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Friday, February 6, 2026

Lisa Gray

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Lisa is an accomplished marketer with years of expertise in direct response marketing, digital marketing, data analytics and business development working with both B2C and B2B.

Keep Buyers Interested

The importance of video within the real estate industry applies more to listing agents than buyers’ agents, at least according to a six-year-old study. Results of the study found that 73 percent of homeowners want a listing agent who uses video to market homes.

Avoid the top 3 mistakes

Despite knowing that videos may not be popular with all homebuyers, offering them to your listing clients is mandatory. As mentioned above, most want a video of their home and they expect it. Not giving your listing clients what they want is a big mistake.

As long as you are committed to creating a video, why not create one without the mistakes, so often seen online:

  • Overly-dark videos
  • Camera shake
  • Amateur/homemade look

The following are the three most common listing video mistakes and how to correct them.

Mistake 1- Penny-pinching

The old saying that “you get what you pay for” might not have been coined by a real estate agent who pinched pennies and obtained poor quality work, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

Videographers do charge money for their services, but they may not be as expensive as you think. In fact, we did an informal, non-scientific, cursory web search for prices and find professionals offering their services for as little as $200.

There are some photographers who offer packages which include a video walkthrough of the home. For instance, one Phoenix, Arizona photographer charges a reasonable $400 for a package that includes 25 photos, HD walkthrough video, twilight photos and a virtual tour.

Remember, your listing videos will most likely become examples in the marketing plan you show potential listing clients. Will they be examples of how you cut corners or will they show home sellers that you will pull out all the stops to sell their homes?

Mistake 2 — Not ensuring your videos do double duty

Sure, the purpose of the video is to market your listing, but videos do double duty, according to Forrester Research. Videos are 50 times more likely to show up on the first page of Google search results than text pages, if they’re optimized, according to research.

Why not leverage the power of YouTube to benefit your business while also promoting your client’s listing?

The Fix:

Mashable’s Nate Elliot suggests doing the following:

  • Use your keywords in the video’s title, tags and description when you upload it to YouTube.
  • After uploading the video to YouTube, embed it on your website. According to Elliot, Google considers “how many times a video is viewed, and any views embedded videos receive on your own site get added to the ‘views’ tally on YouTube.”
  • Create a video sitemap.
Mistake 3 – Too long, didn’t watch

When something becomes such a common, annoying practice that an acronym is created (tl;dw) stands for “too long, didn’t watch”, you know it’s best to avoid the practice.

Americans are busy. We also tend to have the attention span of a kitten – and are as easily distracted. YouTube says that visitors typically watch for 3.5 minutes.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information, on the other hand, claims that the average amount of time spent on a single video is 2 minutes and 42 seconds.

And, if you don’t get their attention in the first 10 seconds, kiss them goodbye.

In fact, research shows that you’ll lose 30 percent of viewers within the first 30 seconds of your video and, when it reaches the one-minute mark, another 45 percent will leave.

So, plan on putting the most important stuff up front and keep the entire video as short as possible.

Nearly 90 percent of the homebuyers surveyed by NAR found “photos very useful,” while only half of them said the same for real estate videos. Don’t make the common mistakes of other agents that result in unwatchable videos.

Follow the above guidelines to produce listing videos that enhance your marketing and sales efforts and keep your clients smiling.

Another way to capture the attention of home buyers is to send Property Showcase Just Listed postcards to the area surrounding your new listing.

Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are 3 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan.

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan  – Click Here

2. The Free Online ROI Calculator. 

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan.

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here  – Click Here

Also…check out these cool tools 🙂

 Three Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

MLSmailings.com – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Want to Refer a friend or colleague? Refer them, Here. THEY get a Free $25 Gift Card and YOU become their hero!

Convert More Leads to Listings

If your blog isn’t performing in a way that is resulting in new potential listing traffic, it may be time for a tune-up.

Yes, we get that you’re busy, but this process is painless and can be done in pieces so you won’t have to take an entire day or evening to get it done.

Best of all, these tips will help improve your site’s visibility, your visitor’s experience and you won’t have to hire a web developer.

Fix broken links

Broken links on your blog return 404 errors to your users. They become frustrated and click away. As a result, you’ve lost them and probably for good. Broken links also impact your search engine ranking.

In essence, broken links are broken promises, so the first step in the blog tune-up is to check for and fix them.

There are several easy and free ways to do this:

  • WordPress site? Install “Broken Link Checker”. You can find a walk-through of the process (it’s quite easy) at Org.
  • Check My Links – a Chrome browser extension that checks all the links on a page. Find it in the Chrome Webstore.
  • Xenu Web Sleuth – it’s a rather odd-looking website, and you’ll need to download the software, but according to many, it’s one of the best, free ways to check for dead links.

Remove any dead links that can’t be replaced and update those that can.

While you’re in “link” mode

How is your internal linking structure? Linking from one blog post to another on your site keeps your reader engaged longer on your blog. In addition, search engine spiders love internal links.

Go through some of your most popular blog posts and find opportunities to link to other posts on your site.

Add some bling

Blog posts with compelling images are read more often than those that offer poor images. Therefore, check your blog post images and replace any that may be doing more harm than good.

Try using Canva.com to create overlays on your photos to give them that Pinterest look. It’s free and, once you get the hang of it, quite easy to use.

You can find free images online at:

  • Pixabay
  • Pexels
  • Morgue File
  • New Old Stock (vintage photos)
  • SkitterPhoto (click on “Browse Free Photos)
  • Unsplash

Fix blog format problems

The name of the game when writing a blog post is “white space.” Don’t torture your visitor with great, big blocks of text. Break it up with short paragraphs, the use of images, quotes, subheadings and bulleted lists.

