This kind of advertising strategy is fairly low key, but nevertheless, given The Sims Social’s enormous popularity among US Facebook users, it should help the firm to attain widespread visibility across a wide audience.

During the game, players get to ‘earn’ virtual currency by decorating their virtual homes with a Century 21-branded fireplace. The end result is that gamers are exposed to Century 21’s brand, and in return they get their hands on extra funds to help them enjoy the game just a little bit more.

It’s a pretty clever move considering that many gamers might just be secretly modeling their ‘virtual homes’ along the lines of their own dream home. By associating the Century 21 brand with these thoughts, it could well drum up quite a bit of business for the firm.

Bev Thorne, Century 21’s chief marketing officer echoed these thoughts in an interview, saying:

“We think this is just a great opportunity to integrate with the holidays and provide those target customers with a touchpoint…  with an opportunity within the home setting for buyers and even sellers to see the Century 21 brand during the holidays.”

“We see this as a creative opportunity to deliver the dream of home ownership to millions who are intent on investing in real estate virtually, and eventually, in reality.”

Century 21 said that its advertising campaign will last for about three weeks, from December 20 until January 9.

The realty firm has tried the strategy before, reaping significant benefits from a previous advertising campaign on the SimCity Social game, which is largely played by those in the 25-year old to 34-year old demographic. During the course of this campaign, Century 21 saw a 225% increase in the number of “likes” on its Facebook page.

SimCity Social is an even more real estate-oriented game than The Sims Social, allowing users to build up a virtual real estate portfolio whilst interacting with their Facebook friends. One of the available buildings was a Century 21 real estate office, which players could build to earn more virtual currency.

Images via www.Century 21.com

According to the National Association of Realtors, as many as 97% of home buyers begin their search online by scanning listings. They spend an average of 7 seconds previewing a real estate listing online before deciding if they’ll look deeper or move on.

Too many MLS listings and photos are poorly crafted and fail to capture the buyer’s interest, meaning the opportunity with that buyer is lost forever. Studies have shown that once a buyer by-passes a listing, they don’t return to it for a second look. This does not serve your seller or your real estate business.

It benefits you to craft your listing remarks from the seven second perspective. What should you put in the “public remarks” section of your listings? Here are some ideas:

Paint a Word Picture…

…but don’t be flowery or vague. For instance, “Enjoy the large backyard and open floor plan” is a bit vague. But “Sleek mid-century 4-bedroom home on a lush 1/4 acre yard” paints a solid picture.  Weave data into the picture.

Words with Value

Choose your words carefully. Studies show that certain words help a listing get more attention. Which words should you pick? Check out this list to help you craft the best description of the properties that you represent:

Beautiful
This word has impact, so use it! All buyers want to live in a beautiful home.

Fresh, Bright, Light
Most buyers enjoy light. Emphasize these words where you can to describe the property.

Landscaping
Things like curb appeal and lovely landscaping attract attention and increase the value of the home.

Turnkey
Turnkey, means that buyers can move in without making any major renovations. This appeals to buyers who can’t or don’t want to fix up their new home.

Handyman Special
At the same time, a lot of people like to get their hands dirty. Some customers like to work with their hands and repair, renovate and remodel a house.  “Handyman special” appeals to a certain demographic, just as “turnkey” attracts another type of buyer.

Fixer
This word seems to connote real problems. If it’s not a major fixer, you’d be better off using Handyman Special.

Unusual Words
Sometimes being different gets more attention. The words “cool” and “unusual” get attention, as in “very cool backyard space for entertaining.” Too slangy for you? Is it too slangy for the kind of buyers who might want that home?

How to Address “Turn-Offs”

There’s always been a debate about how to handle problems with a property in real estate listings. Do you highlight the thing that might turn buyers off, or do you downplay those problems? You know the jokes…”Charming cottage” means small; “Easy freeway access” means right next to the on-ramp. Some agents believe this positive spin helps buyers see the bright side of the problem. Other agents believe in calling a dog a dog using humor. “Very small home, fit for gnomes and newlyweds.” Or “Right next to the freeway…how else would you get this much incredible home for so little.

Put It All Together

Check out this example of a remarks section that puts all the above advice together:

“Sleek mid-century 4-bedroom home on a lush 1/4 acre yard with a very cool backyard entertainment space. Beautiful fountains cover the hidden, but nearby street noise. Bright kitchen and fresh appliances. Turnkey property with 2 fully remodeled baths. A unique home that will pleasantly surprise you.”

Good MLS Photos Are Your Duty

One final notes about MLS listings…buyers look at photos to make a final determination. If your photos show things like the bathroom with the toilet seat up, bedrooms with piles of laundry in the corner, a kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink, the turn-off is instant! Immediately the value of that property drops. You have a duty to provide the seller with the best price and marketing possible. Tidying up the house is the easiest and first thing you should be doing so you can provide photos that attract buyers who are not predisposed to pay less before they even look at the property in person.

