Quarterly Realtor® Newsletter - (Non Subscribers Read Entire Article)

The quarterly Realtor® Newsletter is ready for you to download and add your personal message to. It contains 3 articles to help your agents get more business (in addition to adding your own personal message). Some loan officers have emailed the articles instead of snail mail, sending out one article every two weeks. Here's what you fill find in this issue, plus instructions on how to print.

Make Every Picture Count! - Tips on how to take more effective listing pictures for both websites and brochures.

Looking for a Personalized Closing Gift? - An inexpensive and personalized alternative to the gift basket.

Top 5 Reasons Why Baby Boomers Need You More Than Ever. - What agents (and you) need to know about when working with this niche market.

"For Sale - Four Bedroom, 2-1/2 bath, 3500 square feet, fireplace, pool, deck, etc." and the list of features goes on and on.

Words don't sell houses anymore - pictures do! And not just any pictures, but good pictures and a lot of them - that really showcase each listing.

Here are some suggestions for taking great pictures for your website (brochures and flyers) in addition to sharing a couple of marketing tactics that some of the pros use.

First, a couple of marketing ideas:

Consider changing the toolbar on your website to say Photo Gallery or Home Picture Studio instead of current listings (why wouldn't they be current?).

Surround each picture with a picture frame, which gives each picture a personal feeling (like viewing your family photos).

Describe each picture, including both information about the room itself and something a bit more personal. A family room picture might say:

"The Family Room measures 15' by 20' with built-in TV cabinet and gas fireplace. View movies with your family, watch your favorite team with friends or just read a good book."


Include either a video or pictures of your community on your website. Take them yourself or obtain from your local Chamber of Commerce or Visitor's Bureau. Provide a short description with each picture.

Create a CD (of all of your pictures) to distribute at open houses. Print the label with a small picture of the home, the home's address, along with your picture and contact info.

Tips on taking pictures:

1. Take the picture using one of the corners of the room as the center of your picture. You will be able to show the room in greater detail of 2 walls instead of just one.
   
   
2. Take an overhead picture of a room from a staircase or from a ladder if you are not able to show the entire room properly.
   
   
3. Take multiple pictures of the room and piece them together if you are not able to show the majority of the space.
   
   
4. Take a picture of the yard (if any) and highlight the great features...landscaping, patio, privacy fence, etc. If you have listed a condo or townhome, feature the pool, workout room or community center.
   
   
5. Take at least 5 pictures of each room and choose the best one. It's a mistake to take only one or two pictures and have to choose from the best of the worst.
   
   
6. Purchase a tripod. You will eliminate motion and your pictures will be sharp and in focus.

Editing your pictures are just as important as taking them. Free editing can be found at www.Picasa.Google.com, which helps you both organize your pictures, edit and create special effects (like a picture frame).

The real estate pros also advise that 80% of the content of the home's brochure should be pictures, with the other 20% a general description of the property. On your brochure, include a screen shot (again another picture) from google.maps.com to show the location of the house relative to freeways, schools, shopping, etc.

One more tip: If you are camera-challenged, hire someone to take the photos for you.

While we are on the topic of photos, there is a great website I want to share with you. You simply download the photo of your client's home and upload it to www.CanvasOnDemand.com.

Choose the light brush strokes option and it will look like an oil painting. A standard 8" by 10" picture runs under $60. There are other options to choose from but it's easy and the picture usually ships within 2 days.

Another website is www.PrintedBig.com that offers a buy-one-get-one-free picture. Why not give one to the client and hang another in your office to create your own gallery of homes you have sold?

It's recommended that you NOT use the picture from your listing photo; and don't use the appraisers picture. Take another picture about 30 days after your client has moved into their new home. It would be a disaster to use a photo showing the seller's "stuff" on the front porch or a picture of the appraiser's truck in the driveway.

If the house does not look that great, both websites provide features to help you edit and create different effects to make it look better than the actual photo.

Baby boomers are the first generation in the last 100 years who have experienced the wild swings in the real estate market. Sure, there was the stock market crash of 1929 - but back then, very few people could afford to buy homes and mortgages were hard to come by.

It's no secret that it's a buyer's market. The boomers are making plans for their next phase in life, and true to their history of the hippie '60's; the disco 70's; the consumption-mentality of the 80's and 90's. It will be a major shift in the homebuying (and selling) habits of this niche market.

#1 - Selling their home, where they rasied their family, is MORE of an emotional experience - so be prepared! Staging is critical because most have accumulated lots of "stuff". Minor repairs or upgrades may have to be made to make the home more salable. The sale of their home is going to be an emotional rollercoaster ride. The real estate agent who gets the listing should be prepared to address all of the issues ahead of time and ask questions like...

• How do you feel about selling your home?
• Can you tell me what memories you have had while living here?
• What do you think is needed to sell your home in the this market?
• Were there any issues or anyone else involved in the decision to sell your home?
• What are your plans when your home sells?

#2 - Buying another home to accommodate elderly parents or children moving back home. Mother-in-law apartments or separate living quarters are more popular than ever. Zoning laws may prohibit additions to their current home or the cost to remodel could be outrageous. Even if they decide to remodel, they may never recover their costs.

#3 - Downsizing may mean buying a townhome or condo. As their trusted real estate agent, advise them of any association fees. Find out if there have been any special assessments within the last 3 years. Obtain the minutes of the board meetings for the last year to see what's going on within the association.

#4 - Buying a second home. It could be a vacation home. A home for their retirement. Or planning for future income from rental homes or commercial property. While you might not be able to help them because the vacation home might be in another state or you are not versed on buying commercial properties, it's your chance to refer them to a trusted agent. Just don't go to the Internet and find a referral.

#5 - Using equity in their current home. Baby boomers have very little fear (unlike their parents) of mortgage debt. While they may not want to sell their current home, they may have substantial equity to draw from to buy their second home or investment properties. Working with a loan officer familiar with the concept of mortgage planning can help you sell more real estate.

Copyright - 2007 - LoanOfficerMagazine.com

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