As we trudge along the first few weeks of 2017, any serious real estate professional should now be going full speed ahead towards the goals they have set for their respective teams at the end of last year. With this in mind, agents should be strictly monitoring their numbers to make sure they do not lose steam mid-year and end up short of their intended goals. This may sound like a cliché, but in the business of buying and selling homes, nothing is more true than this saying: knowledge is power. Knowing this year’s real estate trends will give you an edge in your leads prospecting efforts and help you achieve the goals you have set for your team. Here are 5 trends in real estate that you should consider aligning your business efforts towards. Home Values Gradually Tapering OffAlthough home prices are still on the rise, the appreciation in home values will slow down this year as the housing market continues to normalize. When you are prospecting for sellers, letting them know this piece of information should give them the sense of urgency to act now. For those talking to FSBO’s, if their main goal is to net the most amount of money in their pocket, let them know that it may to their best interest to hire an experienced real estate agent who has access to more motivated buyers and get their homes sold for top dollar especially since home values won’t get any better. Higher Mortgage RatesJust as the appreciation of home values slow down due to the market normalizing, an increase in mortgage rates is also expected. This is another piece of crucial information that agents should put forward when they prospect for real estate leads. There is no better time to buy a home than right now as mortgage rates will increase as the year progresses. Lots of Millennial BuyersBy now, a significant number of millennials will be on their mid-30’s and may be considering to buy a home. This is especially true for those who are now thinking of settling down and having children. Focusing your prospecting efforts on this age group will be an advantage as many of them may be first time home-buyers and will need the help of a real estate professional to help them find a home for their growing families. As far as communications go, incorporating text messaging and social media into your real estate leads prospecting efforts will be an advantage since these modes of communication greatly resonate with this generation. Especially if you are using a CRM with these features built in like Commissions Inc., you should utilize these functions as they will greatly bolster your prospecting. Baby Boomers in the MarketAt the opposite end of the spectrum, we will also see a lot of people in their sixties and beyond in the market. Many baby boomers are now considering retirement, have no more children around, and are thinking about downsizing to cut down on costs. On the flip side, others might be thinking of getting a bigger home to accommodate their grandchildren especially when they come to visit. Also, unlike millennials, many in this age bracket may also have a property they first need to sell before buying a home to fit their needs. This set of real estate leads is certainly a gold mine, and aligning your prospecting efforts towards this age group is an advantage. Technology in Real Estate MarketingIt wasn’t very long ago when drones were stuff of movies like in The Terminator or The Matrix. Today, we see them not shooting down fellow human beings with searing laser beams or crushing flesh and bones with cold, steel tentacles but rather buzzing in the air taking amazing aerial photography shots of a property for sale! Yes, the use of drones and other pieces of technology find more use in real estate marketing today, especially if your target market are the younger generations like the millennials of generation-y or to prepare yourself for the upcoming generation-z (still in their late teens now, but are on their way to finding work soon). Knowing these trends and incorporating this knowledge into your business strategy will help you and your real estate team stay competitive and reach your goals by the end of the year. Need more tips to bolster your real estate leads prospecting? Visit www.RealEstateLeadsProspector.com for more information.
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One of the most iconic artists of all time, Pablo Picasso, once said, “Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotion.” This quote is as powerful as it is true in so many levels—both aesthetic and intrinsic. Especially when you are in a business like real estate where most decisions are motivated by a lot of emotional factors, knowing the right colors to use in your website is a huge psychological advantage that will greatly help you attract your real estate leads. Just as a painter conveys emotions through his or her painting, real estate professionals do the same through their website. Of course, the first step is to know your business model and identify the type of real estate leads you want to attract. Designing your website to resonate with your target market comes next. Below are 4 powerful messages conveyed by various colors that you can use on your website to attract the right kind of leads. Stability and Trust
Blue conveys a message of trustworthiness and stability. This is the color the mostly represents the American corporate landscape. Banks, IT companies, and other well established businesses use this color. If you believe that your real estate business is a well-oiled, process oriented machine that has been there, done that and gets results, blue may be the color for you.
