Online Marketing Internet Buyer vs. Traditional Home Buyer

"If you are one of those many agents or brokers who don't really believe that the Internet is "the way" in real estate today, perhaps the following data compiled and presented by Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist and Vice President of the California Association of Realtors® (CAR®) in her analysis of the Real Estate Market in California for 2006 will get your attention.
If you believe that the Internet is the single most important factor in your future success, here's your continuing proof that you are correct. Ms. Appleton-Young and CAR® have compiled data of such import and enlightenment that I felt some of it should be shared with you. Pages 62 - 82 of the study compare some distinctions between Internet vs. Traditional buyers and the findings are powerful. These charts show the undeniable trends and the clear preferences consumers have for the Internet approach to buying a home: since the year 2000, virtually every preference that used to favor the traditional approach has been turned upside down and the Internet approach is now overwhelmingly favored. This report is unequivocal evidence that if you are not on the Internet bandwagon and if you can't be found by people searching for homes on the Internet, you are completely "missing the boat" in the real estate business.
Here are just a few of the report's findings:
• 92% of Internet buyers found their agent on a web site; 63% found them through an Internet search engine; 0% of Internet buyers found their agent through brochures, flyers, yard signs or mailers to their home (does this tell you to spend more on Internet marketing and less on print?);
• In 2000, 28% of people said that they used the Internet as an important part of their home-buying and selection process. In 2006, 70% said they did;
• 86% of home buyers started using the Internet as part of their process BEFORE they started looking for a specific home;the other 14% did after they started looking, but BEFORE they contacted a real estate agent; that means that 100% of buyers surveyed started looking at homes first, agents second. When you combine that finding with the already existing one that fully 81% of Internet buyers stay with the first real estate agent they choose to contact, you can see a powerful case for being able to have consumers find you, first;
• Internet buyers spent an average of 4.8 weeks doing research before contacting an agent; traditional buyers only 1.7 weeks. That means an Internet buyer is better prepared and twice+ as less likely to waste your time;
• Internet buyers bought a home on average after spending 2.2 weeks looking for a home with an agent; traditional buyers spent an average of 7.1 weeks; How high would your productivity be if you could spend 2/3 of the time you now spend previewing with clients and could dedicate it to selling and marketing, instead?
• Internet buyers previewed an average of 6.7 homes with their agent (they had already eliminated ones they did not wish to see), traditional buyers previewed 15.4 homes; an average of just under nine fewer wasted showings per customer;
• Only 3% of all Internet connections available at the primary computer used for the home-buying process were dial-up: Internet home buyers and searchers are not sticking with dial-up, just as they are not sticking with traditional methods;
• The approximate distance between previous residence and new residence for traditional buyers was 25 miles; for Internet buyers, it was 242 miles (you can sell anywhere compared to traditional ways);
• Number of agents an internet buyer interviewed, on the median: 1; Traditional buyers? 3. (Why would you want fewer auditions and more certain retentions?)
• 69% of Internet buyers said response time was extremely important.83% of those buyers chose email as their favored communication method with their agent. 0% chose "in person." (The Internet is the new "office visit.")
• Internet buyers were more satisfied with their agents: 4.3 to 3.3 for traditional buyers, on a scale of 5 where 5 is "surpassed expectations."
• 35% of traditional agents listed "faster response time from my agent" as the one thing they would change, if they could, about their experience; Internet buyers? 0%!
• Internet buyers were far more satisfied in every important researched category of satisfaction than traditional buyers were; when asked the number one reason for satisfaction with their agent, 91% of Internet buyers said that satisfaction was because their agent "was always quick to respond." Traditional buyers? Their number one reason was "worked hard on my behalf", chosen by 62% of them, leading us to conclude that traditional buyers did not find their agents "quick to respond."
And, ladies and gentlemen (a little drum roll, here, please), 97% of Internet buyers said they would use the same agent again. Traditional buyers? 50%. (Twice as likely to be satisfied and twice as likely to give a referral, wouldn't you think?)
I'm not an economist, (I don't even play one on TV), but it seems to me that these data show clearly that:
1. Agents who sell via the Internet do not get as bogged down in unproductive chauffeuring to preview homes as traditional agents do;
2. Agents who utilize online marketing and have Internet buyers are more liked, more highly regarded, more likely to have a repeat sale with the client,
3. Agents selling to Internet buyers are likely to work only 2.2 weeks with a buyer before selling a property (vs. 7.1 weeks traditionally);
4. Agents committed to online marketing may be able to expand their market area to an average 242 mile radius of their location and remain effective due to online communication; people find you on the Internet, call you or email you, and use you to help them find a home in an area they may not know.
5. The money you may spend on brochures, ads, newspaper ads, and the like should be reconsidered and placed into Internet Marketing.
So, unless you are in a state of denial about the Internet's importance to real estate transactions, you need to do several things in your planning for this year, at minimum, if you want to be on the right side of these statistics.
1. You need to take most of the money you are spending on newspaper ads, brochures, glossy marketing pieces, etc., and invest it in your Online Marketing. Chances are good that you cannot possibly wisely spend all those dollars online; consider those savings as your bonus this year. It will be tough not seeing your comforting listings in the paper, but think of all the money you'll be saving! (And as more fuel for that fire, consider this: Ms. Appleton-Young's data also show that over 70% of people 65 and older read a daily newspaper, but only 35% of 24 year olds do. PRINT IS DEAD TO THIS GENERATION OF HOMEBUYERS!)
2. You need your own website showing your properties and you. You can get a very good one free. What are you waiting for?
3. Just having a website or a page on your franchise site won't cut it; you must be able to be found by people searching for homes in your considerably larger e-neighborhood. The Internet is a really big place and chances are that you and your site may be lost in its hugeness.
4. You must be permanently committed to "Thinking Internet." I have heard many agents say "I don't get that involved with Online Marketing; I've been successful the traditional way for 15 years." I offer those of you saying that now two things: my sincere congratulations on your past success and my sincere empathy for the frustration you will suffer as the curve gets further out in front of you. The report told us that in 2006, 63% of Internet buyers (who comprise 70-85% of all buyers today) find their agent on the Internet. We believe that within the next two years, this number will approach 90%. While this CAR® study does not report on every State in the Union, it does report on what is happening in America's biggest and most influential real estate market. No matter where you are, these data and trends are coming at you. You must get on board or you will be literally run over and left behind. Internet selling is the way, and within our lifetimes, the statistics will continue to favor online marketing of real estate in even greater proportions.
We at Blackwater and our affiliated companies, Compass Internet Systems and Web Reporter Tool, talk to agents from Martha's Vineyard to Hawaii, Maine to Florida, Texas to Canada and everywhere in between on a daily basis. That will never make us as well-informed as Ms. Appleton-Young, but I believe it gives us a good perspective on trends in this area, and here's what we think: all over the country, agents and brokers are showing interest in, adopting, and pouring their time, effort and money into online marketing on a scale that was unimagined only two years ago. That makes us certain that every professional real estate sales person who wants to stay in this business must adapt to Darwin's Law on its most brutal terms: Adapt, or die. In listing and selling terms, that means that you must make the effort to make the Internet make money for you, for soon, that is where it all will be made. Go to a search engine, enter your city, state and the words "Real Estate" or "Homes for Sale" or any other combination that describes what you do. Then hit "Search." Are you one of the ten people listed on the page? Based on the statistics you just read, if you are not that means there is a certainty that the searcher will not buy a home from you, but from one of the people on that list of ten; after all: "92% found their agent on the Internet; 63% of them used a search engine." 63% of 92% of all Internet buyers means that there's a 57% chance you are out of luck.
After years of evolution in the way we do things, the pace of that evolution is increasing. This is the time to get with the wave, this is not the time to miss it. As Eugene L. Meyer, former Washington Post writer and editor recently stated in an online article: "Search Engine Placement is Mission Critical (for Real Estate)." I'd put it another way: "Internet Marketing is the future of real estate sales." It's up to you: Stay where you're comfortable with Traditional buyers, or move the cheese and learn how to get more Internet buyers. In the long run, there will be fewer and fewer traditional buyers for you to pursue, but more and more Internet buyers. It seems plain where you need to be going!
Thanks to Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist and Vice President of the California Association of Realtors® (lesliea@car.org) for producing this information and being so cooperative in permitting its publication, and thanks also to Andy Alexander of Shorewood Realtors in El Segundo, CA for bringing this study to my attention (www.andy-alexander.com). It was the excitement in Andy's virtual epiphany that got me onto this report; because - as he put it: "I just realized I must do better in my Online Marketing because that's where all the buyers are."
Andy, I couldn't have put it better, myself."
Reference:
Online Marketing Internet Buyer vs. Traditional Home Buyer Study: The Real Estate World is Changing even Faster than You Think!
Broker Agent News The Best of 2007
by Michael E. Parker
Remember for you Internet needs you can contact us at: www.virtualfloridarealtours.com
or by phone at 305 331 8960

