I write about change. I see many posts about the changes taking place and the observant person can see that some traditional methods in Real Estate are not as effective as they once were. Is it a sign of the times or a permanent transition? I don't know if we can give the definitive answer to the question.
Traditional Marketing--We can state that Open Houses are no longer as effective and that the traditional types of marketing such as Direct Mail Campaigns and advertising in your local paper are no longer as effective. I am sure that the cost of both activites is also a factor. When I go down the list of activities we use to do for a listing, I have removed some items.
Again, I wonder if it is the current state of the Real Estate Industry that necessitates this or a permanent change. In many cases, we simply can no longer afford to do some of these activities and we must think of and isolate those things that work effectively to help us find buyers and sell homes for our sellers.
Internet Marketing--We hear about Internet Marketing, Social Networking and Celebrity Real Estate and our world changes. We now blog about who we are and how we do business. We share with the Consumer our morals and values. We provide a history of knowledge and information to help the Consumer learn about Real Estate. We provide market reports and local information about the diversity and beauty of our markets.
The activity of blogging and effectively marketing our listings on large real estate sites to reach more Consumers and get information out to a larger market has changed how we do business. We've learned more from reading and learning from the "experts" in real estate. We learn and we change.
We change our business to reflect the trending real estate market and the needs of our clients. We provide them tools that help them search and identify their interests. We market our listings pervasively on the web and we sell our listings. We have become astute to the market dynamics and we price our listings correctly or we don't take the listing.
Is Real Estate about relationship? Yes and it always will be. Are the old traditional values of Real Estate still relevant. Yes and they always will be. Can a traditional Real Estate Agent continue to be successful? In my humble opinion, the answer is Yes. People who have trusted someone for 20 years in Real Estate will continue to do business with their trusted partner. The good and relevant aspects of traditional Real Estate will remain a valuable aspect of our Industry.
The opportunity, however is when we combine the two and move into the future. There are still very few Realtors that blog or have entered the world of Social Networking to increase their exposure and knowledge-base. The numbers are staggering when we see how many Consumers look for their homes on-line (87% of Buyers). The number that actually find their home and buy it, is also an interesting number (32% of Buyers found their homes on-line).
Change is an interesting phenomena. Is it behavioral or a character trait? Again, in my humble opinion, I believe it can be both and when we take our natural curiosity to learn and combine it with a desire to continually evolve ourselves and how we do business, we encounter a substancial increase in improvement. Our Business Development efforts will net a second derivitive of improvement.
Change and Who's Gonna Make Me? Well I guess we have an answer to that question. It me that going to want to prepare for the future and see unlimited business potential and development. It should be all of us!
I am Jeanean Gendron, your Redding and Shasta County Specialist. You can reach me at 530 276-7417. I answer my phone.
I think you are on to something here if we do not change the market may pass us by.
Things have changed with everyone on the Internet. No one wants to be bothered with door to door sales or phone sales. In their busy lives the can sit down to the Internet at their convenience.
Jeanean, I have found in 24 years of real estate that we must change to a point. I still do things my way and old is an understatement. My customers are used to it and I will continue to work with my core the old ways. I am talking about visiting with them for a coffee etc... Marketing will and has change for the better in opinion.
Jeanean, we have to stay vigilant and change our marketing to fit the consumers behavior. We know consumers are going on line first, months before they are ready to buy...so I focus on where the consumers are.
Jeanean
This is a great accounting of all those areas that change can effect in our profession. I sincerely hope you have a great new year. You don't need to change the quality of your blogs however.
Jeanean - I fought against blogging as I thought what a waste of time and who has the time. I thought just pick up the phone and make a call. Then I look at my 23 year son, who never leaves his room and is engaged in social media 24/7. Yes, he is in college, one more year left. It occurred to me I am missing something, and then started using AR. AR almost forces you to participate because of the point system. I then began to learn alot thru AR and next thing I knew I was building some fantastic relationship and now are receiving leads. So, we have to change with the times. I also never would have thought how valuable social networking is.