We recently had the opportunity to participate in housing fairs at Northeastern, Suffolk, and Boston University here in Boston. Each of these events hosts between 100 and 200 kids that are looking for fall housing in 2011. To participate, a company must be selected and approved by the off campus housing authority at each school. We were fortunate and happy to be approved for these three and had a tremendous turnout.
To promote our company and its offerings, we have property brochures, information about our iphone application, scvngr affiliation, and give-aways. The give-aways included Bic pens and carabiners which were a HIT with the students. We also had a gift basket and movie showcasing properties on hand to entice people even further. Overall it was a great success!
So I was walking outside to Starbucks, through the snow. Annoyed.
You have to hop over all the ice, wear sunglasses as the reflection is bright, and make sure you don't step in one of the monster Boston snow puddles.
BUT it did, of course, get me thinking. how does weather change our markets (in those places that see seasons) - Historically August is a huge market especially in rentals in Boston - but in Ohio and Florida, two other places I have lived and worked - it is slow. Ny keeping in mind these seasonal changes, agents can maximize their time spent effectively working during the busy season and take vacations and such during slower times. Like the snowstorm :)
You think of Philadelphia as the midwest. You think there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (no R’s). You think three straight days of 90+ temperatures is a heat wave. All your pets are named after Celtics or Bruins. You refer to 6 inches of snow as a “dusting.” Just hearing the words “New York” puts you in an angry mood. You always ‘bang a left’ as soon as the light turns green, and oncoming traffic always expects it. Everything in town is “a five minute walk.” You still can’t bear to watch highlights from game 6 of the 1986 World Series. You believe using your turn signal is a sign of weakness. You don’t realize that you walk and talk twice as fast as everyone else. You think if someone is nice to you, they must want something, or are from out of town. Your favorite adjective is “wicked.” You think 63 degree ocean water is warm. You think the Kennedy’s are misunderstood.
Remember the days when agents worked so diligently to achieve name/face recognition? Well, I suppose this still happens but there are much newer methods to this ideal these days. In the era of facebook, twitter, linkedin, yelp, myspace, etc etc etc - you need to be conscious of what your image is online! Might not be the best idea to have a picture of yourself with a cigar in your mouth of cocktails scattered around you. Too often, we think fun and not "smart."
I just launched a new iPhone application for one of my real estate clients and it looks great! It works utilizing the GPS function of your phone and allows users to search by proximity. Essentially, you can walk around and find an apartment by seeing those available around you! Here is the description on Apple:
Boston Apts is a great way for people to find an apartment anywhere in Boston. How it works: when walking around your desired neighborhood, open up the app and it will tell you what apartments are available in the area. You will be able to see details such as price, number of bedrooms, and pictures of the space. You can mark your favorite apartments and contact an agent to set up a showing. With this app, you will quickly and conveniently be able to find the apartment of your dreams!
Some screen shots: (If you have interest in having one for your company, contact me!)
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.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2012 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
