Good post Trey. I no longer know what to write to make it "fresh & original" if there is such a thing. And your right no help from their reps. On the other hand I think print ads are still important: not to sell the listing but to attract sellers...at least in my area.

Trey,

80% of buyers these days start their search on the internet.  I have never spoken to a buyer (I admit I have not been in Real Estate for too long) that has found a listing in the newspaper.  I just think its not worth the money anymore.  Maybe the papers are starting to feel the pressure of lower ad sales and are cutting back on their level of customer service.

Maria, I know what you mean but isn't it crazy that we advertize homes in the paper to attract sellers as much as buyers. It is truly an Alice in Wonderland world.

Mathew

I think you are probably right on as to why service is minimal.

When the numbers of participants in any section of business grow larger, the strain of being a standout becomes much more difficult. Take ActiveRain, or as in your case, the newspaper,......there are only so many ways to be creative and "different". After a while, everything looks the same and it becomes much harder to capture the reader's attention.

Home sellers and sellers of advertising space are the ones who, long ago, convinced real estate folks to spend their money advertising listings. Advertising works to a degree but the real question is where is the most effective place to put our advertising dollars.

Advertising certainly helps, but my experience has convinced me that spending a lot of money on a listing is not nearly as effective as a properly priced listing with complete information and great pictures put in the MLS where there is the real access to the buyers.

Listing agents cannot possibly connect with all the potential buyers of a property, and once the serious buyers have hooked up with a Buyer's Agent, they basically rely on that agent to find them the properties. Those agents rarely read newspapers to find those properties, they search diligently in the MLS.

Be creative with your listings in the MLS and places like ActiveRain, and appeal to the agents in your area that are going to bring the buyers. Make your material interesting to them.

If you analyze your sales, very few of them are listed by you and sold by you. We depend on other agents to bring us the buyers that may have an interest in our properties. Appeal to them where they do the reading and your dollars will be better spent.

Another fact that you have pointed out is that we are in a business cycle where you cannot hardly reach a living sole, where automation is the norm and minimal service is considered acceptable. Until we let these businesses know of our intention NOT to do business with them, they will continue to save money by skimping on the qualities that made them successful to begin with, personal service.

Trey, I personally don't do print advertising any longer.  We are a two person who though so I just make sure that my sellers know right off the bat that I am not doing that.  It really is to attract buyers more than selling the house; well in my opinion.

Marchel,

I agree with that.  I think that Sellers just need to know off the bat that putting a listing in a newspaper doesn't do it anymore.  You are just throwing money away.

Marchel,

You are tough!  Lots of agents want to do what you have done and are on the edge of making a leap of faith.  Do you have trouble attracting sellers?

Matthew....

I can't say how many dollars we have tossed to the breeze on print.

Trey, I have always been a bigger buyers agent than listing agent (by my choice) but I almost always have listings from past clients.  5 right now and I am supposed to be taking a 6th. 

Well said, Trey....our local paper has made it difficult for advertisers for years.  Back in the early 90s they had a crackerjack rep who could compose an eyecatcher in a nanosecond.  He got promoted to another city and that was the end of all that.  The newspaper never got the memo about letting advertisers post their own work.  Craig's List appeared and the newspaper classifieds  all but disappeared.  We will probably see the day when newspapers go the way of analog television and BetaMax and 8 tracks.  But we will probably not outlive Willy Nelson.
JimG