Posts Tagged ‘real estate marketing’
Snooping Real Estate Agent Caught on Camera
ATLANTA — When real estate agents representing buyers show your home, should they be allowed to examine private or confidential papers? How would you react if you caught them doing just that?
Channel 2’s Tom Regan talked with one home seller who was shocked by what he caught on camera in his home. David Scitthelm owned a beautiful home in Buckhead. He was proud to put it up for sale, but he wasn’t pleased with the conduct of the two real estate agents who arrived to show the house.
To Learn More or Watch the Short Video, CLICK HERE
Commentary: Infotube.net ALWAYS advises that home sellers hide or pack away anything that is private or could be used against them in a negotiation. And, private mail and legal notice issues aside…did you see how this agent hunted for books, stereo equipment, family photographs, collections, etc. to gain personal knowledge about the sellers? Hopefully this story plainly illustrates to homesellers the importance of packing up all personal items BEFORE they put their home on the market. Added Bonus: A staged home always shows better and appeals to a wider audience, too.
P.S. And, don’t forget your medicine cabinet (:
InfoTube.net on Facebook and Twitter
InfoTube.net announced some recent updates to it’s website that make it easier for homeowners to share information and property details on the internet.
Share Your Property Information with One Click
InfoTube.net has provided a direct “Share” link on every home listing. The “Share” link automatically feeds your property listing to all major sharing websites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. If you use social networking or RSS feed websites, simply select where you want your property listing posted and click. It’s that easy. (The Share Link can be located under the “Email Seller” link on every home listing.)
Sellers and Buyers Communicate, Learn and Get Advise
InfoTube.net for Real Estate has an Offical Facebook and Twitter page where you can post pictures, questions, idea’s or funny real estate stuff you want to share. Become a Fan and Contributor Today.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net for Real Estate. We hope you like the new improvements. If you don’t already have a FREE property listing on InfoTube.net, post one today, you’re missing buyers.
Virtually Stage Your Home to Sell
Marketing a vacant home can be difficult challenge, because empty rooms are hard to size up and they don’t stand out in a buyer’s mind. This leaves every vacant home looking like the one next door, with the only difference in a buyer’s mind being, which home has the lowest price.
This problem may have been solved by Krisztina Bell, a smart Atlanta Realtor, who invented and patented a software program that will “virtually” stage any vacant property for around $250. Her company has been heralded by the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronical and other publications as the answer to giving the effect of a professionally staged home at a fraction of the cost.
With 90 percent of home buyers doing their shopping online, and thousands of vacant homes on the market, Ms Bell’s idea is smart and timely. Her technique transforms listing photo’s of vacant homes into homes with professionally designed interiors, using a library of attractive furnishings, accessories and artwork. The resulting “after” photo’s are realistic, authentic and hard to distinguish from a home that has been actually staged with furnishings.
To view the Photo Gallery of some impressive Before and After Pictures, please visit her website VirtuallyStagingProperties.com, by clicking this link. You will be amazed. And, if you have a vacant home to sell, you should seriously consider this inexpensive option and make your home pop.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale and rent website. If you virtually stage your home, be sure to upload the slideshow to InfoTube.net. Thousands of buyer’s search our site daily for new information on properties.
Bad Strategy for Home Sales
Question: What is the worst home selling strategy ever???
Answer: ”Let’s test the market”. “Let’s throw it up for sale at a high, unrealistic price and just see what happens…”
Testing the market…whatever that really means is the worst idea, ever. Buyer’s don’t live in a fantasy world. And, if they did, their home buying fantasy is finding a mansion for $100.
“Testing the market” by overpricing a property means that the listing loses its ”honeymoon” period. As a rule, properties receive more interest and more showings in the first 30 days, than they will ever see again. Why? Buyer’s who haven’t found the right home, rush to see new listings as soon as they appear on the market. And, new buyer’s coming into the market always look at new listings first.
If you overprice your home during the honeymoon, chances are high that it will sit on the market for a long time, eventually becoming a “stale” listing. It is possible to stir up more interest later by substantially dropping the price, but seller’s can never again recreate the attention the property would have received, had it been priced right when it made its debut.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net. One GREAT IDEA for buying or selling real estate…Place a free property listing on our site or browse through thousands of great deals from the leisure of your home. Don’t be afraid, we never sell or distribute information to anyone, for any reason.
To place a property on the MLS, Realtor.com and a dozen other websites for real estate, CLICK HERE.
