PFC Agent Update - propertyfinder.com

Top 5 tips on how to 'refresh' your business

2008-07-17T12:58:00Z

Brought to you by Owen Burns, Managing Director of The Academy

It may be hard to imagine right now but there are many positives that can be taken from this market place. Sure, this year you may not be picking the leather trim colour on your new Aston Martin, but it is a time where you can be refreshed and invigorated by applying a “spring clean” mentality to your business.

]]> The past 5 years have made us lazy. We have been able to place an applicants particulars into our software systems and the computer would say “yes”. Now, no matter what we put into our software, our CRM systems or our hot boxes, “the computer says no”. So let’s use this time effectively to really examine and scrutinise what is working for us and what will work for us when, not if, the market turns back again.

Here are five things you should be doing right now to get your business ready for the resurrection;

Look at your marketing spend. Online v’s Print? If you don’t know which rep to believe then use software such as Admeter to really find out what is working and what is not. It will save you hundreds of thousands over the life of your business.

Take the time to smell the roses, or at least the businesses around the world that are giving the best possible experience to their customers. Down times are a great time to adopt simple strategies and refine them in times of lower volume. Try www.mcgrath.com.au or www.estateagencyacademy.co.uk for great ideas.

Look at your software providers. Although there is an expense in changing providers, one that many of us can’t afford right now, it is a good time to assess the different capabilities of providers that will take you to the next stage. Check it out, what do you have to lose?

Train yourself to be the “worlds best” property stager. Customers will be the biggest winners to come out of this market through higher standards in marketing, presentation, service and professionalism. Make sure you are ready to capitilise.

Train, train, train. Throughout history the wars have been won by the best armies with the best training. Equip your team for today and prepare them for tomorrow. It need not be expensive with services such as The Academy and multiple industry events.

By clearing out the clutter in the downtime you will be in the best position to prosper in the good times.

For more information on The Academy training or to activate your FREE 7 day trial, visit www.estateagencyacademy.co.uk

Coming to a plasma screen near you...

2008-06-03T09:44:19Z

If you have a plasma screen in your window, then we have one attention grabbing presentation to display in it!

]]> Download the propertyfinder.com plasma screen display for your shop front or computer screen. It's bound to stop people in their tracks and show potential customers that because you're a member of propertyfinder.com, you can advertise their property on 14 top UK websites, including Sky, msn, Yahoo! and TimesOnline.

> Download Screen Display
(To Save the file right click on the above link, select the option 'Save Target As')

For more agent marketing material please visit www.propertyfinder.com/marketing.

How to inspire confidence in your customers

2008-05-28T15:32:51Z

With Industry reports and the media all talking about the recent fall in property prices what should you be doing in order to maintain momentum, increase your listings and ensure that your customers are confident?
Brought to you by Owen Burns, Managing Director of The Academy

]]>
In the first instance, you should go back to all your live sales who are waiting to exchange and reassure both your buyers and sellers that much of what is reported is based on an average spread across the country so does not necessarily reflect local conditions accurately. Any home that is in demand in any area will sell for a good
price irrespective of market conditions. Equally, if you are trying to sell a home where there are many similar properties for sale, you will have to ensure that your valuation is precise and your marketing is interesting and appropriate for your target buyers. In the vast majority of cases, a well presented property, appropriately priced and
properly marketed will sell.

Reassure your customers that despite the fact that property prices fell 2% on average nationwide, in many areas prices continued to rise, albeit at a slower rate. In Greater London for example, prices actually rose 1.3% and if the property market is looked at as a whole over a year, it is still growing at about 1% per quarter.

Also, this news needs to be looked at in a greater context i.e. the U.K. is still experiencing employment growth, we have low interest rates and the development of new houses is still failing to meet government targets which mean that in greater terms, the market is still buoyant. Identify all the properties that have been sold in your area over the last 2 months. Try and source as many examples of different properties as possible – by showing these to existing and prospective customers you will illustrate that the market locally is still in business.

Go back to any prospects from the last six months, especially those who you know are moving for the third or fourth time. These buyers are the most likely to have benefited from the house price rises over the last 15 years so will view a slower market as a good time to move.

In order to maximise these opportunities and inspire your customers you will need to start implementing them today – another day, another negative report in the media. Don’t wait until your customers have completely lost confidence and start pulling out of sales – communicate, communicate, communicate. You are the property market expert and will have seen difficult times before – use your knowledge and experience to demonstrate to your customers that you have ideas and solutions to make this a great time for them to move home.

