The Nitty-Gritty of Converting Seller Leads

The Nitty-Gritty of Converting Seller Leads

Leigh Brown

Leigh Brown, broker-owner of RE/MAX Executive Realty – Leigh Brown & Associates, got down to the business of selling houses during her presentation on leads and listings at the Emerging Business Issues & Technology Forum during the REALTOR® Party Conference & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C., last Thursday. She offered three tips for capturing and converting online seller leads that you can start implementing in your business plan immediately.

1. Get your website a “squeeze page.” This is a simple page embedded on your site that allows would-be sellers to opt in for more information in exchange for their contact info. Brown uses primesellerleads.com as her squeeze page host for $59 per month. The page, which asks visitors if they’re selling their home or condo, changes dynamically based on the location of the viewer’s IP address. Brown’s customers then receive a Zestimate on the backend. “I don’t care if you like or don’t like Zillow; that’s irrelevant,” Brown says. “It does give me the best script in the world: ‘I know that the information you received is automated. Your home will have a unique value based on its customized upgrades and location. For a custom market analysis, please contact me.”

2. Set up a geo-targeted Facebook ad campaign. You have a Facebook business page, right? Well, it’s time to take the next step. Go to Facebook.com/ads and set up your custom ad parameters. You can target specific ZIP codes — and be sure to choose an ad photo with a house that reflects that neighborhood. You can also designate education level and age range.  If you want to target move-up sellers/buyers, set your ad parameters for college graduates age 35-45. Brown’s text is simple: “Find out what your [city name] area home is worth. Free home valuation in under 60 seconds.” From there, she handles the lead as she does those from her squeeze page. “My ROI is quite high on this,” she says. Brown spends $10 per ad per day.

3. Call first. Once that seller lead comes in, pick up the phone to introduce yourself, Brown says. Then she’ll send a text. Her third point of contact is a BombBomb video, no more than 10 seconds long, sent via email. In the video, she mentions the lead’s inquiry and offers up her expertise on the neighborhood and property taxes. Brown also sends an auto-response BombBomb to leads that come in after 4:30 p.m. weekdays and on the weekends with a stock video of herself saying she’ll get back to them as soon as she can.

more info...

Home Owners Say They Want More Colorful Interiors

Home Owners Say They Want More Colorful Interiors

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

Photo credit: Sherwin-Williams

Home owners aren’t shying away from using more color in their homes. Nearly two-in-three home owners say they would like to add color in their home, particularly in the living and family room, followed by bedroom and bathroom, according to the National Home Design and Color Survey by Sherwin-Williams, a survey of 1,450 home owners.

Seventy-five percent of the home owners surveyed say they believe a room or area needs paint.

What’s more, one in five home owners say they prefer a colorful paint palette, such as rich and dark or bold and bright.

The hottest hues?

Photo credit: Sherwin-Williams

One-third of home owners – or about 32 percent – say they prefer color palettes featuring warm neutrals with hints of red, yellow, or brown. Twenty-five percent prefer cool neutrals with hints of blues or greens.

The survey also found some differing color preferences among age groups. For example, home owners 18 to 34 years old tended to say they prefer rich and dark color palettes while those 65 and older tended to prefer soft, light palettes.

 

more info...

The New Math of Renting vs. Buying

By

AnnaMaria Andriotis

May 2, 2014 6:17 p.m. ET

Buying a home has long been part of the American dream. But rising prices have made renting less expensive in many places.

People often aspire to own a home for reasons that have little to do with money, and rental options are limited in some communities. Yet owning property can limit your flexibility to move when you want and ties up a lot of your money.

The median sales price of existing single-family homes rose 11.4% in 2013 from the previous year—the highest yearly increase since 2005, according to the National Association of Realtors. Prices in many places, including Los Angeles, Baltimore and Portland, Ore., rose even more last year.

The monthly cost of renting was lower than buying in 20 large metropolitan areas at the end of last year, the most recent period for which data are available, according to figures provided exclusively to The Wall Street Journal by Deutsche Bank. DBK.XE +0.13% that is up from 15 large metropolitan areas a year earlier.

The bank calculates the costs in 54 markets based on average local rents and median home-sale prices, which it uses to estimate monthly mortgage payments for a hypothetical buyer in the 25% federal income-tax bracket.

Renting had been less expensive than buying on average across all the areas Deutsche Bank tracks since at least the early 1990s. But that changed during the financial crisis, as home prices plummeted and interest rates on mortgages dropped. The current rally in home prices appears to be pushing the housing market back toward the historical norm.

The five markets where renting recently became cheaper than buying include some popular cities and suburbs where home prices are climbing fastest: Sacramento, Calif.; Phoenix; San Bernardino and Riverside, Calif.; Austin, Texas; and Northern Virginia.

