There’s always something to howl about.
“Tell you what, I’ll focus on keeping my clients incredibly informed. You focus on keeping yours in the dark. See you at the finish line.” — Mike Simonsen, Altos Research Real Estate Insights
Breathtaking sanity — and they’re coming to Phoenix!
Technorati Tags: arizona, arizona real estate, phoenix, phoenix real estate, real estate marketing
A fundamental difference between general advertising (image, awareness, brand-building ads–the stuff Century 21 and ReMax does nationally) and direct response advertising (the targeted, measurable results-driven stuff YOU and frontliners like the Bergs–and welcome Kris! what a good get Greg–do locally) is that the former tries to change the way customers think over time and the latter works to change the way customers act right now.
Since direct response advertising can measure results,** it creates opportunities to test and account for the value and effectiveness of things. Like headlines.*** Copy. Pictures. Or even blog posts.
Which is what I am doing now.
I want to see why BloodhoundBlog Post 703 is drawing so few responses (okay, none right now). Is it because it’s just boring and uninteresting to readers? Or perhaps all it needs is a much better headline to get you to take a look and benefit from all its great advice on how to write compelling listings copy. I want to test the supposition “You can lead a real estate agent to a blog, but you can’t make him think.”****
Vote with your mouse.
or
__________
** When should you use general advertising and when should you use direct response advertising? Well, first determine who’s paying for it. Then decide.
*** For those of you who care to get under the hood of your marketing, John Caples was the godfather of Tested Advertising Methods. It’s a classic text. (Okay, it’s really, really old, and “They’ll laugh when you order it at Amazon, but OH! when you begin to put his ideas to work…”)
**** Just kidding. Greg urged me, originally, to use the “makeover how-to” headline. I resisted. I even thought of titling this post “You lookin’ at me?” but I checked and the actual line is “You talking to me?” So I guess the real supposition I’m testing is “You can give a guru good advice, but you can’t account for his ego.”
Technorati Tags: real estate marketing
When my girls were in their diaper days, their favorite bedtime ritual involved reading Go Dog Go!. For those unfamiliar (under 40), this is an epic tale involving big dogs, little dogs, red dogs and white dogs… you get the picture. This exciting fantasy ramped up to climactic moment when the dogs arrived at The Tree (“to the tree, to the tree”) where they encountered a Big Dog Party! My daughters’ yesteryear squeals of delight could never equal my unbridled exuberance of today when I was invited to Greg’s Dog Party. Well, perhaps I exaggerate, but I am honored nonetheless.
It is no cyber-secret that I have been a huge fan of the Bloodhound Blog from the start, but I met the word of my induction into the dog pound with both enthusiasm and trepidation. I have been blogging for the better part of a year now under my own comfy security blanket. My all-too frequent typos, lapses in posting, and even the occasional absence of discernable meaningful content (too many human-interest installments) have been largely forgiven by my small audience. My tombstone will read “She used and misused too many commas, hyphens and parentheses, and don’t even get us started on those semicolons”! Greg, on the other hand, has created a superior site over a much shorter period of time. Even his trolls are better! I am the first to admit that I am lucky to truly understand half of what he writes, let alone able to allocate enough time to read it all. The man is a machine, and the need for the online dictionary link in my Favorites folder is entirely his doing. That’s the trepidation part.
On the other hand, I am thrilled to be included among his hand-picked group of real estate junkies who, like myself, have a passion for the business. One can only admire their willingness to evaluate, reevaluate and even question our industry and our industry practices in such an honest and unfiltered way. So, consider this my RSVP; I am looking forward to attending the party. Forgive me for being fashionably late with my Read more
Today, Jeff Brown is a thorn among roses. We’re adding a new contributor, San Diego Realtor and super-blogger Kris Berg. With Cathleen Collins below the BawldGuy and Kris above, the median quantity of hair approaches the statistical mean.
But rich, luxurious, full-bodied hair — or none at all — is no measure of the prowess of a BloodhoundBlog weblogger. And, of course, no one can be encapsulated by a capsule biography, but it falls to me to write one anyway:
Kris Berg is a San Diego Realtor and Associate Broker who is avidly building a business with her husband, Steve, while raising a family, maintaining a home and writing cleverly original real estate commentary.
If you haven’t read Kris at The San Diego Home Blog, you’re missing out on one of the great treats of the RE.net. She writes pertinent real estate commentary with a style all her own — sometimes raucously funny, always precisely on target. I can’t wait to see what she’ll write here…
Technorati Tags: blogging, real estate marketing
Well.