Throw out everything you learned in English composition. You aren’t writing for a teacher, you’re writing for someone who typically scans text online. If it appears on the first scan to be too much of a chore to read, they’ll leave.

A good rule of thumb is to break up any paragraph that exceeds five sentences in length.

How’s your call to action?

If you hope to convert your blog visitors to leads, you’ll need effective “calls to action”. Any money and effort you expend to drive traffic to your blog is wasted if your posts lack this critical component.

Your call to action must consist of the following:

  • Make it unique
  • Use enticing offers
  • It must be prominent
Check your post titles

We get it, you’re not a copywriter. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should neglect the most important component of each post, the title.

A compelling, descriptive headline can mean the difference between the reader leaving or staying. It also impacts whether they click on the post’s link when you share it on social media.

Look at each headline and ask yourself if you would be compelled to read on if it weren’t your blog. If not, fix the ones that don’t work.

Magazine covers are ideal places to look for ideas on how to write catchy blog titles.

Order at least 100 of the Free Report, “5 Reasons Why Your House May Not Sell”, and use them as an opt-in on your blog site.
Also, for extra lift add them as a “call to action” on all of your marketing pieces.

Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are 3 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan.

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan  – Click Here

2. The Free Online ROI Calculator. 

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan.

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here  – Click Here

Also…check out these cool tools 🙂

 Three Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

MLSmailings.com – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Want to Refer a friend or colleague? Refer them Here. THEY get a Free $25 Gift Card and YOU become their hero!

Engage the right audience

Ok, I’ll say it: some real estate clients are better than others. The qualities that go into the making of the ideal client are subjective, but the fact remains that your favorite clients, financially and otherwise, are head and shoulders above the rest.

So, how can you attract more like them and fewer of the others?

It starts with your branding. Since it’s the chief attractor of leads, improving your branding will help you attract more of the leads you are seeking.

You are your branding

Scary, right? Unless you are the agent that has spent a great deal of time working on your brand, what you are putting out there may appear unfocused and too general.

Let’s break it down and see where you might need a new strategy.

First, who is your target client? And, no, “anyone with a pulse” isn’t the correct answer. In fact, pursuing all real estate consumers is one of the most common mistakes real estate agents make. When you try to be the “every agent” to everyone, you lack focus and your brand gets watered down.

Instead of standing out, you blend in.

Take some time to think back on your past clients, picking out those you truly enjoyed working with and who were most profitable. See what each of them have in common and then write out their client profile, combining the commonalities among those on your list.

Focus in

Are you suffering a brand identity crisis? It happens frequently when agents don’t take the time to focus on a target client pool.

For instance, suppose the primary real estate consumers in your area are Gen Xers with a family and a home to sell before they buy another. However, your blog posts and social media shares are about condos and your happy hour cocktail client events don’t speak to the primary client pool at all.

Once you have narrowed down your ideal client, it’s time to customize your brand (and content is a main component) to appeal to and speak to that client.

When you strategically focus your brand’s “voice,” you’re more likely to attract the clients you prefer.

Keep it simple

Hopefully, your brand communicates to potential clients in a way that engages them. Unless you’re a strictly luxury home agent, this means keeping your web content and blog posts simple – writing in plain English and at a 9th-grade level.

Sounds weird until you understand that the average American adult reads at a 9th-grade level, although studies show that we prefer to read at a 7th-grade level, according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Other studies show that nearly 80 percent of us don’t really read the words but scan the content. Therefore, the average reader isn’t looking for flowery prose, real estate jargon they can’t decipher, clichés or self-promotion.

And, whatever you do, avoid trying to sound like every other agent in town.

“Would you go to a dinner party and repeat what the person to the right of you is saying? Would that be interesting to anybody? Why are so many businesses saying the same things at the biggest party on the planet — the marketplace?” Jason Fried, co-founder of Basecamp asks in an article at Inc.com.

Keep your content simple in vocabulary, friendly and engaging while you supply your ideal client with the real estate information he or she craves. How’s the current market? What step should I take next?

Your brand’s voice, evident in your content is important, but it’s speaking to an empty room if you don’t promote it. Use social media channels and direct mail marketing to push out your branded content and bring more eyes back to your website and more calls to your phone.

Brand voice is just one part of a brand, but, for real estate agents, it may just be the most important aspect.

Are you currently focused on attracting sellers? What do sellers want more than anything? Buyers!
Send the I Have a Buyer postcard from the Listing Inventory Series to 100 prospects in an area where you want more listings.

Need help targeting buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are 3 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan.

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan – Click Here

2. The Free Online ROI Calculator. 

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan.

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

Also…check out these cool tools 🙂

Three Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

MLSmailings.com – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Want to Refer a friend or colleague? Refer them Here. THEY get a Free $25 Gift Card and YOU become a hero!

The right audience

Before you can sell anything to anyone, you must reach the right audience.

Your first step in creating a marketing plan for your new listing is to figure out and target the right buyer. The following are some avenues that will help you narrow down the buyer pool.

Go to the source

Talk to your listing client about their neighbors – are they primarily young families, older couples with kids still in the home, retirees, singles?

Location, as you know, is very important in determining a home’s value, but it can also help you pinpoint the likely buyer. Make note of it’s proximity to anything that is popular with homebuyers:

  • Quality schools
  • Shopping, dining and entertainment venues
  • Parks
  • Walking/biking paths
  • Beaches
  • Recreational opportunities, such as ski resorts, golf, equestrian center

The home holds clues

Everything from the price of the home to the square footage can serve as clues to help you narrow down your target market. For instance, smaller, single-story homes may be attractive to older clients while larger, roomier homes in the suburbs are hot with Gen X.

