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Tuesday, May 21, 2024

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    You work hard to establish your bona fides as a real estate agent. Hopefully, you work as hard at keeping in touch with past clients and prospective clients.

    So, what happens to the perception of you as an expert when one of these people learns that you’re promoting real estate myths?

    Embarrassing, right?

    Because something sounds as if it should be true doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Homes on busy streets aren’t always worth less than others and a new professional sports stadium in town doesn’t mean property values will explode.

    Today we expose three home value myths that, quite frankly, we thought had been busted a long time ago. Yet, we still find agents writing about them as if they’re a reality.

    1. Cemeteries drag down values

    “Although living near a cemetery doesn’t automatically affect the home’s price, it does have the potential to drive down home prices,” says an unnamed writer at a site that promises to be “your trusted source of information on real estate market news, trends, and advice.”

    The article was updated in January of this year and still contains this erroneous information.

    A 2013 study by Redfin found that “Homes Near Cemeteries Sell for More.” According to Christin Camacho on Redfin’s blog, “. . . on average, homes near cemeteries are slightly smaller, but sell for more per square foot.”

    The Home Staging Mistakes postcard is available in the postcard section under the Content Card Series tab

    Those closest to the graveyard (within 500 feet) sold for an average $162 per square foot, while those “located more than 500 yards away sold for $145 per square foot.”

    2.The NFL effect

    It’s easy to assume that property values will increase when an NFL team (or any professional sports team) takes up residence in your town. Especially when the real estate community dangles the team’s move as an incentive to homebuyers.

    The most recent example of this is Las Vegas as the new home to not only the Raiders but a brand-new professional hockey team, the Golden Knights.

    Brokers and agents were all over the local news, wringing their hands in glee at how much home values were poised to rise because of pro sports coming to town. This, despite various research studies finding that, overall, the stadiums just don’t correlate to a rise in property value.

    In fact, Trulia’s study concluded that “New stadiums built in the last decade, by and large, have failed to lift the fortunes of nearby neighborhoods.”

    They looked at homes within a 2-mile radius of pro football stadiums across the U.S. Earlier studies by others came to the same conclusion.

    Despite this, agents continue to claim otherwise, with one going so far as to say, on his website, that “housing prices are expected to go up considerably once Las Vegas finishes construction of its stadium.”

    Don’t buy into the hype. It’s simply untrue.

    Related: Is it Appraisal Time? Tricks to Getting Top Dollar

     3. Your pets are going to cost you
    The Low Listing Inventory postcard is available in the postcard section under the Content Card Series

    I dare you to find (on an agent’s website) an article about preparing the home for the market that doesn’t warn people about how many homebuyers won’t buy a home that has pets.

    “If you truly want to get top dollar for your house, pay attention to how much you might lose with a dog or cat in residence,” cautions Elizabeth Weintraub at TheBalance.com.

    “Like other forms of home staging, removing extra pet clutter is an important consideration when you are selling your property,” suggests Bill Gassett on his website, MaxRealEstateExposure.com.

    At one time, this was excellent advice. But time marches on, people’s tastes change, and to give 1990s advice in the 21st century doesn’t make much sense.

    If I were an agent, I would tell all of my listing clients to take all those dog toys and other paraphernalia and use them to stage the backyard. Why?

    “Pet owners make up 80 percent of recent homebuyers,” according to research from Realtor.com®, released last August.

    Three-quarters of these buyers also claim that they would “would pass on an otherwise-perfect home if it wasn’t right for their animals.”

    Ask to prioritize the features they were looking for in a dog-friendly home:

    • Large yard
    • Any outdoor space
    • Garage
    • Large square footage
    • Dog run
    • Dog-proof or “sturdy” flooring
    • Close proximity to outdoor spaces

    If you have a listing that ticks any of those boxes, be sure to let buyers’ agents know. In fact, why not hold a dog-friendly open house? Let buyers can bring their pooches to let them try out the backyard.

    Just a thought.

    The bottom line is that if 80 percent of buyers are pet owners, it’s a safe bet that a little dog aroma won’t negatively impact your listings.

    The Appealing to Equity postcard is available in the postcard section under the Content Card Series

    In fact, if your listing has dog-friendly features and is located where people are playing down their pets, it may just be worth more.

    Send at least 100 Appealing For Equity postcards from the Content Card Series to an area where you want to stir up more listings.
    You might also like:

    Go From Home Showing to Sold in Lightning Speed

    Avoid These 4 Common Real Estate Marketing Mistakes

    Need help targeting the perfect niche of 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 Free killer tools to help your success this year!

    1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

     

     

    2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

     

    “Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. – 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, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here

     

     

    4. The Free One-Page 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

     

     

    5. 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

    Your Facebook business page is useless for lead generation if you insist on using your posts to sell listings and advertise open houses to the exclusion of being, well, social.

    Rule number one: Be of value

    Use “value” as your cornerstone. Here’s an example.

