Category Archives: Branding

Homes.com Social Channels Offer More

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Homes.com interacts on many social networks and we engage with real etstate professionals like you!

It’s not only about offering great industry news to you, but what you can bring to us.

You are the field professionals, so we admire your opinions, feedback and interaction as much as we pride ourselves on being able to provide it to you.

Here are some of are social channels that are dedicated to real estate professionals:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/homesconnect
Twitter: www.twitter.com/homes_connect
YouTube: www.youtube.com/homesdotcom
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/homesdotcom

Benefits of Social Media:

  • Interacting with individuals that have similar interests
  • sharing news articles
  • Dependable place to go for relevant information
  • Opt out option – You can disengage when you like.
  • Broaden your network – meet new people, new leads

Why you should Engage with Homes.com Social Channels Listed Above:

  • Live Chats. We have various live chats with industry leaders and experts across the real estate a technology realm that could really benefit your everyday workday life.
  • News. Our blog focuses on up to date news for real estate professionals, from agents to mortgage professionals and we like to hear from our readers.  The feedback we gain from readers is what makes our next blog article better than the last.
  • Tips and Resources. Homes.com wants to offer articles where you, as a real estate professional, can read something and take something away from it quickly.  With that said, we like to provide you lists like Joe Sesso’s Top 10 List and bulleted lists with suggested resources to implement in your real estate business.
  • Photos.  Were you too busy to make a recent trade show?  We will have photos AND articles about what you missed!
  • Videos. Homes.com will also provide videos at times from the trade shows and for new products!
  • Network.  Moving to a new area or looking for a new agent or lender to work with? Join our LinkedIn network and find professionals across the country.  See the city they located are in, and also evaluate their resume and review their recommendations.

These are only a few reasons to be involved with social media and to engage with Homes.com.  Join us in one or ALL of the above social channels and let us show you what you are missing.  We look for to interacting with you and hearing about your real estate success and having you share your stories with us.  Are there any real estate stories you would like to share with us here?

 

 

 

Better Real Estate Techniques — Learn from the Experts for FREE!

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Staying up-to-date with industry news while keeping your competitive edge can sometimes be a full-time job in itself.

Who has time to market their business, meet with customers, follow up with leads, show properties, arrange open houses, and do everything else a real estate agent does? Phew! To add more to the real estate plate – attending every single scheduled webinar with Secrets of Top Selling Agents and Homes.com – can put you into overtime. It’s sometimes hard to get organized enough to fit in everything, so first we suggest to call Homes.com. Why? You need Homes Connect of course! See more here.

You may have missed the webinar by real estate guru Barbara Corcoran from ABC’s hit television Show, Shark Tank. No problem! Homes.com and Secrets of Top Selling Agents are here for you! The previous webinars are posted here for you to view at your leisure.  A few topics you will find are:

Take a look at these and let us know what you think! Is there someone in the real estate industry whose brain you would like to pick? Share your thoughts on who you’d like to gain insight from. We’ll keep all feedback in mind for future webinars with Secrets of Top Selling Agents brought to you by Homes.com.

HOMES.COM GIVES NFL NEWBIES TOP PICKS FOR NEW HOMES

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For more media information:

Lauren Harrison/Ivette Faulkner

The Zimmerman Agency • (850) 668-2222

lharrison@zimmerman.com

ifaulkner@zimmerman.com

HOMES.COM GIVES NFL NEWBIES TOP PICKS FOR NEW HOMES

Luxury home choices for NFL top draft picks

 Norfolk, VA (April 27, 2012) – Yesterday, the NFL draft turned hard-working college players into brand new NFL rookies. Players like Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III have worked hard to achieve this goal, and their lives are now changed forever as official members of the NFL. Leading consumer destination site Homes.com is eager to assist these NFL newbies with the daunting task of searching for a new place to call home.

For most of these players, entrance into the fast-paced, high-energy world of the NFL happens quickly with little time to catch their breath. Details like where they will live sometimes sit on the back burner while they immerse themselves in their new team’s playbook, practices and meetings. Homes.com has the perfect solution to their house-hunting woes.

A leader in the real estate listing industry, Homes.com strives to make the decision-making process easy for these NFL rookies.  A resource site for all things lifestyle related, Homes.com can help these players not only find their dream home but also decorate and organize it.

Andrew Luck, the #1 overall pick from Stanford, can choose from several stunners listed on Homes.com in his new hometown of Indianapolis. Some options include a four bedroom, four and a half bathroom beauty on Copley Drive in the prestigious Cedar Knolls neighborhood. For slightly more than $700,000, this gorgeous home comes equipped with everything you’d expect an NFL player to have, including a pool, ample living space and a finished basement. He could also select a $700,000 condo on North Park Avenue, featuring three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms and a rooftop deck with a wet bar and panoramic city views.

Robert Griffin III, selected second overall by the Redskins, is used to moving. Born to Army sergeant parents, he’s lived in Japan, New Orleans and Texas. This time, the move will be a little different and comes with a brand new dream job. Redskins newbie RGIII will have the freedom to choose from a variety of neighborhoods in DC’s metro area, affectionately dubbed the D.M.V.

Griffin’s options include a $600,000 beauty on Kuoros Court in Ashburn, Va. close to the Redskins practice facility. The gorgeous home features four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a media room complete with projector and screen, and a large finished deck perfect for entertaining.  Another choice for Griffin is a stunner on Leah May Court (also in Ashburn) with four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a finished basement ideal for a mega game room, and a fenced backyard on a cul-de-sac.

Other NFL draft picks like Matt Kalil, a new Minnesota Viking, and running back Trent Richardson, chosen by the Cleveland Browns, can choose from diverse listings, including upscale townhomes, condos and stand-alone houses listed on Homes.com.