Be consistent. Be bold. Be smart. Linda Schneider is a real estate business coach for smart real estate agents who want to be more powerful in their business. Drop by RealEstateBusinessCoaching.com for more about selling skills and real estate marketing ideas to take your business to the next level.

Of these real estate professionals…

• 22% of the respondents made over $100K a year and 21% made under $35K a year.
• 47% of the respondents are male.
• The average age was 51 – 60 years old.
• The average income was $55 – 65K.
• The average time in the industry was 6 – 10 years.
• The highest level of education of the respondents was college graduate.

The following are some interesting insight into the usage of technology, social media, and marketing & advertising strategies between the highest and lowest earning real estate professionals.

Technology in Real Estate

When it comes to using technology, the most successful real estate agents are spending $3-5K per year on the stuff. This budget is spent on having an IDX website, CRM (customer relationship management) or lead management tool, and maintaining an email newsletter.

Are you a successful real estate agent? What helps you achieve your success? © Andy Dean - Fotolia.com

Social Media in Real Estate

When it comes to social media usage, the most successful real estate agents spend their time on the following networks to market their business.

• ActiveRain – 62% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 54% across all respondents.
• Blogger – 26% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 22% across all respondents.
• WordPress – 52% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 46% across all respondents.
• Facebook – 91% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 90% across all respondents.
• Twitter – 65% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 59% across all respondents
• LinkedIn – 84% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 81% across all respondents.
• YouTube – 54% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 44% across all respondents.
• Realtor.com / Move.com – 65% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 61% across all respondents.
• Zillow – 60% of successful real estate agents use it – the average was also 60% across all respondents.
• Trulia – 64% of successful real estate agents use it – the average was also 64% across all respondents.
• CraigsList – 66% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 68% across all respondents.
• Homes.com – 27% of successful real estate agents use it compared to the average 27% across all respondents.

This goes to show that blogging is popular amongst half of the respondents and social networks dominate in the order of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, ActiveRain, and YouTube.

Marketing & Advertising in Real Estate

Last but not least is marketing & advertising. The average marketing budget is $5-10K for successful real estate professionals compared to the average $1-3K. Strategies used by the most successful real estate agents over the average include purchasing leads on the Internet (18%), paying for clicks from search engines (21%), hiring an agency for Internet advertising (26%) and SEO / blogging (26%), using direct mail (62%), and advertising in local newspapers (29%).

What is the most effective marketing or advertising methods? The top three written in answers were personal referrals / word of mouth, blogging, and B2B professional referrals.

There you have it – what separates the top real estate professionals from the rest. Are you using these strategies?

Contributing writer Kristi Hines is an online marketing consultant, freelance writer, blogger, and social media enthusiast.

Leap ahead of the competition with the Jaguar listing management system © TebNad - Fotolia.com

Jaguar requires no downloads as it uses the latest in cloud technologies to deliver listing and closing data which is collected from numerous third parties in a highly interactive and easily accessible format. No longer will realtors be required to search multiple locations for the information they need – Jaguar can be customized to suit each individual’s tastes and requirements.

Available features include:

• User friendly interface that requires no training
• Compatibility with any system – Windows, Macs and Linux
• Apps for handhelds – iPads, iPhones, Androids, BlackBerry and others
• Ability for consumers to converse with agents
• Marketing reports (including CMAs)
• RETS feed to national websites
• Listing brochures
• Integrated open rentals

In today’s tough market, having a program which allows realtors to access data quickly and easily, thereby improving their productivity and responsiveness to their clients is worth its weight in gold. Fortunately for RealPlus members, this technology comes at no additional cost.

Eric Gordon, managing director of RealPlus said, “We are thrilled to make this program available to real estate firms across New York City. Jaguar is the most advanced program of its kind and offers many features and capabilities that will significantly improve the way brokers work with each other, their buyers, sellers and renters.”

“Jaguar was built and tested to run on PCs, Macs, and all popular browsers, including IE, Firefox, Chrome and Safari, and will offer real estate professionals a newfound ability to access information whenever they want it.” continued Gordon, “Jaguar provides greater control so that agents and firms can manage listings to best suit their needs and those of their clients,”

Real estate videos - Do yours say enough? © SSilver - Fotolia.com

Yet another interesting statistic reported by NAR is that individuals who found homes online that interested them took the following actions:

• 45% of searchers walked through a home (in person) that they found online
• 29% contacted an agent to search for and buy a home
• 21% drove by the home they saw online

So all of this interesting data doesn’t do you a scrap of good if you aren’t taking full advantage of those tools which can help you sell more homes. Although a well crafted description of a home is fabulous, a picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. The same NAR report determined that, “98% of home buyers who searched for a home on the internet found photos to be among the most useful features of Realtor websites.”

Just as photos are a fantastic way for buyers to learn more about your listings, a video is an even better tool, as it can help weed out the “tire kickers” from truly interested individuals.

