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How to Be an Eco-Friendly Agent

August 9, 2016 By

Many people and industries today are taking a step back and considering how their actions impact the environment around them, and we believe that real estate and real estate agents should do the same. Join the trending conversation by practicing eco-friendly real estate marketing habits that may have a positive effect with your clients. Adjust your marketing efforts slightly with these tips and you may see larger results.
 

Enhance Email Marketing

Flyers can be effective when marketing open houses, but they’re just not enough in today’s technological world. Instead of relying on larger quantities of physical handouts, turn your focus towards email marketing. This waste-free option allows an instant connection with your clients, and opens up communication channels since someone can always reply back to you. Not sure where to get started? We’ve got some tips.
 

Utilize Social Media

Along the same vein of emails, social media is an online marketing tool that eases your impact on the environment. While we certainly don’t recommend tossing out your business cards, consider alternative avenues for networking such as participating in online communities and forums. Online interactions allow you to deliver information electronically, which not only reduces waste of notes or flyers, but allows your clients to retain information more easily. When you communicate on social media, there’s no fear of accidentally losing a slip of paper.

 

Encourage Public Transportation      

When advertising the location of your open house, don’t just list driving directions — include public transportation options as well when possible. While many clients may still choose to drive, giving other options subtly shows that you’re conscious about eco-friendly alternatives. If some clients do choose to take the public transportation route, their bus ride, train stop, or walk will be a great introduction to the area. It can even serve as a conversation piece about the neighborhood of their potential home.

 

Market Green Homes

Associate yourself with green homes whenever you can so that clients may see a connection between you and the environmentally-friendly. For example, if one of your listings has a feature or product that consumes less, don’t be afraid to point it out. Clients may appreciate knowing how solar panels, LED lights, or energy-efficient appliances can save both the environment and their wallets. Put features such as these first and they may stand out as more memorable.

 

Use your next open house to start aligning yourself with these eco-friendly practices. You may reduce your impact on the environment while increasing the efficacy of your real estate marketing efforts.

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How to Inform Potential Buyers About the Neighborhood

June 3, 2016 By

C21_May_NeighborhoodWorksheetCENTURY 21® Agents don’t just sell houses, they sell future homes. Potential home buyers must be able to envision their future in a particular location. To do so, they must consider every aspect of the home, including the surrounding area. While you should always be prepared to answer questions about nearby schools, hospitals, parks, and transportation, CENTURY 21 wants to help you go above and beyond client expectations. We’ve provided a professional template for you to customize according to each neighborhood where you have an open house. Download the image below to get started.

Hand these out during your next open house and you may stand out in the mind of potential home buyers. This is just one of the ways that the CENTURY 21 System helps you to be smarter, bolder, faster.

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How to Use Social Media Groups

June 3, 2016 By

Think you’re a master at social media when it comes to real estate marketing? Think again. Even after you’ve created a profile, established a following, and learned how to hashtag, there’s still more to learn. Social media groups, or communities built around a common interest, are yet another invaluable facet on social media platforms. To ensure that all CENTURY 21® Agents are smarter, bolder, faster, here’s some insight as to what these groups are and how to use them effectively.

What are Social Media Groups?

As mentioned previously, these online communities are formed around those who share a common interest. For you, these interests may be real estate, professional organizations, or those living in a certain geographic location.

Where Can I Find Them?

These networks live on Facebook and LinkedIn. To search for them, simply type in key words in the search bar at the top of your page and suggested groups will appear. Note that privacy settings may differ per group. An open group means that anyone may join, while closed groups require either an invitation or permission in order to be a part of them. However, it may not be the best idea to join any group at random. Start by asking friends or colleagues for recommendations or referrals.

Why Should I Use Them?

Social media groups play a different role in your marketing plan. While a Facebook or LinkedIn profile may be the best place to promote you and your business, these groups function better as a place to network, build your reputation, and develop skills. Depending on which group you join, you may be introduced to agents or homeowners you may not have met before. You can also engage in conversation to offer and seek advice.

What are Best Practices?

Think of these groups as an ongoing relationship — you have to put in what you take out. Genuinely participate in conversation, don’t just fill up the page with your own thoughts, requests, or promotions. You may post about an open house or two if you think others in the group would be interested, but make sure that you actively share other users’ content as well. If you’re seeking advice, such as whether homeowners in your area prefer one thing over another, take criticism in stride. If you’re offering advice, make sure your comments are constructive and not belittling.

Join a couple social media groups today to get started. Observe how the particular community functions, and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself!

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The ToolkitCMA™ Features You Need to Know

May 20, 2016 By

C21_CMAToolkit_Blog-HomeAs part of our promise to be smarter, bolder, faster, the CENTURY 21® System now provides its agents with the ToolkitCMA™ at no additional cost. The product, which is used by over 100,000 agents across the country and priced at around $200, is just one of the many resources that CENTURY 21 offers in order to support its members at the local level.