Sellers and Realtors Disagree on Home Pricing
Results from a study just released by HomeGain revealed an ongoing ’tug of war’ between home sellers and real estate agents. According to the survey, 50 percent of homeowners said their houses should be priced 10-20 percent higher than agents have recommended. Conversely, 60 percent of real estate agents reported that prospective buyers are telling them that home asking prices are still too high.
One thing we can learn from this study is that one of these groups is certainly wrong. Either home owners are unrealistic about what their houses are worth or agents are too pessimistic about what the home will sell for.
On one hand, agent’s have more knowledge about the market than the average home seller does and they do talk with buyer’s every day. Yet, real estate agents have an incentive to push prices lower. The lower the price, the faster the sale, the quicker they can ring the cash register and move on to the next deal. So, what should a home seller do???
- Ask 3 real estate agents what they would list your home for. Ask questions and understand the reasoning behind their different price recommendations.
- Know your competition. Check out every house that is for sale in your area, price and size range. Visit Open Houses to verify the condition and ammenities being offered by the competition. Use InfoTubes and InfoBoxes on for sale signs to gain helpful insight about homes for sale in your neighborhood. Explore property MLS listings on Realtor.com.
- Visit New Home Subdivisions. All things being equal, most buyers would chose a new home over a pre-owned home, if everything was equal. Find out how builders are pricing new homes that are similar to yours. Keep in mind that builders also offer thousands of dollars in incentives or special financing, and they include these things in their asking prices. Try to learn everything you can from the builder and deduct the incentives and specials that you can’t match from their asking price to get a realistic look.
- Visit your county property tax database. Most counties provide sales and comparable home information online. Your local taxing department is the final authority about what homes actually sold for.
Remember that homes are selling every day, if they are priced right. While seller’s want to hold out for the best offer, agents want to make quick sales. The real truth about asking versus selling prices lies somewhere in between, so home seller’s need to check their facts, first.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net. Please search our site to learn about thousands of great deals on real estate or if you are selling or renting a home, place a Free Home Listing with our compliments.
4 Mistakes Home Seller’s Make
As the spring home selling season approaches, many homeowner’s rush to put their houses on the market. Interest rates are low, tax rebates and sales incentives abound, and home prices are more affordable than they have been in a decade.
But, before you throw the ‘for sale’ sign in the yard, please educate yourself about the common mistakes you should avoid, if you want to sell your home. Decades of real estate experience have proven again and again, that making these mistakes, even once, will stop any sale in its tracks.
- Pricing: Setting an unrealistic price is the biggest mistake home seller’s make. The home MUST be initially priced at or under its competition, or you are simply wasting time and money. Some seller’s toy with the notion of “low balling” their asking price, hoping for bidding wars and a quick sale. While this strategy sometimes works on lower priced property, it doesn’t work in higher price ranges. Buyer’s in a higher price range simply think that the seller is desperate, which always results in even lower offers, not bidding wars. We won’t address overpricing, because there is nothing to say. The truth is no one will overpay for your home, it won’t appraise anyway, so please keep it off the market, until you are ready to be realistic.
- Property Condition: Know as much as you can about the condition of your property, fix everything that will stop a sale, and disclose everything you know about the property condition to the buyer. If you don’t, when the problematic inspection report is revealed, the buyer will cancel the contract and walk. Afterward, the seller will find themselves in a much worse position because they lost momentum, valuable time on the market, and the cancelation signals that something was wrong with the house. The seller will also be required by law to disclose everything found on the prior inspection report, so there is nothing to gain and a lot to lose by hiding the facts.
- Working with Today’s Buyer’s: It is a mistake to not entertain any offer, no matter how low the inital offer is. Buyer’s in this market make low ball offer’s first, to test the desperation of the seller. You will never know what price a buyer may be willing to pay for your home, if you don’t negotiate with them.
- Potentially Unqualified Buyer’s: NEVER get into a contract with a buyer who isn’t financially qualified for a loan. A letter of prequalification is not enough to take a home off the market. First, know who the lender is and require full underwriting approval within days of the acceptance of the offer. Be sure to write this loan approval (not prequalification) provision into your contract. Maintain your Active Listing Status and DO NOT indicate that your home is Contract Pending until the buyer has verifiable loan approval.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale or rent website. Feel free to post a Free Listing. Or, Upgrade to a Featured Home Ad which provides buyer’s all the information, video’s and pictures they are looking for. A Featured Home listing costs only $19.95 and the listing stays active until you sell or cancel.
Sales of Second Homes Drop, but Find Out Who Bought and Where
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the number of people who purchased a vacation or investment home fell by 30 percent last year. And, more than 40 percent of those who did purchase a second home paid cash.