Buying is still cheaper in 34 metropolitan areas Deutsche Bank examined, including Cleveland, Chicago and Atlanta, though prices rose last year in those areas, as well.

Renting has become more appealing financially than it was at the end of 2012 in places such as St. Louis; Orlando, Fla.; and Minneapolis, though buyers still pay much less than renters in those areas.

Buyers, of course, can build up equity as they pay down a mortgage, which can compensate for higher monthly costs.

Here is what you need to know to help figure out the most cost-effective way to keep a roof over your head. The first step is to understand the arguments in favor of buying and renting.

The Case for Buying

Many Americans see buying a home as an essential step in a successful life, and owning one can bring significant financial benefits.

The most obvious upside is that a home can significantly increase in value. The median sales price of existing single-family homes rose 81% from 1993 through 2013, according to the NAR.

The potential payoff can loom large in a buyer's mind when home prices are going up rapidly, as they have recently. "We've already seen six to seven years of normal appreciation in the last 12 months" in many markets, says Jack McCabe, an independent housing analyst in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Many homeowners also can deduct mortgage interest from their income-tax bills along the way.

In addition, homeowners can tap into the equity in their homes for big-ticket expenses, such as college tuition, at interest rates that can be lower than other financing options—though that can backfire by saddling homeowners with debt they can't easily repay.

Homeowners also don't have to worry about a spike in rents. Jacquelyn Bilton, who is 34 years old, bought a three-bedroom home with a pool in Margate, Fla., in February for $200,000, after her landlord raised her rent 28% last year. She says her monthly housing costs are now about $300 lower.

"I couldn't afford to be throwing money down the drain in rent when I could purchase a home," she says.

As they age, homeowners can enjoy another benefit. If they pay off their mortgages around the time they retire, their housing costs can drop significantly just when they may want extra cash for travel, medical expenses and the like, says Chris Mayer, research director at the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate at Columbia University.

To be sure, the dream also can turn into a financial nightmare. The collapse of the housing market starting in 2008, which triggered millions of foreclosures, is a vivid recent example of what can go wrong.

Still, owning a home can be well worth it for personal and psychological reasons that go beyond financial calculations.

 

See and download our Rent vs Buying flyers at: http://realestatebrokerconnection.com/sales-materials/

Read the entire article here: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303948104579534230618539424?mod=residential_real_estate&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303948104579534230618539424.html%3Fmod%3Dresidential_real_estate

Help is on the way!

We all need a little help from time to time.  It’s good to have a managing broker that can help you when you need it.  Whether it is sharing lunch with you, or joining the monthly brainstorming meeting, or just answering your questions on the phone, Max is a managing broker that is there for you.  See what our brokers are saying about our managing broker Max Nasab. 

 

Homes and Equity Real Estate is a warm small community where you will feel comfortable and supported.  Max, Renee and Ron are very nice, helpful and professional.

Frank Song

 

Your only costs with Homes & Equity Real Estate Group is $59 per month and a $195 per transaction fee.  With Homes & Equity Real Estate Group you can compete on a whole new level.  

Although we are a discount broker, we do provide a lot of services to our Brokers.  For our listings we provide:

• Yard signs
• Lock boxes
• Free flyers
• A Boards for your open houses. 

For your business, we provide: 

• Free business cards
• Free web site with IDX feed to the MLS
• Free continuing education
• Free brainstorming sessions to increase your business
• A Managing Broker that is willing to talk with you

You can learn more at our website at: http://www.joinhomesandequity.com/

Call Max Nasab at: 206-719-2694

Don’t sabotage your MLS listing: 3 digital mistakes you can correct today

Marketing gimmicks and photo overkill can undermine property's salability

 

Sam DeBord Contributor

Share on twitter Share on google_plusone_share Share on linkedin Share on email More Sharing Services 244

May 19, 2014

Creating a real estate listing and uploading it to your MLS is a fairly routine operation. With so much of the real estate world focused online, though, agents should spend more time strategically looking at the way their listings are formatted. Creating an MLS listing isn't just a mundane task for your assistant, and seemingly innocuous habits that you may have fallen into overtime might actually be undermining your ability to sell the property.

Don't "99″ your way out of a sale

Real estate agents have used the old $9.99 marketing gimmick forever. Newspapers, magazine ads and fliers theoretically enticed more buyers by listing a $500,000 house at $499,999 or some other similarly insignificant lesser price.

That same home, listed online, is actually losing buyer traffic because of its pricing gimmick. The reason is simple, and it should be an obvious reason to never use the "99″ pricing model again.

