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CENTURY 21® Social: How To Leverage Your Social Networks

May 1, 2017 By

It’s no secret that social media can be a very powerful tool for a real estate sales associates when used in the right way. However, with every social network comes a new set of rules and best practices. To help navigate each one more easily, we’ve created the following list of quick tips specifically for real estate.

 

Network: Facebook

Overview: Facebook is your best resource for reaching the most clients. On it you can share various types of content and reach a more localized audience with the network’s extensive geotargeting capabilities.

 

Quick Tips:

  • Post Your Listings: Tell fans about the home, highlight its major selling points, and post pictures. When sharing a listing on Facebook, it’s important to give it some personality and to make sure you’re not overdoing it. While many people who follow you will enjoy seeing listings, they don’t want their News Feed inundated with them. Your posts can also serve as a place for fans to ask questions about the listing so make sure you are ready to respond.
  • Use Photos: Images on Facebook are much more engaging than text-based posts. The more likes, comments, and shares your posts get, the more they will appear in your Facebook fans’ News Feeds.
  • Share Neighborhood Events: Show off your city. Post about local events in your town. If you’re going to or know about a neighborhood event, tell your fans and invite them to participate.
  • Take Advantage of Geotargeting: Facebook lets you target your ads very specifically. You can use Facebook Ads to give your most important posts some added exposure among users in a desired area. To learn more about Facebook Advertising and geotargeting, check out this blog post.

 

 

Network: Twitter

Overview: Twitter is the best place to share news and updates. Users are looking for quick and digestible information so try your best to keep things concise and to the point—if you can’t say it in 140 characters or less, maybe you shouldn’t say it on Twitter.

 

Quick Tips:

  • Tweet Tips for Buying, Selling, and Moving: Offer advice to your followers by sharing helpful tips about the buying, selling, and moving processes. These tips can include everything from good articles and videos to short and simple ideas.
  • Use Hashtags: On Twitter, using hashtags gets your tweets seen by an audience beyond your followers. Use relevant hashtags to be discovered by those looking for a particular subject matter. For example, use specific hashtags that pertain to your location and more general hashtags that pertain to the industry (e.g. #movingtips).
  • Share Local News: Twitter tends to be a great place for news. If there is something exciting happening in the neighborhood you serve, tweet about it. It will be attractive to potential buyers and keep you up-to-date on local happenings.
  • Use @Mentions to Keep in Touch: Twitter lets you send tweets to specific people. Instead of using the direct message feature, send out a Tweet to congratulate a new homeowner, to thank a local merchant for assisting you, etc.

 

 

Network: Instagram

Overview: Instagram users are drawn to beauty and inspiration. Use this network to show off striking home photography. You can add a few lines in your caption, but try not to say too much and let the images speak for themselves.

 

Quick Tips:

  • Post and Geotag Listings: When posting listings on Instagram, make sure the pictures are appealing and sized accordingly. You can also geotag the location of each listing to make it easier for clients to check out the area on a map.
  • Show Off Your Favorite Homes: Post pictures of some of your favorite homes you’ve sold to give clients an idea of the type of homes you work with—whether that’s a variety or a very specific type.
  • Highlight the Neighborhood: Sharing pictures and information about the neighborhood you work in markets the area to prospective residents and also shows your passion and knowledge of where you are selling homes.
  • Encourage Engagement: Include questions and other calls-to-action in your photo captions to encourage followers to comment. Be prepared to respond and have conversations there.

 

 

Network: LinkedIn

Overview: Aside from being a social network, LinkedIn is a valuable professional networking tool. Save the listings and promotional content for the other networks and focus on marketing your own personal brand to other professionals.

 

Quick Tips:

  • Join and Participate in Local Groups: LinkedIn Groups allow you to use the platform to communicate with other professionals who share interests, work in specific areas, or have other similarities. Use them to communicate and be sure to provide value—remember, this is a network for selling yourself, not your listings.
  • Ask for Referrals: Ask clients and colleagues to give you a referral on LinkedIn. Similar to a traditional referral, this will help potential clients make an easy choice when they’re looking for an agent.
  • Share a Detailed Description of Your Experience: Again, this is the place to sell yourself as a professional. When filling out your profile, be sure to use the Summary section to include relevant education and experience as well as a few facts that will add a personal touch.
  • Network: LinkedIn is a great place to network with other people in the industry. Take some time to see what others are saying and don’t be afraid to share your valuable insight with your network.

 

No matter which social networks you choose to focus on, social media is a great way for you to connect with both clients and peers. What works for some may not work for others, so don’t be afraid to test the waters and see what works for you!

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How to Host a Kid-Friendly Open House

April 5, 2017 By

As the warm weather approaches and the last days of school are in sight, your open houses may start to become more of a family affair. Moving is not easy for parents or kids, and summer vacation provides families an opportunity to get settled in and adjust to their new surroundings. For this reason, spring is an ideal time to search for the new family home.

With more little ones popping up at your open houses, it’s wise to consider a few ways to keep them occupied so that their parents can have a good look and overall, a great experience. Here are four tips for hosting an open house that is fun for the whole family.

 

Hire a babysitter.

Bring in a responsible young adult to look after the kids. Depending on the home and the weather, they can bring the party outdoors or plan a few low-key indoor activities to keep them occupied.

 

Set up a movie or popular kids’ show.

If you’re looking for something more simple, have a few age-appropriate programs ready to play and provide some healthy, mess-free snacks.

 

Send them on a scavenger hunt.

If you want to get creative, place a few small “treasures” around the house for kids to find. Give them a list of items to look for and have some small prizes on hand to give away.

 

Create an activity table.

The kitchen is a great place to set up an activity center—put out washable crayons and a few coloring books or activity sheets. Try to get books for a variety of ages to appeal to all of the kids visiting.
If you do decide to make your open houses kid-friendly, make sure to let people know. Taking the extra steps to accommodate the whole family will not only be appreciated by the parents, it may allow them to better visualize their family in the home and bring you closer to adding a “SOLD” sign to the front lawn.

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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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Home Seller Secrets: 5 Innovative Ways to Market Your Home

October 22, 2015 By

Don’t let the dream of selling your home quickly and efficiently be deflated with a pile of worries. Remember a few tips that will may make the process easier.

Say cheese:

Professionally photographed homes may garner more attention from buyers as they decide which properties to visit in person. Hire a photographer to make your home look clean and bright. If hiring someone isn’t in your budget, use a high-quality DSLR camera, and take pictures when it’s sunny and mid-day, maximizing the light exposure.

Fix up, look sharp:

One should never judge a book by its cover—except in the case of buying a house. Take advantage of this time selling your home by sprucing it up.

  • Move furniture closer to the walls (about an inch). This displays the maximum amount of space your rooms have to offer.
  • Power-wash the exterior of your home—including the backyard space—to give the outer layers new life.
  • Declutter closets, laundry rooms, and other storage spaces. Again, it’s important to show off the amount of storage you have.

If you build it, they will come:

Hosting a website with builders like Squarespace and Wix.com is relatively cheap, plus the process of building it is rather straightforward. Since you’re in full control of what you what to exhibit, you can highlight the aspects of your home that would draw in your dream buyer. Stone-paved driveway? A spacious oak terrace in the backyard? Marble counters in the kitchen and bathroom? Show it off!

Believe in signs:

In addition to using digital tools, a traditional sign on the front lawn may catch the attention of buyers who are already be browsing the neighborhood.

Make the open house count:

Your open house may be your most important deciding factor for buyers. Therefore, be sure to follow this open house checklist and to avoid these staging mistakes.

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