<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Austin Real Estate eMail Flyers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Articles]]></description><link>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/</link><copyright><![CDATA[Copyright Austin Real Estate eMail Flyers]]></copyright><generator>sNews CMS</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Survey: Real estate agents still clinging to print ads]]></title><description><![CDATA[    
National Web sites gain traction among agents, brokers      Monday, October 29, 2007        By&nbsp;Glenn 
Roberts Jr.      Inman 
News  
  Spending on print advertising continues to rank high among real estate 
practitioners, though a growing number report that they are advertising at 
national Web sites, according to a report based on an August survey.  
  The report, prepared by consulting company Classified Intelligence LLC and 
real estate publishing company Realty Times, indicates that word of mouth and 
signs and billboards are the most effective sources of leads, and suggests that 
"agents and brokers don't see advertising in general as a very effective 
marketing tool." The Web-based survey, conducted in August, had 431 participants 
from Realty Times' audience of agents and brokers.  
  "Agents and brokers appear to be spending their advertising dollars mostly 
the same way and in the same forms of media as they did a year ago," according 
to the report, though there was a 13 percent rise in the number of respondents 
using national Web sites as a part of their advertising strategy, compared to 
last year's survey.  
  "Of those using such sites, most are devoting 10 to 20 percent of their 
budget to them," the report states. The survey also noted a 3 percent increase 
in the number of participants who spend money on search-engine advertising 
compared to the 2006 survey. About half of the survey participants said they 
don't spend any ad dollars on national Web sites, compared with 61 percent in 
the 2006 survey.  
  About 56 percent of respondents said they are "fairly confident" that they 
are effectively spending their advertising dollars, though only 5 percent 
expressed a high level of confidence and about 40 percent reported that they are 
"overwhelmed by advertising choices," according to the report.  
  And about 58 percent stated that the investment they made at their Web site 
or sites "doesn't bring the return I hope for," while 31 percent said they do 
see the expected return.  
  Less than half (47 percent) of survey participants said their ad budget is 
larger this year than it was last year, compared with 58 percent of respondents 
who said they were spending more in 2006 than in 2005.  
  Respondents, when asked to estimate their share of ad spending at various 
media categories, rounding up to the nearest 10 percent, said they spend about 
17.2 percent of their advertising budget on their own Web sites; about 14.7 
percent on fliers, yard signs and billboards; 12.5 percent on direct marketing; 
11.2 percent on print ads in local newspapers; 9 percent on print ads in local 
niche publications; 7 percent on local-search advertising; 6.9 percent on ads at 
national or regional online services; and the remainder on local online niche 
publications, online local newspapers and other ad media.  
  Peter Zollman, executive editor and a founder of Classified Intelligence, 
said actions speak louder than words when it comes to print advertising. 
"Clearly, the agents and brokers would like to think they're moving away from 
print. But, in fact, they're staying with it -- in part because buyers want it 
and in part because old habits die hard," he said.  
  "We think, to a degree, this indicates that the downturn in real estate 
advertising in print is much more due to the cyclical forces and the recession 
in real estate than it is an actual shift to online (advertising)." Even so, he 
said the survey results indicate that ad dollars are slowly and surely moving 
"more toward online than print."  
  The report states, "Certainly, (second-quarter) results of the U.S. market 
leaders indicate print advertising is anything but healthy." As examples, the 
reported noted that Gannett Co. in July reported a 9.9 percent decline in real 
estate advertising in the second quarter ended June 30, publisher Tribune Co. 
posted a 24 percent drop, and McClatchy Co. reported a 19 percent decline in 
real estate ads.  
  And a separate third-quarter classified advertising report by Classified 
Intelligence states that real estate advertising "fell in virtually all markets" 
in the third quarter compared to that quarter last year. McClatchy, for example, 
reported real estate classified revenues fell 26.1 percent compared to the prior 
year's quarter, including a 27.4 percent drop in print real estate ad revenue 
and a 5.8 percent drop in online real estate ad revenue.  
  Zollman said the real estate survey results indicate that real estate 
professionals are not yet paying much attention to the return on investment they 
are getting from advertising. "If you're a real estate agent or broker, your 
real job is selling real estate. Tracking advertising effectiveness is just one 
tiny piece of that," he said. "Very few of them are doing it."  
  The most substantial change in the survey results this year compared to last 
year appear to be a result of the housing-market decline, he said. "That has, to 
a degree, changed everything. A lot of real estate companies have substantially 
curtailed advertising this year because of the real estate recession -- it's 
almost a real estate depression."  
  Another significant change is the rise of blogs and online networks among 
real estate professionals -- 21 percent of respondents reported that they have 
their own blog and 25 percent said they participate in at least one 
social-networking site. "A year ago, blogging and social networking were 
relatively unknown. Neither registered in our 2006 survey," according to the 
report.  
  "This indicates agents and brokers are increasingly willing to try new forms 
of advertising, particularly when it comes to networking and relatively low-cost 
alternatives. With free sites, blogs and social-networking sites gaining 
popularity, publishers of print and other types of paid advertising likely will 
find it even tougher to attract agents and brokers."  
  About 86 percent of respondents reported that they have their own Web site or 
sites.    
  ***    
  Copyright 2007   Inman News      ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:18:52 +0000</pubDate><link>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/real-estate-agents-still-clinging-to-print-ads/</link><guid>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/real-estate-agents-still-clinging-to-print-ads/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Three Steps To Effective Real Estate Marketing]]></title><description><![CDATA[
By   Vince Testa  