Happy Holidays

In this holidays I want to share with you this excellent paper from Brian Tracey, enjoy
Four Essentials for Happiness
Broker Agent News E-Letter - Updated for December 22, 2007
by Brian Tracy
You may have a thousand different goals over the course of your lifetime, but they all will fall into one of four basic categories. Everything you do is an attempt to enhance the quality of your life in one or more of these areas.
The Key to Happiness
The first category is your desire for happy relationships. You want to love and be loved by others. You want to have a happy, harmonious home life. You want to get along well with the people around you and you want to earn the respect of the people you respect. Your involvement in social and community affairs results from your desire to have happy interactions with others and to make a contribution to the society you live in.
Enjoy Your Work
The second category is your desire for interesting and challenging work. You want to make a good living, of course, but more than that, you want to really enjoy your occupation or profession. The very best times of your life are when you are completely absorbed in your work.
Become Financially Independent
The third category is your desire for financial independence. You want to be free from worries about money. You want to have enough money in the bank so you can make decisions without counting your pennies. You want to achieve a certain financial state so you can retire in comfort and never have to be concerned about whether or not you have enough money to support your lifestyle. Financial independence frees you from poverty and a need to depend upon others for your livelihood. If you save and invest regularly throughout your working life, you will eventually reach the point where you will never have to work again.
Enjoy Excellent Health
The fourth and final category is your desire for good health, to be free of pain and illness and to have a continuous flow of energy and feelings of well-being. In fact, your health is so central to your life that you take it for granted until something happens to disrupt it.
Peace of Mind is the Key
Peace of mind is essential for every one of these. The greater your peace of mind, the more relaxed and positive you are, the less stress you suffer, the better is your overall health. The more peace of mind you have, the better are your relationships, the more optimistic, friendly and confident you are with everyone in your life. When you feel good about yourself on the inside, you do your work better and take more pride in it. You are a better boss and coworker. And the greater your overall peace of mind, the more likely you are to earn a good living, save regularly for the future and ultimately achieve financial independence.
Control Your Attention
Life is very much a study of attention. Whatever you dwell upon and think about grows and expands in your life. The more you pay attention to your relationships, the quality and quantity of your work, your finances and your health, the better they will become and the happier you will be.
Action Exercises
Here are three things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action. First, take time on a regular basis to think about what would make you really happy in each of the four areas. Second, set specific, measurable goals for improvement in your relationships, your health, your work and your finances and write them down. Third, resolve to do something every day to increase the quality of some area of your life—and then keep your resolution.
Remember for you Internet needs you can contact us at: www.virtualfloridarealtours.com
or by phone at 305 331 8960

Virtual tours importance

NBC’s Today Show quickly caught thousands of viewers’ attention Friday morning when they promised to let them in on facts that real estate agents haven’t told them. I abruptly stopped what I was working on and tuned in myself. They promised to give tips to homeowners for selling their houses.

