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| I am really bad at the politics of competition. I will walk into an arena of competing associates and really believe they are willing to help and lend a hand in that great new “web 2.0″ way of sharing the love. But no.
No it isn’t so. The latest was me being bloody naive when I thought of marketing two different products and tweeting about it. Talk about cold shoulders from a large group of people.
I work with both products Ubertor and myRealPage. Both companies offer hosted websites for Realtors. As a designer and marketing person, I don’t see why I would limit my clients to one. Dumb of me to think everyone would understand.
In fact, there are more people rutted into their brand than my Grandpa was with his Ford. Once a Ford man always a ford man. People like this are your best marketers because they over compensate the products actual abilities as well as slander (without any legal liable) the competitors. Gramps hated anything import and was quite verbal about it. Case in point is this video “Ubertor vs myRealPage” from a Realtor making false statements. But wow, what a marketing plug for those who are unaware. A real user slamming the competition, (Interesting to note he’s selling Ubertor signups from his site, so I’m not too sure which it is, real user of selling agent)
Uberto or myRealPage, I have used both system for many years watching them change and grow. whether you choose Ubertor or myRealPage, each one is different and each has strengths and weaknesses. I want to offer as many marketing products as possible that I can help businesses brand and use. Cold shoulders can blindly follow like the old days. In the 2.0 version of open communication, perhaps there is a market out there for people who want a real choice, I’m hoping so.
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Originally published at An unbiased street view with curb appeal. You can comment here or there. | |
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| No matter how slow things get in the market place, when it comes to marketing and design the big players keep visible. They might decrease distribution but that means target market research goes up to maximize exposure and there is always the artwork and design no matter how small the campaign - whether it be social networking online or otherwise.
I am fortunate to be working with some of the best in the business and that some of the best in the business see me as the *Ka-Ching!* and keep up their marketing plans and value the branding consistency. I am fortunate to be listened to and on the flip side I am even more fortunate to be learning so much from them as well.
This is a good time for me and my clients seem to be doing quite well. I am grateful for this and my heart goes out to those hurt by the downturn.
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|  VANCOUVER, B.C. – February 3, 2009 – The first month of 2009 saw a continued reduction in the number of homes listed for sale in Greater Vancouver, while sales volumes in January were the lowest for that month since the early 1980s.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that sales of detached, attached and apartment properties declined 58.1 per cent in January 2009 to 762 from the 1,819 sales recorded in January 2008.
New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties declined 20.9 per cent to 3,700 in January 2009 compared to January 2008, when 4,675 new units were listed. Total active listings in Greater Vancouver currently sit at 13,966, down nearly 6,000 listings from October 2008.
Overall residential benchmark prices, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, declined 10.9 per cent to $489,007 between Januarys 2008 and 2009.
“Home sales and consumer confi dence are at a low point at the moment, but the long-term strength and security of our housing market are beyond the reach of the economic clouds of today,” Dave Watt, REBGV president said.
“Today’s short-term conditions are creating long-term opportunities. Buying opportunities have not been this strong in a decade, with low interest rates, broad selection and more affordable prices,” Watt said.
Sales of detached properties declined 54.4 per cent to 292 from the 641 detached sales recorded during the same period in 2008. The benchmark price for detached properties declined 11.2 per cent to $659,638 in January 2009 compared to $742,490 January 2008.
Sales of apartment properties in January 2009 declined 58 per cent to 361, compared to 860 sales in January 2008. The benchmark price of an apartment property declined 11.6 per cent to $334,602 compared to $378,336 in January 2008.
Attached property sales in January 2009 were down 65.7 per cent to 109, compared with the 318 sales in January 2008. The benchmark price of an attached unit declined 8.1 per cent to $425,309 compared to $462,627 in January 2008.
~ Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver
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| I do single property websites using Wordpress. They are easy to manage and have many advantages all of which won’t be covered here. If you’re interested in doing this please don’t hesitate to contact me for more information.
Before you start ask yourself why. For some the answer is to offer something more to your client. It can make a client feel like a million bucks and can cost as little as $10 if you’re a DYI type. For others it’s about driving more traffic to the listing causing it to reach higher in search engines which in turn drives traffic to your own regular website. Of course you can have both but one is obviously harder to achieve than the other.
If you’re looking to have great search engine optimization [SEO] then don’t use the property address for the URL. Use a broader term. This way you can use the URL (and site for that matter) over again for a new listing down the road taking advantage of something called residual search traffic. The total numbers of clicks to your site matters. Also, expect it to not look as graphically pleasing as a brochure site that does not drive traffic. The use of Flash galleries and converting text to images so you can use a specific font type is completely the wrong way to go for a SEO site.