  There are three steps to effective real estate marketing. Miss any one of them or get them out of order and the effectiveness of your marketing falls off considerably. Unfortunately, most marketing efforts start with step 3 and miss the other 2 completely.  

  Media is how we communicate our message. It could be through TV, radio, newspaper, direct mail, internet, or whatever. Most people start with the media and then figure out what they want to say. They rarely consider who they are trying to reach.  

  Market, or target market is "who" you are trying to reach with your marketing. The message is the "what" we want to say to them. And the media is 'how' we are able to communicate it.  

  Once you have defined a market, the who part, only then can you craft a message that is going to be effective. The message needs to speak directly to the market in order to first get their attention, and then provide a benefit to the prospect. Once we have these two things in place, it should always be consistent throughout any media you may use.  

  If you don't define exactly who your market is, then you won't know what to say that is important to them in your message. The media itself, or the advertising as I refer to it, is the least important part.  

  The media is the tactical part of marketing; where as the market and the message are the strategic part. Planning the strategy correctly is more important than how you get the message across. Of course there are certain types of media that are more effective than others depending on who the market is.  

  In real estate, I always try to target the market that is going to be the best use of your time, therefore the most profitable. You start with geography, then buyers or sellers, then maybe price range, etc. For example, a few years ago when the market was booming, I went with primarily listings of more expensive homes. In our area that was 400,000 to 600,000 dollars. But they are now the intermediate priced homes which have historically always been the first to slow down. So I now have changed my strategy to target buyers rather than sellers. And I have lowered the price range to appeal to first time buyers. The lower price range is where the majority of the activity is currently in our local market.  

  So to apply what I said above, the needs of a first time home buyer are far different than those of a second or third time home seller. Therefore, the message will need to be very different for each. The point is you can't do what you were doing two years ago because the market has changed.  

  To learn more about real estate marketing that works, get your copy of the FREE mini-course, "How To Double Your Real Estate Income In the Next 6-12 Months, No Matter What The Current Market Is Doing!"  

  Download it free here:   Free Real Estate Marketing Mini Course    

  Vince Testa is a full time marketing coach and consultant with over 30 years experience in marketing, real estate, and personal development.  

  Your comments are welcome at    My Real Estate Marketing Blog    

  Article Source:   http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vince_Testa      http://EzineArticles.com/?Three-Steps-To-Effective-Real-Estate-Marketing&amp;id=797050    ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:43:04 +0000</pubDate><link>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/three-steps-to-effective-real-estate-marketing/</link><guid>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/three-steps-to-effective-real-estate-marketing/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Is The Most Important Element In Real Estate Marketing?]]></title><description><![CDATA[
By   Vince Testa  

  Everyone is always trying to figure out what is the best type of adverting as if a great advertisement can make an unsuccessful business suddenly turn around and become successful. And though this is possible, it isn't the advertising that does it. There is another more important element that needs to be present. Without it, all of the real estate marketing in the world won't do a thing.  