With the power of the internet and the cutting edge technology that our virtual tours and 2D and 3D floor plans have to offer, I just knew that the virtual tour field as a whole would have to be discussed. I was right - we were the second mentioned!

They introduced an expert from a data collection agency whose information was produced using actual facts, rather than the just opinions. Facts are facts…and after compiling research here is what we can learn:

Don’t overprice the house, you don’t want to have to reduce it later. By reducing the price, you are giving buyers the leverage to bargain price with you, resulting in back and forth offers and usually resulting in a lower price than you were anticipating.

Be Web Savvy! 72% of people are finding their homes online. Use photographs and virtual home tours to grab online viewers’ attention. Look at the price range filters and always go under the threshold of the higher bracket. That way, when viewers put in their search parameters, the listing won’t be left out over a dollar.

Most of us have overheard agents discussing when the best day to list a home is. Many feel in the commercial market, it is on a Monday, for the residential market, it is on a Thursday. In all actuality, the facts are reporting that the best day to debut all property is on a Friday. 7-8% more people look on Fridays than any other day!

List on Craigslist.org. Many agents don’t take the time to list on Craigslist, when 7-12% of people are looking on Craigslist.org rather that the brokerage sites. This is a large percentage of people who use Craigslist daily, as if they were reading the local newspaper. For commercial agents, Craigslist.org is critical. Many people look all over the country for investment properties or businesses. The internet allows them the flexibility to see properties nationwide.

The last fact that the press was eager to share with homeowners is that they need to search for foreclosures in their area. If there is a foreclosure nearby, then they should wait to list.
Remember for you Internet needs you can contact us at: www.virtualfloridarealtours.com
or by phone at 305 331 8960

Optimize your web page

This will be the first part in a series on how to enhance your business using Google’s many tools and gadgets. Today we are going to talk about adding your business to Google Maps.
http://maps.google.com is a program that allows users to search for business listings, get driving directions, add real estate for sale (which will be the focus of our next article), and much, much more. The ease and handiness of Google maps allows you to type in a simple search term such as “traverse city virtual tour company”, and Google will bring up a list of companies with their information and their exact location on the map.
To optimize your business using Google the first thing you will want to do is to verify your site with Google. You can do so by logging in to your Google account via: Google Webmaster.
Make sure to take advantage of the opportunity to provide details about your business to Google and potential customers for that matter. This consists of:
Required Information - All your basic information such as your company name and description, address and phone number. Users (aka: potential clients) will be able to view this, so check for errors and make sure to peak their interest! For the best SEO be sure your company name and company description contains priority keywords that you want your business to be found under.

Hours & Payment - Add hours of operation and forms of payment you accept.

Photos - A newer feature recently added by Google. This allows businesses to upload 10 photos to their profile. Showcase those panoramas!

Custom Attributes - Be as descriptive as you want. You can add all kinds of custom attributes to your business. I suggest an “areas served” and a “schedule a tour” section.

Reviews - Now anyone can log in and post a review next to a business listing, but Google also incorporates reviews from a variety of other online sites.

Coupons - Google Maps also has the ability for your business to feature coupons. What better way to showcase your virtual tour company?
Google Maps demonstrates how the presence of local search is continuing to expand online, offering user’s instant access to business contact information, maps, directions, reviews, photos, and so much more than traditional directories have been able to offer. Even if you do not have a website or work out of your home your virtual tour company can still take advantage of this fantastic way to optimize your business.

Clarifying Homeowners expectations

Excerpt from Steve Harney’s, paper on Broker Agents News
The challenge for realtors is the homeowner's perception of what their home should sell for. As recent as June 2007, a survey by the Boston Consulting Group found that fifty-five percent of American homeowners believe their home is worth more today than it was one year ago. In reality, in virtually all locations, home values have gone down.
Unfortunately, some real estate agents, who see their income decline as the number of home sales go down, are now operating in a state of fear. As a result, when they meet with prospective clients, they may be concerned they won't get the listing (and thus not get a commission), so they tell clients what they want to hear - namely that their home will sell for top dollar in record time. Then when the house doesn't sell and the client agrees to lower the price, the client/professional relationship becomes strained. Clients can't help but feel their agent gave them inaccurate information. 2
To truly shine as a real estate agent today, you simply need to educate yourself on the realities of the market and then tell each client the truth. Help clients understand where the pricing used to be, where it is today, where it will likely be three months from now, and most importantly, why it is that way. Only then will clients be able to make a realistic pricing decision that will enable you to help get their home sold.
1. Increased inventory
As owners se the market declining they started placing their properties to sell. This allows buyers to have a better negotiating opportunity, and tends to lower prices.
2. Increased mortgage rates
In the last months mortgage rates has increased and this disqualifies customers. Also some mortgage companies have closed their doors.
3. Increased mortgage restrictions
Now buyers need not only a down-payment but a very good credit to qualify. This again reduces the number of possible customers that can buy your house.
4 Increased vacancy rates
A lot of people bought homes in the supposition that the increased value of the home will allow them to make an easy profit in very little time with the turn around of the market a lot of this house are being sold at a loss affecting the other properties in the neighborhood.
5 Increased foreclosures
If one house forecloses in a neighborhood process go down 5% if 8 houses foreclose prices go down 20%. We are expecting a big number of houses foreclosing in the following years. If you have any doubts go to Broker Agent Foreclosures and check foreclosures in your area.
The New Era of Real Estate Sales
If someone wants to sell their home for a decent price, they have to list now - not three months from now and certainly not a year from now.
So when you conduct your next listing presentation, be sure to educate yourself on these five factors, and then explain how these factors impact your clients' selling decision. Let clients know the realities of the market and what their home will likely sell for given these five considerations.
1. Harney, Steve, Managing Homeowner's Expectations Broker Agent News E-Letter - Updated for Sept. 30, 2007

Your cheapest and more effective marketing tool

The importance of becoming a good listener
1. Good listeners use their thought speed to advantage. They constantly apply their spare thinking to what is being said:

a. Are the speaker’s facts accurate?
b. Do they come from an unprejudiced source?
c. What are the speaker’s motives?
d. What has the speaker left out?
e. Is the speaker dealing in facts or inferences?
f. Am I getting the full picture or only what will prove the speaker’s point?