His “offer” is essentially extortionate. The “or else”?:
A war with the thousands of HP’ers so harsh and loud your practice and reputation in Arizona likely wouldn’t survive (beyond the damage you’re doing yourself)
Now anyone who is paying any attention here — a company that excludes Generalissimo Foghorn Leghorn — could have predicted with perfect precision what I would do in the face of something like this: Make it public, of course, in spades.
So: Keith puts on a predictable pantomime of outsized outrage, heavy on the high-moral dudgeon. And the mouth-breathing morons zoom in to BloodhoundBlog to poke around at random and issue inane comments — heavy on the profanity, light on the grammar.
This much is a big yawn. There are thoughtful, intelligent people among the BubbleHeads, but I can’t imagine that any of them is so lacking in self-respect that he would take “orders” from a detestable thug like Generalissimo Leghorn.
That’s as may be. The thuglets who do shake a leg the Leghorn way gave another perfect demonstration of why I have referred to them as Brown Shirts and Flying Monkeys. One Junior G-Man dug up and published my address (ahem — it’s on our web site) here and on Housing Panic. An amazingly drunk man in Connecticut left 23 very long incoherent voicemails on my cell phone. A cadre of relatively literate BubbleHeads tried to figure our how to censor me by means of Arizona Association of Realtors or Arizona Department of Real Estate complaints. It might occur to you to wonder if they have not heard of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution — but of course they have. Thuggery and principle are moral opposites, never doubt it.
There’s more, but it’s all nothing. I told Keith in advance that it would come to nothing. The original Read more
…it toils for brokers.
Pittsburgh Homes Daily has news of a new IDX policy for agents: None. Mere agents will not be able to syndicate or even frame data from the West Penn Multi-List’s Internet Data Exchange (IDX). Only the main site of each brokerage will be able to feature the feed, and agents will not even be allowed to frame that on their own web sites.
In other words, if a prospective buyer wants to search the MLS, he or she will have to go to the main web site of a brokerage. As Larry Cragun points out at RealEstateUndressed, any leads captured by the broker will probably not be shared with agents for free.
Nice…
Technorati Tags: real estate marketing
Cathleen Collins, Richard Riccelli and Jeff Brown: I’m hopelessly out-classed three times in one day. And we’re adding another first-class real estate weblogger tomorrow. Nothing for it but to turn outward to the vast riches of the RE.net. Here’s some stuff that has caught my eye:
Would you like to know my secret shame? My own mother is a Luddite. Every year we talk about getting her a Macintosh with broadband for Christmas, and every year we put it off another year. All she really needs is email and the web — and she has a natural motivation in the form of a burgeoning herd of grandchildren. But she will not hear of it. Programming her VCR is as far up the technology ladder as she is willing to climb. So this little gizmo, cited on TechCrunch, is actually of interest to me. My mom has never forgiven us for ditching the film cameras — double prints! — and it’s a rare day when I think to print out and snail-mail digital photos. This might be just the thing…
Kris Berg is back, and in top form. Make time to savor her writing.
Oops! BusinessWeek says property values are up, this per Zillow.com’s Q3 Zindices and other sources. Who knows if it’s true or not, and I have no ability to weigh any but the most local evidence. But the article does highlight the essential weakness of measuring market activity by median prices.
Todd Tarson sends thoughtful notes in our general direction. In the second link he is raving about Richard Riccelli’s single-property web site for his own home in Boston, which raves I heartily endorse. This is a gorgeous expression of the single-property web site idea. Be sure to take a look at how it is put together.
Russ Cofano at Realty Objectives on a ruling an NAR motion to dismiss the DOJ anti-trust suit:
So what does this mean? As I said earlier, I believe this case will go to trial unless the parties reach compromise. NAR has been, to date, staunch in its belief that it will not settle this case if settlement means a Read more
Win-Win is a concept that’s been popular for a few decades, especially in the real estate industry. Most of the time though it’s been talk and not much walk. Since it supposedly refers to the buyer and seller in the same transaction, many would argue it’s a cruel hoax, and in fact an oxymoronic phrase. How can the buyer and seller both win?
It can only happen when the buyer and seller agree that their goals can only be realized with each other’s help. Become a team. It must be understood that taking an adversarial position will end any chance of both sides winning. This usually happens when one or usually both sides realize the market hasn’t and probably won’t provide the same solution they can by working together. Team players on the other hand can share in total victory.
This approach is almost impossible in the sales of homes in which the buyer intends to occupy their purchase. In that situation both sides by definition want obviously different outcomes. (The Real Estate Zebra begs to differ, saying most home buyers and sellers can team up for a mutual win.) Though they eventually can come to agreement, it’s nature is almost always adversarial. Captain Obvious lives. However, in the investment world, it sometimes happens that a buyer and seller can do something for each other that the market has failed miserably to provide.
Here is such a story.
