Even in 2007 my field continues to be full of laggers and disbelieving real estate agents in regards to the use of the Internet as a tool to sell their client's homes. Check out these alarming statistics from Inman News:"In the latest National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, based on a survey of 7,500 home buyers and sellers, 80 percent of home buyers used the Internet in searching for a home, up from 77 percent in the 2005 survey and 74 percent in 2004.
Meanwhile, a 2006 survey by media research firm Borrell Associates Inc. found that 61 percent of real estate agents do not advertise on the Internet and 87 percent of agents do not buy keyword advertising from the Google or Yahoo search-engine companies."
If your REALTOR is not using the Internet to sell your home, you are not getting what you deserve. The Internet is how the world buys and sells homes today! Be sure and ask a lot of questions before you list your home with just any agent. Make sure you REALTOR is tech-savvy, understands the Internet consumer and their behavior patterns, and has a ton of digital selling experience. If they don't, move on quickly.
Use the following minimum standards to evaluate your REALTOR's ability to sell your home in this new century:
1. How many personal websites do they own and use? Who conducts their Internet marketing? Do they have any paid Internet advertising? What amount of traffic does each site receive every day? If your house isn't out there and not being Internet marketed, no one will find it! You'll have less buyers and as a result get less money for your home.
2. Is the REALTOR prepared to send out e-documents in response to email and website inquiries? This should include the listing, plat maps, pictures (both video and still), CD's, relocation packets for the area, statistics for schools and other important buyer concerns, business cards, e-flyers, and anything else an inquiring buyer from out of the area may need know to make a decision to purchase your home. Most REALTORS can't do these tasks because they don't have the technology and wouldn't know how to use it if they did. Make sure your agent is firmly planted in the 21st century - like the buyers!
3. Agents must have a very fast response time on the Internet. Internet users want immediate results, so make sure your REALTOR gives it to them. Otherwise, the buyer will buy somebody else's listing - from the agent who answered the buyer's inquiries when yours didn't.
A final note: I have 20 websites wherein I actively advertise my listings 24/7/365 across the world. A good half of the buyers for my listings now originate from these websites. Old fashioned newspaper ads, homes magazines, and other low-tech methods DO NOT WORK with today's mainstream buyer, instead they are designed to showcase the REALTOR's face to the local market. How does that sell your home to buyers from across the globe? The answer is, it doesn't. Interview your REALTOR carefully, hire the person who you best resonate with, and then get ready for sales success!
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