Also, consider any amenities the home offers. Homes with playrooms or a den are ideal for families. Backyards might lure pet owners, but backyards with space for entertaining are magnets for several different types of buyers (young professionals, families, etc.)

Then, use demographics to help you further define the buyer. Is this person single or married? Children? How old would you say the buyer is?

You can figure this out by using some of the various studies you’ll find on the internet.

  • Luxury home? A female between the ages of 50 and 60 may be your target. This group of Americans controls more than half of the country’s wealth. One study found more than 60 percent of luxury home clients were age 45 to 54.
  • A home with more than 2,000 square feet of living space, especially with close proximity to a decent school, your likely buyer will be a member of Gen X, with children.
  • Starter home: If it’s located in the suburbs you’ll be visited by both Millennials and baby boomers. If it features a walk-in closet in the master bedroom and a front porch, you’ll attract the former, while a dedicated laundry room, air conditioning, and a patio will attract the latter.

If you find your buyer will most likely be a Millennial, hire a professional photographer to snap the marketing photos. According to a Zillow study, nearly 60 percent of buyers in this generation say professional pictures are an important factor in their homebuying decision.

The bottom line

You may need to come up with profiles for two or more buying groups. If so, distill each one into one persona and keep those specific personas in mind when targeting your marketing.

Once you figure out who to target when marketing your listing, you’ll find that many of your other listing duties fall into place naturally. You can more confidently recommend which items need to be repaired, for instance, and how to stage the home to appeal to the likely buyer.

Now it’s time to determine your target market and create the perfect mailing list, Go Here.
Then send the Waiting, Waiting Waiting postcard from the Fence Sitter – Buyers Series to at least 100 buyers that you have targeted.

Need help targeting those buyers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are 3 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan.

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan – Click Here

2. The Free Online ROI Calculator. 

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan.

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

Also…check out these cool tools 🙂

Three Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

MLSmailings.com – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Why They are so Important

Sure, you’ll have a chance to dance the night away, sightsee and maybe, if inclined, get tipsy when you attend one of the multitudes of real estate conventions and conferences held every year.

But that shouldn’t trivialize the value they offer you as a business owner and real estate agent. Building relationships, gaining new knowledge and soaking in inspiration—all in one place—is multi-tasking at its finest.

Learning new ways of doing real estate

The educational opportunities offered through the workshops and by attending the lectures from well-known trainers and successful agents are worth their weight in gold.

Think about it: how much time can you devote during a typical work week to bring yourself up to date on the various tech trends agents are utilizing in their businesses?  And also find out what’s coming down the pike that may relieve some of the pressure on your schedule?

Attending a real estate convention forces you to take the time to slow down and pay attention to ideas and trends that you can employ in your own business.

Then, there are the hands-on demonstrations at the trade expos where you can actually see new products and technology in action, rather than just read about them online.

Schmoozing is good for business

Most of us have a circle of colleagues that we occasionally socialize with over a drink or a cup of coffee. Typically, we discuss clients, rarely touching on and sharing new ideas (they may be friends, but they’re our competition as well).

Getting away from the office, out of town, where you can make new connections with agents from different markets, frees you to speak more candidly. You may learn new marketing ideas (or new twists on old ideas). You’ll definitely broaden your referral base and build new relationships.

Don’t limit your networking to the event’s venue, but “look out for vendor parties and other events outside of the main stage,” suggests Kayla Matthews at inman.com. “Those outside events are great ways to deepen the connection you’ve made with other professionals at the conference during the day.”

Get inspired

From motivational lectures by some of the country’s top real estate coaches to success stories from other agents, inspiration abounds at real estate conferences.

And, no, it’s not the same as listening to a motivation CD in your car. Being surrounded by like-minded people, the applause and bright lights ratchet up the excitement level unlike what you can experience listening to a CD.

If you plan on attending Inman Connect San Francisco this year (July 16 to 20), you’ll find a long list of speakers who are sure to inspire you to higher levels of tech use, to build a team, become a better leader and more.

Tom Ferry’s next Success Summit is happening in Anaheim, CA (August 6 to 9). There you can pick up tips on lead conversion, marketing strategies and get inspired to become more efficient.

If you’ve yet to attend a REALTORS® Conference & Expo, make it a point to attend this year when it’s held in Boston from November 2 through 5. Last year’s attendees learned about their successful competitors and what they bring to the table and information that inspired them to prospect “like never before.”

Or, step outside your box

If the thought of sitting in a room with 4,000 other people who work the same grind as you makes you want to curl up in a ball, consider different types of conferences.

For instance, if you want to utilize technology more in your business, get up to speed on what’s new and what’s coming down the pike at a Growth Hackers summit. While 2018’s was held in February, consider joining them next year. They promise to offer inspiration to “people looking to grow their businesses.”

Or, niche down even smaller and attend the next Traffic & Conversion Summit and learn how to convert your website traffic, content marketing, Pinterest promoted pins, Facebook video tests and more. The speaker’s list features leading minds from the digital marketing world. This is another that was held in February of this year, so make it a point to attend next year’s.

Attending industry and even non-industry conferences give you a chance to re-evaluate what you’re doing and find tips to learn how to do it better and more efficiently. Yes, they can be expensive to attend but consider it an investment in your business and don’t forget – they’re tax deductible.

To create growth in your business right now, send the Free List of Homes postcard from the Call to Action Series to at least 100 prospects in an area where you want more listings, today.