One obvious benefit of providing video on your website is that home buyers can take a virtual walk-through of many different homes; narrowing down their choices. There are a couple of other ways, however, that realtors can take advantage of this medium for their websites.

• “Take a drive” through the neighborhood with your camcorder, pointing out all of the lovely shops, restaurants and quality schools along the way. Think “real life”. The feeling and/or image you want the viewer to come away with should be the focus of your filming. For example, to invoke an image of quiet urban living, target your filming towards something that will substantiate that idea, such as a number of interesting shops lined up alongside peaceful village sidewalks, or a pristine lake within a beautifully landscaped city park.

• Create a video of yourself. Be careful here, though – no hype. You don’t want to come off as a “sleazy car salesman” type of realtor, right? Be open, be honest – be yourself, but above all, remember that this video isn’t about you at all – not really. It’s about them – the home buyer who is searching for the “perfect” home and sellers who need someone in their corner to sell their  home.

The last thing you want to do is to send out the wrong idea about you and/or your business.  You need to determine if the “real you” – that hard to define quality – has been captured through your video and clearly conveyed with its message.

A very easy way to determine if you are sending out the message you have in mind is to ask a stranger. Seriously! Of course you will review your video, and probably have your friends, family and/or colleagues do the same, however if you want a completely unbiased opinion, ask someone who doesn’t know anything about you what their opinion is.

No tool, no matter how wonderful it may be can replace the human element in real estate. What everything boils down to is trust. Can you be trusted to do what you say – to be honest in your dealings? This is what people are looking for. If you are trustworthy, then not only should your business dealings show it, but every element of your website should clearly convey your sincerity. Your business depends upon it.

Video marketing tips for realtors © Petro Teslenko - Fotolia.com

Better still, pictures and descriptions can be even more powerful when video is added to the mix. Using websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Daily Motion, Meta Cafe and others, realtors can expand their outreach by tapping into the power of video.

That said, there are a few basic rules that realtors should be aware of when filming their client’s homes. The following list is by no means exhaustive, however it covers many of the glaring errors that can be seen in many realtor’s videos.

1. Politely advise your client that clutter distracts from the beauty of their home. If they take the hint, fabulous – they’ve just made your job that much easier. If not, either pan quickly past the clutter or edit it out of the video altogether.

2. Watch out for extraneous noises that distract the listener – unless you’re going for “funny” then by all means, carry on.

3. One word – tripod. Nothing says “amateur” like a shaky video.

4. Watch your lighting – best scenario is to film on a sunny day, and when filming inside, sunlight streaming in through clean windows puts most rooms in the best light. (no pun intended)

5. Before shooting the video, prepare what features you wish to highlight and how you plan to capture those features. While filming, include any factual details or historical anecdotes in your narration.

6. Shoot more video than you think you will need. Better to get more than enough than have delays due to rescheduling conflicts.

7. Slowly pan between shots. Nobody likes to feel dizzy after watching a video – save the special effects for Spielberg.

8. Do a dry run before shooting the final video. This can help you determine if your walkthrough plan needs to be adjusted.

9. You’re not shooting a mini series, but try to at least make it a bit interesting – if your seller is interested, add a short clip at the beginning or end (your choice) of them discussing their life in the home, why they are selling, etc. This gives buyers a chance to envision life in the home/neighborhood.

10. Keep track of the video you’ve taken on a small notebook. If you shoot more than one home at a time, and they’re empty, after a while the rooms can all start to look alike. This will help you tremendously when you get back to the office to edit the video.

The most important thing to consider is your audience. Look at the video from their point of view as you make your edits. Are there distractions that don’t show the property in its best light, or are you missing some of its best features? If possible, get a disinterested person’s opinion on the video to help smooth out any rough spots and present the property in an interesting, yet realistic manner before uploading your video.

Source: Real Estate Locals

Realtors can now advertise listings on TV and via internet streaming © Ben Chams - Fotolia.com

RealBiz Media and Next One Interactive, Inc. have teamed up to develop a creative and cost effective method to help realtors get their listings in front of a large and diversified audience.

A realtor can use their computer to upload pictures, set up a virtual tour and/or create a video of their client’s home which can be instantly uploaded to more than a dozen real estate websites, including Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia.com, etc. as well as social sites such as Facebook.com. The same video can also be shown for 30 days in the local television market, on the “Home Preview Channel” offered via cable providers, for a very affordable fee.

The ability for this technology to expand into other markets hinges on the expansion of interactive technologies throughout the cable industry. What this technology does, in essence, is combine the power of television and the internet into a single marketing strategy for realtors – simplifying their advertising efforts and allowing them to reach a wider market.

Steve Marques — CEO of RealBiz Media said, “It’s been a significant amount of work and financial commitment to get here, but with our relationships with the top U.S. real estate companies, franchisors and broker networks, we are now poised to rapidly deploy this new service to existing clients. When you do the math on the number of properties eligible for VOD in the United States at $40 a listing, it should make for a great win for both real estate agents and our companies.”