The future of real estate marketing is here now but most real estate agencies and real estate agents don’t know it. Video is playing an important role in marketing both properties that are for sale as well as promoting agents or agencies themselves. According to a recent article by Matthew Ferrara, a well known real estate trainer and technology guru, there were some 200 billion videos watched on internet in October of last year. Videos are everywhere and not just on YouTube which had just 88.3 billion of those views.

Nothing sells products (including houses) like commercials. We are inundated with them on television. But TV commercials are extremely expensive to produce and to broadcast. Videos for the internet vary from amateurish to professional grade and can be produced either inexpensively or with a budget the size of Ben Hur depending on how lavish one wants it to be. The truth is, however, that really good quality videos can be produced relatively inexpensively.

Here are some of the best real estate videos out there on the world wide web:

How about something funny:

Here are several videos that I have produced for my clients:

See more of these videos at http://www.sellersownwords.com/ and see how they can help you sell your home!

Sign of the times…

Being a REALTOR©, the article and debate last week about the proposed sign ordinance in the Town of Gilford that could possibly eliminate the placement of real estate directional signs on street corners made me think a bit. Just about every REALTOR© in the world uses directional signs when needed or when the sellers want them. But I wondered whether these signs really help to sell a home in this market or if the colorful, clashing, and tacky menagerie of signs on many of the street corners makes the market look worse than it already is? Because the proliferation of directional signs has gotten so out of hand, it is quite possible in the upcoming Gilford election season, that some agents’ self promotional riders could be construed as a political campaign and they could find themselves elected to local office through an unsolicited write-in campaign. I suppose these signs might help attract a few wayward buyers to the home of their dreams, but focusing on better ways to get buyers to our clients’ homes might work better..

With the explosion of information on the internet, cell phones, and other handheld devices, the real estate world has evolved dramatically over the last decade and will no doubt continue to change. This change may not be as fast as Microsoft can come out with new versions of Windows, but it is going to evolve quickly because the buyers themselves and the way they shop are changing. Therefore, the way homes are marketed must change to be successful. It is not that some of the old tried and true methods don’t still work, or that agents shouldn’t continue to do certain old school things, it may be just that some other approaches will work better with the new breed of buyers that are out there today.

Buyers today just don’t come in off the street into the real estate offices to start their home search like they used to. The National Association of Realtors© says that 87% of today’s buyers use the internet in their home buying search. Most of today’s home buyers narrow down their choices to a select few (maybe the wrong few-but they narrow them down anyway) and then, according to NAR 77% of the buyers jump in a car and drive by the home to check them out. They already have the address and they usually have a Google Map or directions that were provided on-line. They are pretty savvy buyers and are often equipped with a GPS so they can drive right to the doorstep assisted by that little guy or gal inside the box that speaks to you like C3PO in Star Wars. NAR also says that 85% use a real estate agent as an information source. I’m hoping the agent also knows how to get to the house.

So perhaps directional signs on street corners aren’t all that necessary. I would bet there are fewer and fewer people these days driving aimlessly through an area looking for homes to buy without knowing where they are going first. When gas hits $4.00 a gallon again (and you know it will) you can be assured there won’t be any unnecessary wandering about. Over the past year there were 81 residential homes sold in Gilford and 78 homes sold in Moultonborough. You’d be hard pressed to find a directional sign in Moultonborough and those that are placed can only be generic sign stating “Real Estate For Sale” with an arrow. Seems like these sales numbers show that this approach works just as well and it doesn’t make it look like every home in town must be for sale.

While there is the chance that a buyer will suddenly change course because of a directional sign and go see what’s for sale somewhere down this side street or that, to me the better place to put a directional sign is on the internet highway. On the internet you can put as many virtual directional signs as you want and you can put as much info on them as you could on a huge road side bill board. These virtual directional signs can be dedicated listing web sites, web pages, links in blogs, and paid or free advertising all directing buyers to view a certain property. The idea is to direct as many potential buyers as possible to see a property in the virtual world thereby enticing some to come and see it in the real world. To make it even easier, all the listings on the internet including detailed information, pictures, and maps can be put right in the palm of a buyer’s hand on a smart phone to carry with him wherever he goes. Doesn’t that sound better that a rusty old directional sign?

Finally, the best method of getting buyers to a home, the one method that has been proven to work time and time again, is to price the home so that it is an absolute great deal. That home will be found every time even without the signs…

MVSB hosts free seminar for first-time homebuyers on March 7

Laconia Area Community Land Trust’s HomeBuyer Resource Center and Meredith Village Savings Bank are teaming up to present a free seminar for people considering buying their first home and for anyone interested in learning about the home-buying process. This educational workshop is presented in cooperation with Neighborworks America.

The seminar is a practical guide to buying a home. Issues covered include budgeting and financial management, credit and credit reports, shopping for a home, getting a mortgage, home inspections, special financing programs and more. The seminar will be held Saturday, March 7, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Community Room at Meredith Village Savings Bank’s Laconia office at 379 South Main Street.

Seminar participants will receive the “Realizing the Dream” text binder and other materials for use in their quest for home ownership. They will also receive a certificate that is recognized by the New Hampshire Housing Authority, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Rural Development (formerly the Farmers Home Administration), VA and Fannie Mae (FNMA).

To register or obtain additional information, please contact Gail Engle of the Laconia Area Community Land Trust at (603) 524-0747 or gengle@laclt.org. Seating is limited and advance registration is required. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Laconia Area Community Land Trust (LACLT) is a nonprofit affordable housing provider and is a “NeighborWorks” organization, charted by the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation.  LACLT’s HomeBuyer Resource Center is able to present homebuyer education free of charge through the generous support from Meredith Village Savings Bank.  The Center also provides support and assistance to potential homebuyers after completion of the educational series. This is done through direct counseling with families or individuals that may need assistance in answering questions about home buying and ownership and/or obtaining home financing. Additionally, the Center works with families or individuals that may have obstacles to home ownership such as credit issues, insufficient down payment or too much debt.  The Center works with those families or individuals to design and implement an action plan intended to help them overcome the impediments to home ownership.  This assistance is also offered at no cost to participants.

Meredith Village Savings Bank is an independent mutual savings bank with 11 offices serving individuals, families, businesses, organizations and towns around Lake Winnipesaukee and the Plymouth area. MVSB has offices in Alton, Ashland, Center Harbor, Gilford, Laconia, Meredith, Moultonborough, Plymouth, and Wolfeboro. More information about the bank can be found at www.mvsb.com.