  One of the marketing geniuses that I have studied over the years is a guy by the name of Gary Halbert. Gary passed away a few months ago, but there is one story told about him that is timeless. He has been involved with many different industries, but had a talent for direct response marketing that was second to none. It is said that in one of his promotions, he sent mail to every house in the United States. Can you imagine that?  

  Anyway, the story goes something like this. Someone asked Gary if you were to open a restaurant, what would be the most important thing to have in order to make it successful. And while many things were kicked around as the answer, things like great food, or a great location, Gary simplified it. He said that the most important thing would be a starving crowd. And in those simple words is the key to successfully marketing any product... the market.  

  If there is no market for what you are selling, there is no amount of marketing skill or advertising wizardry that can make you succeed. A starving crowd is an essential element to business success for it takes two things to make money; something to sell and someone to sell it to. Without a market for your product or services, you can't make a sale. Most businesses go about this backwards. They come up with a product first and then try to find someone to sell it to.  

  How to this apply to real estate? You must go where the activity is. You must make adjustments to your marketing to target who is currently in the market for real estate. This changes from time to time. You must change with it and adapt. If there are no buyers buying, that is, no starving crowd, then you won't make a sale. And though there are historically cycles of up and down markets, there are always buyers for homes. Your best efforts though, will be to always target the segments of the market that are most active.  

  To learn more about real estate marketing that works, get your copy of the FREE mini-course, "How To Double Your Real Estate Income In the Next 6-12 Months, No Matter What The Current Market Is Doing!"  

  Download it free here:   Free Real Estate Marketing Mini Course    

  Vince Testa is a full time marketing coach and consultant with over 30 years experience in marketing, real estate, and personal development.  

  Your comments are welcome at    My Real Estate Marketing Blog    

  Article Source:   http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vince_Testa      http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Is-The-Most-Important-Element-In-Real-Estate-Marketing?&amp;id=797052    ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:38:28 +0000</pubDate><link>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/most-important-element--real-estate-marketing/</link><guid>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/most-important-element--real-estate-marketing/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do You Worry About Real Estate Discounters?]]></title><description><![CDATA[
By   Vince Testa  

  The real estate industry is an ever changing one. Many companies try to come up with innovative ways to capture more market share. In many other industries a popular way of doing this is to lower prices or discount their service. This is a method that some have tried to use in the real estate industry and has others very concerned. Here's why I wouldn't worry about it.  

  There is an old saying; you get what you pay for and this is no different when it comes to real estate services. Many agents are worried that discount brokerages will destroy the market as they know it and cause them to lose their income. But what you may not realize is that with those reduced prices, comes a reduced level of service.  

  If you take the time to research the discount brokerages, you will see that they don't provide the same level of service as a full service agency. This is why they can discount it. It's not an "apples to apples" comparison.  Some advertise one percent listings, but they fail to tell you that it doesn't include the sales side of the commission. When you put it in the MLS you must offer a commission to a cooperating broker if you are to expect anyone to seriously consider showing the house. They usually have an escalating scale that comes very close to the same as what everyone else is charging.  

  But let's look at it from another perspective. I assume you are in this for the look haul. You are not just trying to make a quick buck and move on. The long haul requires you to build relationships with your clients so that you can get their repeat business and their referrals. When you close on a house with a client, it should be the beginning of a relationship, not the end.  

  As long as there is any kind of business, there will always be someone trying to do it cheaper. However, I don't ever recommend this as a business strategy because any client you get because of a low price, you will lose when there is a lower price. No loyalty, no relationship.  

