You have a valuation site, right? I mean, it's required ... kind of like a REALTOR® name tag and a glamour shot of you on the phone. (Remove tongue from cheek.) Actually, it's more required than those two things.
To get everyone on the same page before we talk about why you need one, let's cover what a valuation site is and does. What it is is a way for you to provide estimated home values to a consumer without them having to speak with you. They can get the info from you online, in their pajamas, at 1 a.m., while you are sleeping. What does a valuation site do? It helps you identify people who are interested in the value of their home, possibly indicating that they want to sell said home. You do sell homes, correct?
Perfect! Then I think we have a match! Here are 4 reasons that a valuation site is marketing tool you'll want to make sure you have.
1. People Want To Know Their Home's Value
And many times they don't want to speak with someone. Love it or hate it, Zillow proved this. When it launched, promising an automated Zestimate on every home in the country, Zillow's traffic soared as more and more people learned they could see what their home is "worth." Today, it's expected that as a homeowner, I can go online and get an automated estimate of the value of my home. Why would an agent not offer this as a service to potential clients? They are going to get this information online somewhere, so it might as well be from you!
We all know that in order to get a real value, they'll need to speak with an agent, have someone come out to their home and evaluate it against other homes recently sold and currently for sale, and ultimately come to a listing price based on comps and experience, but they still like to get an idea. A valuation site allows you to give consumers an idea of the value of their home. It's not perfect, but it doesn't have to be. It simply has to be a means by which you are able to start a conversation with a potential seller. The more people you have to talk to about selling their home, the more homes you will sell.
2. You Always Get a Real Address
Selling real estate in Seattle, every agent who generates leads has had "Bill Gates" register on their website. It's a fact of life. Buyer leads have a funny way of giving as little information about themselves as they can to get the information they seek. However, when you are dealing with seller leads, and the prospect of a consumer getting a valuation for their home, there is a fundamental starting point; the address of the home. A properly designed valuation site does nothing on the first page except ask for this key piece of information. If the consumer decides to stop short of giving you their name, email and phone number after that, it doesn't matter! You still have their address.
Do you think that would be valuable? To know the address of someone that was interested in the value of their home? It's a huge value. They may have just indicated to you they are thinking about selling. You may be the first person that knows this information. The recent 2015 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers states that 72% of sellers only interviewed one agent! Knowing that someone is thinking about what their home is worth before anyone else knows is a huge advantage.
3. Marketing Should Speak To Your Audience
If you are offering to give someone a value on their downtown Seattle condo, what would someone expect to see when they actually take action on your ad and head to your website? They would expect to a see a website that shows them you focus on condos downtown. They wouldn't expect to see a house in the suburbs, or a family of beautiful people laughing and joking in the park. And yet, so many websites don't speak to the audience to which they are being marketed.
Valuation sites can be fully customized so that your audience is visually assured that you specialize in the area where they want a value. Customized marketing will outperform generalized marketing every time!
4. Seller Leads Are Hard to Generate Without One
The #1 most frequent question we have encountered in over a decade of generating real estate leads (both for our personal business and for other agents) is "How do I generate more seller leads?"
The answer is clear: Give them what they seek online. One of the main things sellers seek online is an answer to "How much is my home worth?" A valuation site is the perfect bait to get them into a conversation with you.
Special Offer For ActiveRain Members
Brivity has a special offer for all ActiveRain members. The offer is being made through Tuesday at midnight (and is an extension of their Cyber Monday special)
Get 10 valuation sites for $99/month $74.99/month (a $25/month savings)
Or 10 valuation sites for $900/year $720/year (a $180 savings for the year)
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For Monthly USE DISCOUNT CODE: 25OFFAR
For Yearly USE DISCOUNT CODE: 180OFFAR
* What can you do with 10 valuation sites? You can customize them for each area that you market. You could give one to your lender. You could customize one for your next postcard campaign. You could have one customized for the subdivision that you farm. You could have one personalized to send out to your database. You could personalize one for your friends, family and past clients. You could personalize one for your next Just Listed campaign, so all the neighbors can jump online and see what their home would sell for. The ideas are limited by your imagination only
** Brivity and ActiveRain are both owned by Ben Kinney Companies
Check out our blog post: 9 Valuations Sites You Could Create to Generate Seller Leads
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