2. Good listeners try to find something interesting in what is being said, something that can be used to help create a new idea or solution or be used in some other way.

a. What is the speaker saying that I need to know?
b. Is that really a practical idea?
c. Is the speaker reporting anything I don’t know?

3. Good listeners avoid getting too excited about a speaker’s point until they are certain they have heard it through and understand it.

4. Good listeners concentrate and instinctively fight distraction. They close a door, turn off the radio and interrupt only when it is necessary to clear up one point before proceeding to another.

5. Good listeners focus their attention on a central idea or theme. This helps them to remember the facts cited.

6. Good listeners restate and summarize the speaker’s point of view. They also look into the speaker’s face and maintain eye contact.

7. Good listeners enable the speaker to express what the speaker has in mind and thus make the speaker more able to give listeners the information they need.

Importance of Search Engine Optimization

Post quest technologies recently published this article that I am just making available to you.
So, would you like to know more about search engine optimization (SEO)?

Not sure? Not sure you should even care?

Well, let me ask you this: when someone searches for homes in your area on the Internet, would you like your website to be the first result to show up? In a nutshell, would you like to drive more traffic to your website?

If so, then this post is for you. Furthermore…

In a recent post I wrote an extensive article about creating a real estate marketing plan and…just recently realized that I failed to mention SEO in the web marketing portion.

Here’s why SEO is important to you and your website and SHOULD NOT be a strategy left out of your marketing plan:

In 2005 the NAR reports that nearly eight out of ten home buyers start their home search online. More importantly, as noted in an earlier study, 76% percent of people used the first agent they contacted.

That means if you can be the top agent on Google for home searches in your area, then you’ll hog all the business. Which means a lot in our 2007 belt tightening market.

Before you get started, however, the first thing you need to decide is whether you or somebody else is going to optimize your site.

You might be the type who likes to tinker with your website or you might be someone who doesn’t. If you don’t, then choose a seo company or consultant. (I don’t have any recommendations at the moment, so you’re on your own.)

After that, get to work…and keep some of these the following ideas in mind as you pursue your seo marketing strategy.

Eye tracking studies have shown that searchers scan a search results page from top to bottom and left to right, looking for a relevant result. Placement at or near the top of the rankings therefore increases the number of searchers who will visit a site. Cool, not-to-be-missed heat map stuff.

However, more search engine referrals does not guarantee more sales. SEO is not necessarily an appropriate strategy for every website, and other Internet marketing strategies can be much more effective, depending on the site operator’s goals. You make the decision, but my feeling is that every agent website should be optimized. This article is just to make you aware of those OTHER things, like viral marketing, out there to drive traffic to your site.

A successful Internet marketing campaign may drive organic search results to pages, but it also may involve the use of paid advertising on search engines and other pages, building high quality web pages to engage and persuade, addressing technical issues that may keep search engines from crawling and indexing those sites, setting up analytics programs to enable site owners to measure their successes, and, most importantly, improving a site’s conversion rate.

SEO also should, obviously, generate a return on investment. However, search engines are not paid for organic search traffic, their algorithms change, and there are no guarantees of continued referrals. Due to this lack of guarantees and certainty, a business that relies heavily on search engine traffic can suffer major losses if the search engines stop sending visitors. That’s why SEO should be one strategy among many that drives traffic to your site.

In addition to paid search listings, websites also often receive search traffic from free, so-called organic listings. These visitors are obviously no problem, except that you can’t count on them as a sustainable strategy, since organic listings can change without notice.

According to notable technologist Jakob Nielsen, website operators should liberate themselves from dependence on search engine traffic because of this fact. That is, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

And remember this: three or four months down the road, when you’ve got some mileage on your seo strategy, let me know how you are doing. Okay?

Here’s to your SEO success!

ref: Postquest technologies

How to promote yourself?

Viral marketing is a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily.[2] Viral promotions may take the form of funny video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, images, or even text messages.
It is claimed that a satisfied customer tells an average of three people about a product or service he/she likes, and eleven people about a product or service which he/she did not like.[3] Viral marketing is based on this natural human behaviour.
This is a great, low-cost way to spread an idea, your name, your brand because if you have the right ingredients your idea can take off and spread like wild fire…without you even breaking a sweat.
One of the most popular campaigns we picked was created on a $1000 budget. A few others were created by in-house shops or single-man operations. That’s not to say you shouldn’t hire an experienced viral agency to help (many of the best are represented here too.) But, if you can’t afford it and you are a *very* clever and/or lucky marketer, viral can still be do-it-yourself tactic.
Now…for that list. Real estate agents of all stripes–prepare to be inspired!
1. Known as “Real Estate’s Greatest Sales Legend,” the slimy Ted Truit and his interactive website (quiz and all!) created a firestorm of response from Virginia REALTORS, and birthed an effective image campaign for VAR.

So try to demonstrate why you are totally different from your competition. One way is to use your business card placing as many testimonials from previous clients as possible on the other side.

Disclaimer

This blog is provided by the Virtual Florida Tours to provide visitors and clients with information about real estate marketing that can foster professional and/or personal development.
Virtual Florida Tours disclaims responsibility for any of the content or opinions expressed on this blog, including, but not limited to content or opinions regarding any products or service mentioned on the blog.
Virtual Florida Tours disclaims liability for any damages or losses, direct or indirect, that may result from use of or reliance on information contained in the blog.
This blog may contain links to other Web sites operated by third parties. These links are provided as a convenience to access the information contained therein. Virtual Florida Tours has not reviewed all of the information on other sites and disclaims any responsibility for the content of any other sites or the products or services that may be offered on or through those sites. Inclusion of a link to another site does not indicate any endorsement or approval of the site or its content.
Virtual Florida Tours reserves the right to edit, remove or deny access to individuals or content that it determines to be unacceptable, including, but not limited to, any abusive, profane, rude, defamatory, or anonymous comments.
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How to make your online presence more effective?