Among its features that you can view on the right, the ToolkitCMA offers the following:

  • 98% Market Coverage
  • Mobile & Tablet Branded Presentations
  • MLS Interface
  • Marketing Flyers

C21_CMAToolkit_Blog-FlyersWhat does this mean for you as an agent? Professional quality marketing, along with easy-to-read content from virtually any MLS in North America. Here, we’ve provided small sample of the various styles and formats in which you can create flyers, but you’ll find even more options one you’ve signed in under your account.

Of course, the ToolkitCMA allows for customization, as seen in the preferences tab of the program below. This way, agents can tailor the product to their individual work.

C21_CMAToolkit_Blog-PreferencesRemember, as part of the CENTURY 21 ® System, you’ll receive all of this at no additional cost. This is just one way that our brand gives you the edge you need to succeed in real estate.

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Lessons from Mom That Help You Be a Better Agent

May 3, 2016 By

This Mother’s Day, CENTURY 21 ® wants to showcase the values that the women in our lives have taught us to uphold, since they align with the ones that make our brand what it is today. These life lessons from Mom, Grandma, or even your Aunt, not only guide you through your personal life, but may also help you be a better agent.

  1. Do Your Best

While you may have first heard this saying in school, laboring over a late night project or term paper, this phrase fully applies to the real estate world. As an agent, you should always present your best work, whether it’s in the form of fully researched market analyses and listing presentations or well-staged open houses to elicit offers from potential home buyers. While only you can put in the effort, CENTURY 21 offers the support and resources you’ll need to make Mom proud.

  1. Learn from Others

Opportunities for growth aren’t just limited to the classroom, and Mom emphasized this at your young age when talking about your friends, coaches, and relatives. Now, take this lesson to heart when networking. Everyone you meet, from clients to fellow agents to industry leaders, has something to offer. It’s your job to discover what that may be with genuine conversation and active listening. Attend networking events, join social media groups, and chat up potential home buyers during open houses.

  1. Embrace Change

Moving to college may have been daunting when you were younger, but Mom was right there supporting you. Use this tactic with your clients who might be making an especially big or stressful move. Focus on the positives of the experience and instill confidence by showing them a new home sweet home that’s a perfect fit for their future life.

  1. Put Family First

Mom didn’t even have to mention this since she practiced it each and every day of your childhood. Today, make sure your clients know how important family is to you, by fully understanding and accommodating their family needs. For example, if you’re working with a couple who expects kids in the future, focus on neighborhoods with nearby schools, parks, and family friendly recreational facilities. You can even ask them which structural features are important to them when raising kids, such as the master bedroom placed close to the other bedrooms, or a finished basement that provides extra room for activities.

A strong career in real estate may be as simple as going back to the basics with these four core lessons. CENTURY 21 thanks all the women who have helped shaped our agents with their wisdom. Happy Mother’s Day!

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Popular Real Estate Hashtags

April 18, 2016 By

When you have a new house to sell, you can maximize the momentum behind posting its listing through social media. However, posting can get complicated; you want the right people to see AND interact with your content. To target the right people, use hashtags. They’re an easy way for someone to look up a specific subject (in this case, homes for sale) and find relevant content all in one spot. So what hashtags do you use, and when? Here’s a breakdown.

  1. #RealEstate, #Realtor, or #Realty

Let’s start with the basics. These three hashtags are the most obvious, which means that you’ll probably be pulling from the largest pool of users. For example, #RealEstate has been used over 3 million times on Instagram alone. When using these tags on their own, your content could get lost in the sheer number of posts. So what should you add next?

  1. #ForSale and #NewHome

These two hashtags are very popular. #ForSale might just as commonly feature a home being sold as it could a car. #NewHome could also come from people who have just moved in. Their popularity leaves an opportunity for you – especially when using them in tandem. Add the two consecutively, such as in #NewHome #ForSale, and people may easily find your listing.

  1. #DreamHome

This hashtag essentially shows off the beauty of the home you have to offer. So, if you have a great listing, #DreamHome is the perfect hashtag to use – especially on Instagram, which focuses primarily on photography. People might search for this hashtag at any point in their process (because, who doesn’t like to dream?). Consistently post great photos with #DreamHome, and you may build up your following, attract some long-term clients, and potentially find buyers for other homes you’re listing.

  1. #OpenHouse

This is an essential hashtag for the event. Posting a photo and hoping that someone will make an appointment isn’t always a reliable plan, but putting that news out on social may improve your turnout. It’s also a good practice to add the neighborhood or city of the open house as a secondary hashtag, to make it easier to find for potential buyers.

