Making Marketing Easier for our Agents (and better for their clients!)
Posted by Erica Vautier | Leave A Comment »
Today’s Real Estate Agent is busier than ever, let us help you make the most of your time and money with advanced Marketing Tools.
Here are just a few of the Real Estate Marketing Tools we give our agents so they can give their clients an advertising advantage:
Receive a free personal Agent Website that features your listings- Have your listings automatically sent to more than 50 high traffic sites and enhanced on Realtor.com, SignOnSanDiego and other local sites
- Visibility Plus makes sending monthly Newsletters an easy way to stay in touch with your clients
- Build high end print pieces on Custom Xpress for delivery in just 24 hours
- Become an author on our Company Blog, Picture Perfect San Diego for complimentary lead generation
- We’ll teach you how to reach thousands of buyers and sellers without spending a penny!
Windermere will give you tools to market yourself and your listings for free. We’ll also help you make the good decisions about what other advertising you should invest in.
This means that you will be able to attract a lot more attention to your listings, sell properties faster and network with potential clients.
Give me a call and I’ll arrange a confidential demonstration of our tools and a no-pressure interview.
Erica Vautier, Director of Marketing
(858) 436-3260 or EricaVautier@Windermere.com
Want more information?
- Read More Articles by Erica Vautier about the Technology and Marketing Available to Homeowners and Agents
- Learn about the Real Estate Technology we give our agents.
- Contact me about working for Windermere and gaining access to these tools
- Contact me about becoming a VIP Member of our site and gaining access to great technology search tools for homeowners
- Leave Feedback and let us know what you’d like to learn more about
Related Posts: Agent Services, Careers at Windermere, Join Windermere, Marketing, Picture Perfect San Diego, Windermere Agents
Homeowners Do Their Homework . . . and it’s paying off!
Posted by Erica Vautier | Currently 2 Comments »
Dramatic advancements in online tools means more real estate resources are available to more people than ever before. Armed with a plethora of new tools, buyers are doing their homework. They can search for homes, tour neighborhoods, and get expert advice from the convenience of their personal laptop.
A recent survey by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that more than 77% of consumers now start the real estate process online. On sites like Realtor.com, buyers can specify what type of home they are interested in and have a list of properties that meet their criteria appear in seconds.
Good real estate sites let visitors save searches, send automatic notices when new listings enter the market, and provide extensive information on the property. Advanced sites will even provide foreclosure lists and help locate great real estate buys.
It’s no wonder that more than 3 out of 4 respondents to the NAR survey said they use search engines to browse through properties. While internet buyers spend a longer period of time looking for a home online than traditional buyers, they spend less time searching with their agent and have to view fewer properties in person.
A 2007 California Association of Realtors (CAR) survey showed that next to searching for homes, buyers spend most of their time online surveying neighborhoods. They look at comparable sales, watch local videos and map out the area.
User-generated videos on YouTube provide unique insight into many San Diego cities; a search for “La Jolla, San Diego” yields more than 1,100 results! Some reports suggest that buyers are beginning to prefer these amateur tours to the store-bought variety, which can come off as manufactured.
To further examine neighborhoods, buyers use interactive mapping tools like Google Maps. Simply type in an address and Google Maps displays: satellite images of the location; charts of the terrain; real-time traffic reports and drive times; and frighteningly accurate, panoramic street views. Online maps allow visitors to take a virtual stroll down their future block without ever leaving home.
As buyers migrate toward the internet, so are many real estate agents. Through industry blogs like Active Rain and personal blog sites, real estate agents are sharing their knowledge and experience with the world.
Most buyers are tired of the pre-canned information that populates most real estate sites and are instead choosing to read more organic blog entries.
On our company blog, Picture Perfect San Diego, Windermere agents write about the community, home sales, area activities, market trends, financing options and so much more. It’s a great forum for buyers to meet our agents, read first hand accounts of what is going on in the real estate market, ask questions and leave feedback.
The abundance of research tools available online has made today’s buyer more educated than ever before. They can search for homes, tour neighborhoods, and get expert advice online.
There is a lot of information out there, have you done your homework?
If you need help getting started on your homework, these links may help:
- Read More Articles by Erica Vautier about the Technology and Marketing Available to Homeowners and Agents
- Contact me about working for Windermere and gaining access to these tools
- Contact me about becoming a VIP Member of our site and gaining access to great technology search tools for homeowners
- Leave Feedback and let us know what you’d like to learn more about
Related Posts: Buyers, Education, Foreclosures, Free Foreclosure Lists, Homeowners, Marketing, Picture Perfect San Diego, Technology, Windermere, Windermere Agents
We Give Agents the Best Technology & They Pass it on to Homeowners
Posted by Erica Vautier | Leave A Comment »
The world of real estate is changing.
New technologies and the extraordinary increase of internet use have transformed the way people search for houses.
Savvy real estate agents know that to keep up with an evolving industry, they need to surround themselves with the latest technology and the best support.
At Windermere Exclusive Properties, we are committed to providing our agents with the tools and the training they need to stay ahead.
Our agents enjoy the most advanced real estate technology available in the industry.
We provide tools that distribute Windermere listings to high traffic home search sites – and even pay to have our agents’ listings enhanced on many of the sites. We have an Online Resource Center filled with valuable downloads, an interactive calendar, a forum for company announcements and industry news.
Our four San Diego offices have wireless internet and large plasma screens in the conference rooms for agents to use in presentations.
Whether you are the most tech-savvy agent in San Diego, or completely new to the digital world, Windermere has the tools and the training that can dramatically improve your business. Our company calendar features MANY training sessions each month that teach our agents how to stay ahead of the curve.
If you are an agent, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you want your listings to automatically appear on more than 50 high traffic sites?