Due to the trend of consumers starting all their research for houses on the Internet it is a must to have an effective Internet presence.
You should make emphasis on the specific information of your neighborhood, the real state trends, developments and HOA. Include any information that makes your neighborhood unique. DO NOT try to match regional or national websites this is tempting but it is a bad idea. Focus on being local that is your advantage.

Focus in no more that three key areas and do them well. If you do sellers your webpage should include information on recent sales, remodeling tips and home valuation services. Make your site the best place for consumers in you target area. Make emphasis on these three areas in the front page of your website and how exceptional quality of information they will find there.

DO NOT hide information remember consumers are in oyur site seeking for information they are not there to know you. Share the data and you will give them a sense of reciprocity this will make the consumer more willing to engage you and trust your motives, therefore they will be more willingly to share their information when asked.

In order to keep them coming you have to offer newsletters, saved MLS searches, and quarterly home valuations or they will not come back. Remember to build trust. Don’t overwhelm visitors with your personal information or sales statistics. ALWAYS explain why you are requesting personal information and state upfront you will respect their privacy.

Periodically remove your real estate hat and think like a consumer. Go to your website and experience it as a consumer will do. What will a seller be looking for? What about a buyer or someone looking to relocate? Since your site can not be everything for everyone. Be sure that it appeals your market area.

Consumers use the internet because it is more privet, efficient, eliminates unwanted marketing, and provides the needed local information. If you want to attract consumers to your website or email newsletter, you must match their needs.

Points to remember: The site must be kept simple, the key data should be emphasized, you should specifically explain your privacy protections and local information should be easily accessible to your audience. Try this and you will have online success.

How Virtual Tours Can Save You Money?

How much money they are you investing on different forms of advertisement.
Classified ads cost A LOT on a per-day breakdown (like usually $100 for 3 days of local advertising) or $200 for a weekend at the Herald, then break it down to cost per day vs.a virtual tour could cost a maximum of $120 and it will offer you 365 days of Internet exposure so your cost per day is only $0.32 and you addis being showed worldwide. Tours can also work as lead generators for people looking to sell a house.. ‘uh, hun look what this guy does for his seller.. maybe we should use that realtor…” a classified ad CANT do that. No one looks at a classified ad and says, WOW that’s awesome marketing… so make it their choice.. “for the cost of little more than one day classified ad I can market your property on multiple websites including your local MLS, www.realtor.com, www.move.com, www.homeadvisor.com, www.homestore.com, www.AOLanywhere.com, www.digitalcity.com, www.netscape.com, www.monstermoving.com, www.excite.com, www.thehawaiichannel.com, www.theindychannel.com, www.thejacksonchannel.com, www.news4jax.com, www.thekansascitychannel.com, www.nbc4.tv, www.thelouisvillechannel.com, www.themilwaukeechannel.com, www.theksbwchannel.com, www.theneworleanschannel.com, www.newsnet5.com, www.wnbc.com, www.channeloklahoma.com, www.theomahachannel.com, www.wesh.com, www.nbc10.com, www.thepittsburghchannel.com, www.thechamplainchannel.com, www.turnto10.com, www.thekcrachannel.com, www.10news.com, www.moretv32.com, www.wpbfnews.com, www.clickondetroit.com, www.local10.com, www.nbc6.net, www.wsbtv.com, www.wsbtv.com, www.wsoctv.com, www.whiotv.com, www.kfoxtv.com, www.ktvu.com, www.wjactv.com, www.wftv.com, www.foxreno.com, www.wtov9.com.
Think for a while. How much money are you wasting by using real estate books WITHOUT a virtual tour. The RE book can cost $200-$500 or more per page and only have a shelf-life of a month or so depending on publication and area. If they use these really expensive ads as lead generators for a VIRTUAL tour website, then they can keep interested actively shopping buyers involved on their VIRTUAL tour website. You know that the last NAR research showed that buyers shop from 8-12 weeks before they make the decision to buy.. Are you using your marketing dollars effectively?
Isn’t it MORE WISELY to appeal to buyers in all phases of the active ‘shopping process’?

If you want more information please do not hesitate to call us at (305) 331 8960 or visit our web page at http://virtualfloridaraltours.com

Testimonials

Dear Gabriel,

This is a long overdue letter of thanks for your contribution to my success in Real Estate.
I am always looking for new and better methods of marketing my listings and when I decided to join the believers of the virtual tours, I did an extensive and careful research that took me to your company.

I chose you amongst many and I am glad I did. The Internet exposure through my virtual tours has brought me response from Buyers and praise from Sellers and that sums up to success.

Zizi Careaga, CRS
Coldwell Banker
305 378 5058 x283

Our virtual tours are a necessary function in our sales. It allows our clients to see our model units with out leaving the comfort of their home or office. Virtual Florida Tours has been the perfect fit for our needs. They offer a quality virtual tour, responsive service and affordability; thank you Gabriel, for such a great job.

Chris PerezVice President of Sales Coordination
ACGG Development Group
305.665.1250 O.
305.725.8913 M.

"Great service, very professional, I'll use it again and recomend it"Gabriela CapurroSelect Properties of America Inc.RealtorOutstanding professional service! Virtual Florida Real Tours has been key in my listing presentations and a great tool to set it aside from others offering potential buyers an upfront unveiling of the property they're interested in saving time and bringing real buyers to the seller. Keep up the GREAT work Gabriel! You've definitely become a keeper for me!

Yisel Duque, Realtor
Centurion Professional Realty
305.216.74569

Virtual Tours are a really necessary tool for any realtor who wants to provide the seller with the best possible advertising trying to capture the biggest amount of prospect buyers in the local, national or international market.