“We expected vacation home sales to fall given the impact of a declining economy”, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the NAR. “A steady share of investment-home sales results from buyers taking advantage of deeply discounted prices in many areas, with a smaller portion of new homes in the sales mix”, state Yun.
Vacation and second home sales mirrored the sales for primary residences in terms of price declines. The median price of a vacation home dropped to $150,000 in 2008, down from $195,000 (or, 23 percent) from 2007 levels.
Other Findings from the March Survey are:
- Who was the “Average Buyer” of Vacation Property in 2008? The average age of a vacation home buyer was 46 years old. They purchased a property that was generally 316 miles from their primary residence. Their median household income was $97,200.
- Who was the “Average Investment Home Buyer in 2008? The average age of an investment buyer was 47. They earned a median income of about $85,000 and purchased investment property nearby their primary residence. The median distance for an investment purchase was 19 miles from their home.
- What type of Property was purchased for a Vacation Home? 70 percent were detached, single family residences; 18 percent were condo’s; 5 percent town or row houses; 7 percent other.
- Types of Property Purchased for Investment: 64 percent were detached single family homes; 22 percent condos; 8 percent town or row houses; 6 percent other.
- Where did Vacation Home Buyers Shop? 26 percent bought in small towns; 23 percent rural areas; 23 percent resorts; 20 percent suburbs; 8 percent cities or urban areas.
- Where did Investment Buyers Shop? 28 percent purchased in the suburbs; 20 percent in a city or urban area; 23 percent rural area; 8 percent in a small town; 6 percent in resort areas.
Hopefully, the survey results will help home sellers picture who the likely buyer of their vacation or investment property may be. Picturing who the customer is likely to be is important when target marketing to their needs.
Please visit InfoTube.net to place a FREE property listing, or search our database for thousands of great deals on homes of all types. Thanks for visiting and let us know if you have any questions or comments in the space below.
More Home Buyer’s Find Property via the Internet
According to a report by the National Association of Realtors, 32 percent (1/3 of all buyers) of home buyers first saw the home they purchased on the internet. Buyer’s who found their home through a real estate agent dropped 14 percentage points to 34 percent, during the same time period.
Despite the slowdown in the housing market, buyers and sellers have increased their use of the internet when buying or selling a home. “The internet is a very important tool in today’s real estate market”, said Tommi Crow, CEO of Crow Erickson, Inc., the company that manufactures the InfoTubes and InfoBoxes found on real estate signs from coast-to-coast. “Home sellers know that they can use the power of the internet to reach millions of home shoppers as effectively as a real estate agent would”, said Crow, and, they can save themselves thousands of dollars in the process”, said Ms Crow. “Americans are successfully buying and selling real estate without using agents, and that trend continues to grow”.
Home seller’s who want to maximize their online exposure use InfoTube.net, combined with the services of Why 6 Percent. The combination of the two marketing programs provide home seller’s with a home listing on their local MLS, Realtor.com, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Craigslist, Zillow, Trulia, Infotube, Homes for Sale Live and other major web portals, which attract millions of home buyers each month.
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Where a Home Buyer Found the Home Purchased* |
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2001 vs. 2008 |
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Source |
2001 | 2008 | ||
| Real Estate Agent | 48% | 34% | ||
| Internet | 8% | 32% | ||
| Yard Sign | 15% | 15% | ||
| Friend, Relative or Neighbor | 8% | 7% | ||
| Home Builder or their Agent | 3% | 7% | ||
| Print Newspaper Ad | 7% | 3% | ||
| Directly from Sellers / Knew the Sellers | 4% | 2% | ||
| Home Book or Magazine | 2% | 1% | ||
| Other | 3% | N/A | ||
* Source: National Association of Realtors
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net. Sellers can place a Free Home Listing on InfoTube.net, which advertises their property listings to tens of thousands of home buyers each month.
Good news for Sellers. Housing Sales Increase.
Sales of existing homes rose to their highest levels since 2003. Watch the short video from CNBC for a synopsis of the latest housing numbers from across the nation.
Real Estate Video is a Must for Homeseller’s
One of the largest obstacles that for sale by owner’s face is a lack of exposure for their home listing. Whether you have an MLS listing or not, Video is one solution that costs nothing (ie: FREE and Easy to do) and greatly increases web presence.
If you don’t think that video can help you sell your property, just take a look and see what the numbers for January 2009 tell you.
- 14.8 Billion (yes, Billion) video’s were viewed in January 2009.
- 147 Million (yes, Million) people watched internet video’s during the month.
If you didn’t think you need video before, these numbers should change your mind. And, I am not just talking about home virtual tours. Virtual tours or 360 room views are fine, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. Homeseller’s can add a lot of variety to their video’s and increase user interest dramatically. Video tours are fantastic for area’s such as:
- Subdivision and neighborhood drive thru’s.
- Parks, greenbelts and nearby outdoor recreation area’s.
- Shopping Centers that are conveniently located near the property.
- Schools that serve the area.
- Churches or government centers such as libraries and public transportation systems.
- Museums and cultural sites of interest.
All of these local highlight area’s are of high interest to someone looking for a home to buy. The internet is a world wide web, so seller’s can’t assume that their buyer will be familiar with their town or city. Make a lasting impression and use video to show buyer’s what your location has to offer.
InfoTube.net automatically uploads all home video’s to Google and Youtube, the number one search engine for video. You may not know that Google also searches video descriptive text, so your home listing will show up, even if the word “video” isn’t mentioned in the search term or keyword.
If you don’t use video to assist you in marketing your home, you are falling behind your competition every single day. But, thankfully spring is coming and it’s not too late!! Grab your digital camera and give the world a look at your home and location today.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale website. Click here to learn how to create an internet website for your property, showcase your home with Video Tours and attract thousands of home buyers today!!
Home Buyer Gives Good Advice to Home Seller’s
So, my husband and I are now in the market for a house! It’s very cool, because it’s definitely a buyers’ market, as it was when we sold. Being on the other side of the equation gives me a whole new perspective, of course, and I’ve been trying to look critically at the houses that we have been seeing so I can pass on my observations to you all, as you are staging and selling your houses. I know that you have lost a bit of leverage, since there are so many houses on the market right now, but there are still things that you can do to help your house stand out. And frankly, I’ve been a little amazed at how some of the sellers whose houses we’ve seen haven’t done those things.
First and foremost, and this may sound like a little thing (but it’s not): Keep your infotubes full! I cannot stress this enough. When we are driving around and see a house that’s for sale, we immediately stop to look for “words.” If the InfoTube is empty, our immediate reaction, fair or not, is “They don’t really want to sell this house.” A neglected InfoTube could be just an oversight, or it could be a sign of greater neglect. Either way, we don’t even consider those houses. So, if you are still in the house you are selling, for goodness sake, keep that InfoTube full! And if you’re not in the house, make sure that your agent keeps the tube full. It makes a difference. Remember, I am now your potential buyer, and you’ve already lost me!
Depersonalize, please! I consider myself to be a fairly sophisticated buyer–one who is able to look beyond the stage at the bones of the space, but many potential buyers just see what they see. They see the pictures, not the walls behind them. They see the carpet, not the floor underneath. Make sure that what these buyers are seeing is the most tastefully generic stage you can possibly set. We went into a lovely home last weekend–2300sf, soaring ceilings, lovely staircase, immaculately kept. It truly was a lovely home. We didn’t like the layout; it wouldn’t work for us, so we passed. But the people who live there and are trying to sell have written off a large portion of their potential market. There were family photos all around the house and a lot of art–everywhere–that was very personal to them, because it was all religious art. Whether the art was Christian, Islamic, Hindu or Zoroastrian, it makes no difference. Many people will walk into that house and walk back out because they can’t see beyond the stage. I’m not saying you have to be Peter and deny your religion, but you do have to be sensitive to the fact that not all buyers will believe the same things you believe, and many might actually be put off.
As we continue our search, I will continue to bring reports of what I’m seeing out there. I hope that this new phase in our lives will help to focus your resolve as sellers as you get your house sold!
For more information, or to order a copy of I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers’ Market.
A BIG thank you to Jennifer taking the time to talk straight with home seller’s as she continues her search for a home. If you are looking for a home, please check out the home listings on Infotube.net. Seller’s can post property listings for FREE on the site, so the inventory is fresh and constantly changing.
10 Mistakes that Home Seller’s Make
I came across this fun and informative, short video illustrating common mistakes that home seller’s make when marketing their homes. The video offers wonderful tips about preparing your home for sale, pricing, selling and negotiating offers. So, relax and have fun while you learn. The entire clip is only around 2 minutes.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale website. Visit the website to search for homes for sale, list homes for sale or to purchase an InfoTube or InfoBox for your For Sale Sign.
Reach Millions of Home Shoppers in One Easy Step
Selling real estate is a lot like fishing. It is a number’s game. More lines in the water mean more bites. More bites mean that you greatly increase your odds of landing the big one, in record time.
