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Posts Tagged with real estate advertising

Posted by admin on 5 January 2012

In this new world of the web we’re all led to believe that selling anything is about online traffic. If you haven’t got a thousand visits to your web ad there’s no chance you’ll sell your home. Or so we’re told. You can pay a bit more to get to the top of portal search results. You should use a professional photographer to get your hero shot to stand out from the rows of search results, and you should have a catchy headline that’s relevant to your target audience. You should be with the biggest and best sites. Get those thousands of eyes on your ad – it’s all about traffic, traffic, traffic!

Yet traffic of another kind is really the best value real estate advertising. It’s the potential buyers driving and walking past your property. The web is an important part of promoting real estate but for dollars spent you can’t beat a simple signboard stuck to the front fence. Home buyers love to trawl through the back streets of their favoured neighbourhoods, eyes peeled for an undiscovered gem. And despite the layers of data, up to the minute satelite imagery and Street View pics, those web ads just can’t tell you what it’s like to stand in that street. The noises, smells, breezes.

We often have seller clients say they don’t want their neighbours sticky-beaking through at an open home. And while we understand the desire for privacy some of the best word-of-mouth promotion you’ll get for your property comes from your neighbours. They live there and they want to share it with friends and family. They think homes in the area are worth more than they really are and they’ll talk the place up til the cows come home. They’re like real estate agents, only free!

So we’re not surprised how many buyers tell us they found their new home by its signboard. It’s the cheapest item on any marketing plan and it finds you buyers who’ve already chosen your neighbourhood.

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Posted in real estate marketing | No Comments »

Posted by admin on 26 September 2011

Searching a large real estate portal this week we were growing increasingly frustrated by the time it took for the page to load. In 2011 we’re all supersonic, attention-deficit, time-poor freaks with our broadband and expect quick connections. But the delay on this site wasn’t loading the property details, it was the massive banner ads that dominate the pages. These guys run a business and there’s only so many agencies in Australia to pay them a subscription. We understand they need revenue. But if you’re like us you want to spin through the listings quickly and get the info you came for.

And luckily there’s a great new alternative. The Real Estate Institute of Queensland has launched our own search portal REIQ.com Our members own the site and we don’t need big, data-heavy ads from banks or mortgage brokers. So tenants and home buyers get a clean, fast-loading portal. The site already has more than 75,000 listings on it, making it the largest Queensland-based real estate portal.

Bees Nees principal Rob Honeycombe is a Director of the REIQ so we’re naturally big supporters of the site. Rob says the real benefit for buyers and tenants is the site’s industry ownership. “REIQ member agents are talking to them daily and we hear the feedback on what they want from a real estate portal. REIQ.com is the result of that and with agents owning and controlling the site we can make sure it stays relevant and fresh.”

REIQ.com are running a competition to celebrate the launch and you could win $20,000 by visiting the site and entering before 5pm this Friday. Here’s the link!

What can the REIQ do to improve the site? We’d love to take your comments back to them.

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Posted in real estate marketing | No Comments »

Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 2 September 2011

Brisbane’s inner suburbs have some of the best examples of this state’s unique timber architecture. But for such a sought-after style of house there’s almost no consensus on what we should and shouldn’t call a “Queenslander”. Real estate agents know that adding the term to an advert can spike the enquiry levels. Builders are working the word into their descriptions in fairly imaginative ways (one applies the name to brick homes with timber-gabled facades – really?)

Maybe if it’s built north of the Tweed any house can legitimately share the title. But today we thought we’d ask you to share your thoughts: what makes a Queenslander a Queenslander? Surely there’s 4 key elements: it’s elevated from the ground, has a hardwood frame and softwood linings, the main materials are timber and tin, and it has a verandah.

Looking back into our history there were plenty of practical reasons for elevating the homes: to keep residents cool in summer, to allow easy construction on sloping land, to avoid floods, and to keep the timber away from termites. Under the house used to be a place for playing out of the sun, hanging the washing and a bed for the dog (or even a not-so-welcome relative). In “modern” times we saw this as an opportunity for extra space for media rooms, studies and garages. Are these still Queenslanders?