Vivian Duque
Centurion Professional Realty
Realtor & Mortgage Broker
305 436 8818

''The Real Tour Vision marketing system has added a new, dynamic dimension to our marketing program, as well as drastically reduced our traditional marketing expenses. Real Tour Vision has helped streamline company transactions through promoting in-house ancillary business (increasing our company’s bottom-line!) and is used to recruit tech-savvy agents.''Bob GarrowGarrow-Loftis/GMAC Real Estate
''Virtual touring saves time, money and professionally presents the property to the most prospects.''Bob BrickRE/MAX Bayshore Properties, LtdIf you want more information about virtual tours please contact us at 305 331 8960 or at our web page http://www.virtualfloridarealtours.com/

Tips for selling in a buyer’s Market

Proper pricing really is simple, it's just not easy. Gordon Gecko told us," greed is good". But, a house is only worth what someone is willing to pay.
Bob Corcoran recommends the following seven steps to get you listings sold
1. Price it right. In a buyers' market, it's all about price. And being overpriced is the number one reason why listings linger. Paul Pastore even recommends placing it 10% below market value.
2. Build impeccable lead generation and management systems. This is a close second to being overpriced as to why listings gather dust out there on the market. A lack of leads and leaving leads on the table (or stuck in voice mail, or lost in cyber space or just plain being ignored) are recipes for a stalled real estate business. You need to be able to respond as soon as possible to your prospective clients.
3. Boost your co-op commission. Yes, other Realtors are an obvious source of buyers, and you need all the help you can get in this market.
4. Stage it properly. Start the staging process with professional photography. What do you think goes through the buyers' minds when they see a mediocre photo? Or even worth you paid for a Virtual Tour that takes weeks to be scheduled and ends with walls that come towards you, or the walls look as if everything was inclined, or you have to get out of the view window to select another part of the house.
Here is some information about what buyers think help them make a decision and buy their house.
Property Virtual Interactive Neighborhood
Information Photos Information Tour Maps Information
Useful 96 96 90 80 80
Not Useful 2 2 5 9 12
Not Used 2 2 5 11 8
Just think for a while: how can you pack all this information in only one place.

Visit to Homestead

5. Polish your listing presentation. Start your listing presentation by educating sellers on the buyers market. And then pop this question: Do you want to lead the market or follow the market? You are the one letting the seller know which is the price at which the house can be sold!
6. Prospect around the neighborhood where you've just listed. This may not sound creative but you'd be surprised how many Realtors don't do it anymore. Don't forget the basics

7. Auction the home. Yes, this sounds drastic, but if you want to really lasso some buyers, this is clearly one way to do it. I really don’t know about this one but Corcoran says it could be worth trying it.

References:
Pastore, Paul, The 10 percent Solution,downloaded from:Broker Agent News E-Letter, Updated for July 29, 2007
Corcoran, Bob, Seven Creative Ways to Get Your Listings Sold,downloaded from: Broker Agent News E-Letter,- Updated for July 29, 2007

How can I increase the results of advertising?

“I know that half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” - P.T. Barnum
In other ways, if I invested 100 dollars on an add in a magazine or newspaper I should expect:
1. that 4 out of one hundred readers will open the section where my add is.
2. Hope tha at least one out of all the readres call me.

But how can I make my presence more effective on the Internet?
Here are some recommendations from the experts on how to obtain a better return from your hard earned money. The following is an excerpt from

•Melani Broman Broker Agent News E-Letter 12/ 2005

•1. Branding yourself by ensuring that you meet customer needs in a way that is different from your competition. Ask to yourself: Do customers really see me as different from my competitors? Use your website to differentiate yourself. You can do this by providing reports and local resources that will allow you to become the local expert.
•2. The top reason consumers visit real estate websites is to SEE LISTINGS. Do not fall for a common mistake in multiple websites displaying the whole MLS, You need to include advanced home search functions on your website. that way you are separating your home search function from other agents? Get IDX, provide free home updates via email, add rich media virtual tours and take advantage of the many enhanced mapping capabilities on the market.
•3. Understanding and selecting the most effective keywords that potential visitors are using to arrive at your website is essential to optimize your Internet investment. Use tools like WordTracker and prepare your list of keywords. Remember the importance of keyword prominence and place your keyword phrases early in the body text of the page. Try to craft the beginning text so that it is appropriate to be used as a description of your site. Using techniques such as these will increase your chances of being ranked in the top search engines, thus increasing the number of visits to your site.
•4. Measure Link Popularity. Measure and monitor with tools like MarketLeap. Link Popularity refers to the quality and the quantity of external links to your website and it is one of the most important criteria used by the search engines to determine your site's ranking. The benefits of increasing your site's Link Popularity are:
a.Improved search engine rankings, particularly on Google, Yahoo and MSN.
b.Direct increase in traffic via links from other websites. Ask for reciprocal links through your business network. Real Estate is largely based on building a strong referral network, which will help you grow your business.
•Warning: Enhancing your Link Popularity through reciprocal links is an important traffic building strategy, but it is not a quick fix. It may take two months or longer to see the effect of your new incoming links on your search engine rankings.

if you want our specialist to stusy your webpage and recommend you how you can increase the traffic to yur webpage? Contanct us at duquegl@virtualfloridarealtours.com or place a comment to this blog.

Picture is from rockpointe marketing inc.
If you want more information about virtual tours please contact us at 305 331 8960 or at our web page http://www.virtualfloridarealtours.com/

Testimonials

Our virtual tours are a necessary function in our sales. It allows our clients to see our model units with out leaving the comfort of their home or office. Virtual Florida Tours has been the perfect fit for our needs. They offer a quality virtual tour, responsive service and affordability; thank you Gabriel, for such a great job.

Chris PerezVice President of Sales Coordination
ACGG Development Group
305.665.1250 O.305.725.8913 M.

Virtual Tours are a really necessary tool for any realtor who wants to provide the seller with the best possible advertising trying to capture the biggest amount of prospect buyers in the local, national or international market.

