How NOT to Sell a Home in Metrowest Massachusetts.

OK, so this is hardly the most original idea for a blog post (closer to the least original probably) and tons of people have done it better and earlier, but I just had to share this photo I came across while looking for properties for my buyers.

Our local MLS lets you post up to 30 photos per property. This listing has one photo. Uno. Singular. The one you see here. I guess of all the photos the agent had of this property, he felt this one summed it up perfectly. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, what does this photo say? The agent has 15 listings. All of them with one photo. 13 of them as blurry as this one. He must have got a new camera for the last 2 listings, because they look awesome. Advances in technology! His current average days on market is 323 days. Hard to say for sure if there is a direct correlation, but it’s pretty much an accepted fact that listings with a higher quantity and quality of photos get viewed more online. I think he’s one of those “We Buy Houses For Cash” guys because each property lists him as an owner. A search for any property sold in the last 12 months with this agent’s name attached came back at “0″. Don’t get me wrong, I am a certified rookie and no “Top Producer” by any stretch of the imagination, but I can take a decent picture and know the benefit of posting 30 shots vs. 1 shot. If this investor is in the “we buy houses and keep ‘em” business, more power to him. But if he’s in the “we buy houses and re-sell them for a profit” business he would do well by investing in a better camera ($100) and a Property Marketing 101 class (FREE all over the RE blogosphere).

It’s hard to get the average consumer, like my clients, (not the real estate investor) excited about seeing a property like the one shown above.

Good For My Ego...

Today I have been humbled by the positive response I've gotten throughout the real estate blogosphere from a handful of well-respected colleagues who seem to appreciate the "uncommon" ways I'm trying to market myself as well as my properties.

I guess, as a newer agent, I benefit from never really learning the "old" ways to do things and just kind of pushing forward with what (more often than not) makes sense to me. I absolutely LOVE the fact that the internet has given us each the individual freedom to blaze our unique marketing trails and throw a lot of stuff against the cyber-wall in the hopes that something might stick. Imagine if I "ran an idea up the flagpole" with a bunch of billboards and shopping carts? Any futile hopes of a break-even ROI are slim to none!

The internet (or internets as some of my clients call it/them...seriously) blasts open the doors to an entirely new way of thinking about marketing real estate. Some of my ideas seem to catch a fire, others not so much, but the barrier to entry of cost is relatively non-existant for most of them! So what the heck? Try it! What have you got to lose (other than a few precious hours of your life fiddling with iMovie '06 because the new version makes separating the audio from the video damn near impossible...but I digress)?

It's a brave new real estate marketing world, and I often find it hard to sleep at night because I'm so amped up for what might be next! Coffee at 10pm could have something to do with it as well.

So, to all my RE.net friends below, "Checks are in the mail, boys!" : )

Original post from my favorite yankee fan (isn't that like jumbo shrimp?): Trulia Blog

Uber props from my Canadian brethren: Ubertor Real Estate Blog

From the "He said it, I didn't" category, Dustin "4Realz" Luther chimed in: 4Realz

And transplanted Red Sox fan, Mr. Blue Goose himself declares: Blog of Geese

Gentlemen, you guys have all been part of my RSS reader since I blindly jumped into this game just over one year ago today. I already had a ton of respect for each one of you. It just increased a little bit more today! Thanks. I am humbled, grateful and slightly swollen in the head.

Off to capture some more video...

Questions for Seth Godin from the ActiveRain Community

Today, I leave for NYC to spend a day with Seth Godin at his charity seminar tomorrow. Travel report to follow. If anyone has good questions they would like me to ask Seth regarding real estate, please send them to me at: mike@14sanford.com

Talk to you all soon!

Mike 

ActiveRain, I thank you, and Seth Godin may never forgive you!

This was put together a lot quicker and a lot dirtier than the winning video, and leaves a bit to be desired in my opinion, but I wanted to get a "thank you" video message out to everyone who was involved in the contest. Whether you were a viewer, a commenter, a fellow video submitter, a judger, a picker, a grinner, a lover or a sinner...I want to express a sincere heartfelt thanks to all who participated. I feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world for the chance to spend a day with one of my business heroes, Seth Godin, in NYC. Thanks for encouraging my behavior and I will be sure to put together a video diary of my travels to New York. Enjoy the show!

PS- This video is about 2 minutes too long, and I apologize for that. But like TS Eliot said, "If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." And my 15 minutes of fame is.... just.... about..... over......

Steak Out in Franklin, MA

30Jefferson.com