- Would you like someone to help you master Tempo 5?
- Would you want to learn how to build Virtual Slideshows for your property at no cost?
- Do you think it would be helpful to have all the forms, files, logos and materials you use available to you online?
- Do you want to work in a company that values education and will train you to use today’s best tools?
Related Posts: Agent Services, Join Windermere, Marketing, Picture Perfect San Diego, Technology, Training, Windermere Agents, Windermere Offices
Save Gas, Time & Money with these Real Estate Search Tips
Posted by Erica Vautier | Currently 5 Comments »
The secret to having more Time and Money has been sought after by people for thousands of years. Recently, we have added a new item to the list of things to lust after…GAS.
While prices have come down slightly over the past week, they are anything but low. The average price for mid-grade gasoline in California is $4.23 while the U.S. average for mid-grade gasoline is $3.93 (data from from U.S. Energy Information Association, 8/11/08).
High gas prices wouldn’t be so bad if we were only driving a couple miles a day, but the majority of Americans are driving much more than that. In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports that we drive an average of 13,476 miles per year.
At 20 miles per gallon and $4.23 per gallon, we are spending $2850.17 a year on gas.
Sigh!
Real Estate agents suffer even more than the rest of us as they tote clients up and down the coast, from property to property. Anyone searching for a new home understands this plight…
So now the great challenge is to find a way to save time, money AND gas. It is definitely a challenge, but it is not impossible.
Follow the tips below and you will be well on your way to conserving our most prized possessions while you search for a new home.
Drive Less
I know that sounds like a terrible inconvenience, but it actually can be quite the opposite. Advancements in technology have armed the Real Estate community with powerful new tools that allow buyers to virtually tour properties, neighborhoods and communities.
A savvy agent will be able to show you satellite images of potential homes and track traffic in the area. You will be able to eliminate homes that aren’t right for you without wasting time or gas.
In the past real estate agents would have to show their clients 15 to 20 homes before they would find one that they like. The drastic improvements in our ability to preview properties through the internet have lowed that number – now agents typically show clients only 6 homes before they fall in love.
Translation: Eliminate homes that aren’t right for you through electronic tours and save precious time and gas.
Get More Gas for your Money
If you can’t resist the temptation of taking the drive to a potential home, you can stretch your gas tank farther with these tricks.
- Fill Up in the Morning: Gas is kept underground in tanks. In the colder morning ground gas becomes more dense and you will get more gas in your tank.
- Don’t Squeeze the Nozzle Trigger: The faster the gas pumps into your car, the more vapor that goes in with it. Keep it at a slow speed and load up on gas, not air.
- Fill Up Well Before Empty: Gas evaporates quickly when exposed to air. If you keep your tank at least half full at all times (so there is less air in the tank) you will minimize evaporation and maximize value.
- Find a Less Expensive Gas Station: Use this website to search for the gas station near you with the lowest prices.
- Beat the Traffic: The stop-and-go of traffic will dramatically reduce your highway miles per gallon. Use this site to find traffic-free routes.
There is no quick fix for the Gas-Time-Money quest, but there are things you can do to make the best of it. Use a technology-friendly agent to eliminate homes you don’t need to preview in person and stretch your gas miles as far as they will go. Oh — and if anyone comes up with the secret to unlimited time, be sure to let me know!
Related Posts: Find A Home, Maps, Real Estate News, San Diego
New Technologies or Old School Communication – What’s Better?
Posted by Erica Vautier | Currently 1 Comment »
When talking about tennis shoes or day planners, the popular New Years mantra “out with the old, in with the new” is great advice. But when it comes to marketing a home, an integration of new technologies and old techniques is the most effective.
Faced with a softening market and price appreciation slowing, real estate agents and home owners must work harder to sell properties that would have been snapped up in past years. In response, numerous companies have come up with a “better mouse trap” promising to increase exposure and sell homes faster.
Sellers now have a plethora of real estate marketing tools at their finger tips and it can be easy to get lost in good intentions.
To decide what technologies to allow into our lives, sellers need to step outside their routines and explore new options. Ironically, the best way to learn about new ways to communicate is to simply talk to our friends, family and coworkers.
Find someone who is actively using the iPhone or writing a web site blog and solicit their advice. A friend will warn you about the shortcomings of new gadgets before a salesperson will. You may wonder how you ever lived without emails coming directly to your phone, or decide that starting your own blog is too time-consuming.
To sell a home in today’s cautious environment undoubtedly requires marketing creativity, but technology for the sake of technology is self-defeating. The goal is to determine which new tools will actually help sell your property, and then work with an agent to integrate those tools into your marketing plan.
Web sites are now the primary source of exposure for homes for sale and properties that feature virtual tours appear higher up on lists of homes. Still, with an estimated 25,000 homes available in San Diego alone, it is important to work with an agent who has strong contacts in the community and follow-up systems in place. Let technology add to your home’s exposure, but choose an agent who understands the value of personal communication.
Whatever marketing tool you and your agent decide to test drive, don’t forget to evaluate its effectiveness. Your agent should ask people who comes to see your house to fill out a source card so you know where they heard about you. The most successful agents use precise tracking systems to learn about potential buyers and expedite the sales process.
To the most technologically advanced sellers, I suggest the occasional reality check. Despite the undeniable appeal of email and text messaging, there is no replacement for face-to-face contact with prospective buyers. For sellers determined to stay grounded in the grassroots ways, I recommend adopting an open mind. Change is inevitable, so find a way to make it work for you and your home. The key is to combine the best of new technologies and traditional real estate practices.
Related Posts: Education, Marketing, San Diego, Sellers, Technology, Windermere, Windermere Agents