  1. #Renovation, #HomeMakeover, #OldHouseCharm

These hashtags are getting more into a niche market. If you’re selling a home that is a fixer-upper, this is a great way to go. Many people look specifically for homes that need a little renovation help – either to save money, or to flip. This way, being upfront with your hashtags may help you in the long run.

  1. #MillionDollarListing

On the opposite end of the spectrum, agents selling expensive real estate can take a page from the luxury lifestyle when trying to land a deal in the seven figures. #MillionDollarListing consistently appears on lists of the best real estate hashtags to use – and for good reason. Photography of luxury homes performs well on social media.

Hashtags can be incredibly useful in real estate if done right. Do you have a favorite hashtag to add to your tweets or Instagram posts?

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How to #Hashtag

April 1, 2016 By

The (#) is an ever-evolving symbol. Some may remember it as the pound sign. Others may think of it as the number sign. A small number may even know it as the octothorp. Today, you know the sign as a hashtag, a social media feature that may benefit your online marketing presence as a real estate agent. In this article, you’ll learn the basics of hashtag use, including which platforms suit them best and the difference between trending and custom tags. You’ll also hear about the dos and don’ts of hashtags such as the pitfalls of overuse and tagging without research.

What are Hashtags?
A brief refresher: Hashtags serve as keywords in a search function. You can identify one by the pound sign (#) followed by a word or phrase, as in #RealEstate. When used this way, hashtags group pieces of digital content on social media that share a common theme to create searchable topics. So, a search for #RealEstate on Twitter gathers all recent and popular content with that tag in one location for you to view.

Which Platforms Support Them?
Hashtags may be used on any social media post, but only on certain platforms. Instagram, Twitter, Google+, and Vine are all ideal because users can easily search for content and receive a list of posts containing a particular tag. Facebook has a similar search function, but doesn’t work as well due to a high number of private profiles. In turn, this makes tagging less prevalent on that network. Hashtags are not supported on Pinterest, Snapchat, or LinkedIn, so avoid using them on those sites altogether.

How Do I Label Content?
All hashtags should follow a certain format, and each platform has different guidelines for them. When using ones that contain multiple words, as in #RealEstate, do not separate them with a space, punctuation, or symbol. This means that signs like the ampersand (&), dollar sign ($), and even the pound sign itself (#) should not follow the hashtag. While there is no actual limit to length, six characters are optimal . Stay away from longer tags, as they’re harder to read. In terms of number of hashtags, you may find more engagement on Twitter with just two. You can add more on Instagram posts, since the platform allows up to 30. However, it’s not recommended to use such a high number because they may make your post seem cluttered. On Facebook, however, your content may actually fare better without any hashtags at all, due to their unwieldiness within the platform.

Which Hashtags do I Use?
Since the basic function of hashtags is to reflect the content of the post, consider descriptive terms. For example, a photo of a loft in Boston might have the tags #Boston and #loft in it. As a realtor, you may want to incorporate industry terms, such as #Property, #ForSale, #JustListed, or #DreamHome to reach others interested in real estate. Make sure to search for the hashtag before using it to avoid obscure or even controversial topics. A seemingly innocent phrase may not be so. Try a search for your local area (#Boston, #Springfield, etc.) plus #RealEstate in order to find popular local tags your potential clients use. You could also utilize tools to find popular hashtags in your area, but only use ones relevant to your content. Your loft photo won’t benefit from the popular hashtags #foodie or #love.

Now that you know the ins and outs of hashtags, you can start using them like a pro!

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The Science of Selling

March 24, 2016 By

You know that there’s more to selling than charisma and a charming smile. Even when you’re showing the best house on the market, you have to stage it to appeal to potential home buyers or else they might not see its true value. However, there’s even more that comes into play than just a beautifully set living room. Here are some science-backed techniques that may help your clients make a decision when it comes to buying.

Emotions Come First
Though general advice consistently warns against letting emotions get in the way of decisions, psychology studies report that it still happens. Home buying decisions are emotional at their core: Clients are considering whether they can envision a future there. However, these same studies show that the buyers won’t admit to this reasoning. Instead, they want facts to corroborate their feelings. As an agent, use this information to wow clients initially with a warm, welcoming open house, and then further impress them with the reasonable price, new plumbing, or other positive concrete facts that could support a decision to live there.

Less is More
The notorious “analysis paralysis” is, in fact, true. When confronted with too many choices, overwhelmed decision makers freeze up and tend to withdraw from the situation. Don’t let this happen to your clients by inundating them with superfluous information. Only show them listings that you genuinely believe would be a good fit for them. If you show them houses that don’t meet their preferences with the good intention that they might be interested, you may be doing a disservice to both yourself and to your clients.