Real estate listings on Homes.com encourage consumers to dream big. From affordable homes to luxurious estates, condos and more, Homes.com has a home for everyone.  Millions of listings populate the site daily, and its user-friendly format makes licensed real estate agents easily accessible. From purchasing a first home, to upgrading, downsizing and whatever comes in between, Homes.com is an inspiring and engaging partner in every phase of the home buying process.

 

About Homes.com

Homes.com, part of the Homes Media Solutions division of Dominion Enterprises, is a leading provider of real estate marketing and media services, including brand advertising, property listing exposure and syndication, search engine marketing and instant response lead generation. Homes Connect by Homes.com offers the real estate industry’s first-ever, all-inclusive marketing platform for agents and brokers featuring single-login convenience. Homes.com is visited by more than 10 million consumers each month to search nearly 4 million properties for sale or rent, to locate real estate agents in their area and to find useful home buying tips.

 For more information, visit http://www.homes.com.


 

Are You On Branchout Yet? You Need to Be

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Real estate professionals tend to look for the next best thing in social media and technology. They’re often looking for that competitive edge to be a step ahead of the rest. If you’re a real estate professional who is looking to expand your network, you need to join BranchOut, a professional social network that is free to use and very unique because it uses the Facebook platform to operate.

BranchOut is a very young company, less than two years old, but it has made a huge splash in that time. It now boasts more than 25 million registered users and is the 25th most popular app on Facebook. It also just secured $25 million in private equity financing, so there are a lot of people who believe in this company. Here’s why YOU should be one of them:

BranchOut is like LinkedIn in that it’s a social network aimed toward professionals. It’s a great place to look for a job as well as reach other professionals in an effort to expand your network. What differentiates BranchOut from LinkedIn is the fact that BranchOut is built almost exclusively on the Facebook platform. This means that users don’t have to leave Facebook to access their professional network. With more than 800 million users, Facebook is, by far, one of the most popular social networks available. Branchout currently has 25 million registered users, which is great, but think about how big it can become by piggybacking on the Facebook platform — it could be huge. Zynga, the gaming company that gave us Farmville and Mafia Wars, is a great example of how Facebook can catapult companies into success. After building its business exclusively Facebook’s broad shoulders, it went public last year — now, its stock is up more than 50%! BranchOut has the ability to be just as big.

Branchout is a hot, new Professional Networking Site

As a real estate professional, you know how important LinkedIn is to your business. You use it all the time to network with mortgage professionals, Realtors, home inspectors, other agents, and potential clients. If used correctly, it can be t’s a powerful tool for generating business. BranchOut can offer the same result for you, and it can be done from the convenience of your Facebook page.

Although BranchOut isn’t as large (or profitable) as LinkedIn yet, it has the potential to be. As a real estate professional, you don’t want to be the last one to know about a marketing tool that could establish new leads and expand your network. That’s why if you’re not currently using BranchOut, you should. It’s free and can be created when you’re logged into your Facebook account. Don’t wait until your competition steals your clients away; get on this network now!

Expanding your Real Estate Leads!

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As you know every day is a process in real estate and every relationship you nurture in business, can impact the never ending cycle of growing leads. Leads are what your business thrive on and a lead can come a variety of marketing techniques! You can get connected to leads by maintaining your online visibility, impressions you make on past clients and the things they say about you, and just being at the right place at the right time.

Collecting leads are primarily in your control and you can improve the size of your collection by participating is several best practices.   How do you monitor your leads and where are they coming from?  Promoting your name in the some of the areas below is what can make the difference between someone offering you a  referral and you converting them to a qualified lead.

  • Maintain a business Facebook page and interact with your fans daily, while updating them on industry news!
  • Engage in Twitter and interact with industry leaders to leave a footprint of your brand across the web.
  • Join professional networks, for example, LinkedIn. This global network will give your the opportunity to reach out to your current network and build relationships through your connections.

According to NAR Member Profile of 2011 the following groups,  50% or more of their business was through referrals. If each referral starts as a lead from a past client then it is your job as a real estate professional to assure the lead that you are  the best professional for the transaction.

  • Realtors 20%
  • Appraisers 18%
  • Brokers 20%
  • Property Management 18%

Leads are extremely important in your business process. Nurturing your past clients, as well as, expressing genuine concern for them after the transaction is complete is important; reminding them about their great success with choosing you as their real estate professional could be why they refer you.  Here are  some creative ways to remind them about you and say hello.

Handwritten note
Email asking how their children like the neighborhood or new school
Forwarding them a recent Living Social or Groupon they might like
Adding them to your social networks with a personlized message – “Thank you for joinging my network! I’m so glad we were able to find the perfect home for you and your family, please keep me in mind the next time one your friends or family are looking for a place to call home.”
Recommend a  restuarant via email  in the area that you have visited recently that they may like, perhaps if it was a large transaction even purchase a gift card to and say “First round of Happy Hour on me!”
Develop a seasonal template addressing the client and  reminding them that you are looking to expand your client base and if they have anyone in mind that is looking to sell their home or possibly buy a home in the near future, you have some tips that you can share with them.  Send a link in the email to sign up for a newsletter and say in the email that they can email it to them to get on your email list for more information.

Whether its a lead because someone referred you or its a referral that you are taking the lead on – you want this potential new client to be your NEW client and choose you for the job! If you nurture your past clients and maintain your brand properly by signing up for marketing tools like Homes Connect with functions like Lead Gator – your business could grow more quickly than you think.  Try some of the tips above and see what happens.  Learn more about Lead Gator here and see what Micheal Maher, America’s Most Referred Agent says about referrals and expressing gratitude to former clients here.  These tips and tools could be the reason why your phone calls increase, your inbox fills faster, and after that its up to you to show your niche and close the deal.