During our early years there were plenty of variations on timber home designs. Those built from 1859 to 1901 are often called Colonials (for our time as a colony). Bungalow is the common term for the next generation of styles that were usually more elaborate and included gabled, asymmetrical facades. In the 1920’s we adopted elements of the Californian Bungalows – even way back then we were taking design cues from the USA. You’ll also hear them called “inter-war Queenslanders” and there’s a huge range of designs built through this era. Those with an eye for detail can often date a home from its verandah posts, balustrades and windows (see below). How simple was life when to keep up with the Joneses you just needed a bullnose tin sunhood?!

Not surprisingly the Great Depression saw more simplicity and conservatism in design and by 1933 bricks were considered a modern option. Fibro was first manufactured in Queensland in 1936 and its easy-care maintenance meant it quickly became a popular cladding material. We’re still ripping the toxic stuff out of homes today.

If you’d like a very thorough read on the topic try “Brisbane House Styles 1880 to 1940” by Judy Gale Rechner (1998). Maybe every real estate agent should have a copy so we can get the terminology right! There’s no doubt we’re proud of our Queenslanders and their rich history – whatever the name means to you.

courtesy: "Brisbane House Styles" Rechner, 1998

Please share your definition of “Queenslanders”.

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Posted in architecture and renovation, real estate marketing, trends in Brisbane property | 2 Comments »

Posted by admin on 16 August 2011

Real estate agents generally pay a flat rate subscription to the property web sites and can list as many homes as they like within that fee. And the more listings they have up, the more enquiry they get. But unfortunately none of the real estate portals yet have a system in place to “expire” the listings at any point.

When a new listing comes onto the market there’s a buzz around the place. Buyers eagerly await their e-alerts from the web portals and the enquiry often comes thick and fast in those first few days. (It’s one of the reasons setting your asking price is so important, capitalising on that early response. But we digress…) After a couple of weeks it can take tailored promotion, price reductions and a good dose of tenacity to capture buyer interest. And after 6 or 8 weeks many sellers, and their agents, lose interest in the process and give it up as too hard.

So buyers often get frustrated that the online info is out of date. Open houses details from weeks ago. Tenancy info on leases that have long expired. There’s two ads live right now on one of the portals that recommend you buy before August 1st to avoid stamp duty changes. Another says the property must be sold before Christmas…but they’re not talking about 2011. Many times the property has been sold or withdrawn from the market months ago, but there’s no requirement on the agent to remove the listing.

Buyers are tired of dredging through this rubbish. They deserve better too – considering the hundreds of thousands of dollars we’re asking them to spend. In Brisbane CBD this week there were 531 properties for sale on realestate.com.au. Have a look at your suburb. Toowong (114) and New Farm (176) have a heap of listings on the web too. But how many are current and relevant?

If you’re selling make sure your agents keeps your ad fresh. You need to stand out of the crowd. Change the hero shot and headline around so the home has a better chance of standing out in those tiny search result lists. (Professional pics and an ad that’s relevant and targeted are always essential). Use a “last updated” date at the bottom of each ad to let buyers know it’s current. If your property’s not attracting any enquiry a “spruce up” of the web ad is a quick and free option.

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Posted in Brisbane's sales market, real estate marketing | No Comments »

Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 14 July 2011

pic courtesy: 2011flood.blogspot.com

Real estate agents, in my humble opinion, are often wrongly cast as fibbers and cheats. A vast majority of us work hard, do the right thing and know that to be in this career for the long term we need to look after our clients.

But occasionally I’m reminded why a handful of idiots drag our industry back into the gutter.

A friend rang the other day, excited that he’d seen an apartment in a near-city suburb that looked like a great buy. From the description it sounded good value and it was close to cafes and a train station. But because we know inner-Brisbane well, my thoughts immediately turned to January’s flood levels. I came back to the office, double-checked the maps and rang to let them know that water had inundated that street.

But the advert didn’t mention it, nor did the agent when the buyer had called to book an appointment. Maybe the water missed this property, so my friends went ahead with the inspection today. They decided to wait for the agent to raise the issue, and after a thorough look through the apartment the conversation went something like this:

Buyer: “This looks great, new floor tiles and fresh paint?”
Agent: “Yep, looks good doesn’t it?”
Buyer: “Ok, anything else we need to know?”
Agent: “Nope, that’s pretty much it.”
Buyer: “What about the flood level in January?”
Agent: “Oh yeah… well yes the water came inside the apartment and (running his hand along a line on the wall 10cm from the floor) rose to about here”.

