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6 Ways to Sell a Home to a Generation That Doesn’t Believe in Home Ownership

July 24, 2011 by · 5 Comments

I’m a part of Gen-Y, one of the most researched generations of people in history. We are known for fighting for individuality, not trusting corporate entities with our futures and are more mobile than any previous generation by way of advancements in communication technology that lets us work anywhere in the world.

So, then, how do you sell home ownership, ownership of an immobile piece of the planet, to a 76 million strong group of people who don’t follow convention? Stop following conventional wisdom when trying to sell it to them. Conventional wisdom no longer works. We are still people though and we do still have needs.

Here are six ways to attract Gen-Y buyers to your listings and make them lifelong customers:

Appeal to Their Sense of Community

Facebook, Twitter, Google+… The list goes on. Gen-Y is completely hooked on being connected to each other and sharing their life experiences along the way.

What makes the neighborhood around your home different? What can the buyer of this home do to contribute or be a part of their community? Are there start-up workshops where they can collaborate with other small business owners to ideate and work on projects?

Stop The Kitsch, Talk About Real Lifestyle Value

With new homes especially, we write listing descriptions that are usually a laundry list of features attached to a dramatic model nameplate like “Kentshire” below. Here’s an example I received via email from a home builder who is offering an unbelievable deal on their last remaining homes:

Rather than trying to impart value through fancy sounding model names, start by talking about what actually matters. Instead of listing off features, talk about how guests never need to go upstairs because there is a powder room centrally located between entertainment areas.

Is there high-speed internet available for people who work from home? If so, what different plans are offered in this neighborhood?

Can I walk to get takeout on a summer night or is driving always required?

Make The Investment Value of Your Listing More Obvious

“What can this home do for me?” That’s the question your Gen-Y buyers are going to be asking themselves before they buy. It’s no longer enough to be a place to rest our heads. Now that we see home ownership as a long-term engagement, how can this home evolve with me over my lifetime?

The best way to expound on this idea is to include projected home value over the next 5, 10 and 15 years. Altos Research, Zillow and Real Yields all help make this possible.

I really like Real Yields, co-founded by real estate investment extraordinaire Ryan Hinricher, because it makes it effortless to put your buyer in the real estate investment driver’s seat without a huge learning curve.

If your buyers can find a reason to own a home that isn’t just tied to the facade of the American dream, they’ll be much more likely to invest in one.

Become The Lifelong Advisor

The days of the one-time customer are over. Sites like Zillow and Trulia encourage agent reviews so today and tomorrow’s home buyers can make informed decisions about who they use to buy a home.

To earn the business of the next generation, the generation that determines your business trustworthiness based on the opinions of others, you need to elevate your game.

Work with other industry professionals (mortgage, law etc.) to build live, in-person and web-based seminars to help your clients grow their real estate knowledge and make better decisions about their financial investments. Imagine the business growth you’ll experience once you have a network of 15 – 20 homeowners turned savvy investors in your area.

Sell To Your Own Needs

Given the rough real estate market these days, it’s a challenge to sell a home in most markets. It’s significantly harder to sell a lifestyle and home if you don’t believe in it or live it yourself.

If you’re out in suburbia but would rather sell condos in the city, save up and make the move. You’ll have infinitely more success uncovering neighborhoods and selling homes you are passionate about than lugging yourself through rows of suburban center hall colonials that don’t interest you. When you love what you do your passion will shine through and your clients will want to work with you even more because of it.

Take Great Pictures

I left this one for last because it resonates with me most. Gen-Y grew up around and continues to use photo sharing services like Flickr, Instagram, Dribbble and Facebook. We love pictures. We also love to research which means we’re starting our searches online before we reach out to an agent. How do you engage a prospect who is researching and loves great pictures? Great pictures, of course.

The path to quality listing photos is clear: Hire a reputable home stager and a professional home photographer, combined with compelling copy (see point #2) and you’ll have a surefire way of connecting with the next generation of home buyers.

Photos also have the added bonus of being very shareable on social networks. Steph Davis, Corcoran Group NYC, shared a photo of one of her listings as she waited for a client to arrive to show the property (shown below.)

Although I don’t have the means or reason to live in the city, if I did you can bet I would have reached out to Steph to learn more about this property.

What are some ways you have successfully connected with home buyers?

 

Image Credits: Photo #1 – Robert Scoble | Photo #4 – VancouverFilmSchool

Filed Under: Lead Generation, Marketing, Online Branding, Photography, Real Estate, Technology ·

How-To Quickly Build and Manage Your Online Reputation

January 30, 2010 by · 6 Comments

Building and managing your reputation online can be puzzling. There are many networking sites, blogs, micro-blogs, property listings sites, bookmarks, and more. This leaves many real estate professionals wondering how they can manage all of these sites and portals at one time. The answer? You can’t. There simply isn’t enough time to be hyper-connected and do a significant amount of real estate business at the same time.

So what’s a real estate professional to do? The new goal? Create profiles where the majority of people are; Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and maybe a few others. Then build a consistent online reputation through meaningful interactions. Continue to manage your online reputation and monitor it effectively. Well, if only it were that easy. Of course that’s what the social media gurus and ninjas will have you believing. Let’s take a closer at the fundamentals which you can control.

1.  Go where the people already are

Your goal is to set up online profiles at the sites where the majority of people already are. Avoid the start up social media sites, for now.  Focus on the big 3; Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. These sites have over 400million people on them. Why chase rainbows with all the new startups? You simply don’t have time. Focus on your own site or blog and where the majority of people already are.

2.  Use a semi-professional photo

Don’t do the old suit-and-tie gig. There are simply too many of these already. You need to be different, but not different to the point people think you are too strange to do business with. See my sample photo on the top right of this post. Look casual, confident, and relaxed. Find a bright setting and make sure people can clearly see your face. Your goal is to earn trust and not look “salesy”.

3.   Build a consistent profile across all channels

Having a consistent profile is key. People, including potential customers and your peers, will start to recognize you online in various places which will build trust over time. This makes your online presence more reputable. Consistency is king when managing your reputation online and in the trust game.  Use a similar profile description on these channels. Condense the same profile for Twitter’s 140 characters.

Samples of Consistency:

Sample Facebook Profile

Sample Linkedin Profile

Sample Twitter Profile

4.  Be professional.

I wish there was s stronger way to say “be professional”. I was sitting down for coffee with my friend, Chris Clothier yesterday. He told me when he’s discussing social media with people he often asks them if they are playing Mafia Wars or growing tomatoes on their farms within Facebook. If the answer is yes, he tells them their level of professionalism and trust has been impacted. Being professional is more than image. It’s the way you communicate with people. Make sure your email etiquette is strong and that you appropriately respond to people using concise points and properly using the “cc” and “bcc” fields. Lisa Harmon recommended me the book dedicated to email etiquette, “Send” by David Shipley which I feel is a must for any real estate professional.

5. Focus on having meaningful interactions

While I won’t go into social media and how to Tweet, Linkedin, or Facebook with people, I will summarize this point into a simple phrase, “Focus on having meaningful interactions.” In doing so, the rest falls into place. Don’t worry about making sales, number of followers, clicks, links, etc. By connecting with our clients, prospects, and colleagues and adding value to their lives and interacting in a meaningful way, everything will fall into place.

6. Effectively Monitor Your Online Reputation

With Google moving to real-time search the management of your online reputation has been simplified greatly with the Google Alerts system. With this one can quickly set up automated alerts which will be sent via email when your name, business name, or web URL is mentioned online somewhere. You can even get these set to be emailed to you as they happen.

With Google Alerts you can choose if you want these alerts set up for real time, a daily digest, or a weekly digest. This is critical, especially when you start producing content. Google Alerts came in handy when a disgruntled ex-business partner used online media to say something negative about me in an erroneous article. I immediately received an alert. This alert allowed me to comment on the article and at least offer my stand point. In this way, managing your reputation online can be just as crucial as building it.

Building and managing your online reputation doesn’t take social media expertise and technology skills. With today’s tools, you can easily set up a consistent and professional profile across multiple channels. Worrying about what others say about you can be automated, leaving you with more time to focus on connecting and having meaningful interactions.

Filed Under: Facebook, How-To Guides, Online Branding, Photography, Social Media, Twitter · Tagged With: , , , , , ,

See The Difference: Ground Photo vs 16-Foot Pole Photo

January 20, 2010 by · Leave a Comment

Earlier this week we looked at the basics of building a PAP (pole aerial photography) rig and the benefits of having PAP photos. To see just how dramatic of a difference PAP can make I took two pictures of my newest listing below.

Both photos were taken from the exact same spot on the ground so the position of the camera in relation to the house doesn’t change much but the perspective shift is like looking at a different house altogether.

Ground Level Photo

Ground Level Photo

vs

PAP Photo

PAP Photo

The above PAP photo was shot at 16 feet in the air which works well under most circumstances. Because this home sits on a hillside I wasn’t able to capture the entire house with room to spare above the third floor at 16 ft which means this home is a good candidate for 24-30 foot photography.

Though not perfect, the 16 ft perspective provides some key differences compared to the ground level photo including:

  • Better view of the home’s depth. – It looks a lot larger than the home in the ground photo because you can see more of the home.
  • The broken up road isn’t as visible in the 16 ft photo. - Shortly after these photos were taken the road was improved by one of the other homeowners. In the first photo you can clearly see a neglected road which some buyers may use as a strike against the home whereas in the 16 ft photo you get more house, less road.
  • More of the neighborhood can be seen from 16 ft up. - In the first photo it looks like the home is secluded but when you look at it from a higher perspective you can see there are homes around the property. You can also see that the backyard is fenced in which isn’t obvious in the first picture.

Have you tried PAP out yet? Post your pictures in the comments below and be sure to check out the Flickr Pole Aerial Photography group for more ideas on how to use this innovative photography method.

Filed Under: Marketing, Photography · Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Monday Q&A: How Do You Take Pole Aerial Photos?

January 18, 2010 by · 3 Comments

When it comes to setting yourself apart from the competition every distinguishing factor helps. One great way to stand out is by using pole aerial photography (PAP). PAP is a photo technique where you take photos of a home with a camera attached to the top of a pole in the air. It helps you capture a bird’s eye view of a home and its surroundings by hovering above them which is a perspective rarely seen in real estate photos.

Question:

“How do you take pole aerial photos?”

Answer:

Taking pole aerial photos is as simple as building an inexpensive photo rig to hold your camera (I recommend a digital camera with an anti-shake aka optical stabilization feature) up in the air. My PAP mount is similar to the one built by Larry at PhotographyforRealEstate.net and will cost about $60 to make if you’re handy.

To build the mount I have you need:

If you’re not handy try to find a neighbor, friend or family member who is because creating the mount requires some hands-on effort getting your pole, tripod head and threaded rod to come together.

Poles typically range in size from 8 feet tall all the way up to 30 feet or more. My mount is 16 feet tall which I’ve found to be pretty good for most photo scenarios. A secondary benefit of a telescoping pole that reaches a max of 16 feet is how mobile the rig is. My pole shrinks to just under 6 feet at its shortest so I can still transport it in my Mazda 3.

Tip: If you find yourself taking photos of 2+ story home exteriors that are on hilly terrain you may want to consider going with a pole longer than 16 feet to make up for the difference between the ground level the home sits on and where you are standing with the pole.

Once you have your PAP mount ready to go just set your camera to a custom timer (I use 30 seconds), screw your camera onto the monopod head, raise it into the air and snap as many pics as you can. Most digital point-and-shoot cameras can take 3-4 pictures in a row which, when combined with the timer, almost always ensures a few good shots.

If PAP is something you really take a great amount of interest in I recommend reading about more advanced options including adding an LCD tv to your camera so you can see what you’re shooting and vehicle mounted masts to get an even higher perspective on the properties you’re shooting.

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Filed Under: How-To Guides, Marketing, Monday Q&A, Photography · Tagged With: , , , , , ,