Need help targeting the perfect niche of sellers or buyers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are 3 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan.

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan  – Click Here

2. The Free Online ROI Calculator. 

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan.

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here  – Click Here

Also…check out these cool tools 🙂

 3 Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

MLS Mailings – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

New agents, tortured by what feels like an enormously long wait between license application and receipt, typically tend to want to hit the ground running the minute that license is in the broker’s hands.

It’s only natural to want to jet down the runway to success, but how will you get from here to there?

That’s what a business plan is: a roadmap of how to reach your income goals from where you are right now. Once you’re familiar with the real estate terrain, and you know the shortcuts, the map may feel like an unnecessary encumbrance, but it’s not.

Business plans aren’t static and require tweaking as you move up in your real estate career. Your sphere of influence grows, requiring the use of good contact management software. Your personal expenses may change and you will no doubt need to adjust your marketing expenses along the way.

The process of creating a “roadmap for success” for the new agent is a bit challenging, though. I mean, you have no past expenses with which to estimate a budget. How do you plan for marketing when you don’t know how much money you’ll have to play with?

You estimate. It’s that simple.

Map out your first-year goals

Make a realistic determination of where you want to be in your new business by the end of your first year.

This should include both a financial goal (how much money you’ll make) and other goals as well. For instance, your goals may include adding 100 people to your sphere of influence or to come up with a killer listing presentation. A financial goal could be planning to put aside a certain dollar amount to buy additional tools.

Create a budget

To come up with an accurate budget requires understanding your personal as well as business expenses, both fixed and variable.

Start with your personal expenses, such as your house payment or rent, what you pay for utilities, groceries, entertainment and the like. This will give you an idea of the total amount of income you’ll need to cover these expenses.

Determining your business expenses will be a bit more challenging since you have no figures from last year on which to base your assumptions. Breaking these expenses into smaller chunks will help you get a handle on them.

Startup expenses: These include your NAR, state and local association fees, MLS dues, lockbox expenses and the cost of any tools you’ll need to buy to get going (laptop, software, website expenses, etc.).

Marketing expenses: You’ll need to market your business as well as any homes you may list this year. We offer a series of Agent Introduction, Listing Inventory and Just Listed postcards that will get you off on the right foot.

Ongoing expenses: Your automobile gas budget is about to explode now that you are part of the real estate industry. Plan on spending a good deal of your budget on your vehicle – maintenance and gas for starters.

Then, there are your phone, internet, web hosting and the other costs that will recur routinely throughout the year.

How much do you need to make?

This is the trickiest part of your business plan, but the most critical as well. You’ll want to estimate how many sides you’ll need this year to get the money you want to make. This means figuring out how many prospects it will take to get a transaction, knowing the average sales price in the area in which you work and crunching some numbers.

We have put together the perfect simple yet effective business plan worksheet to help you do these calculations. You can find it online here.

Once you know how many listings or sales you’ll need each month to reach your financial goals, you’re on your way to success.

It’s time to introduce your new status to the world (or at least your corner of it).

Send out the Neighborhood Specialist postcard from the Agent Introduction Series to at least 100 new prospects in an area you want listings.

Need help targeting the perfect niche of sellers or buyers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are 3 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan.

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan  – Click Here

2. The Free Online ROI Calculator. 

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan.

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here  – Click Here

Also…check out these cool tools 🙂

 3 Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

MLS Mailings – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Real Estate Door Hangers That Work

Door Hangers are the perfect tool for branding yourself as the neighborhood expert. They catch attention, provide the perfect reason for canvassing, and are an easy and effective leave behind.

Here are seven ways to SCORE BIG using Door Hangers.

1.  Content is key

The right door hanger for the right situation is key. Who are you trying to attract? Our Listing Inventory Series of Door Hangers are designed specifically to help agents find more sellers.

We also offer FSBO’s Door Hangers and Expireds Door Hangers, which are handy to have in the car when you come across a FSBO that just popped up or see an expired come off the market that’s close by.

In addition, you can use door hangers to brand yourself, spotlight a new listing, or advertise an open house.  The possibilities are endless.

 

2.  Include a call to action

Often agents will put time and energy into getting their message right, then forget to tell their prospects what they want them to do next.  Always make sure there is a call to action that’s simple and direct on your marketing pieces. For a memorable call to action select our Free Competitive Market Analysis Door Hanger.

3.  Know your neighborhood

Know how many homes are in the neighborhood you are canvassing. Then, based on the number of homes, come up with a strategic plan for conquering the whole area over time. An easy way to confirm how many homes are in a neighborhood is to use a tool available on our EDDM page (HERE). Once there click the “Get Started” link. On the next screen, there is a link to “choose your carrier route” this tool will allow you to find out how many homes are in a given area so you’re sure to order enough door hangers.

4.  Keep them readily available 

Keep a variety of door hangers available to address different niche markets so you are prepared for any opportunity that might cross your path. Many agents stock their trunks with various materials including, objection handling brochures, extra business cards, listing agreements, presentation folders, and door hangers.  As the saying goes, “To be prepared is half the victory”.

5.  Timing is everything

If you want to just get the hangers on the door without actually talking to many people, mornings (after people leave for work) are good.  If shaking hands and making connections with potential sellers and buyers is what you are after, then early evening after people have made their way home, is a smart choice.

6.  Blitz an Area

Take your team along and create a plan of attack that includes breaking up the canvassing in sections. Then blitz the neighborhood from all sides and begin the process of branding the area and officially introducing everyone to the new area experts.

