holiday season.

Less Competition

Fewer homes are on the market during fall and winter, so there isn’t as much competition. In fact, the number of homes for sale from November to December falls by about 15 percent on average. With a more limited number of homes to choose from, buyers might be more likely to put a bid on a home that you’re selling.

Tax Breaks

Buyers who want to make sure they qualify for certain tax breaks on purchasing a home, such as real estate taxes or mortgage interest, will be eager to buy before the end of the year. These buyers will be busy looking for a home in fall and trying to close on it by December 31st at the latest.

If you’re showing homes to buyers during this time of year, let them know about the tax breaks they might be eligible for if they’re unaware of these.

Online Convenience

Even if the weather is cold, buyers can easily search for houses for sale in the comfort of their current home. Online listings with high-quality photos and videos offer a convenient way to market these homes during this time of year when buyers might not want to drive around the area looking at homes.

Make the most of the latest real estate trends, so you can close sales all fall and winter long. Contact Properties Online to find out more about our services for real estate professionals.

Tips for Putting Together Great Marketing Photos

How to Get Those Home Photos That Sell a Property Fast

If you’re a fan of reality TV and those fix-it-and-flip-it shows, you’ve probably noticed that in addition to the show’s host(s), there’s typically one constant: The photographer. And there’s good reason for this. Those skilled in real estate selling know photography can make or break a potential buyer’s attraction to the property, limiting showings and potential offers.

First Impressions are Everything

While it may not be easy to figure out what makes a good photo, identifying bad ones is pretty easy. So how can the average agent ensure better shots? Consider:

What do you want the viewer to see?

Draw the viewer’s eye to what you want them to remember: A stunning fireplace; industrial appliances; a massive pool… When taking shots, focus on this feature, omitting surrounding unnecessary and distracting objects.

Have you lost the bigger picture?

While ‘zooming in’ on key features, be careful not to literally lose the bigger picture. In focusing on those industrial kitchen appliances, did you fail to reveal the kitchen size and layout? Wider shots help buyers make sense of what they’re seeing. Figure out what angle works best, and take lots of photos, zooming in/out.

Are photos too dark?

Brighter is better. That being said, lean toward natural light over light fixtures, allowing a space’s charm to shine through. Clear days are ideal. If lighting washes out shots in rooms with large windows, consider timing: Maybe a morning/afternoon shot or cloudier day could improve the outcome.

Did you skip prep work?

Eradicate clutter, ugly stains, magnet-covered fridges and unmade beds pre-session. Tidy = clean and low-maintenance in the buyer’s eye.

Are your photos tech-poor?

Skip the smartphone for a high-def digital camera – or hire a pro.

Real estate selling can be a tricky business – but photography doesn’t have to be. Get the tips and tricks you need to ensure success with the help of Properties Online today.

What to Know About the Luxury Real Estate Market in These Uncertain Times

Tips to Help Your Buyers Dress Their Home for Fall Selling

Just because the weather cools down, doesn’t mean real estate selling will. The fall market has typically always been a hot buying season, with shoppers continuing to peruse post-back-to-school and pre-holiday season listings. How can you make the most of fall sales?

Eight Tips for Attracting Fall Home Buyers:

1. Clear Overgrown Summer Vegetation.

Wild bushes, runaway summer vines, fading flowers and foliage, and leaf buildup should be cleared away from the home, ensuring a clear path to the entrance and making the property appear low maintenance.

2. Add a Touch of Autumn Curb Appeal.

With mums, marigolds, pumpkins and gourds along the sidewalk and stairs.

3. Add a Touch of the Outdoors, Indoors.

After rooms have been decluttered and depersonalized, bring them by to life with the energy of autumn: Red, orange, and gold throw pillows; Autumn-inspired quilts and throws; Pine cone and nut table centerpieces; Orange candles; Bold autumn accent pieces in groups of 3 or 5.

4. Make Windows Sparkle.

Clear interior window smudges, then head outdoors, removing windows screens, bug and plant debris and cleaning the entire window area.