Vivian Duque
Centurion Professional Realty
Realtor & Mortgage Broker
305 436 8818

"Great service, very professional, I'll use it again and recomend it"
Gabriela Capurro
Select Properties of America Inc.
Realtor

Outstanding professional service! Virtual Florida Real Tours has been key in my listing presentations and a great tool to set it aside from others offering potential buyers an upfront unveiling of the property they're interested in saving time and bringing real buyers to the seller. Keep up the GREAT work Gabriel! You've definitely become a keeper for me!Yisel DuqueCenturion Professional RealtyRealtor305.216.74569

''The Real Tour Vision marketing system has added a new, dynamic dimension to our marketing program, as well as drastically reduced our traditional marketing expenses. Real Tour Vision has helped streamline company transactions through promoting in-house ancillary business (increasing our company’s bottom-line!) and is used to recruit tech-savvy agents.''
Bob Garrow
Garrow-Loftis/GMAC Real Estate

''Virtual touring saves time, money and professionally presents the property to the most prospects.''
Bob Brick
RE/MAX Bayshore Properties, Ltd

If you want more information about virtual tours please contact us at 305 331 8960 or at our web page http://www.virtualfloridarealtours.com/

What is better than a yard Sign

Recently a friend gave me this article that I will like to share with you.
What's better than a Yard Sign? A Virtual Tour!
by Anne Sperling
Broker Agent News E-Letter - Updated for March 11, 2006
It used to be that a yard sign was a Realtor's surest way to attract attention to a listed home. Things have changed!
Today, one of the best tools in a Realtor's toolbox is a Virtual Tour on the Internet. Since 1995, the use of yard signs and newspaper ads per listing have decreased, whereas the use of Virtual Tours by real estate agents have increased from .001% per listing in 1995 to 15% of all listings in 2004. And the numbers in 2005 will follow the same rate of growth. (see below for NAR statistical data).
Contrary to old thinking, the use of Virtual Tours on the internet does not take business from Realtors. Virtual Tours are simply a formidable tool available to savvy Realtors who know that offering a listing prospect a Virtual Tour option not only helps to market any property, it also enhances the image of the Realtor at the listing presentation.
Sellers' suspect that a good Virtual Tour is today's way to catch the attention of house-hunters, and they are right. NAR statistics confirm that 74% of buyers begin their search for homes on the Internet two weeks before they make contact with a Realtor.
If this doesn't sell you on Virtual Tours, note this statistic: Most of these online buyers hire the Realtor they notice first while searching online Virtual Tours. This means that the Realtors who have listings or ads on Virtual Tours are much more likely to attract clients-these numbers make you want to put Virtual Tours online of your doghouse!
Based upon this information, it is not surprising to see that the first Realtor's who gambled and invested in Virtual Tour marketing hit the jackpot. More listings, higher profits, and the highest rate of business growth in our industry correlates to the use of Virtual Tours, whether the market is cold or hot, large or small.
Real Trends, a magazine which keeps statistics in this area, found that the average agent for 2003 produced 11.2 sides. However, according to our latest information, (counting only the listing side) the agent using Virtual Tours to market themselves and their properties had 15.3 listing sides in 2003, and four extra sides alone means thousands of dollars to these Realtors.
Everyday, we in the Virtual Tour industry hear success stories from excited Realtors who tell us of a "big boost" their Virtual Tours gave their business. Sometimes agents report their customers were overjoyed because a Virtual Tour facilitated a quick sale to an online buyer. Often an agent calls us to tell of new clients generated by our attractive, well-placed Virtual Tour.
In an industry where clients are careful about their decisions, at a time when some sellers think Realtors make "too much" money, it is refreshing and exciting to see real emotion and complete satisfaction in clients whose agents delivered the goods. How do you elicit this emotion? By delivering what the client wants, and these days, clients want Virtual Tour marketing.
There is no better way to build your business than a long-list of happy customers who can't wait to tell their friends about the great job you did, and about how beautiful their home looks online.
Business today is created mostly by BUZZ, and if you want the BUZZ to be about you, hang-out a Virtual Tour "online yard sign" on the internet every time you setup a yard sign. It's the best marketing tool money can buy.
A sure bet for increasing profits in 2006 is to add a virtual tour for all your properties.

If you want more information about virtual tours please contact us at 305 331 8960 or at our web page www.virtualfloridarealtours.com

6 Costly Misconceptions about Virtual Tours

1. All virtual tours are the same.

Wrong. Virtual tours that use panoramic photos that just rotate are not true virtual tours. Most agents would refer to these type of tours as 'spinners'. Spinners lack a professional presentation and can at times do more to make the viewer nauseous than actually get them interested in the property being viewed. While spinners qualify as a virtual presentation in nature, they simply do not qualify as being a tour of any kind.


2. Virtual tours will not help with market exposure

Untrue. At any time you can take the number of listings that are currently on the market and compare that number to the number of listings with a virtual tour. This number almost never exceeds 10% of total properties on the market at any given time. But take into account that the National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows that use of the Internet to search for a home has risen from just 2% of buyers in 1995 to 77% in just 10 years time. Technology is clearly changing the way that consumers search for a home. The 2006 Realtor® technology survey shows that the Internet is the third most important source for new leads surpassed ONLY by referrals and repeat business.


3. Having a virtual tour professional produced costs too much money.

False. When searching for a virtual tour solution, keep in mind that you can either save more money or more time. There is an inherent downside to opting to save more money. You have to spend time. When you take into account all of the time that you would have to spend taking pictures, stitching the panoramas, ordering the pictures within the tour, adding text and graphics, not to mention uploading the tour, converting it to disc, and distributing the tour on the internet you have to consider what you COULD have done with that time. You could have been farming your area, keeping in contact with sellers, calling prospective buyers & sellers, following up on buyer leads, arranging showings and scheduling open houses. Instead you could have spent YOUR TIME listing and selling more homes. As a real estate agent you can always make more money, but you can never make more time. A small investment in a professionally produced virtual tour gives you a competitive edge over other agents that opt to waste time sitting on their computer while you go after that next listing.