7.  The layered approach

Prior to delivering door hangers to a specific neighborhood or in conjunction with this effort, make a few phone calls, send some agent introduction postcards or a community newsletter.  That way when you are meeting face-to-face, your prospects will be more likely to recognize you as the ‘neighborhood expert.’  If you’re using the listing inventory door hangers, we have Listing Inventory Postcards that compliment them nicely. You can find them here.

Get prepared for your next FSBO sighting by ordering 100 FSBO Door Hangers today to have available to leave on the door of the next home you see with a FSBO sign.

Need help targeting the perfect niche of sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: Get Instant Access below to 3 FREE tools that will help you CONQUER Your Market this year!

1. An Easy & Effective Agent Business Plan – Treating your business like a business it is crucial to your success. Our one-page simple, yet powerful agent business plan is the answer! – Click Here

2. Marketing Dollars Success Tool – Enter your numbers into our Free online calculator to find out how to get the best ROI from your marketing dollar, instantly! – Click Here

3. Get a 12 Month Expert Marketing Plan – Get a free 12-month plan for What marketing to do when. Four key target markets included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

Also…check out these cool tools created to make YOUR life easier 🙂

Turn One Listing Into Many – All From Your Mobile Phone, Click Here

Automatically Send Your Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards – Work Smarter Not Harder, Click Here

Become a Neighborhood Brand – With the Market Dominator System, Click Here

 

Time vs Reward

While a lot of real estate agents know about Google AdWords, there are many who don’t understand how it works and why they should consider using it to advertise their business.

All advertising campaigns require careful consideration as to the amount of time they take, the cost and, most especially, the return on your investment dollar. Let’s take a closer look at these concerns and how AdWords fits in.

Learning Curve

Determining keywords, deciding how much to pay for them and tracking your ads takes time. For the busy real estate agent or those who are inexperienced with online advertising—especially advertising on Google—expect a huge amount of time on just the learning curve alone.

Then, tracking the ads’ effectiveness involves another huge chunk of time.

Cost

Since it costs nothing to set up a Google Adwords account, the cheapest way to get started is to do it yourself. Navigate to adwords.google.com and you’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to set up the entire program.

So, How Does it Work?

Google is the largest search engine in the world and, last month, it garnered nearly 92 percent of the search market share, worldwide.

Regardless of where you advertise online and whether you buy leads or clicks, the truth is that Google is so ubiquitous, whoever finds you probably uses Google.

The good news is that Google tends to offer a fairly high return on investment. It works on an auction model, so the more popular the keyword you want, the more you’ll pay.

Now, it’s not a straight auction model because they also care about relevancy, so if your landing page is judged highly relevant to your keyword, they’ll allow you to bid a little bit lower for the ad.

Not only that, but the more relevant pages are ranked the highest.

Google assigns what they call a Quality Score to every landing page for every keyword. Let’s assume that your landing page is generic and you want to bid on the keyword phrase “Portland Real Estate.”

Any agents whose landing pages have a higher Quality Score, also bidding on the same keyword phrase, will rank above your page in the search results.

Advantages

 In one sentence: Google AdWords is a fast, highly scalable, easy and somewhat predictable way to advertise – if you know what you’re doing.

  • Scalability: You decide how much you spend and when and how to adjust your ads.
  • Predictable: Once you know what you’re doing you can determine your ROI.
  • Quicker: You’ll see results faster than you will with trying to SEO your way to page one organically.
Disadvantages

Ok, so it’s not all perfect. The learning curve is steep and overly time-consuming. Then, there are the ongoing management and maintenance headaches. This combination can deter many from using Google AdWords.

The bottom line

If you choose to begin using AdWords, you’ll need to determine a daily budget and then keep up with prices, perform ongoing keyword research and understand the analytics well enough to figure out what is working and what isn’t.

In the end, since all of these tasks take time, many agents choose to outsource the management and maintenance of their AdWords account.

Start attracting new listings with a form of marketing that is studied to have a 75% brand recall – Direct Mail Marketing!*
Send 100 Take Advantage of the Market Postcards from our Listing Inventory Series to an area where you would like more listings now.

Need help targeting the perfect niche of sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: Get Instant Access below to 3 Free tools that will help you Dominate Your Market this year!

1. An Easy & Effective Agent Business Plan 

Treating your business like a business it is crucial to your success. Our one-page simple yet powerful agent business plan is the answer! – Click Here

2. Marketing Dollars Success Tool

Enter your numbers into our Free online calculator to find out how to get the best ROI from your marketing dollar, instantly! – Click Here

3. Get a 12 Month Expert Marketing Plan

Get a free 12-month plan for What marketing to do when. Four key target markets included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

Also…check these out 🙂

Turn One Listing Into Many – From Your Mobile Phone

Automatically Send Your Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards – Work Smarter Not Harder

Become a Neighborhood Brand – With the Market Dominator System

(*Direct mail has a 75% brand recall. Source: DMA Response Rate Report)

With inventory in high demand and buyers eager for deals, sometimes it takes a little objection handling skill and myth-busting to turn FSBOs into happy clients.

The following are three common FSBO misconceptions. And how to turn them from myths to more listings.

1.  FSBOs are hard to work with

Really – all of them?  In truth, most sellers who are trying to sell themselves are eager to save money and fairly motivated, yet not well-informed regarding what it takes to price right in today’s market.

Are they distrustful of agents?  Sure, many are but that doesn’t make them difficult it makes them human beings.  It’s your job to earn their trust, treat them with respect, develop a relationship and make them raving fans.

How do you help develop that relationship? Consistent communication and professional presentation tools.  Our FSBO Postcard Series are a great way to communicate and educate over time raising questions that will compel FSBOs to call you for help.