5. Maintain, then Light the Fireplace.

Have the chimney professionally maintained and key safety items attended. Then clean and decorate the fireplace surround and mantle with fall flare, lighting it when buyers come for a showing.

6. Think with Your Stomach.

Fill a bowl with crisp apples, then set out fresh pumpkin muffins or simmering apple cider.

7. Lighten Things Up.

With cooler weather, days are shortening, and this can darken rooms. Combat this by turning on every light in the house for showings (including closets).

8. Leave Treats.

As a parting treat, encourage prospective buyers to leave comments, leaving a bowl of snack size candy bars in return.

Fall real estate selling doesn’t have to be scary. Treat yourself to the latest real estate selling tricks from Properties Online today.

Connect with clients immediately with chat apps

Should You Use Live Chat Apps on Your Website?

Live chat apps are literally popping up everywhere. In this week’s real estate agent marketing tips, we’ll take a look at this talked about tech, and whether or not it might be right for your business.

Put a Bug in Your Ear
You spend countless hours driving traffic to your real estate agent website. But in your business, and with today’s instant-access lifestyle, it’s easy for first-time visitors to feel ignored. Let’s face it, as much as it would be great for initial client contact to be one-on-one with you, the nature of the realty business makes a prompt, live response tough to tackle.

Live chat apps can be a boon, stepping in to offer real-time answers to potential clients. Doubly-effective, this virtual back-and-forth can also lead to follow-up conversations, providing valuable client insight.

Listen Up!
Live chat apps are highly effective in real estate agent marketing. Despite the industry’s typical lag-time in response to tech, agents and brokerages are jumping aboard due to the bountiful benefits:

– Increased Opportunity
Brokerages leveraging live chat apps see a 36% increase in leads, on average – more than lead sources from prominent listing portals and website contact forms.

– Quality Leads
For each lead garnered through chat services, about 49% are sufficient to qualify for agent follow-up.

– Higher Conversions
REAL Trends points to a conversion rate of 7.5% with live chat – 3 times the average for general online leads, at 2.7%. Triggered properly, these rates could increase as much as 11%.

Are You Leaving Potential Clients Wandering in a Virtual Desert?
By taking advantage of live chat services, you can quickly snag clients before they go elsewhere in search of answers to their questions, keeping them right where you want them – with you.

Stop struggling with conversion. Up your real estate agent marketing ante with the latest tools and technology on the market from Properties Online today.

Tips on What to Include in Your Real Estate Agent Website Privacy Policy

Who’d have thought real estate agent marketing would be fraught with such peril? Post-Facebook election snafu, privacy policy updates are bombarding customer emails nationwide. Aside from thanking Mr. Zuckerberg for adding to your endless to-do list, you must also ensure the compliancy of your agent website with an updated policy.

What Should You Include in Your Updated Agent Website Privacy Policy?

In real estate agent marketing, in light of recent events, it’s imperative that your privacy policy be easy to read and understand, including the following general facets:

– A general introduction noting how strongly you value and respect client privacy and safeguard data.

– A listing of the information you will collect, including:
Personal information provided by the client
Registration information
Email/phone information
Website use information (cookies)

– A section on how you will use client information (marketing, promotion, payment processing, to improve content/services, etc.)

– What information, if any, you share with third parties

– A section disassociating your business from websites linked to yours

– How you will protect information (physical/electronic/managerial measures)

– It’s also useful to provide clients a sort of technical dictionary post-policy. Information that defines cookies, dynamic ads, retargeting, etc.

– Opt-in/out procedures

– How you’ll handle privacy policy changes (email, post-to-site)

– Consent for use of website (that lovely box everyone has to check)

I’m No Shakespeare – Where Can I Find a Good Example?

A great example of a privacy policy that includes this information can be found here. Or if you prefer an easier approach, check out this free privacy policy tool. With about 15-minutes, give or take a few questions, you can ensure an understandable policy that safeguards you against liability, and adheres to most state/federal privacy laws and third party initiatives.

Changing Internet privacy policy laws have you ducking your head? Properties Online has your back with the latest real estate agent marketing tools and tips.

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