In gearing up to put my business plan together for 2012, I found the following statistics are from the NAR website and show the trend amongst those who bought homes in 2010. On average, homebuyers are viewing up to 15 homes before they find theirs. First Time Homebuyers make up 50% of current homebuyers and have a median age of 30 years old. 65% of homebuyer say they would use the same agent. From online results, 45% of potential home buyers actually walk through a home viewed online, 20% find an agent through home viewed online and 21% drove by a home viewed online. All of these statistics are eye opening. But none is most eye opening than this:
Information sources used in home search:
As we move in to 2012, we have take all of these statistics to heart if we want to move at the pace of our buyers. For example, if 50% of home buyers are first timers and buying at the median age of 30 years old, then the fact that 74% of home buyers use the internet in home search is right in line with that reasoning. Think about that, 74% of buyers are searching on the internet - that's more than the amount that used a Real Estate Agent (69%). As a Loan Officer, I myself have buyers looking for homes who have yet to commit to a Realtor and are looking for homes online instead.
What it all means?
An online presence is a must in today's market. 29% of potential home buyers found their agent online so a buyer's agent should make themselves seen. 74% of home shoppers look for homes online while only 12% do so looking at open houses yet I'd bet the numbers are reversed when you compare how most Listing Agents are marketing their properties. Looking to the future is essential in changing times and in this case, that means a Single Property Website is a MUST. The use of smartphones should also be mentioned. Does your site have a mobile friendly site, QR code capability and SMS text responses? If 65% of home buyers are using the same agent again, are you making sure you keep in touch with those previous buyers?
As an advocate of Social Media and Internet marketing for my Realtor partners, I take time to show my partners that there are tools for them to use to make navigating through all this just that much easier. How do we utilize Cragislist, Redfin, Trulia, MLS, Single Family Websites and our blogs to bring everything together could be daunting. Having a system that helps is essential and we provide one to our partners at no cost.
If you would like to learn how you can get free single property websites and an abundance of tools for your listings, contact me. We can set up an appointment and meet so you can see how it all works. There's no catch on the price. It's aboslutely free. We gain by making more relationships with the Real Estate Agents in our communities and diligently taking care of whatever referals you might be able to send us. If I'm not in your area, I'll help you find someone who can help you with these tools. Our goal is to help our partners be better equipped for the Real Estate Market in 2012 and beyond.
My team and I are proud to serve and cover the area of Whittier, La Mirada, La Habra, Brea, Downey, Montebello and surrounding communities.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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