Outside Opinions Matter
Buying a home may be one of the biggest purchases of your clients’ lives, so they may not want to feel alone in the situation. Since they may be anxious about committing to something so big, it’s important for them to have support from others. Give them time to digest information and discuss it with their partners, family, or friends. Even better, ask a neighbor to attend an open house to answer your clients’ questions as an unbiased third party.

The Price Isn’t Always Right
Homeowners often succumb to the idea that everyone will see their home in the same loving light as they do. However, as the agent you should know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whether you’re advising sellers on a listing, or working with home buyers through a negotiation, keep in mind that most people tend to overestimate their asking price by 5 to 10%.

Keep these things in mind when working with your clients, and you may find selling to be just a bit easier.

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5 Tips for Email Marketing

March 9, 2016 By

As a real estate agent, email marketing can be an invaluable tool in creating and maintaining relationships. Well-executed emails can help secure new clients, communicate information to current ones, or even rekindle the interest of those from a previous time. However, there’s some strategy behind it. The following five tips may make your online messaging more effective.

1. Acquire an Email List

Collect a directory of clients’ contact information by asking them specifically for their email address. From there, email them with a choice to opt in to regular content. This method ensures that everyone on the list is interested in receiving your information. Unsolicited emails may tarnish your reputation as a real estate agent or come across as spam. To encourage people to opt in, use gated content, or content that can only be seen after entering an email address. For example, e-books, webinars, or virtual tools should be available only after a client has chosen to receive regular emails from you.

2. Provide Valuable Information

Send an email flyer about recent home listings and closings that may genuinely be of interest to the email recipient. Additionally, send a newsletter with data on the housing market or tips about real estate to demonstrate your expertise. Think: market trends, real estate how-to guides, and government initiatives for buyers and sellers. Make sure to send these sparingly though—no more than once a week—so clients have time to digest the information.

3. Be Concise

Short, digestible messages are optimal, since most emails are read on smartphones that make blocks of text intimidating. Subject lines should also be short, specific, and interesting enough to entice the reader. Aim to have them between 28-39 characters, and definitely no more than 50. The body of the email should take no longer than two minutes to read through. To fit this requirements, try cutting out sentences that don’t pertain directly to the crux of your email.

4. Be Personal

Your email should sound like it’s coming from a trusted ally, not a salesperson. Create this tone by asking questions and using the client’s first name. Focus on using the word “you” more often to shift attention towards your client. Also, always sign the email with your first and last name rather than just your company’s name, and provide additional ways for them to contact you.

5. Send Transactional Emails

Sometimes simply known as thank you emails, transactional emails can be a great way to show clients you appreciate their interest. If someone has opted into your mailing list or responds positively to your newsletter by requesting more information, send a thank you email. It will show that you care about your customers and that your email marketing is genuine.

Almost all real estate agents participate in email marketing, so don’t get left behind! Follow these tips so your efforts may stand out.

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Last-Minute Open House Cleaning Tips

February 19, 2016 By

Your open house is almost underway! You’ve already made sure your home is warm and inviting and you’ve taken time to carefully stage it. Now, here are some last minute cleaning tips to quickly spruce up any areas you may have missed.

Prep for Pets
You may be ready for your open house, but your four legged friends might have other ideas. Perform a last minute inspection of any areas your pets frequent to make sure they haven’t left an unpleasant surprise somewhere in your home. Also, pet hair has a way of showing up unexpectedly. Vacuum carpets and sweep any floors with a rubber broom to clean up debris that may have gathered since your last cleaning.

Check Your Entryway
Although you may have painted your front door and meticulously cleaned your home’s entryway in the days before your open house, recheck it on open house day. Be sure to check for marks on your door, damaged plants, disheveled door mats, and unexpected messiness that may have accumulated in front of your home since you last inspected it.

Clean Up After Kids
If children happen to be in your home during the hours leading up to your open house, you may want to check for additional messes before potential buyers arrive. Look at your lower windows for finger smudges, which can be cleaned quickly with a cleaning agent and microfiber cloth. Also check your doorway for dirt, and look at the lower part of your walls for crayon streaks or other stains.

Ready Your Refrigerator
While easy to overlook, the inside of your refrigerator should be as neat and clean as the rest of your kitchen. Make sure it isn’t full of half consumed food or overstocked to the point where it looks cluttered. Additionally, any fridge magnets should be removed to further depersonalize your home for potential buyers.

Care for Your Lawn
Last minute removal of lawn debris can make your home more appealing and may attract more buyers. Depending on the season, eradicate lawn clutter with a leaf blower, a rake or a snow blower. If you’re too busy for exterior home cleaning, consider hiring someone to do it for you, so you can focus on the interior of your home.

These last minute cleaning tips may help your home shine brighter on open house day.

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