Archive for December 11th, 2009
New real estate online marketing platform revolutionizes internet property search
New real estate online marketing platform revolutionizes internet property search
There’s no question that real estate marketing has definitely shifted ground. In years past, the primary choice for selling property was overwhelmingly traditional advertising. Online advertising, however, has supplanted the printed media in a big way. It’s estimated that at least four out of five of those searching property listings are now beginning their search on the internet. As a matter of fact, it’s projected that three billion dollars will be spent on online real estate marketing by the year 2010. At the same time, it’s also essential to differentiate yourself in this incredibly competitive market and industry. The financial turmoil, facing us today has created many challenges— and those marketing property of any kind must find new, cost-efficient ways that deliver recognizable results to successfully market real estate With all that in mind, Locally Located.com has created an entirely new online business model for posting any type of real estate listing — at a price anyone could live with free. Locally Located.com’s revolutionary new online marketing platform applies the popular online Pay-Per-Click (PPC) business model to selling real estate. That means anyone is welcome to post real estate listings at no cost — the advertiser only gets charged when a potential online buyer clicks on their listing to open it and examine it in detail. The end result? The advertiser only has to pay for serious customers interested in looking over a specific property listing. And that’s well worth the minor PPC fees to those who want to most effectively use their marketing dollars. The ground-breaking PPC marketing concept was introduced in 1998 and was mostly utilized by businesses looking to gain the maximum amount of customers in the most cost effective way —while obtaining the greatest possible ROI (Return On Investment). With Locally Located.com’s innovative new use of PPC, real estate advertisers can finally take part in the most popular online selling practice in existence today — which is expected to gross over 3.7 billion dollars in revenue by the end of 2009. Just like most PPC advertising systems, Locally Located.com gives the advertiser complete control over the number of clicks they want to pay for, the length of time they want the listing posted for, and the budget they want to spend. All of these parameters, of course, can be adjusted as need be, after the listing is posted. Advertisers will also be able to control how often they would like to receive account updates, which will allow the user to thoroughly test their marketing efforts. Unlike most traditional PPC systems, however, Locally Located.com does NOT force the real estate advertiser to bid against other advertisers worldwide for the best placements. The playing field is level — and the PPC charge is equal for everyone, not driven up by big business wanting to squeeze the most money out of the small advertiser. Another overwhelming advantage to LocallyLocated.com is that the site will post any type of real estate listing — making it a hub or “one-stop shop” for any potential property prospects, and anyone seeking information on a specific geographic area of interest to them . LocallyLocated.com is also committed to being more than a traditional real estate search site. To attract a steady stream of traffic consisting of potential property buyers, the site will be filled with enhanced targeted real estate content — including news article’s, blogs and forums. This content will utilize the latest Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques, ensuring the site high search engine result rankings, which will bring about exposure to the greatest amount of online users interested in real estate and all the supplemental information they would need to make an informed decision . Local Search will also be an important and integral part of Locally Located.com. Local search is now a close second to email as the most utilized function of the internet. By enabling specific geographic guidelines, Locally Located.com will be able to further target buyers on the lookout for property in specific areas with the assistance of satellite and map views, and many more free tools to assist its users in making the most informed decisions. Local Searches are growing three times as fast as other kinds of online searches, as more and more people use the internet instead of print and other traditional media to find and research information on nearby neighborhoods. Obviously, this category includes real estate — a category that Locally Located.com is strategically positioned to heavily influence with its innovative new approach to real estate marketing. Internet marketing has come of age — and Locally Located.com is determined to bring online real estate advertising up to speed in the most cutting-edge and cost-effective way possible. For our residential Real Estate agent advertisers, we go the extra mile. When you list a residence with Locally Located.com we will in turn list the home on many of the nations largest Real Estate search engines, giving your property unparalleled exposure and the attention it deserves. Instead of just listing your home you are now utilizing a professional, and testable, marketing vehicle for the most minimal cost possible.<a href="http://www.locallylocated.com/">Locally Located.com</a> is determined to bring online real estate advertising up to speed in the most cutting-edge and cost-effective way possible. For more information, please visit the website online at <a href="http://www.locallylocated.com/">www.locallylocated.com</a>.<br />
Source: www.ArticlePros.com
The Truth About Realtors
Recently I read that an annual poll taken among Americans rated Realtors as one of the least respected professional in the country. For the first time in history, Realtors fell not only to the bottom of the list, but even below non-licensed, non-governed professions. Yes, we finally beat out used-car salesman as the least respected profession. Different polls have yielded different results, but this particular poll focused on ‘the trust of a professional to give good advice.’ Now, for me herein lies a particular conundrum. To start, certain significant differences exist between professions. For example, Realtors are licensed, and as such, they are governed by three governing bodies: their local board of Realtors, their state board of Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors. To be licensed, each Realtor must pass a number of significant signposts. For example, in Texas, a minimum of three college level courses must be completed to obtain a license. Of course, this only applies to college-degreed individuals: more courses are required if the candidate does not possess an accredited degree. Next, they must pass the licensing exam. Once their license is obtained, continuing education is mandatory to retain the license, as is common in many professions, such as Accountancy, Law, etc. This requirement is strictly enforced and must include a minimum amount of real estate law. Thus Realtors stay relatively abreast of changes in real estate and law, and, in particular, nowadays, of the growing problem of mortgage fraud, which can in some instances, implicate the seller, even if the seller is ignorant of the law, they can potentially face criminal charges and substantial fines as an accomplice. (Ignorance of the law is no excuse). A Realtor, as a seller’s agent, can usually spot the red flags related to mortgage fraud and alert their client to the possibility and possible sources of relief to avoid an undesirable outcome (like jail). In short, the Realtor is a professional, and, in some cases, can not only sell your house, but keep you out of legal troubles. Additionally, Realtors, per the National Association of Realtors, are bound by a code of ethics, which they must agree and abide by, for if they do not, they can (and usually are) brought before a court of inquiry through their local or state boards to determine their guilt or innocence and receive appropriate disciplinary measures. In short, if a Realtor is unethical (not just operating outside the law, but operating within the law unethically), they can (and will, if found guilty) lose their license to practice. Did you know that a real estate agent is governed by the same body of law that governs attorneys? That’s right; it’s called the Law of Agency and it varies a bit state by state, but fundamentally, it says that a Realtor is required by law to put your interests above their own. The point is this: Attorneys and Realtors are bound by the same set of laws. Yet, somehow, Attorneys rate MUCH higher in the poll. Ever consider what it cost just to practice real estate? Between the expense of joining the local, state, and national boards, as well as the local MLS dues, showing service fees, website fees, errors & omissions insurance, advertising costs, AND broker related fees and dues, a Realtor pays thousands of dollars (even tens of thousands) each year just to be a Realtor. And we’re not finished yet. Once a Realtor is licensed, they must find a Broker to sponsor them. Now, this really isn’t that hard, but if you have a bad reputation in the field (and in real estate, everyone knows everyone), this might be much harder than you might think. In these cases, where reputations are poor, no broker will touch them, so a Realtor’s only choice is to become a Broker (which means more classes, more expense, more training, and another licensing test) in order to continue to practice real estate. This isn’t saying that all small brokerages are probable crooks, in fact, in most cases, small brokerages are just entrepreneurially oriented individuals trying to build a legitimate business, but there are cases where this is the last opportunity for some Realtors to practice real estate before being run out of town on a rail, so to speak. I know this seems like rambling, or I’m complaining over something small, but I’m really not. I have an MBA; I am a Certified Management Accountant; I am Certified in Financial Management; I spent 23 years in banking and as a business consultant. Two years ago I got disgruntled with the internal political machinery that constitute ’success’ in corporate America and quit in order to look myself in the mirror at night. So I joined my wife to build a credible, honest business based on integrity. I became a Realtor. What I found was that no one trusted me and that somewhat astounded me. People thought I took a listing, sat back, watched TV, drank beer, and waited for someone to sell their property. I’m not making this up - they really thought this. They complained about the fact I wasn’t doing anything for them. Wow! If they think I wasn’t working for them, they should take a long look at corporate America! Now, get this, I would receive these complaints around 8:30 p.m. while I was still in the office working. For some reason, these clients didn’t add it up that it was 8:30 at night, and I was still at work. I have found that to remain competitive in real estate, I work seven days a week starting around 9:00 a.m. and end the day somewhere between 9:00 p.m. and midnight–every day, and I am usually so busy, I forget to eat lunch (I used to tease my wife how she could possibly forget to eat lunch, but now that I’m in the business, I understand). That’s just what it takes to get all the phone calls answered or returned, the negotiations put to bed, the inspection issues resolved, the photos and virtual tours taken and posted, the newspaper ads ordered, the just listed cards sent out, the just sold cards sent, the monthly newsletter and other marketing materials in the mail, the website and MLS updated, the flyers designed, printed, and delivered to the property, the books balanced, the supplies replenished, the equipment fixed, the computers/printers/fax kept operational, the emails read and processed, the mail read and processed, all the paperwork completed perfectly and processed (the then verified for accuracy), the prospecting done, the client follow-ups finished (time permitting), the closings attended, the closing gifts purchased and delivered, the listing presentations prepared and made, the comparative market analyses done, potential homes identified for buyers, the potential homes shown to buyers, the bills paid, the mandatory education completed, the 800 numbers recorded, all amendments signed and filed correctly, putting out ‘for sale’ signs/lock boxes/flyer boxes (or picking them up after a sale), the open houses held, the flyers prepared and