One option for increasing the odds of selling your home is to maximize the internet. 95 percent of all home buyers search for property on the web, so it is crucial to have as many lines (or links) as you can possibly have.
One way to reach 8 million home shoppers each month is with a turbo charged internet marketing package, like one offered by Why 6 Percent. The Y6 listing package advertises your property until it is SOLD, on the most popular, heavily trafficked sites for real estate on the world wide web.
For only $299, the WHY 6 Listing Package includes:
- A listing on Realtor.com, the most visited real estate website in the world. Also included, Y6 will upgrade your listing on R.com with 25 photo’s, remarks and attention-grabbing scrolling text.
- A listing on Craigslist.com, another great website for real estate, drawing millions of home shoppers each month.
- A Featured Home listing on InfoTube.net, one of the top “by owner” sites in the country. Listing includes 20 photo slideshow, video tours, free legal forms, free color brochures, map based searches and more. Listings placed on InfoTube are automatically uploaded to Google, Youtube and other sites that accept by owner listings.
- A Personal Web Address to use in all your print advertising.
- Phone Hotline provides your contact information to home buyers 24/7.
- Podcast- Add one to your webpage for even greater exposure.
- All listings remain Active until your home is SOLD.
- Low one-time fee of $299 for the entire package.
For more information, call 1-800-381-9496 from 9-5 EST, Monday – Friday, or email haline@why6percent.com to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net and best of luck on the sale of your home.
Home Sellers Make More Money when Agent is NOT Involved
- InfoTube homes for sale
Asheville, NC – August 22, 2008- A study, conducted by the well respected Consumer Reports publication, found that home sellers who used a real estate agent made less money than sellers who sold by owner. The report also found that nearly all of the people who sold ‘by owner’ received near their original asking price
“This is great news for people who need to sell their home”, said Tommi Crow, President of Crow Erickson, Inc and InfoTube.net. “Consumer Reports published a well researched and unbiased article that clearly finds home sellers are financially better off selling their home without an agent.” Real estate commissions take a huge bite out of the money sellers receive at closing. For example, a typical real estate commission would erase about $18,000 of equity on a $300,000 home.
The September 2008 Consumer Report findings are similar to the results from studies conducted by Stanford and Northwestern Universities. All three studies concluded that “for sale by owner” (fsbo) sellers made more money than sellers who used an agent.
“The release of this study is very timely news for some, and life changing news for others,” said Crow. Zillow.com recently reported that nearly 30 percent of the people who purchased a home in the last 60 months, now owe more money on their home than it is valued at. Furthermore, Zillow found that 45-60 percent of buyers, who purchased in 2006, are upside down.”
“For fortunate homeowners that have a lot of equity, the possibility of keeping more money from their home sale is great news. For the unfortunate, who have little or no equity in their homes, the report offers real hope in knowing they can clearly sell their property for a realistic asking price, without paying commissions they can not afford,” added Crow, also a real estate broker for over 20 years.
About Crow Erickson, Inc
Crow Erickson, Inc. is a privately held corporation founded in 1988. The company manufactures outdoor marketing products used in the real estate industry and for a variety of purposes. Its brand name products are Made In the USA and can be purchased at The Home Depot, Lowes Hardware, ’neighborhood’ hardware franchises, sign companies, for sale by owner companies, Boards of Realtors and other business locations from coast-to-coast.
The company website, http://www.InfoTube.net, offers free real estate marketing services, online shopping and a retail store locator. Its services include free internet classified listings, free color brochures and flyers, free legal forms and contracts, home tour video’s, opt in email services for home buyers and sellers, a community forum, blog, 5. MLS listing services, marketing tools and replacement parts for its products.
®InfoTube is a registered trademark of Crow-Erickson, Inc.
Show Off Your Home on the InfoTube.net Homepage
InfoTube homes for sale
InfoTube.net showcases Featured Home Video Tours on its Homepage.
The user submitted Video Tours rotate on the home page in random order, with a new video appearing upon each visit. Video’s are also uploaded to YouTube, one of the most heavily trafficked sites on the web, automatically.
“Thousands of visitors begin their search on the InfoTube home page,” said Tommi Crow, President, “this is an ideal time for home sellers to showcase their property in a high traffic location.” Because the service is new, only a few video’s are in the space right now. “The timing couldn’t be better for seller’s to enhance their listing with video, and spotlight it on our home page” said Crow.
Video is the future of real estate marketing, so grab your digital camera and show us what you Love about your house. You have nothing to lose and a lot of additional exposure to gain.
Thank you visiting InfoTube.net and good luck on the sale of your home.