Ellen and Rosa are my clients, referrals from family. Ellen had already executed the first leg of her Plan successfully. Rosa and I had just finished creating her Plan and were ready for the first leg, which was the sale of her condo. She’d acquired it several years ago and had well over $100k in net equity. She needed as much cash as possible in order to get her Plan going. She is 50ish and knows her retirement will not be more than marginally adequate if she doesn’t change her approach now.
Ellen desparately wanted a local condo in which she could opt to live at some future time. She was now living in a duplex that allowed Read more
DC: A very charming Georgetown house in the very center of the east village…
CHICAGO: Very charming Gunderson style home located on great block…
SF: Sunnyvale charmer! Updated kitchen. Great neighborhood…
Let’s step past the navel-gazing** about why most real estate copy is so dreadfully banal, and step up to the question: What can you do in the next 10 minutes or so to make your listings more attention getting, more interesting, and most of all, more effective?
And let’s start by dispensing with the myth — if not mystique — that marketing and advertising is more difficult to understand than other professions.*** Doctor, lawyer, real estate agent: It’s all about problem solving.
“Doctor, I’m feeling pressure in my chest.”
“Counselor, I’ve been sued for divorce.”
“[Your name here], I want to sell my house.”
There is one key difference. Those professionals are looking for solutions to clear and present problems. You, however, start with the solution in hand — a property for sale. Your job is to find the problem. Advantage you, for therein lies the path to better copy.
You simply need to become a method writer. At your keyboard stop and think: “What problems do my listings solve? And for whom?” Write your answers in simple declarative sentences. One after another. Action verbs preferred. And go easy on the adjectives and adverbs — no matter how charming, elegant, and delightful you find them.
Here are two to get you started.
For that in-town condo:
The end of your two-hour commute — this is a country home in the city with the kind of kitchen that causes suburban envy.
Or that suburban ranch:
In the basement…your health club. In the master suite…your day spa. In the family room…day care. Out back…your florist. In this home…your new life.
While I can’t see your listings, I already know the kinds of problems for which you have solutions.
“I’m eating at the same three restaurants every weekend…”
“I never see my kids because I’m commuting hours each day…”
“I’m sick of taking my clothes to a laundromat…
“I’ll never meet a man living out here alone in the boonies…”
“Yada, yada, yada…”
The more specific the problems you describe, the better your copy Read more
In his comments on Russell Shaw’s article, Jay Reifert Is Tired of NAR Hiding the Truth, Jay Reifert warns us early on that he is
spoiling to get this fight into the public eye
I suspect this may be driving his over-the-top diatribe. Too bad, because I think he makes a valid point that the practice of acknowledging procurring cause is not (always) in the client’s best interest. And in states like Arizona, agency is all about the client’s interest, which comes first, even ahead of the agent’s self interest.
Jay describes a situation that really does happen, way too often:
Buyers, though, are screwed over by Procuring Cause, PC, all the time. Here’s how it works: They go out looking at homes,willy nilly, not having any idea that they are creating bligations to any licensees. (The Secret Contract.) They find a house. Then, they begin researching their next steps.As part of their research, they discover buyer agency. Then,they start interviewing buyer agents. Then, they discover that the buyer agents are afraid to touch them, because they have already seen the home they think they want to pursue and the buyer agent doesn’t want to risk losing his/her fee to another licensee who may file a Procuring Cause claim.Hence, the buyer-due to no fault on their own part, as PC has NEVER been disclosed to them-loses their right to representation. It happens all the time. Theft of buyer rights. It’s heinous.
I would absolutely love it if home buyers always came armed with the type of agreement that Jay suggests, putting listing agents on notice that the buyer is represented. Lord knows I try to educate my own buying clients — I explain the benefit of always having me escort them even to new home builds and open houses, I explain the disadvantages to the client that can be created if they don’t have me escort them, I give them a supply of my business cards, I even give them the American Dream Home Buyer’s Passport. Still, I find myself running interference because my buyer client just happened to stop at an Open House she had Read more
We’re adding one more contributor to our roster today:
Ronan Doyle lives in Boston and works as an advertising agency creative executive. He loves distinctive homes and is building his wealth house by house: Search, buy, improve, enjoy, sell — then repeat the process.
Ronan know more about houses — about what makes a house work — than anyone I’ve ever met. Between Restoration Hardware and the two-year capital gains income tax exclusion, he is a one-man urban renewal project.
Jim Duncan at Real Central VA wonders if I might be wrong about the audience for real estate weblogs. In fact I could be. There may be more real estate consumers out there than I suppose, and they may be more persistent in their reading than I surmise.