It’s still possible to please your client with thier address as a URL like 125LoveleyStreet.com since you can have more than one URL pointed to the the same website. Maybe advertise this one on the sign outfront since the address and the online information should go hand in hand. Don’t market the hell out of this address URL though. You may end up watering down the clicks to the single property website that you want to use continually.
Obviously you will have a link back to your regular site because active external links pointing to your site (among other things) is a great way to push traffic and search engine stats. How many realtors have external links pointing to their site? In the menu bar of your Single Property Website will be the usual “About” and “Contact” links both of which can carry the prospective client back to your real website.
It’s not as hard to put together as one might think. In fact there are a lot of ready made Wordpress Themes specificly designed for this exact use. The Single Property Website is something more you can add to your arsenal of marketing systems offered a prospective listing. I will provide a single page brandable write-up on the subject for use in your Property Evaluation to give to your client.
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|  VANCOUVER, B.C. – December 2, 2008 – November reductions in home sales and prices have helped improve affordability in Greater Vancouver. However, November also saw a corresponding decrease in the number of new homes coming onto the market.
In its most recent statistics release, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver declined 69.7 per cent in November 2008 to 874 from the 2,883 sales recorded in November 2007.
Residential benchmark prices, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, declined 12.8 per cent between May and November 2008, amounting to an 8.3 per cent year-to-date price reduction for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver between November 2007 and 2008. In May 2008, the overall residential benchmark price was $568,411, compared to $495,704 in November 2008.
“Times of turmoil, from which we always emerge, offer excellent opportunities to buy quality real estate,” says REBGV president, Dave Watt. “For those whose personal finances allow them to get involved, there are opportunities in today’s housing market that have not been seen in many years.
“The local real estate market is not immune to the current economic challenges globally; however, Canada’s disciplined lending structure has kept the mortgage landscape steady in these uncertain times.”
New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties declined 10.8 per cent to 3,012 in November 2008 compared to November 2007, when 3,377 new units were listed. Active listings in November declined 4.7 percent to 18,348 from the 19,257 active listings in Greater Vancouver in October 2008.
Sales of detached properties in November 2008 declined 69.8 per cent to 322 from the 1,067 units sold during the same period in 2007. The benchmark price for detached properties declined 8.6 per cent from November 2007 to $666,525. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for a detached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 13.6 per cent.
Sales of apartment properties declined 67.9 per cent last month to 410 compared to 1,276 sales in November 2007. The benchmark price of an apartment property declined 8.6 per cent from November 2007 to $342,315. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an apartment property in Greater Vancouver has declined 12.2 per cent.
Attached property sales in November 2008 decreased 73.7 per cent to 142, compared with the 540 sales in November 2007. The benchmark price of an attached unit declined 6.4 per cent between November 2007 and 2008 to $426,287. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an attached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 11 per cent. Click here to see the Graph
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| I have to get this out now because the Major Domo Real Estate Guru and owner of a real estate office I work at will be soon flying in from Santiago for Christmas. He was the one who told us last year to sell our houses by May of this year. At the time no one would have believed it except that it came from his mouth and this office knows to believe his words. Most Agents without this type of information are still standing around wondering what the hell happened.
I want to get this out before I hear what he says. If his predictions are the same as mine then it might look like I’ve just written his words. This post being dated before his arrival will prove these are my own words. What I write here is based on my own research and experience. This is my first real prediction on the local real estate market in Vancouver. That was a great big caveat. Don’t base your decisions on this please.
Now that I’ve written all that I don’t know how to start.
“I predict bla…” “Real estate in Vancouver will bla…”
“blab la bla”
Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin.
Against what most seem to say, I believe the local real estate market will continue to tank in Vancouver for the next few years. I have no idea why most believe this is going to be over by spring of 2009 because it won’t, (by my estimations). There are many reasons why I see this as a long term state of affairs and I promise to only touch on a few. Most of you are already bored and haven’t even got this far. At least you can tell I’m interested. And that’s really the point anyway. It’s all about me - learning to feel OK going against the grain.
Prices are still too high. Even though prices have dropped we are still over valued in most cases. It’s quite easy to sell a place in this market. Price it below where the market is heading, not where the market is right now. Most sellers don’t do this. Many sellers can’t price reasonably because they have purchased at too high a price a few years earlier. What happens instead is they choose a price based on what sold last week and then every month or so they adjust the price down following the market down like water in a toilet bowl.
