Archive for June, 2008
I’ve previously written about that fact that blogging needn’t be a chore, and it is actually thought that blogging induces a feel good factor, in the same way exercising does.
While that’s all well and good, I assume that nobody has started a Voices blog just for the fun of it, or in the hope of giving themselves a health kick! Instead, you have done so with the aim of creating more business for yourself. It’s not going to happen immediately, but ultimately your blog should help you to increase your earnings. If not, why would you spend your valuable time on it?
While it’s motivating to hear stories about salespeople who secure listings on the strength of their blog alone – no cold calling, no mail drops, no listing presentation - how do you ensure that it happens to you?
Check out the Top 10 Ways to Use Blogging In Real Estate by Mariana Wagner. Mariana is in the process of writing this series of posts, but if the first two are anything to go by, you will benefit a lot from what she has to say. Make sure you subscribe to get future posts.
Some of the advice or tips may not apply to you, but you will all find something to take from these articles to help improve your blog and in time, your business.
And please do come back to this post and let us all know when you get ‘the call’.
Perhaps you’ve already had it?
June 30 2008 | Voices Blog | 3 Comments »
If you haven’t already signed up to see Stefan Swanepoel at Alexandra Park, Auckland on Friday 18th July, then don’t waste any more time. Places are filling fast so email today to secure your spot at this one-off presentation by the leading visionary on trends and change in the real estate industry.
For further information about this free event, visit On Target.
June 24 2008 | General | 2 Comments »
How many of you have had vendors who are not willing to listen to your recommendations regarding the pricing of their home, resulting in a prolonged marketing campaign requiring several price reductions? Or you find that another salesperson has visited your potential vendor to do a listing presentation and has recommended a listing price $30K – $40K higher than yours, so they’ll probably just go with him but “Thanks anyway”. At the end of the day who can blame them really. They’re selling their biggest asset and they want to get the best price they can.
However, it’s frustrating for all parties, if the vendor comes back three months down the road when they’ve got rid of that agent and they are now desperate to sell their house. Wouldn’t it be great if there was some way to skip past all that and ensure your vendor has a realistic price on their home from the onset?
Well Value Verified could be just the service you’ve been waiting for!
You may have read about this relatively new service already on Ross Brader’s recent blog post. It is the brainchild of Stephen Hart who is the editor of Where to Live in Auckland 2008 and author of The Streetwise Homebuyer and it has clear benefits for both buyers and sellers.
Based on feedback we receive at realestate.co.nz from members of the public, it’s obvious that buyers are put off when a home does not have a fixed price. In fact they often ask us if it is possible to exclude listings which show negotiation, tender, POA etc. from the search results on our site. However, even when a home does appear with a fixed price, how does the average buyer know that they are getting a good deal? We’re not all experts on the market and assurance from an independent party, that an asking price falls within the estimated market range, could be just the encouragement we need to go ahead and purchase a property we’re interested in.
With Value Verified the asking price is assessed using an automated valuation model, which uses statistical data, comparative sales and other factors to estimate a value range for homes. If the price is found to be within the estimated market value selling range then it qualifies for the Value Verified tick. The service costs $195 & GST, which will be part of the vendor’s marketing costs. This includes a certificate, which can be displayed at open homes and use of the Value Verified icon which can be used in your marketing material. Click here to view listings on realestate.co.nz displaying the Value Verified tick.
The service began at the start of May and although it is currently only available in Auckland, there are plans for further expansion around the country in the future. The great news is that the Value Verified team is currently offering a free trial of the service for a limited period. So don’t waste any time, call 0800 00 00 28 today or click here to see if you can avail of this offer.
Stephen is also happy to visit your office and discuss the service in detail with you and your salespeople, so if you would like to organise a meeting just email him or give him a call on 09 376 4829.
I’d be interested to hear about any feedback from buyers or sellers, so those of you who are currently using the service please feel free to share your comments with us.
June 23 2008 | General | 5 Comments »
Further to yesterday’s post about accessing your Hit Reports online, you will notice that there have now been a few changes made to this function on our private site. These changes have been made in response to feedback we have received from administrators and salespeople around the country, so thank you for your comments.
You can now easily obtain previous reports by selecting the ’Week Ending’ date from the drop down box available. The hits and data reflected in the report will be those recorded for the seven days up to and including the date you have selected.
Just to be clear on this – the data will include hits for any listing which has been on the site during those seven days. We often get calls wondering why a listing is showing on the hit report when it was withdrawn from the site during the previous week. As it was still on the website for a portion of that week, your current report will include hits for that listing up to the point it was withdrawn.
It is also important to note that the report will show the listing details as they were at the end of each week. If you have subsequently changed details such as the suburb, price or salesperson, you will need to re-run the report using the coming week end date to see your listings as they are currently held in the system.
A new feature entitled ‘Page Breaks’ has been added, which I know will make life easier for a lot of people out there! You can now check this box before you print the report and it will print out each salesperson’s hits on a separate page. No more cutting and pasting!
This feature is only available online so while we will continue to send the Hit Reports by email, it is important to note that you can always access the reports online to avail of this function and to readily access previous reports.
Please feel free to share any comments you have regarding the new format.
June 18 2008 | Admin Hints & Tips | No Comments »
As many of you will already be aware, we have been experiencing some issues with the distribution of the weekly Hit Reports, which you would usually receive on a Monday morning. We are working hard to resolve this and apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.
However, please note that you do have access to the Hit Reports on our private site. You will require a username and password to access the site. If you do not have those details, please email our support staff or give us a call on 0800 732 536.
Once you login to the private site, just click on ‘Reports’ in the menu on the top right hand corner of the page. The dates will default to the current Hit Report period but you can amend the dates to view previous results. Just click on ‘Run Report’ to load the report (this may take a minute or two).
If you have administrator access for more than one office, you will have a drop down menu to select any other offices you may need to obtain reports for. You can also use the small icons on the right hand side of the screen to print the report, email the reports to others in your office/company or export the information to Excel.
Once the report has loaded, you can click on any of the individual listing numbers to get a daily breakdown of the number of hits or emails sent to the agent for that listing.
In addition, your vendor can now also view their hits directly on realestate.co.nz. Click here for further information.
June 17 2008 | Admin Hints & Tips | No Comments »
The therapeutic benefits of writing are no secret and according to Scientific American, this is now seen by many as one of the reasons blogging has become increasingly popular. Unlike writing in a diary or journal, blogging has the added benefit of providing a receptive audience to share your thoughts with and the possibility of feedback or support from people in similar situations.
As the old adage goes: “A problem shared is a problem halved”! Not only does creative writing help you to cope with stressful situations, but research has shown that it improves memory, helps you sleep, boosts your immune system and can even help to speed up the healing process following surgery.
It is thought that blogging may trigger the release of dopamine, in the same way that listening to music or exercising does. I must admit I do get a sense of satisfaction in clicking that ‘Publish’ button once a post is finished, particularly if it’s one I’ve been working on for a while!
While a lot of work remains to be done in terms of formal studies in this area, blogging is becoming widely accepted as a form of therapy. Some hospitals have even started hosting patient blogs on their websites.
So forget about apples – if you want to stay healthy: “a post a day keeps the doctor away”!
June 11 2008 | General | 2 Comments »