For my own part, I don’t see them — very much the contrary. As I argued a week-and-a-half ago:
If you’re writing a real estate weblog, you’re blogging for people who are fanatical about real estate. Who would that be? Realtors, lenders and the vendors who live off their business. Bubbleheads and people on the bubble about bubbleheadedness. Real estate investors. That’s it. There might be some peeking-in/checking-up traffic from past clients, and perhaps some dedicated fans. There will be drop-ins from people shopping for Realtors, but they will not become dedicated readers. How do I know this? Because they don’t care. You can tell who cares about your weblog by looking at your Technorati links. There are 55 million weblogs out there, but the only ones linking to you are produced by other real estate fanatics. That’s not a wave. That’s the water…
Even so, the simple fact is that we are focused the way we are because this is what is interesting to us. I don’t tell other people what to do, and I may be completely wrong about locally-focused, consumer-oriented real estate weblogs. We actually have a nascent weblog devoted to those kinds of ideas, but we don’t give it any time.
In any case, it may turn out that Ronan Doyle is our brave initiative to straddle the line. Ronan is truly a real estate fanatic, Read more
Historic districts: Good for buyers? Sellers? Realtors? This guy??
I say: depends on what the buyer wants; maybe but maybe not; neutral; that guy was robbed!
Buyers of any property, real or personal, get to celebrate their own personal tastes by buying what they like and can afford. So are historic districts good for buyers? It depends on whether that’s important to the buyer. Some of my buying clients like HOAs, others loathe them. Some like brand-new builds, others want rambling ranches circa 1970. That’s their business. My business is to help them find whatever they want.
I happen to prefer older homes to newer ones. But I don’t believe older homes are physically better than newer ones. Better architecture and craftsmanship come at a price… then and now. A house built for the middle class buyer of 1935 is probably of similar quality to a house built for today’s middle class buyer. Similar quality but less appropriate for today’s lifestyle. Yet the historic middle class home, particularly in an historic district, is more expensive for today’s buyer than the middle class home in the suburbs. Why? Because the historic home is more rare, and in a free market that makes it more precious.
Right now there is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house listed on 124 W Coronado Rd in Phoenix’s Willo district. It’s a plain 2,277 square foot brick ranch with stained concrete floors and a single car garage that’s been converted to a storage facility. Because of the age, I wouldn’t expect much in the way of closets or kitchen storage. When the house was new, it would have been smaller — the second bath and master bedroom walk-in closet described in the listing would have been added later — and built for the working class. The asking price on this listing is $675,000.
In Peoria, that $675,000 will buy you a 3 bedroom, 3.25 bath 3,045 square foot house with casita (separate guest quarters) and 3-car garage on a golf course lot. This house has a highly upgraded gourmet kitchen — stainless, granite, maple — with a wine room, among Read more
… is up at Real Estate Investing For Real — but don’t blink or you’ll miss it. Only four posts are cited this week, because Joshua Dworkin elected to impose a judging standard that — in my opinion — has nothing to do with real estate weblogging. Not sour grapes on my part: We went with a Russell Shaw entry this week.
But the simple fact is, as much as we might talk about wanting to appeal to consumers (not so much here, of course), the audience for real estate weblogs consists of real estate professionals: Realtors, lenders, appraisers, investors, vendors and technologists.
All weblogs are written by and for fanatics, and, with few exceptions — one of whom we will introduce to you tomorrow — there are very few fanatical real estate consumers. Swallow hard and get used to it.
Last week, someone at CoRE HQ had the idea of citing all the losing posts. I hated the idea at the time — too much like a “Participation” ribbon at the Special Olympics — but I don’t hate it quite as much this week. I’m grateful for the opportunity to see what I missed.
I’ll tip my hat to Joshua Dworkin for hewing to his own standards — even as I pray that no one copies them…
Technorati Tags: blogging, real estate marketing
Coffee talk: Cathleen, perhaps you can lead this discussion.
Historic districts: Good for buyers? Sellers? Realtors? This guy??
Discuss amongst yourselves.
Technorati Tags: real estate marketing
Discovered in my morning paper that the parking spot behind my house is worth more than the house. (Click quick before the item goes into the paper’s gated community of unread articles).
Average cost per square foot of condo in Boston to park yourself: $561.07.
Average cost per square foot of open air pavement in Boston to park your car: $1,736.11.
Priceless. No wonder my neighbor describes our block as parking spaces with attached row houses (or in the parlance, “townhouses”).
I see it as a marketing lesson in real estate. Good advertising is not about what you are dying to sell. But about what clients are hot to buy. And how your listings solve their problems. More about that — and how it can help you write better sales copy that attracts more buyers — in a future post.
For now it’s a lesson that I, too, need to learn.
Technorati Tags: real estate marketing
