Today has been a hectic day. I spent the morning doing Opportunity Time at the office.
Well, I am working towards doing 31 Blogs in 31 days. It looks like I'll be posting them here to my own blog space. The blog I took the time to write and post yesterday doesn't show today.
Buyers
are looking online to buy homes in astounding numbers. Rarely do
buyers call the office prior to making a decision, they call after they
have done their research and pretty much made a decision. They can find
out the asking price, number of bedrooms, price, and pretty much all the
details they want online. Why call and hope to receive top notch
customer service any longer when they can self-serve. We know how
self-serve gas pumps took over the gas attendants at the gas stations
coming out to put gas in your car. All you had to do is roll down the
window and hand them the money and a tip for their generosity.
Well
those days are long gone. It used to be a time when buyers had to come
to the office, look through real estate books manually, and then drive
around to see what most of the properties looked like. Now those days
are long gone too!
All the property information a buyer wants
they can find online. Now they can even see exterior and interior
photos of the property online. With the real estate web portals along
with most assessment data for each city being online the home search
process is not as tedious as it once was.
My marketing
efforts are geared towards capturing the buyer when they first start
looking. Recent statistics I've read show over 95% of home buyers start
their search online. The bulk of my marketing efforts are geared towards buyers finding me first when they are looking online. I market heavily online.
I
have a website which includes the name of each city. As part of my
meta data content I have each zip code in the Hampton Roads area on at
least two sites. From my experience working with buyers their first
priority is looking for a particular city or a particular zip code.
Next, on the hierarchy is the number of bedrooms, then the number of
baths, then whether or not the property has a garage. Those buyers who
love to cook often times are looking for a home with a large kitchen
with plenty of cabinet and counter top space. In newer homes people are
often looking for a jetted tub with separate showers.
Thus,
when I market a home for sale I make sure the verbiage in my online
marketing at least includes very energetic posts in regards to what
features buyers love most. Search engines search by content. Buyers
normally search by the things that interest them the most.
My
goal is for one of websites to come up no matter where a buyer is
looking in the Hampton Roads area. Just Google me by name (Lynne
Ruffin) or phone number (757-855-2514) and I should definitely come up.
I
realized years ago online marketing was crucial. Over the years most
of my calls have come from my online marketing efforts. By my
background including website development and working Internet and
Intranet portals the online marketing comes second nature for me.
My
marketing strategy to get your home noticed and sold include combining
my online efforts with offline efforts which have shown to be successful
in the past.
Open Houses
Postcard Mailouts
Word of mouth
Newspaper Ad
In
my offline marketing I include a "Call to Action" to get buyers to come
view your home! In my years in real estate I have been very successful
in getting buyers out to view a sellers home. One complaint I don't
get is no one comes to view the property! I study the neighborhood and
surrounding market. I do targeted advertising campaigns on major real
estate portals. I know how to market.
I love listings and I
love marketing. Marketing homes for sale is a win-win situation for
me. Google me and I'm sure you will agree!
Lynne