Our FSBO door hangers are also perfect for stashing in your car for a quick leave behind every time you see a For Sale By Owner sign.

Anytime you are attempting to get in the door of a potential listing, especially a FSBO, consider offering something of value. A reason to contact you. Great ideas for this are free reports, market information and a list of resources.

2.  FSBOs are overpriced 

Many FSBO homes probably are overpriced but surprisingly with the information available on the internet, many get the price right. However, more often than not, they still don’t understand they can likely get more for their home using a real estate professional.  

The biggest reason this is true is the exposure an agent can create for your property as opposed to what a FSBO can do on their own. An agent enters the property into the MLS where it is broadcast marketed via the paper, home guides, a wide range of internet sites, and to other agents. This creates greater property exposure and more competition leading to a higher selling price.

A great strategic tool that allows you to walk sellers through all the components of the salable listing is the Merchandising Review. It even helps to answer some questions before they’re raised. The Merchandising Review is available as a Free Download Here.

 

As soon as you see a new FSBO, contact them to offer to complete a ‘no obligation” Merchandising Review. Explain the tool allows you to make a comprehensive analysis of whether their home is salable in today’s market and what will assure it sells for the right price. Then schedule a 20 minute time to meet with them to go over the Review.

Walk them through each item and negotiate the issues that might keep the property from selling.  Correct these issues, and ask if they would allow you to show them your marketing plan.

3.  FSBOS can succeed on their own

The truth is most FSBOs do end up using an agent.  According to NAR, statistics show only 8% of the homes sold are FSBOs. And 31% of FSBOs don’t market their properties. They need someone like you to lend your expertise for a headache free sale that achieves the most money.

Other tasks that NAR has shown are difficult for FSBOs include: pricing the home right (18%), preparing the home for sale (13%), understanding the paperwork (12%), helping the buyer obtain financing (6%), timely selling (3%) and time to devote to the sale (3%).

FSBOs really are the “low hanging fruit” but the keys to success are consistency and timely communication. Most deals are sealed after the fifth contact. Know your business and your market and you’ll create a presence as the expert in your market for FSBOs.

Get prepared for your next FSBO sighting by ordering 100 FSBO Door Hangers today to have available to leave on the door of the next home you see with a FSBO sign.

Remember -we’re here if you need us.  Call our team today at 866.405.3638 to help choose the marketing materials you need to capture this market!

PLUS: Hey, don’t forget to check out 3 Free things below that will help you CRUSH IT this year!

1. Easy Agent Business Plan

Treat your business like a business. It is vital to long-term success in this industry. This business plan is both easy and highly effective. Check out the perfect one-page Real Estate Business Plan – Click Here

2. Marketing Return on Investment Calculator

Consistent marketing is the key to success. Discover how effective your marketing dollars can be. Enter numbers in our Free online Return on Investment Calculator to see instant results! – Click Here

3. 12 Month Done-For-You Marketing Planner

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

Also…check these out 🙂

Turn One Listing Into More – from your mobile phone

Automate Your Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards – work smarter not harder

Become a Neighborhood Brand – with the Market Dominator System

Did you know that according to a national survey, over 75% of consumers that receive marketing postcards in the mail, not only read them but keeps them for weeks or more?

With this in mind, it just makes sense for real estate postcards to be a part of your marketing strategy. The following are three tricks to help you begin winning big with postcard marketing.

Direct response marketing

The intent of direct response marketing is to elicit a measured and often emotional response from your prospects. Methods used to trigger this response include a call to action, a question or something that compels your audience to reply.

A great example of direct response marketing using a question is shown in one of our Expired Postcards. The postcard reads, “Did you know more than 90% of people who have had the misfortune of having their listing expire change agents to help improve their ability to sell sooner rather than later?” Quoting statistics is a great way to lend credibility to a point you are making.

Another direct response option is educating your prospect, by raising their awareness and showing your expertise. An example of this is shown in one of our Market Quote Postcards. It reads, “Statistics show the typical FSBO home sold for $210,000, compared to $249,000 for agent-assisted home sales. A professional will net you more!”  Again, the use of statistics helps validate the statement.

The last direct response example uses a “call-to-action” that gives your prospect an exciting reason to contact you that benefits them personally. An example of this is demonstrated in our Free Offer Postcards. These postcards contain offers for a “Free Home Market Analysis”, “Free Home Lists” or a “Free Home Equity Analysis”. Providing exactly what the consumer is in need of and at no cost to them makes it easy for them to raise their hand.

Keep in mind, although you may be tempted to send a postcard with a beautiful image and/or saying, because it’s simple and you know it will be readily accepted, be careful it’s not your only choice, specifically over compelling direct response content.

Most of all, remember a postcard has limited, valuable real estate available on the front and back. So make the most of this space with the right images and copy to drive home your point and gain your audience’s attention.

If you decide to create your own postcard, make sure to ask yourself the question, are you using copy and images that will evoke a response from your prospects?

If you speak to the heart of what your target audience is thinking and feeling, you will create a connection that makes people want to reach out to you.

Consistency 

Begin your strategic marketing by sending out compelling postcards to a designated area and then do it, again and again. Because this is how often you need to “show up” in your prospect’s mailbox and in their lives to make an impact.

I can not stress this strategy enough due to the positive impact it will have over time. In fact, among other things, it signals to your prospects that you have a quality brand and service.

University of Wyoming’s Anthony McGann and Raymond Marquardt researched the effects of repeat advertising. They found that businesses that advertised with high rates of repetition tend to be rated as “high quality” in consumer report studies.