Online buyers search in zeros. Buyer A searches for homes from $400,000 to $500,000. Buyer B searches for homes from $500,000 to $600,000. That's the way MLSs, portals and agents' websites have set up the pricing parameters. With a listing priced at $500,000, both Buyer A and Buyer B will see the home. Priced at $499,999, Buyer B won't see it.

It's tempting to believe that you'd miss out on only a small percentage of buyers or that most buyers won't set a "lowest price" in their search, but it's simply wrong. Our company has a database of around 10,000 users, and we track their searches on our websites. While there are a few "bargain hunters," the vast majority of users set a fairly tight price range in their searches. They know what they can afford and don't want to waste time looking in a price range that they know won't fit their needs.

Don't let your listing miss out with a $1 gimmick. Ninety percent of buyers are searching online. Price the home the way buyers search.

 

More photos just might mean fewer buyers

We're inundated with advice on how to get more exposure for our listings online. Having as many photos as possible will supposedly increase the quality of our listings. MLSs are expanding the number of photos allowed in listings, often to 25 or more.

Creating the most breadth of digital media for your listing might be a good goal if you worked for a portal. They need more content to drive traffic. Your job, on the other hand, is to sell the home.

If nine great photos are the best way to entice a buyer to visit the home, why upload 25? There are 3.5 bathrooms in the home. You've input that data, but why add a photo of the unattractive basement bath? If a potential buyer gets a warm fuzzy feeling when viewing a half dozen photos of the home's best features, why let that feeling die in the dregs of utility rooms and garages?

It might sound cynical, but you're not in the business of creating the wikipedia of real estate images. You're working for your bottom line and your sellers' satisfaction. Any agent with experience will tell you that a buyer's list of 20 "must-haves" can be cut in half when they walk into the home that just feels right. Creating an inaccurate presentation of the home wouldn't be ethical, but choosing not to focus on a home's less-than-optimal features is just logical.

Limiting the photo presentation you create in your MLS listing allows you to curate the visual experience potential buyers will have online. If you've got 25 great photos, post them. If not, put on your marketing hat, and be strategic with which photos you publish.

 

 

Read the entire article at: http://www.inman.com/next/dont-sabotage-your-mls-listing-3-digital-mistakes-you-can-correct-today/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheFutureOfRealEstateMarketing+%28The+Future+of+Real+Estate+Marketing%29#.U3t9ySjaXwI

What are we really like?

Would you like to know what we are really like?  See what our Brokers are saying about us.

 

Homes & Equity is the most hospitable real estate firm I have worked with. The support is A+ and the owner & staff who are there to answer & help, Do Help and are available. Great experience for the last 4 years. 

Verna Metzger

Your only costs with Homes & Equity Real Estate Group is $59 per month and a $195 per transaction fee.  With Homes & Equity Real Estate Group you can compete on a whole new level.  

Although we are a discount broker, we do provide a lot of services to our Brokers.  For our listings we provide:

• Yard signs
• Lock boxes
• Free flyers
• A Boards for your open houses. 

For your business, we provide: 

• Free business cards
• Free web site with IDX feed to the MLS
• Free continuing education
• Free brainstorming sessions to increase your business
• A Managing Broker that is willing to talk with you

You can learn more at our website at: http://www.joinhomesandequity.com/

Call Max Nasab at: 206-719-2694

Housing Affordability

Housing Affordability

Each month the National Association of Realtors (NAR) releases their Housing Affordability Index. The index measures the affordability of a home based on what a typical family earns. It assumes the borrower has a 20% down payment (80% loan to value) and a "front ratio" or housing ratio not to exceed 25% of gross income. It is based on a typical home at the national and regional levels based on the most recent monthly price and income data.

An index of 100 is defined as the point where a median-income household has enough income to qualify for the purchase of a median-priced existing single-family home. Housing prices and mortgage rates influence the index. Generational low mortgage rates coupled with lower home prices following the housing collapse left the index at an all-time high in 2012. That changed over the past year and a half.

According to NAR, the housing affordability index hit 196.5 in 2012. That means that the typical family earned 196% of the income necessary to purchase the typical house. Put another way, the same family could afford almost twice as much house. Unfortunately rising home prices and slightly higher mortgage interest rates in 2013 caused that number to fall to 175.8. 

Rising housing prices coupled with rising interest rates could continue to dent affordability. Recent data on housing indicates the market is wobbly despite some pockets of strength. Buyers who take advantage of the current situation of low rates and affordable housing are set to secure their financial futures. The future is always uncertain but there is no uncertainty in these historically favorable rates. Now is a great time to take advantage of them.

Be sure you tell your buyers that this is a Great time to buy a home.