  Walmart is able to do this because they offer the exact same products you can by elsewhere for less money. You would have to be foolish to spend more for them. However, in real estate, the service you provide is uniquely yours, no one else can provide you but you. Your job as a real estate marketer is to show your clients why it is better for them to work with you then someonelse. You have to provide more value to them which translates into prices. Think of it this way. If all that people bought were low prices, than we wouldn't have so many different kinds of cars. We would only have the cheapest ones. But this isn't so because people will pay more for a car if you give them a good reason to do so. The same applies to real estate services.  

  To learn more about real estate marketing that works, get your copy of the FREE mini-course, "How To Double Your Real Estate Income In the Next 6-12 Months, No Matter What The Current Market Is Doing!"  

  Download it free here:   Free Real Estate Marketing Mini Course    

  Vince Testa is a full time marketing coach and consultant with over 30 years experience in marketing, real estate, and personal development.  

  Your comments are welcome at    My Real Estate Marketing Blog    

  Article Source:   http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vince_Testa      http://EzineArticles.com/?Do-You-Worry-About-Real-Estate-Discounters?&amp;id=797062    ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:26:35 +0000</pubDate><link>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/about-real-estate-discounters/</link><guid>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/about-real-estate-discounters/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Key To Capturing Todays Real Estate Market]]></title><description><![CDATA[
By   Patrick Zanders  

  The economy has taken a nose dive as far as real estate is concerned.  Those that do not understand that it takes being able to roll with the changes, will be rolled over.  Of course, with each change comes great opportunity.  Right now, the savvy investor that gears themselves towards short sales, reo's, wholesaling, and subject too type investing will be certain to reap some SERIOUS REWARDS before this real estate market turns.     

  The trick to making it though, is to have the cash available to make deals immediately.  Forget hard money lending as that is nothing more than glorified traditional lending with a fancy name.  Sure, pure hard money lending used to be where you borrowed a certain amount, no questions asked, and you repaid the money at a higher interest rate.  Now, you still pay the higher interest rate, but unfortunately, you have to jump through many of the same hoops that residential lending requires AND you have to wait for a closing, etc.  This means too much time and the REAL DEALS will be lost.  Don't get me wrong, there are still probably a few mavericks that operate like they did in the past, it's just a matter of finding the honest ones that REALLY do exist.  

  There is also private money.  This is similar to old fashioned hard money and can work IF you get the right person and the right scenario.  Trying to get someone to come off of their retirement account or hand out money just because they have it is NOT as easy as it may seem.  Again, it can happen, but how much time are you willing to put into locating the right person, explaining how everything will work, getting the proper paperwork (legally) in place and then HOPING that the person will not hound you for updates or want to be involved in every issue you have?  Too much hassle for me.  

  What I do and now recommend and do for others is to obtain unsecured lines of business credit.  Yep, you may have heard this touted as the last frontier lately, and it is great, but be careful here too.  Most individuals that are set up correctly (and herein lies the tricky part) can easily obtain cash lines that are 100% THEIRS TO DO WITH WHATEVER THEY WANT.  This seems to be the best way to capture the market as it now stands.  Again though, I want to warn you to be careful.  There are many so-called pros out there trying to line up money for people without the foggiest idea of how to do it.  There is a method that takes experience and connections here...It's not about simply calling the bank and saying I have good credit and want to invest.  If things are done incorrectly, you can not only be denied the line of credit, but your credit score will take a hit, your company could be blackballed by lenders for a year and in some circumstances, it could be red flagged for life.  

  Unsecured lines of business credit is indeed one of the best avenues to capture and control the current real estate market, just make sure you obtain competent counsel before you attempt obtaining them.  

  Patrick Zanders is an Author, Lecturer, Financial Consultant and Real Estate investor.  He owns and operates   http://www.ezunsecuredcredit.com   and can be reached directly at   unsecured1@gmail.com    

  Article Source:   http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrick_Zanders      http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Key-To-Capturing-Todays-Real-Estate-Market&amp;id=798257    ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:12:10 +0000</pubDate><link>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/todays-real-estate-market/</link><guid>http://austinrealestateflyers.com/real-estate-marketing/todays-real-estate-market/</guid></item></channel></rss>