Today’s successful mega-producers are generating plenty of business, but unlike the customers of yesterday, today’s real estate customer is beginning online. According to the latest figures, in excess of 90% (94%) are beginning their search online. In my last installment, I explained how successful agents today are going way “upstream” to capture their business — before the customer has had the opportunity to be attracted by old-school marketing techniques. If you haven’t read it yet, you owe it to yourself to start there.

In my last post I discussed the difference between yesterday’s pull marketing and today’s push marketing. I explained how pull marketing is reactive — “If you build it they will come.” Push marketing, on the other hand, is pro-active — “If you build it they won’t come so you have to go get them.” (Click to view previous blog post.) Many agents today have experienced that very phenomenon: doing lots of advertising and getting little if no results.

As a developer of online media, one of the drawbacks I've always hated about placing media up on the web, such as videos, podcasts, webcasts, audio streams, and so forth is the hit I take in discoverability.

That is, the major search engines can't find any of the words that are spoken inside a video or podcast.  Let's say, rather then typing this weblog entry, I instead decide to make it a  v-log (video blog) entry. You get the picture?  Same thing, by the way, for those nifty videos of your property listings, as well as any video testimonials you've placed on your web site, let alone if you're one of the growing number of agents who publish their own version of online talkshows.  Nope.  Can't find what you say. 

Before we launch into this segment, let’s recap the last installment. In it I was discussing how in the 1960s and 70s, our industry was in a Broker-centric Era. The brokers had all the power. Customers had very little access to listing inventory except through them. Agents had no business except through them. Modern real estate brokerage was in its infancy. By controlling the inventory, broker-owners were able to build real estate dynasties. It was common place to see multiple office operations with teams of agents, and it was during this climate that companies like Century 21, Coldwell Banker, ERA, and other similar broker-centric companies became huge empires.

First American CoreLogic, a member of The First American Corporation family of companies and America's largest provider of advanced property and ownership information, analytics and services, announced this week the release of REiSource, a new Web-based real estate information gateway to the most complete and accurate suite of property profiles, new homeowner and refinance lists, resale trends, mortgage leads and custom reports for title insurance companies.

I just love the youth – their enthusiasm, their energy, their eagerness and their burning passion for life. 

It’s true that generations come and go and each one is unique – each reacting and changing what previous generations have done over time.   

And now it is time again. Baby Boomers are slowly making way for the next generation to assume leadership of the industry. Not that this is a one–day event, but rather a decade of transition. One that we are already part of. 

It is important to note that the impact of both Gen X and Gen Y outside real estate is already very significant – just think of MySpace, Dell Computers, eBay, Yahoo, Google, You Tube and Facebook – all legacy of that generations’ alumni. 

ZIPVO is a newly launched real estate video sharing website that allows agents to enhance, market and broadcast their listings free and easily through the use of video, PhotVideo, blogs and agent profiles. After launching in September the company has now upgraded to their public beta 2.0 version. Their is also a whole social networking and blogging system in place. Visit www.zipvo.com for more information.

How to Reach Buyers in Today’s Market 

With an abundance of houses for sale and buyers still weary to return to the housing market, it is now more important than ever before that real estate agents improve their marketing, says the new, 170 page 2008 Swanepoel Trends Report from RealSure Publishing.  In Trend 3, titled ‘The New Digital Currency,’ the Report provides numerous statistics and information showing the shifting patterns of today’s home buyers.  

NO HOUSE LEFT BEHIND ought to become the mantra of every real estate agent.   As we deal with the consequences of a sluggish market, it becomes essential that a certain degree of renovation should take place prior to the listing of every home.  That is if you’re hoping to attract the selective buyers who have an over abundance of choices.

Real Estate Wiki, announced this week the addition of over 70 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help renters with handy information about the process of leasing a home instead of buying.  According to Real Estate Wiki, this new addition of leasing information is an example of the kind of industry focus a specialized wiki can provide. The FAQs included topics such as: