The Real Estate industry has embraced technology! We have websites, blogs, twitter and facebook, but do you know how your clients are using the internet? More than ever before people are using the web for all stages of buying and selling homes, and the internet has become the #1 source of information for potential home buyers. We all know that people are searching for homes online. We give leads and clients the opportunity to save searches and properties, check out image galleries and more. But most clients start researching online way before they even get to this stage in their search.
AREA AND LOCATION: Many people are doing general research online regarding where to live before looking for a specific home. There are a plethora of websites available to look up everything from typical home prices to school districts and walkablitiy ratings. When moving to a new place, many buyers will look up the Chamber of Commerce or local government websites to learn about the area.
FINDING AN AGENT: Not every buyer gets a personal referral for an agent and even if they do most buyers are still checking them out online. There are all types of directories available and even some rating sites are starting to become more commonplace. Make sure that you are easy to find and come highly recommended!
THE FINANCES: Remember that clients are not just surfing the net for Realtors, they are also looking for financial services. There are tons of financial resources for home buyers on the web these days. Everything from starting your research with a mortgage calculator to finding mortgage lenders and brokers can be done online. Some home buyers will go through the process of getting prequalified for a loan before even choosing a Realtor.
BUYER COMMUNICATION: Many of these tech-savvy buyers are relying more and more on email as the primary form of communication. Leads want to be kept up to date on new listings, and those currently involved in a transaction are going paperless. All those emails can be time consuming, and response time is so important with this type of buyer! Having a good contact manager can be a key resource when staying in contact and building all of your relationships.
Many times we focus on how we are using the internet for our business, but it’s important to adapt to how buyers are using internet technology as well. This can help us make better decisions about our marketing strategies and technologies. Knowing where potential clients are browsing is invaluable information, so consider if there are other ways of marketing yourself on sites devoted to location or financial research. Make sure you have the best lead and contact management system to keep up with your clients. And keep using Active Rain to promote yourself to the world at large!
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