In addition, the results of another study published in the Journal of Consumer Research showed that consumers think that products and services repeatedly advertised are “good purchase choices”.

Consequently don’t waste time, effort and marketing dollars on a one-hit mailing because it will not have a worthwhile return on investment or positive long-term effect.

Finally, if you are not consistently seen in your targeted market through marketing, consider what message you are sending to your prospects about your level of commitment? Success comes to those who show up over and over again with the right message, the right attitude and the right promise of service.

A powerful database 

Your mailing list is not just a compiled list of names and addresses. It represents the lifeblood of your business. And it includes people that, if cared for and kept in touch with, will take care of you for your entire career.

In fact, studies show that one out of twelve on this list will result in a transaction each year. This means a list of 200 will provide you 17 transactions per year. That is if you give them the attention they deserve, by consistently and effectively staying in touch.

Therefore, to keep your list information organized and easy to access choose a database program. But don’t stop with inputting just names, addresses, and phone numbers, also get personal with your entries.  Aren’t you impressed when someone remembers your name, asks about your children, spouse, and hobbies?

This is why your database should include spouse and children’s names and don’t forget special interests, likes, dislikes, and personality styles. Begin the habit of contacting your list at least three times a year. Over time you’ll be able to feed more personal details into your database.

free offer postcard series

Finally, don’t forget about the mailing lists you get when you purchase a Just Listed Postcard. Every time you send a postcard out and do a radial or neighborhood search, for the perfect mailing list – that list is yours to keep. Use it to continue to build that prized book of business. Add these individuals to your database and start building a relationship with them.

For more ideas on how to create a powerful database, download our Free BusinessBASE book.  It’s an informative and free resource that explains exactly how to grow your database effectively. And contains information that applies to both short-term and long-term career success.

Start applying these success tricks now. Send the Free Market Analysis Offer postcard from our Free Offer Series to at least 100 new prospects in an area where you want more listings.

Need help?  We are here to help you succeed. Just call 866.405.3638 for assistance!  

PLUS: When you have a moment…here are 3 Free things to check out that will help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free Real Estate Business Plan Outline

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out the perfect one page Online Real Estate Business Plan – Click Here

2. The Free Marketing ROI Calculator

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

3. The Free Strategic Marketing Planner

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

Also…check these out 🙂

Turn One Listing Into More – & all from your mobile phone

Automate Your Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards – with MLS Listings

Become a Neighborhood Brand – with the Market Dominator System

I recently spent time interviewing Michael LaFido, a top-producing Realtor, and luxury real estate consultant. Michael is the founder of the Luxury Listing Specialist Certification (LUXE) that many are calling the “new standard” for marketing luxury homes today.  Michael is also the author of the books “Marketing Luxury” and “Luxury Listing Specialist” & he has been inducted into the National Academy Of Best Selling Authors.

 Q: What is your definition of a luxury listing?

I define a luxury listing as three times the average home price for any given market. If the average home price is $200k, luxury would be defined as $600k and up. There is also a tier below luxury referred to as “higher end”, which I define as two times the average sale price for that market. In the above example, $400k would be considered “higher end”.

Q: What are the secrets of appealing to a luxury seller?

First, nobody cares how much you know until they know you care. You have to be authentic and truly care. There are agents that come across poorly because they are only bottom line driven and a seller will see through that. Being real and likable is important.

However, the biggest hurdle for many agents is penetrating the inner circle of trust. It can be difficult to penetrate this circle when dealing with high net worth individuals, they tend to be more guarded and untrusting.

A luxury homeowner will rarely give an opportunity to someone new and unknown to them. That is unless the agent has similar properties in their portfolio. Which is why a big part of what I do in my training is give agents the tools and resources to attract luxury sellers versus chasing them. Once an agent has gone through my program and has achieved our certification, they can leverage this certification as a third party endorsement.

Q: What advice do you have for agents curious about entering the luxury market?

The first step is more psychological than anything. An agent has to believe they can do it. Many agents have what I call limiting beliefs that are preventing them from breaking into certain markets.

Some of these beliefs include, I have to be licensed for X amount of years before I can sell high-end properties. Or I have to be with a certain brokerage. I have to live a luxury lifestyle, have a high net worth, and live in a big home or drive a certain car.

These beliefs are all false. I’m living proof. I have several properties on the market, $7 million and above in the Chicago land area and I came from a blue-collar past.

Recently I was in Las Vegas and a past training student approached me stating, “Hey Mike I attended you’re training a year ago and I just landed my first trophy listing for $850k.” She won this listing as an individual agent up against a power luxury team.

Another seasoned agent who never listed above $550k before she completed my training nine months ago said, “Michael, before your class, I would never have gone on a million dollar listing appointment.” Within two months of completing the training, she had a $5.3 million dollar listing appointment.

Q: What have been the greatest Aha moments for agents taking your certification?

Recently, after a training, I took agents over to an $11 million dollar mansion. I gave a tour of the property and insight into how to secure a listing like it and get it sold. I encouraged the agents to take selfies and create Facebook live videos inside the mansion as a way for them to market themselves from within this luxury property.

This tour of a multi-million dollar home was an eye-opening experience for many agents. Not just being in the environment, but communicating with their audience from within an $11 million dollar home broke down barriers and turned fantasy into reality. It’s important to put yourself in the surroundings of where you want to be in your life.

 Q: How do agents begin to break down the mental barriers to entering the luxury market?

The best place to start is by increasing your income from where you currently stand. If your average sale price is $200k try and push it to $260k or from $300k to $390k. This is a smaller goal, to begin with, that offers a big result (a 30% income increase).

