Real Estate: 6 Tips for Picking an Internet Ready Real Estate Agent

According to the National Association of Realtors 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers almost 90% of buyers started their search online. If you are selling a home it is vital to pick a REALTOR that understands online marketing. Here are my top 5 tips for finding an Internet ready Real Estate agent.

1. Google them!

If you can’t easily find your potential real estate agent in Google that is not a good sign. Unless they have a really really common name or maybe have a celebrity name like Britney Spears or something they should be well ranked on the first page of Google.

2. Check their website.

Real estate agents websites don’t necessarily need to win design awards but they should be at a minimum professional looking and easy to navigate. Look how the listings are presented, if you don’t think the houses are shown in a way that will attract buyers to call then potential buyers will probably view your house’s listing in the same way.

3. Check their brokers website.

While it is important that your individual agent has a website also check their brokers site. If a broker is prominent in a particular area a large number of buyers may be aware of the brand and visit the broker site directly. The same principals apply here, the site should be easy to navigate and the listings should be presented well.

4. Facebook and twitter.

Your agent should ideally have a presence on both of these social networking sites. It’s important to remember that while other real estate agents are their competition they should have a working relationship with other agents. The fastest way to market your house is to other agents with active buyers.

5. Does your agent have a smart phone?

As crazy as it sounds some agents still not use a smart phone such as an iPhone. A smart phone allows for fast email conversations with potential buyers agents, allows Google search on the road, even twitter updates and pictures taken. If your agents phone is not so smart maybe you agent is not either.

6. Response time.

My number one trick to test a potential agent is response time. If they have a website contact form send a message through that, try email, @ them on twitter, call them. If you do not get a response within 24 hours on every contact you make Some agents check voicemail every day but only check email sporadically, that can potentially cost you a sale.

Here are some of my ideas for testing if your potential real estate agent has what it takes to cut it in today’s Internet focused market. Good luck selecting an Internet ready REALTOR!

7 Lies of Real Estate Marketing

Real estate marketing can be either your secret weapon or a real estate system that you wish you had never attempted. There are lies about real estate marketing that have been spread around for years by those who don’t want agents to unlock the power of marketing. Many of those who have spread these lies have done this unintentionally and others intentionally.
By discovering these real estate marketing lies you will have the secrets to turn your real estate business into a machine.

Marketing Is Expensive. Many agents believe that marketing is expensive so they never bother to look into how they can make it work for their business. Bad marketing is very expensive and can ruin the experience for an agent. When marketing is done correctly it is about spending little to get a large return. For example if you knew that you could spend $280 on marketing and you would get back $4,000 in return would you consider it expensive? So the only marketing that is expensive is marketing that hasn’t been tested, hasn’t been proven, and won’t generate you leads.

Marketing is About You. Have you ever seen a postcard, flyer, or a website of a real estate agent where the only thing that you see is a giant picture of them riding a horse or with a dog? These agents have been told that as long as they “get their face out there” they will be successful. I would like to ask you the following question and answer it honestly: Do people care more about themselves or people they don’t know? If you answered that people care about themselves more than us that is correct. Marketing that is about you will only be one of the most expensive forms of marketing you ever do and not produce the results that you desire.

Marketing Only Works Once You Are Already Successful. Often in hallways across real estate offices all around the country agents say “That agent does marketing because they are successful”. Agents don’t do marketing once there are successful they market to get successful.

“Your” Market is Different So Marketing Won’t Work For You. Every market is different however people often respond to messages that are similar. My team routinely tests 300+ messages to find 6 that work all over the country. Finding which one of the 6 that works in a particular part of a country is the work that must be undertaken in a one on one setting.

Marketing Doesn’t Generate Good Leads. Regardless of how you get a lead whether it be an open house, a sign call, a magazine ad, a flyer, a referral, or a website 85% percent of leads will be a total waste of time. The key with marketing is to generate a leads with hoops designed to find the top 15% of leads. For example allowing leads to contact you directly can cause waste your time.

Marketing is Too Difficult To Figure Out. Marketing can require testing which is why many agents avoid it for their entire careers. Without a formula to test each marketing piece you take out against it can be nearly impossible to find a winning formula. Marketing that generates results need to demonstrate to the prospect how you can benefit them and it has to do this in 10 seconds or less. When each of your marketing pieces clearly shows the prospect how your service benefits them and has a clear call to action the marketing will become far easier to figure out.

Marketing Doesn’t Provide Any Way To Prove That It Works. When a marketing piece goes out with 5 different phone numbers, a website, and no clear message it had no chance to work. Providing tracking on marketing allows an easy way to find out what is working and what prospects are responding to. This can be done with free tracking tools like Google Analytics when marketing is done on the Internet or a low cost 800# such as proquest.
By unlocking the secrets behind these 7 lies you will be able to improve any marketing that you currently are using as well as and future marketing you put to use to generate new business.