    I love LinkedIn for real estate agent marketing. Its users fall under the ideal demographics for the average home buyer and seller. But it’s one place you do NOT want to be salesy. People use the platform to network, not be sold to.

    Which is why I stopped following a certain virtual assistant service. Everything she posted was an ad for her company. And, I mean, everything.

    Demonstrate your expert knowledge (Available in the Postcard section under Content Cards).

    Ads aren’t of value to me. At least not at LinkedIn. Not at Facebook, either, come to think of it.

    To be of value to a Facebook follower, your posts need to be, above all, social.
    They don’t need to always be real estate-related, just interesting, surprising or helpful.

    Chicago’s Dream Town Realty nails it in the “interesting” and “helpful” categories. All posts (at least the ones we saw) are locally-oriented and full of pride for their city. The recently had a post on “Where to Go Sledding in Chicago” with a great photo of kids sledding at a local hill. This is a post that’s highly shareable and ultra-local.

    Yes, they share open houses and the occasional listing, but “occasional” is the operative word. And, they don’t use the typical “salesy” jargon when they do share these items.

    Where do you find these hot social media topics? Start with your hometown newspaper, your city’s magazine (such as Dream Town Realty did), or another local source.

    Scour the internet to see if your town or city made it onto the many “best places to retire,” “best places to raise kids,” or “best places to live” lists. Just enter into Google, with the quotation marks, “best places,” “best neighborhoods or “best cities.”

    Trulia recently put out a list of the “best” neighborhoods in the country, broken down as best for kids, best for friendliness, etc. Maybe your market made it onto the list.

    Compile your own, like the Dream Town Realty list. Here are some ideas:

    • The best yoga studios
    • Top spots to watch the sun set
    • The best dog parks
    • Best restaurant patio dining
    • Top hiking, biking, walking trails
    • Do a series on day trips from your town
    • Best restaurants for date night
    • Top staycation ideas
    Provide valuable information (Available in the Postcard section under Content Cards)

    The list of local topics is just about endless when you start brainstorming. And, people love local topics.

    Rule number two: Engagement is key

    Real estate pros, by and large, do an admirable job posting to Facebook. Sadly, most aren’t engaging their followers.

    So, why do non-profits on Facebook have such a high rate of engagement with their posts? This is just my opinion, but non-profits, because they aren’t selling anything, are non-threatening. But, the top organizations are also posting the right content.

    The number one non-profit on Facebook is Ted, an organization “devoted to spreading ideas”. It’s a place you can find answers to your most burning questions.

    Which makes for excellent Facebook fodder. A recent Ted Talk video post showing ‘how to do math in your head’ received a decent amount of engagement (nearly 700 comments, so far), it was shared more than 3,000 times. It was viewed 387,000 times.

    Who knew so many people wanted to learn how to add and subtract in their heads?

    When you’re stuck for content, share a post from Ted, or NPR, number 3 on the list of most popular non-profit Facebook pages.

    Don’t make every post all about you. Nobody cares that you’re willing to help them “buy or sell a home.” Few care that you’re holding an open house or that you took a new listing.

    Keep them informed of what’s important (Available in the Postcard section, under Content Cards).

    Think about what makes you interact with a Facebook post and head in that direction with your real estate page.

    Engage your audience by sending at least 100 Demand High, Inventory Low postcards from the Content Card Series to an area where you want more listings.

    Need help targeting the perfect niche of 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 Free ways we can help you have an INVINCIBLE 2019!

     

    1. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

    “Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. Watch it now.  – Click Here

     

     

    2. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – 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

     

     

     

    4. The Free One-Page 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

     

     

     

    5. 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

     

    At the risk of sounding cliched, content is even more of a king now than when Sumner Redstone coined the “Content is King” mantra.

    Gone are those days when a 100-word post, unartfully packed with keywords and links, ranks anywhere near Google’s first-page search results.

    It’s not merely content that is king, it’s quality content. Writing for the reader and not the search engine, with relevant, valuable and shareable content is today’s challenge.

    If you struggle with content creation, read on.

    Determine a content strategy

    Your content strategy is best determined by first figuring out your goal in writing it. Sure, we all hope to generate leads with content, but go deeper than that. Are you looking to close more deals, build a referral base or maybe set yourself apart as a niche expert?

    Once you’ve nailed your ultimate goal, you’ll need to figure out your target audience or audiences. Creating personas helps you narrow down your audience and helps you provide more relevant and, thus, valuable content.

    Need help? Hubspot.com has available, Make My Persona, as a fun tool to help you build your target audience’s persona.

    All of your content must be appropriate and of value to this audience. Kelton Ried at Coppyblogger.com calls this an “audience-first mentality.” He goes on to suggest that “Without a deeper understanding of the needs, hopes, desires, and dreams of your audience, you’re doomed to turn them away.”