4. Putting a virtual tour on realtor.corn and my website is good enough as far as virtual tours go.

False. This is essentially the same as saying that placing a sign and a classified ad is good enough. While it can work, it does not give you optimum exposure for your property listing. But the question here again is time. Do you have the time it will take to post your virtual tour to major Internet portals all over the internet.

When you opt to same money you are making a decision to spend time and reduce your return on investment. The 2006 Realtor technology survey show that 42% of realtors receive more than 10% of their leads from the internet, so doesn't it make sense that if you are going to place your virtual tour on the Internet that you should expose the virtual tour as widely as possible? A professional developed virtual tour can be produced and submitted to major portals without any additional expenditure of time, freeing you up to list and sell more homes while simultaneously bringing in new business.

5. Sellers don't care what kind of virtual tour is used

False. With ever increasing technology, home buyers and sellers are becoming more internet savvy than ever. The 2006 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows that over three quarters of buyers viewed the internet as a useful tool in their search for a home and that a majority of buyers drive by a home that they have seen online. A high-quality interactive virtual tour cannot only take these buyers on a full tour and get them to come by the property but can also turn motivated buyers into motivated sellers of their own home. Now that the motivated buyer is a motivated seller, with whom are they going to list their property? With an agent that uses classified ads or the agent that found them, their new home without leaving the couch.

6. Virtual Tours sell homes.

False again. Realtors sell homes. Realtors that use all available media to showcase and market their listings are those that sell homes. Virtual tours offer incredible marketing opportunities that simply were not available to the realtor or the consumer just 10 years ago. The use of a virtual tour simply increases your market penetration to bring you more leads for the property and for yourself. Your presentation on the internet is very important to both buyers and sellers and can mean the difference between a new lead and missed opportunity. Everyone knows what social networking can do for a real estate agent and this is evidenced by the high percentage of new business that comes from referrals. The question is, would you send a new referral a handwritten and crumpled business card or would you send them a presentation that speaks volumes of you and demonstrates your command of marketing tools that are significantly different from what other agents are offering. Spinners, dark pictures, unprofessional virtual tours and ineffective marketing can leave a lasting impression on your referral business.

Properly-distributed profession a I ly-prod uced virtual tours bring you more leads from a world-wide network of resources and free you up to follow-up on those leads. This gives you a major advantage over the competition that has yet to comprehend the difference between saving time and saving money.
If you want information on what to ask a virtual tour provider please send a comment containing your name, company, phone, e-mail address and the best way and times to contact you. or contact our company directly at 305 331 8960

The information that your competition does not want you to know

And now for the information that your competition does not want you to know

Virtual Florida Real Tours is a full service provider of Real Tour Vision, which is a recognized leader in interactive 3600 panoramic virtual tours and virtual tour software.

Over the past 7 years Real Tour Vision has built up one of the world's largest and most powerful networks of virtual tour providers. Each Real Tour Vision full service provider goes through specialized training in virtual tour technology before becoming authorized to produce tours with the Real Tour Vision name. Real Tour Vision authorized virtual tour providers are also provided with ongoing training throughout the year to keep in pace with changing technologies. Agents that use Real Tour Vision tours benefit from the experience of a worldwide network of virtual tour providers.

Intelligent business owners who demand the best virtual tour software to showcase their real estate business online choose RTV virtual tours over the others daily.

You won't find another virtual tour company online that can promise that you will get compliments from real estate home sellers. RTV providers utilize only company proprietary virtual tour software and precision virtual tour hardware, which is created in house by an RTV staff of 360' home tour engineers and virtual tour software developers.

RTV has been in the virtual tour software industry from the start, so when you select a Real Tour Vision Full Service Provider to produce your tours you know that the best virtual tour company in the world has trained your virtual tour provider.

If you would like to leave a message for a Real Tour Vision full service provider in your area, please leave your name and number after the tone and a Real Tour Vision virtual tour provider will call you to answer any questions that you may have about your new marketing strategy.

Thank you for visiting our blog and reading our virtual tour consumer awareness message.

If you want to receive more information please semnd a comment containing your name, phone, e-mail address, and the best way and times tocontact you.

4 Questions That You Should Ask Every Virtual Tour Company

1. What type of virtual tour do they provide?

Some 'virtual tour' companies capture only still pictures and then use these pictures to create a motion effect. Make sure you are not paying a virtual tour price for a motion slide show. There are companies that charge as much as $70-$100 for these tours and the final product is nothing more than a $20 photo presentation.

2. Is the final version of the virtual tour interactive?

How do they define 'interactive'? Make sure that the final product being created looks professional and has in-tour controls. Links to the side and the bottom of the tour are distracting and unprofessional. Interactive tours combine the power of a virtual tour with the 'point-and-click" functionality of the Internet. They have on tour 'hot-spots' that enable viewers to go from room to room without ever leaving the viewing area.

3. What kind of camera lens do they use?

If they use a fish-eye lens or a one-shot lens will the virtual tour software remove distortions in the tour (i.e. remove the fishbowl effect)? High-quality virtual tours should not distort any feature of your properties. If not corrected, fish eye lenses and one-shot lenses cause countertops and walls to look rounded and windows will look bowed. When shopping around for virtual tours, be sure to opt for companies that use a wide-angle lens. The wide-angle lens captures more of the property without sacrificing quality.


4. Are they experienced?

Find out right away if your virtual tour provider has experience. Although inexperienced companies will be very eager to sink their teeth into a job and will probably give you a very good 'deal', you do not want them 'practicing' on your dime. Make sure to get references or check out testimonials.
Thank you for visiting our blog and reading our virtual tour consumer awareness message.
If yo wish to obtain more information please add a comment containing your name, Company, phone, e-mail address, best way and times to contact you.