If confronted this agent might argue that he would have told them about the flood had they proceeded to make an offer. Maybe. But of course this buyer would have preferred to have known in advance so they could make a decision on inspecting or, at worst, have been told at the start of the inspection so they could see the place with a full understanding.

It was 6 months ago yesterday that Brisbane held its collective breath as the murky waters rose from the waterways. Plenty of homes were inundated and there are still buyers for them. Some of the discounts are not as bad as first feared. But covering the facts is childish and illegal.

What a shame January’s floods didn’t flush away more of our rubbish.

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Posted in Brisbane's sales market, real estate marketing | No Comments »

Posted by admin on 24 May 2011

With a huge percentage of Aussies now running around with smart phones Bees Nees have started printing QR Codes on all our promotional material. Maybe you’ve seen these QR (Quick Response) fuzzy boxes on all sorts of ads and posters in recent months? If you have a smart phone you can download a scanner for free (we just searched “barcode scanner” on the Android Marketplace on our team’s phones) and using the phone’s camera, home buyers and tenants can link straight to the web ads we have for each property.

In plain English? Looking in our office window a buyer can hold their phone up to a brochure and in approx 10 seconds open the web ad for all the details – and take that home with them. It’s a quick way to bring the off-line and on-line worlds together and in real estate marketing we have so much extra info we want to share with buyers and tenants.

Buyers and tenants want to receive information in easily digestible pieces. The introduction of QR Codes is another small step in improving this.

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Posted in real estate marketing | No Comments »

Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 22 March 2011

New listing - 6 bedroom apartment!

Sounds like an easy question doesn’t it? As real estate agents we walk into dozens of homes and apartments each week but we sometimes struggle with this one. “How hard can it be?” you’re asking. Surely a bedroom’s just a place big enough for a bed. We’ve all been to an open home where some enthusiastic salesperson has nominated the study or a broom cupboard as a third bedroom.

So how do you define a bedroom? Unfortunately there is no simple answer! The Building Code of Australia sets the requirements (along with a myriad of state legislation) and when you build a new dwelling the criteria are fairly clear. A bedroom is considered a “Habitable Room”, along with living rooms, kitchens, studies, rumpus and dining rooms. You have to comply with a long list of rules before you can use a room for these purposes. Note that a bathroom, laundry, pantry, hallway and “other spaces occupied neither frequently nor for extended purposes” are outside those rules.

Whether you’re in a house (Class 1A dwelling) or an apartment (Class 2), sufficient ventilation is a key requirement for habitable rooms. You need “natural air exchange” and natural light into the room and Brisbane’s location in Zone 2 means these differ from frost-laden Taswegian homes for example. If you have fans and/or evaporative airconditioning that changes things too. Oh, you can sometimes “borrow” ventilation from an adjoining room too…. but not bathrooms. 

And don’t forget height. A habitable room must have minimum 2.4m ceilings (7’ 10.5”) except kitchens which can be 2.1m. So those rooms under the house with beds and rumpus furniture in them, just that bit low in height? They’re “utility rooms” and usually can’t legally be used as bedrooms or living rooms. And if you “know a friend” who rents out their utility rooms as a granny flat maybe they should have a solid read of their insurance policy. It’s hard to imagine Council suddenly policing these rules but a fire or other incident might cause problems.

Of course older homes might still be okay where they pre-date the modern requirements and are “deemed to comply”. There’s sound reasons for all these rules – safety, health and sustainability. But they do mean that your average real estate agent can really not answer the most simple of questions with 100% confidence. Building certifiers can interpret the Code for you and a pre-sale check might be worthwhile if you’re unsure.

That third bedroom might make a big difference to your sale price. But not if it’s really just a broom cupboard.

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Posted in architecture and renovation, real estate marketing | No Comments »

Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 15 February 2011

In this blog we try to keep up with all the latest in real estate marketing, so it’s hard to not comment on the Gold Coast video that’s gone viral this week. And you’ve got to start by saying, whether it be a hit or miss as a promotional tactic, this ad somehow seems at home on the Glitter Strip…

A couple of agents have used the oldest trick in advertising – sex – to promote their waterfront listing and garner some free worldwide attention via the web. Using a very scantily clad model to strip and pose throughout the home it was guaranteed to get people talking. And the exposure (pardon the pun) has been enormous.

