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Community Outreach - Combining resources

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Education & Training with Foreclosure.com

Came across an article today (excerpt below) that Florida Association of Realtors is sponsoring.

This is a great example how combining efforts and organizing an event will be able to increase sales and marketability of all those who participate.

Sometimes teaming up is the most efficient way to achieve your goals and objectives.

http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-03-24/story/realtors-hope-statew

"Realtors hope statewide open house will spur sales

Posted: March 24, 2010 - 5:49pm  By Kevin Turner

Realtors statewide hope a promotion that will open thousands of houses to the public over one weekend will jump-start slowly recovering sales.  Hundreds of Jacksonville-area Realtors are to show homes in a  "statewide open house" April 10-11, in hopes to get more people to cash in on the $8,000 first time homebuyers credit before its April 30 expiration and sell more properties in a typically slow sales month. 

The Florida Association of Realtors is sponsoring Florida's statewide open house that weekend through regional associations. Member Realtors are committing houses they have listed to be open to foot traffic, and will mark their houses with blue balloons, emblazoned with the "R" Realtor logo.

"I think it's going to be a great opportunity, because there will be so much publicity statewide, and there will be so many sellers," said Pam Atkins of Century 21 Atkins Realty Inc., which will have at least

18 houses listed in the event. But driving all over Jacksonville isn't necessary; the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors has provided a map of participating open houses at its NEFAR.com site. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 309 Jacksonville-area houses listed on the site, and NEFAR spokeswoman Melanie Green said the organization is expecting hundreds more by the time the open house actually takes place. "Customers can start planning now," she said. Although the event is timed to the first-time homebuyer's credit's expiration, it also is well-timed in terms of sales cycles - at least in Northeast Florida. According to FAR, Jacksonville metro area single-family home sales in 2006, 2007 and 2009 dipped in April from March and picked up again in May - traditionally the beginning of the area's summer sales peak. In order to qualify for the first-time homebuyer's credit, homes need to be under contract by April 30 and closed by June 30, Green said. Participating Realtors said they hope the event will both serve to get more homes appealing to first-time buyers in front of them and to spur listings they've had on their hands for a while.

The Florida Association of Realtors lifted the idea from the Washington Association of Realtors after that organization reported that its first "statewide open house" in June 2009 brought its Realtors a 10 percent sales increase during a slow year for sales. In the end, Florida Realtors and their associations hope to at least repeat the success that was seen in Washington state. And it's not the only state borrowing the idea April 10-11. Georgia and New Jersey also are giving it a try, for example. "Our brokers said they had increased foot traffic and a blip in sales that week," said Steve Klaniecki, director of marketing communication for the Washington Association of Realtors."

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Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Linda,

Great idea and thanks for sharing this.  Isn't amazing how combining efforts really works!

Mar 30, 2010 02:54 AM