Nature and Adventure
Green is symbolic of nature and the outdoors. Most companies that use this color want to convey a message showcasing the environment and the conservation thereof. In real estate, green and other earth colors would be perfect for agents that want their website to exude the feeling of country style living, golf community living, and other communities that focus on the beauty of the outdoors.
Energy and Dynamism
When we think of fire, the first color that comes to mind is red. In business, this color represents a company that is dynamic, energetic, and always moving. It is for this reason why most major news outfits use this color in elements of their logos and websites. In real estate, red exudes the feeling of unyielding activity, proactiveness, and innovation. So, if you want your prospects to feel that your team is constantly working to fulfill all their real estate needs, red is a great color to consider.
Luxury and Power
Black symbolizes luxury, extravagance, and exclusivity. Top fashion brands, high-end car manufacturers, and luxury watch makers among others use this color to represent their business. For real estate professionals, whose line of business focus on million-dollar luxury homes, black is a great color that you should consider for your website.
Choosing the right color to reflect your online presence will give you an easy advantage over your competition. The quality of your website, to the online viewer, reflects the quality and trustworthiness of your business much like the way you would dress when you do business with your clients—real estate prospects would certainly be more attuned to closing a deal with an agent wearing a suit and tie rather than with someone in board shorts and flip-flops! Need help with lead management? Let’s talk. Call us at 407-401-9225 or email Les@RealEstateLeadsProspector.com and find out how we can make prospecting and managing your real estate leads easy for you. There is a notion that real estate slows down during the winter months especially in States that get hit by the cold weather. A lot of real estate professionals anticipate this slump and hold back on their marketing efforts to save a few dollars. However, this should not be the case. Here’s the good news: this so-called slowdown is merely a myth as the winter season presents a lot of great opportunities for agents to keep their businesses going by ramping up their real estate leads prospecting efforts. Although there are relatively a smaller number of leads during the winter season, most of those that you will find will be very active and motivated. It’s just a matter of finding them and getting in touch. Here are 5 very good reasons why real estate professionals should bolster their leads prospecting during the winter months.
There is Little Competition
While most of the competition are slowing down their business in anticipation of the real estate slump, a smart agent will take advantage of this and cast that real estate prospecting dragnet and catch any motivated buyer or seller who may be out there needing help with their real estate needs.
More Motivated Leads
Anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home during the winter months would be a very motivated prospect. Typically, buyers who want to be in their new home by spring tend to move faster with the buying process. For sellers, this is also a good time to market their home as the lack of inventory would present a chance for them to get top dollar for the sale of their property. So, why pass up your real estate leads prospecting?
A Great Time for a Holiday Showing
The holidays also present a wonderful opportunity to have a more personal and intimate showing. Instead of your typical open house where you have a buyer and seller mulling around silently in the property, get those holiday decors on, prepare some hot chocolate and have holiday music playing in the background. This will no doubt help warm up your prospective real estate lead during the showing.
Less Neighborhood Limitations
Real estate prospects looking to buy a home during the cold months often have very little restrictions when it comes to their choice of neighborhoods. This will give you more freedom to show more properties in a wide range of areas and find a home that is a perfect fit to your buyer.
A Perfect Time for Circle Prospecting
Circle prospecting during this season is a very powerful practice. What better time of the year to get in touch with your previous clients and others within your social circle to say “hi” and greet them with a warm happy holiday! Who knows, any one of them may be needing help with a real estate concern or have someone to refer to you. Another great opportunity to get real estate leads! By investing a little time in prospecting, you open yourself to a treasure trove of leads that your competition may be passing up during this season. Need a hand in getting to these leads? Know how our team can help by visiting www.RealEstateLeadsProspector.com or call us at 407-401-9225. We make prospecting easy for you! |