After decades with National franchise & large locally owned Brokerage firms we realized there wasn’t anything they could do from a marketing standpoint that couldn’t be done better right here in our own backyard thus, Investors Trust Realty was founded in 2010. The internet has most certainly evened the playing field thus, the self promotion of brands that many larger competitors tout as marketing has little to do with getting your home sold. We don’t recall after many years in the industry a buyer ever proclaiming to have purchased a home because they had an affinity for the Company whose name was on the sign out front.
The successful marketing of your home is dependent upon the Broker listing it & the ability to communicate well with all parties concerned. It’s crucial to have a good working knowledge of Real Estate law, ethics, lending & a vast array of resources for difficult situations. After all, it’s about getting to the finish line & closing…not just getting an offer. Even with the advancements in technology over the years it’s still just as important as it was years ago to be able to communicate your position well, something we take great pride in doing on behalf of our clients. Please feel free to contact us for a personal one on one meeting.
Staging
In order to stand apart from our competitors, We include a no cost Staging consultation for all our listing clients with OnStage, 503-473-8838. Although inventory is at all time lows, buyer’s have become more selective in the choices they have thus, being properly staged is a critical component to getting the most for your home.
Professional Photos
We utilize professional photography for stills & video with all my listings…the photo above was taken by Motion Simulated Tours at a recent listing in St. Helens
Virtual Tour
Listings with virtual tours and/or video’s get 61% more on line views. we typically do both. We have the professionals at Motion Simulated Tours take stills & a motion simulated video. We then use the stills with my virtual tour software program from visualtour.com to create a visual tour in addition to the motion simulated video. By creating both a video & virtual tour we’re able to access more National websites than our competitors thus, the more likely your listing will show up on a buyer’s computer screen from anyplace in the world.
Internet
According to a joint study between The National Association of REALTORS and Google 90% of home buyer’s searched on-line during their home buying process. Real Estate related searches on Google.com have grown 253% over the past 4 years. 36% of new home shoppers utilize a mobile device while watching T.V. It’s not only vital to be in the forefront of the consumers minds but, to create a positive image of the house your selling by having a working knowledge of the sites that can affect how buyer’s see your listing. We’ve created profiles and continually update information on Google, Zillow, Trulia, Reator.com, Active Rain, Linkedin etc. so that newly listed properties benefit from positive exposure. It’s simply not enough to create a profile, it requires attention to detail…the same attention to detail we give our clients. Not only is it important to attain a healthy statistical profile but, it’s equally important to decipher that information in order to provide you with information that gets your home sold.
Unwanted e-mails (spam) can result in the recipient losing interest in whatever message it is your trying to convey thus, we utilize selective campaigns with programs such as MailChimp to smaller targeted groups. It’s vital that you have something of value to share and have formed the proper foundation with the recipients before embarking on an e-mail campaign.
In an age when technology has seemingly passed by various forms of print media there still remains a place in marketing your home for printed materials. Professionally printed color post cards sent to neighbors announcing an upcoming listing can serve several purposes, one being that it’s information that isn’t yet available anyplace on the internet & second, it may reach those who have limited or no access to the internet. In either case, some of your best advertising can come from word of mouth. In addition, although 90% + of buyer’s search on line there are still those who simply prefer to drive thru the neighborhoods of their choice and pick up flyer’s so, creating a professional flyer still has value in the marketing plan.
MLS
The Broker reach in the greater Portland metro area ranges from 6,000 – 8,000 members at any given time thus, no one Broker or Brokerage has a decided advantage over another. Marketing your Home starts with creating a multiple listing sheet that first, appeals to other Broker’s then second, prompts those Broker’s to send it along to their client buyer’s. The multiple listing sheet is still the single most important part of any Marketing plan & utilizing the form with it’s character limits is an art form. Describing a 1920’s Bungalow with the appropriate amount of character & charm or a 1974 split-level ‘fixer’ in a thoughtful way is truly walking a fine line between whether your “over advertising & under delivering” or just the opposite. In addition to reaching your audience so they take that next step and actually view the house there are ethical considerations that a responsible Broker must take into account so as to not misrepresent your listing.