Defenders will say they’ve achieved their mission of making their client’s listing stand out in a crowded marketplace. Critics says it’s cheap, nasty and an exploitation of women. Our view? They might attract a lot of attention but will it be from the right audience? In our experience a large majority of home purchasing decisions are made by women and we’re guessing most of the emailed links of this ad will be between teenagers and men.

For what it’s worth I thought the house was more attractive than the model… Must have been in real estate too long!

We’d love to hear your comments.

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Posted in real estate marketing | 1 Comment »

Posted by admin on 2 September 2010

Professional photographers can transform a building

If you believe the marketing gurus, more and more advertising messages are being consumed through images and video. No wonder, with the deluge of sales pitches we all endure almost every hour of the day no-one has the attention span left to read. So the importance of photos in real estate marketing is becoming more critical than ever.

When realestate.com.au surveyed 1000 people on their site the number 2 gripe about agents’ ads was the photos (number 1 was “no price”). Buyers are trolling through dozens of possible search results and if you don’t stand out with a high quality hero pic you won’t get that all important click-through. And almost three quarters of those survey respondents want more than 5 photos once they view the ad. So your sales agent is not doing their job if

they haven’t asked you to fund a professional photo shoot, and have at least 10 sharp, well executed images on your web ad. The choice of shot for your classified and newspaper display ads is similarly critical.

Not every home is straight from the pages of Vogue Magazine. Dark rooms, overcrowded or dated furniture and limited street appeal can all make a photo shoot challenging. But a professional with the right camera gear can make a huge difference to the result. Even without full staging or de-clutteringthey can move the odd item around to really improve the visual appeal (like taking the magnets off fridges!)

And if you think limiting the pics to a smaller number will get the curious buyer to come along to the open home anyway, in our experience you’re likely to be disappointed. They have choices, they have limited time on a Saturday and they want to be pretty sure the home’s close to fitting the bill before they’ll leave the comfort of their lounge room.

Have another browse through the portals and see how many badly photographed homes are on there. Blurry, crooked, badly framed, unwitting self-portraits in mirrors, pools full of leaves, toilet seats up and breakfast plates on kitchen benches…. It’s time some agents and their seller clients got serious about marketing real estate.

Please share the shocker ads you’ve seen!

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Posted in Brisbane's sales market, real estate marketing | No Comments »

Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 11 May 2010

If you’re considering selling your property and are weighing up an auction or private treaty (a priced listing) consider this: Price may be your best feature. That’s not to say your property might not have many appealing qualities… but when we write up that ad it’s going to look and sound like a million dollars. Which can be a problem if you’re chasing $500,000!

A survey conducted by realestate.com.au found 92% of buyers would be unlikely to enquire about a property with no price indication. So if your place sits in a busy part of the market a private treaty with a good agent can get you a great price quicker than an auction. We’re not anti-auction, we do several each year, but in our view they’re over-used by many agents who jam their clients into a one-size-fits-all method.

An auction can be the perfect solution for properties that are out of the ordinary, likely to draw more emotional interest (eg Queenslanders) and those that are in scarce supply. But for many properties a listed price is the first drawcard for buyers.

With a price or without, one key to getting a great result is showing buyers you are a committed seller. Why? Well with access to so much info today they are cynical and won’t get off their couch on a Saturday unless they think you are a genuine seller. They’ve seen the rubbish that fills the online portals and know that some agents will list properties on the web for sellers that are still very much undecided as to whether they will sell.

Some agents leave expired listings on the web to continue drawing enquiry. Some agents will delete the address or leave the apartment number off. One we know used to completely fabricate ads. Shocked? Buyers aren’t because they’ve wasted their time on these before only to be met with some lame excuse about “admin problems”.

And this is one big reason why newspaper ads continue to draw strong buyer enquiry in this very digital age. Every one of those sellers has put their hand in their pocket for advertising costs and in doing so proven their commitment to selling.

Buyers are buying and where they sense competition many are paying good prices. But if you’re to create that high level of interest you need to first show the market you are doing more than testing the waters – regardless of your sale method.

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Posted in Brisbane's sales market, real estate marketing | No Comments »

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