distributed in every broker’s office in town for the open house, holding realtor luncheons, flyers prepared and distributed at every broker’s office in town for the realtor luncheon, buying and preparing the food for the realtor luncheons, talking to other agents to get feedback on home showings, and talking to others agents about our listings, fending off frivolous lawsuits, AND telling our clients that we ARE working on selling their home even if they don’t hear from us every day or even if they don’t see us doing anything. That covers some of what our day is like. Every day is different, but that covers some of it. My point? Well, if it isn’t obvious, how are Realtors rated so low? We are we at the bottom of the list of all professions? How is this possible? With all due respect to used car salesman (and I mean that - I’ve met a few wonderful used car salespeople), how can a licensed, governed profession, subject to stringent ethical and educational standards, that costs thousands of dollars per year just to practice (our costs to practice exceeded $50,000 last year), how can a profession that requires about 80+ hours of work per week — all week — well, how can this profession possiblly be less respected than a profession where NONE of these items are required? It boggles the mind. Are there licensed used car salespeople? Are they held to ethical standards? And — think about this — do they pay thousands to tens of thousands of dollars per year to be a used car salesman? This isn’t to say that every Realtor walks on water. No. Not even close. But neither does every attorney, doctor, engineer, or accountant. There are levels of skill related to all professions, including Realtors. So, what I want you to know is that the polls aren’t justified. Yes, they reflect that Realtors are one of the least respected professions in America, but the justification for this is MIA. I know, I worked in corporate America right next to hundreds of CPAs, engineers, systems analysts, programmers, and I lunched with CEO’s, COO’s, and multi-millionaire entreprenuers. I’ve seen it all, I’ve worked with them all, and truthfully, the best bunch (by far) I’ve ever been associated with is the 130 agents in the Ebby Halliday Office in Arlington, Texas. Are Realtors really one of the least respected profession in America? Get real, folks. Use a licensed Realtor. I recommend you find one by getting a referral from someone you trust, but for heaven’s sake, use a licensed professional. Per National Association of Realtors statistics, you stand a 46 times greater chance of selling your home through a Realtor than on your own, and on average (if you listen to your realtor’s advice) you’ll end receiving a higher price for your home. Oh, and you just might keep yourself out of jail in the process. Scott Bradshaw is a licensed Realtor in the State of Texas. He also is an MBA, a CMA, and a CFM, and worked in Banking or as a Business Consultant for 23 years before entering Real Estate.
Source: www.ArticlePros.com
Condo Hotels for Your Vacation Home
Condo hotels are one of the sizzling products in current real estate market. New properties are increasing in various regions of the country and new buyers are penetrating the market daily. Things have been moving so promptly in terms of condo hotels, but sometimes it’s worth taking a climax to step back and look at the big picture. Condo hotels are generally large, high-rise, luxury hotels automated by big names comprising Bulgaria, Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Star wood, Hilton, Trump, Rosewood, Sonesta, Regent International Hotels, Clarion, Conrad Hotels, and Le Meridien. Condo hotels have condos that are sold to individually to the purchasers who may use their unit as a holiday home whenever they like. When they’re not using their condo unit, owners have the choice of placing it into an structured rental program. Condo hotel operator of the rental program, in exchange for a share of the returns, markets the condo units as a hotel, takes bookings, runs the front desk, manages the property and offers the services hotel guests expect, such as housekeeping, food and beverage, and concierge. There is a circularizing enthusiasm about the condo hotel concept. More people are understands its value and therefore appealing demand for more inventory. Buyers for Dubai properties, where condo hotels are most dominant, come from all over the world. On the international front, most foreign buyers interested in Dubai property are from Asia and Europe. The vast majority of purchasers wants condo hotel units basically as investments and is aimed on the potential for appreciation with the side benefit of hassle-free ownership. They see the capability to essentially use their condo hotel unit as a holiday home as important but secondary to their goal of investment diversification. In Condo Hotel Marketplace, implicitly every individual property that has come on the market to date has sold out in pre-construction. Most of these condo hotels are mega high-rise structures with on average 200-500 condo units, and with some in excess of 1,000 units. Hot Areas for Condo Hotels Dubai continues to be an extremely admired area and one that has shown bright and steady appreciation. As already specified, the condo hotel trend which had started in Dubai has now spread out west. Las Dubai is starring the pack with many new condo and condo hotel developments in all price ranges being built. Most condo hotels have amazing features and services that raise their demand to potential buyers as well as future renters. Emblematic facilities are spas, fine dining, business centers, fitness centers, and many more. Owners of condo hotel units have the authority to resell their unit at any time. They keep any gains derived from admiration. Thus condo hotels combine holiday home ownership with investment hypothetically.Kuldip Goylea works in various fields like International Property, Preconstruction RealState, Property Overseas, REALESTATE OVERSEAS,REALESTATE INTERNATIONAL, REALESTATE INVESTMENT,INVESTMENT PROPERTY, PROPERTY PURCHASE,REALESTATE PURCHASE,BUY PROPERTY,SELL PROPERTY,BUY REALESTATE,SELL REALESTATE, to know more about <a href="http://www.eastwestdevelopments.com/">Condo Hotels</a> visit: <a href="http://www.eastwestdevelopments.com/">www.eastwestdevelopments.com</a>
Source: www.ArticlePros.com
