After you list a property, how much exposure do you plan to seek for that property? Is your local MLS enough? Do you advertise in local real estate magazines, the news paper? Do you advertise online? Is a basic listing on Reator.com enough? How much has the current real estate market effected your advertising decisions? How do you prioritize? What form of advertising gives you the most bang for your buck?
I have talked to lots of agents and all seem to be curbing their budgets because of the market slow down. When I talk to them, I ask them the questions I just asked you. Then we talk about the benefits of using virtual tours and web distribution. I would like to share a few of them with you.
Virtual Tours usually cost less than most print adds. Given that most buyers start their search online, virtual tours place your property where buyers are looking first. All in all, compared to other forms of advertising, I think virtual tours are an excellent use of your limited marketing dollars. What do you think?
I recently got this testimonial from an agent my company did a virtual tour for. I think it speaks for itself.
"I just wanted to let you know that I had a sale at Whitby Pond ten days after your virtual tour started playing.
The Buyer told me that he went by our model, wrote the tour information down from the sign rider, and then viewed it at home with his wife. When he saw the quality of our homes, he brought her in and they purchased and closed within fourteen days.
Thanks for the high quality virtual tour and most of all, thanks for helping me make a sale in these tough times."
The statistics are that over 40% of the hits a virtual tour receives are a result of someone seeing the sign and viewing the tour on its single property website. Pretty good exposure for a small investment.
Rick
Look Charlotte Media Solutions
www.lookcharlotte.com
I have read some blogs where people say that they don't think that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important. As a Charlotte Virtual Tour Provider I wanted to come up at the top of the search engines if a real estate professional searched for a virtual tour company, provider, vendor or whatever term they used.
As a new virtual tour company in Charlotte, I needed exposure. And, since my website was brand new, I was coming up on page 9 on Google when I searched for Charlotte Virtual Tour Providers. When I searched for Charlotte Virtual Tours, I was nowhere to be found. I started working on my site's SEO one Sunday afternoon while watching the Panther's game on TV. GO PANTHERS! We might be somewhat respectable this year.
Anyway... by the next Saturday, my site was coming up on the first page. Now, thanks to Active Rain, and a little effort on my part, my site comes up at the top of the first page for some key words and, no matter what key words I use, there are multiple references to my site, my Active Rain blogs or my Active Rain profile somewhere on the first page and in the following pages.
I can't say that being on top of the page has brought me any new business yet, but it feels good knowing that when potential customers search, they will find Look Charlotte. I think it lends a certain amount of credibility to my company when someone searches and finds me at the top of the first page.
Is SEO important? I think you could make an argument both ways. I am still working on getting my page rank up. It is still 0/10 on my home page. I am just happy to be found when I am searched for.
Thanks Active Rain!
Rick
Look Charlotte Media Solutions
www.lookcharlotte.com
The more I explore real estate sites, the more amazed I am at what passes for Virtual Tours. I have seen everything from "plain Jane" slideshows to slide shows with music and "cheesy" cartoon-like animation added to the pictures.
To me, unless the viewer can maneuver through a home and choose where they want to go, it just is not a Virtual Tour. I am not trying to slam anybody's product. I'd just like us to get our terminology right.
We aren't fooling buyers by calling slideshows "Virtual Tours."
Who are we trying to fool?
Rick
Look Charlotte Media Solutions
www.lookcharlotte.com
It wouldn't be any breaking news that many of the real estate agents we work with are talking about slow sales.
They love the quality of the Virtual Tours we do for them. They agree that they are a great tool and, combined with the web distribution we do for them, Virtual Tours give them greater exposure. And exposure sells houses!
One of my agents told me that she would do one on every listing she has if she could afford it. The problem is she just doesn't have the marketing money right now. She had a house listed at $800,000 that had been on the market for more than 6months.
I asked her if she thought that the homeowners would be willing to pay for the tour if she would reimburse them at closing? She thought for a second and said, "I bet they would." She thought for a few more seconds and said, "And I can think of a couple more that probably would as well."
I don't yet know how many of my agents' sellers will be willing to do this, but I think the agent has nothing to lose by asking. If nothing else, it makes you look good to your seller. You aren't just sitting back and "letting it ride." It shows sellers that you are always thinking of ways to market their properties.
In Short... If your marketing money has dried up... Ask For Help!
Rick
Look Charlotte Media Solutions
www.lookcharlotte.com
Need your listings to be seen and remembered? Look Charlotte... full service virtual tour production and web distribution in Charlotte, NC and the surrounding area... everything you need and more!
Many know the long, frustrating hours that can be put in while trying to name a business. I chose Look Charlotte... because I liked it. I thought maybe I could do something cool with the Os in Look like make them look like eyes looking at a skyline of Charlotte or at a home or something like that.
I chose Media Solutions because it is descriptive. We use various types of media to help sellers market their properties. Solutions are remedies to problems. Problems are challenges. I believe that one of the greatest challenges real estate professionals face right now is getting as much exposure for their properties as they can. After all exposure is King in real estate, isn't it? Yard signs and MLS listings alone are no longer enough!
I started this company with the understanding that the real estate market has slowed. Charlotte has not been effected as badly as other areas of the country, but the slow down has people concerned. There was an opportunity here. Home sellers need a way to get their listings seen. More and more home buyers are beginning their search on the internet. It became obvious that people that aren't showing their property on the internet are missing out on a lot of exposure!
I examined the Benefits of Using Virtual Tours to gain exposure for real estate listings. I was convinced that Virtual Tours, as a tool to sell real estate, will become as common as listing on the MLS and putting out a yard sign. But, the quality has to be there.
Look Charlotte is a new, full service, 360 degree, full panoramic Virtual Tour service in Charlotte, NC. Don't let the "new" scare you! We are backed by Real Tour Vision the world leader in Virtual Tour technology. We use the best in media technology to produce high quality, fully interactive virtual tours. But, we don't stop there. Our tours are loaded with Features designed to get our customer's tours noticed.
Realtors have known, for a long time, that virtual tours are effective. However, they have become frustrated with the low quality of the products available to them. Not any more! As I share my service with Realtors in my area, they are impressed with the quality of Real Tour Vision's product. It is truly the best interactive virtual tour software available. The product is sound! The support RTV provides is first rate!
Look Charlotte is off to the races!
The key to the success of any company is service. I understand that it doesn't matter how nice our tours are, how many features, how many "bells and whistles" they have... if we don't meet our customer's expectations.
Look Charlotte is committed to:
"After searching for a Real Virtual Tour company online, you know, one that does more than just move pictures around and call it done, I came across LookCharlotte.com and decided to give Rick a shot.
At first, I was pleasantly surprised at everything that was included with his product; a domain name and signrider, a downloadable brochure, web distribution, visitor tracking and lots more. But even with all of those great features, it is his willingness to make sure that the finished product is exactly what I want, and even more importantly exactly what my clients want, that really impressed me.
I have referred him to clients and associates countless times and will continue to do so. Give him a try, you will not be disappointed."
Jim Acord
Broker - Re/Max
Property Manager - Carolina United Realty
704-361-3923
"Of the experience I have had with Virtual Tours and Virtual Tour companies, Look Charlotte has proven to be the most effective. The tours Rick has produced for me provide more detail and features than any other company I have worked with. The quality of the product and the personal service I have received has been first class. I highly recommend Rick and Look Charlotte Media Solutions."
Phil Wilson
CLS, Inc
"I just wanted to let you know that I had a sale at Whitby Pond ten days after your virtual tour started playing.
The buyer told me that he went by our model, wrote the tour information down from the sign rider, and then viewed it at home with his wife. When he saw the quality of our homes, he brought her in and they purchased and closed within fourteen days.
Thanks for the high quality virtual tour and most of all, thanks for helping me make a sale in these tough times."
Gary D. Wilking
New Home Sales
Whitby Pond
cell - 704-293-8335
"Virtual touring saves time, money and professionally presents the property to the most prospects."
Bob Brick
RE/MAX Bayshore Properties, Ltd
"The Real Tour Vision marketing system has added a new, dynamic dimension to our marketing program, as well as drastically reduced our traditional marketing expenses. Real Tour Vision has helped streamline company transactions through promoting in-house ancillary business (increasing our companys bottom-line!) and is used to recruit tech-savvy agents."
Bob Garrow
Garrow-Loftis/GMAC Real Estate
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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