Also, add higher-end properties to your portfolio. A financial portfolio includes some high and some low-risk investments. Diversify your listing portfolio in the same way with some higher listings as well.

Many agents say, if I take on a luxury or a trophy listing, that’s going to mess up my averages. It’s true they take longer to sell and cost more money. However, there is a positive overall effect on your portfolio and an annual income that can’t be denied.

Q: For agents interested in learning more what’s their next step?

Watch my Luxury Blueprint Video Series (linked below). It’s a three-part series on how to break into and sell more high-end and luxury homes and we also include some other freebies.  An agent can also listen to our podcast “Luxury Listing Specialist” on iTunes or Stitcher. To watch Michael LaFido’s Luxury Listing Blueprint Video Series, Click Here. For more information on Michael’s Luxury Listing Specialist Certification Click Here.

Always know that we are here to help you in any way we can.  Call our support team at 866.405.3638 if you would like help creating your new mailing lists or marketing materials.

PLUS: When you have a moment…here are 3 Free things to check out that will help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free Real Estate Business Plan Outline

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out the perfect one page Online Real Estate Business Plan – Click Here

2. The Free Online ROI Calculator

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

3. The Free Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Planner

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

Also…check these out 🙂

Turn One Listing Into More – & all from your mobile phone

Automate Your Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards – with MLS Listings

Become a Neighborhood Brand – with the Market Dominator System

Based on a recent NAR survey, 77% of buyers stated home staging made it easier to visualize the property as their future home.

In fact, the majority of agents agree home staging decreases the home’s time on the market and increases the sales price (up to 15 percent).

With options from hiring a professional, to doing it yourself, here’s why more agents are choosing virtual staging.

Search the internet for virtual staging and you’ll find lots of articles on how “dishonest” the practice is and how “deceived” potential buyers feel when they visit the home and the staging they saw online isn’t there.

But, read who is writing these hit pieces – professional home stagers – and it’s easier to take them with a grain of salt. Besides, many agents are successfully using virtual home staging and have great tips to offer.

The vacant home

Regardless of the type of market or home, staging is a must for most vacant homes—even if it’s staged only for the listing photos.

But, there’s more to it than marketing. Vacant homes send a message to potential buyers: this seller is desperate.

At the very least, buyers may assume there’s an urgency on the seller’s part to get rid of the home. Hello, lowball offers!

Most buyers first view a home online. Therefore, having at least virtual staging in place avoids the “vacant home syndrome” that may lead to low offers. 

What virtual staging is, and isn’t

Virtually staging a home for sale involves digitally enhancing the home’s rooms with furniture and accessories.

Many companies offer the service and it’s quite easy to use. All you, as an agent, need to do is send high-res photos of the rooms your client wants to be staged to the staging company. Depending on the company, you can have the finished product within 48 hours to a week later.

Costs vary as well. BoxBrownie.com charges as little as $32 per photo. While other companies can charge up to $100 or more per photo.

Virtual staging isn’t a DIY project. Sure, you can purchase software, but it isn’t the same software the pros use and, without a staging background, it’s not wise. Unless, of course, you think homeowners going FSBO is wise, then, by all means, go for it.

Unlike most of the out-of-the-box virtual staging software, the professional virtual staging software doesn’t virtually remodel homes. It presents the home’s architecture as-is and design the staging around what is actually present.

The photos are high-resolution and far more realistic and professional-looking than you’ll get with consumer-oriented software.

So, how do you keep a potential buyer from feeling manipulated?

Hard feelings may ensue when what a potential buyer sees in person isn’t what was presented online. Buyers may feel deceived, or like the victim of a bait and switch type of con.

Kiawah Partners in Charleston, S.C. has a brilliant solution.

“The company shows two versions of the photos: the room as it was originally photographed and the virtually staged room with the word ‘visualization’ prominently watermarked in the corner of the image,” explains Realtormag.com’s Erica Christoffer.

“The potential home buyer can see that the kitchen currently has beautiful dark wood cabinets and dark quartzite countertops, say, but can also see what it would look like if the cabinets were painted white and the dark countertop was replaced with a white marble,” explained Tiffany Jonas, Kiawah’s advertising and marketing manager

The company also includes a disclaimer in the property’s MLS description.

At vacant properties, the empty rooms contain large photos of the virtually staged room, “mounted on foam board and sitting on easels,” according to Cristofer.

“The potential home buyer can plainly see the original, real room in front of their eyes and, in the mounted photo, how that room would look with different furnishings and finishes,” Jonas told the magazine.

Other agents who employ virtual staging have the most popular rooms staged several different ways. “To help buyers visualize, for example, how a space could serve as a study, an exercise room, or a guest room, depending on one’s needs,” according to Boston Globe correspondent Marni Elyse Katz.

What to look for in a virtual staging company

Choosing a virtual staging company is rather like choosing a professional real estate photographer—it’s all about the photos.

Of course, you’ll want to ensure that the photos are realistic. You’ll also want to ensure that they take into account all the other aspects of stunning photography. These include lighting, scale, color, and composition.

A virtual staging company should also offer experience in home décor and styling. This includes the ability to create tasteful combinations of furniture and accessories, wall colors and flooring.

Finally, consider what you get for the money you are willing to spend.

We recommend BoxBrownie.com, not only for their skills and affordability but for the extras they offer, such as professional copywriters, to really make your listing sing.

Another way to attract more buyers is to send the Still Renting postcard from the First Time Buyer/Renter Series to at least 100 renters in your area. Need a mailing list of renters? Click Here.

Always know that we are here to help you in any way we can. 

Call our support team at 866.405.3638 if you would like help creating a new mailing list or marketing materials.

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