There are no first time buyers. Most Real Estate transactions in the last few years were by property owners and a lot of those were investors. Even now that prices have dropped mortgage restrictions have taken many of the would be first time buyers right out of the game. Even those who became first time buyers a year ago may have a hard time finding a new mortgage due to new regulations if they decided to move today.
There are no investors. I’m already getting tired of the term “global crises”. On the world level, Canada is doing just a little to well. Investors find the US to be full of a lot more bargains than here. Places like Miami for instance are as low as -50% their regular going prices.
So if you had listened to my guru friend last year and sold right before the drop, you would have a couple hundred thousand buckeroos in your pocket right now. And had you taken that nice nest egg and purchased in Miami when the Canadian Dollar was near par with the US Dollar and waited the few years I believe it’s going to take… Let’s just say there is money to be made in Real Estate and it’s not too late.
I think it’s still a great time to get out and get liquid because my thinking is the worst is yet to come.
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|  VANCOUVER, B.C. – November 3, 2008 – Housing price reductions across Greater Vancouver over the last six months have eliminated price gains witnessed in the first quarter of 2008.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential benchmark prices, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, declined 8.8 per cent between May and October 2008, resulting in a 3.9 per cent year-to-date price reduction for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver between Octobers 2007 and 2008. In May 2008, the overall residential benchmark price was $568,411, compared to $518,668 in October 2008.
“Home sales are not keeping pace with the positive economic conditions in BC,” said REBGV president, Dave Watt. “That’s a direct result of a loss of consumer confidence in the overall market. Accordingly, today’s housing market is characterized by moderating home prices and wide selection. It’s definitely a buyer’s market.”
Residential property sales in Greater Vancouver declined 55 per cent in October 2008 to 1,364 from the 3,028 sales recorded in October 2007.
Active listings totalled 19,257 in October 2008, a three per cent decline from the 19,852 active listings reported in September 2008. New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties increased one per cent to 4,867 in October 2008 compared to October 2007, when 4,819 new units were listed.
Sales of detached properties in October 2008 declined 56.5 per cent to 493 from the 1,133 sales recorded during the same period in 2007. The benchmark price for detached properties declined 4.7 per cent from October 2007 to $695,962. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for a detached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 9.8 percent.
Sales of apartment properties in October 2008 declined 52.7 per cent to 647, compared to 1,368 sales in October 2007. The benchmark price of an apartment property declined 3.5 per cent from October 2007 to $358,359. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an apartment property in Greater Vancouver has declined eight per cent.
Attached property sales in October 2008 are down 57.5 per cent to 224, compared with the 527 sales in October 2007. The benchmark price of an attached unit declined 1.4 per cent in Greater Vancouver between October 2007 and 2008 to $448,152. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an attached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 6.4 per cent.
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| If you are contemplating waiting until the spring of 2009 I am fairly confident home prices will be lower by as much as another 10%. For maximum profit and to preserve as much of your equity as possible selling today may be the right way to go.
The attention of a seasoned realtor can help navigate you through this difficult period. Anyone can sell real estate when the market is hot. With the current market condition, it takes a certain level of professionalism, experience, and good old-fashioned hard work to assist you, someone who has been there before. I know such people, Just ask.
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| VANCOUVER, B.C. – September 2, 2008 – The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver declined 42.9 per cent in September 2008 to 1,585 from the 2,776 sales recorded in September 2007.
New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties increased 28.8 per cent to 6,142 in September 2008 compared to September 2007, when 4,770 new units were listed.
“After five years of unprecedented increases, housing prices are beginning to realign,” REBGV president, Dave Watt said. “Although the economic situation in the United States has affected consumer confidence globally, the consensus view remains that our local housing market is underpinned by solid economic fundamentals.”
Sales of detached properties in September 2008 declined 50.3 per cent to 546 from the 1,099 units sold during the same period in 2007. The benchmark price, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, for detached properties declined 1.6 per cent from September 2007 to $726,331. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for a detached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 5.8 per cent.
Sales of apartment properties declined 35.1 per cent last month to 764, compared to 1,177 sales in September 2007. The benchmark price of an apartment property declined 0.7 per cent from September 2007 to $369,062. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an apartment property in Greater Vancouver has declined 5.2 per cent.
Attached property sales in September 2008 decreased 41.9 per cent to 450, compared with the 775 sales in June 2007. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 7.6 per cent between June 2007 and 2008 to $476,585. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an attached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 3 per cent.
~REBGV
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