    You have your goal in mind and you know who to target, so let’s get started creating a content strategy action plan.

    Creating content to help you meet your goal

    If you’ve taken our advice and you are clear on your target audience’s persona, you’ll find that writing becomes a whole lot easier.

    If you specialize in a niche, writing content is even easier. An agent who specializes in military relocation, for instance, has an endless number of topics to write about. The same holds true for condo, ranch, waterfront, and luxury real estate specialists.

    Generalists, on the other hand, just need to keep the focus on what type of information is valuable to their target audience. Buyers naturally want to know about mortgage rate changes, how to get a mortgage, the mortgage process broken down into layperson’s terms, information on the area’s neighborhoods and, of course, they want to see listings.

    TIP: Ask the pros in other industries to write guest posts. This might include your home inspector, favorite title company representative, and lender. Hang on to these for those days when you’re too busy or too writer-blocked to come up with a post.

    Make your content work hard

    Content should act as a magnet to draw people to your website and it can’t do that if you don’t promote it. The best place to do that is on social media.

    Remember, posting a piece of content to your website isn’t the end of that piece. Push it out on social media.

    Since most social media platforms are visually oriented, repurpose your content into quick, easy to read infographics. The most commonly shared post on Facebook, by the way, is an image.

    Whatever you post, ensure that it grabs the eye – use Canva.com or a graphics program to create compelling photos.

    Create a content schedule

     Ask any SEO specialist how often to post content and you’ll get a ton of different responses.

    We think it’s important to come up with a posting schedule that meshes with your business schedule. Sure, you can promise yourself that you’ll write and post content three times a week, but if you don’t have an assistant or you get busy, the posts won’t get written, posted or promoted.

    The best time of day to post and promote your content is another hotly contested issue. Many of the big SEO pros we follow to claim that mid-day or lunchtime is ideal.

    The name of the game when considering a content schedule is to bite off just enough that you can chew and stick to it. Consistently.

    Start by writing some content centered around the Free Report, “How to CHOP $24,000 & 4 Years OFF Your Mortgage”. Order 100 of this Free Report today to have on hand for requests.  

    Need help targeting the perfect niche of 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 STILL CRUSH IT in 2018!

    1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook.

    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here 

    2. 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

    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

    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. BTW, you also get a $25 Gift Card too (now that’s what I’m talking about)!

    How long is long enough?

    Heading into the new year with visions of grandeur floating in your head?

    How this year is going to be the year that’s…

    BIGGER, BETTER and BRIGHTER than ever.

    If only you could figure out the answer that nagging question swirling around in your head, “I spent time and money on a bit of marketing last year and it went nowhere, how will this year be any different?”

    Well, here’s what statistics tell us —

    If you’ve sent out a few marketing pieces throughout the year in the past, it’s going to take much more than that, to get the results you are after.

    But how much more?

    A strategic ongoing focus

    A strategic focus that includes mailings, phone calls, emails, door knocking and community involvement — to be specific.

    Don’t forget the 3-7-27 marketing rule of success discussed in the last blog (3 contacts for name recognition, 7 to associate your name with your business, and 27 to be known and trusted enough to do business).

    The bottom line,

    Don’t be tempted to stop your marketing efforts after a few sporadic tries. Understand the science and psychology behind marketing.

    Historically most transactions or calls happen after five to seven contacts or more.

    An effective month by month plan

    A successful marketing plan includes a combination of the following:

    Ongoing monthly direct mail with periodic direct response offers, interspersed with email marketing, phone calls, and neighborhood visits.

    Follow this strategy and you are well on your way to putting yourself on the map.

    What to send for impact 

    Holiday Postcards:

    Every month you have the opportunity to add a seasonal timely touch to your marketing.

    Be sure to include a personal message on the back and follow this card up with a friendly, “anything I can do for you?” phone call every few months.

     

    Free Offer Postcards:

    These are great direct response pieces to send that highlight compelling free offers such as, free market analysis, list of homes and list of resources. These offers encourage interest and low-risk hand raising.

    Content Postcards:

    These powerful, content-rich cards have timely topics with consumer-friendly information that sets you up as the expert resource in your market.

    When to scale back?

    How about never?

    During the holidays many agents slow down their marketing as social obligations gear up and the industry appears to take a breather.

    Be the agent who takes the opposite approach.

    Stay top of mind without any lag in exposure so you can hit the ground running in January while other agents are just getting back in the game.

    This coming year CAN be your BIGGEST and BRIGHTEST ever!

    By expanding your ongoing marketing actions and touch points throughout the year, to ensure your business continues to thrive and grow.

    Start making a great impression today, then do it again next week, next month, and so on.

    Your business and your bottom line will thank you for it.

    Interested in a strategic one year marketing plan that has already been done-for-you? Take a look at our Master Marketing Schedule. Need our assistance?  Our team at ProspectsPLUS! is available at 866.405.3638 and excited to answer your questions.

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