For more information on The Academy training or to activate your FREE 7 day trial, visit www.estateagencyacademy.co.uk

Inman Connect Conference, San Francisco, 23 – 25 July 2008

2008-05-15T17:47:44Z

As part of the REA Group, propertyfinder.com is pleased to offer all its members a special discounted rate to attend the Inman Connect Conference in San Francisco from 23rd – 25th July 2008.

]]> Every year, technologists, estate agent professionals and industry leaders come together for this event to explore some of the most pressing issues the industry is facing, such as:

When is this market going to turn around?
Where are new buyers coming from?
Get Social or Die? Adapting to a new online environment.
How to get radical with your marketing.

As a propertyfinder.com member you can attend this high profile conference for a discounted rate of just £154 ($299). You can also register to become an Inman News member at a special rate of just £205 ($399) giving you access to a regular source of estate agency news, information, advice, research, opinion and commentary.

Visit www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008 to download the full conference program and to see details on membership.

To register for Connect SF 2008 using this exclusive offer, please email us at pfinfo@propertyfinder.com for the promo code

A picture tells a thousand words

2008-04-23T16:24:34Z

Selling a home is a courtship process and just like dating, first impressions count. Since the vast majority of house hunters begin on the internet, you have to make an immediate visual impact.

]]> Good photography is by far the best way to make your client’s property stand out and get a potential buyer really excited enough to contact you.

You need to include interior and exterior pictures to maximise appeal and remember that bad photos are almost as bad as no photos.

What’s more, sellers and landlords are put off by agents who don’t invest in good photography.

They want their agent to present their home at its absolute best.

Which property below do you think received the most visits and enquiries?

AdMeter - New Membership Feature

2008-04-23T15:45:01Z

Track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns with AdMeter - available to propertyfinder.com member agents.

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We’re pleased to introduce our new web-based system, AdMeter, which allows you to accurately track and measure online, in real-time, how many phone leads we send you.

PLUS you can also measure and monitor the effectiveness of ALL your marketing by assigning a specific number to letterbox drops, signboards, advertisements in your local press and even your website? You can have as many numbers as you like!

With an AdMeter number, you will find out exactly which media is performing best for your agency.

For more information and to retrieve your login details for your AdMeter account, please email us at pfinfo@propertyfinder.com.

Retention, Retention, Retention!

2008-04-23T14:19:59Z

It’s all too easy to forget about past or current clients and to just focus your time on gaining new ones. But when times are tough, it’s more important than ever to work on strategies to retain customers.

Brought to you by Owen Burns, Managing Director of The Academy

]]> It’s also important to remember that it’s not just the agent who is feeling the pinch right now, the home movers are too and so are our competitors, who, like you, will do anything right now to get their hands on your highly motivated vendors.

You should all be asking yourselves, “Why should that vendor stay with me?”

Have you achieved them a sale? Have you serviced them more than weekly? Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty to keep them happy and informed?

Regardless of your answer your competitors will be trying to convince them otherwise.

Below are 4 easy strategies that you can all implement today to help you retain your current customers;

Use an Individual Marketing Plan. This is a great reason to go back and reassess the situation with your customers. A simple conversation around how the market is moving everyday and therefore we need to plan accordingly should impress your current vendor enough to grant you an audience. But don’t be afraid to tell them what they need to hear.
Network with local businesses to create a service network where they will help you service your customers and you will help them attract new business. Perhaps you have contacts with local stores and could get access to boxes to help your customers pack for their move? Or you could arrange for a voucher for a coffee and cake at the local café. Better still, you could present this to them to use during accompanied viewings of their property.
Use a handwritten letter or card. It’s the little things that make a difference and a personal handwritten note or card can really let your customer know they are top of your mind and not just another number in your inventory.
Offer a service that puts your customer first. They will feel special and remembered and it will help generate more business than you thought possible. For example if you don’t have a suitable property for your buyer, book them into a “buying consultation” where you will of course take their details and requirements but also take them on a tour of your area showing them particular streets that may interest them and get their feedback whilst your are with them. If they like a particular street or property style then this gives you a reason to canvas that street because you know you have a motivated buyer.

For more information on The Academy training or to activate your FREE 7 day trial, where you can download this lesson in full as well as access other online training lessons visit www.estateagencyacademy.co.uk

WIN a £5,000 dream room make over!

2008-04-23T13:52:51Z

In April, we teamed up with Matalan to offer their millions of customers nationwide the opportunity to win a £5,000 dream room make over.

]]> The competition was heavily promoted through direct mail pieces to over 4 million Matalan card holders and to 720,000 customers registered to receive Matalan email communications, which resulted in driving hundreds of thousands of people to the propertyfinder.com website to look at your properties and to sign-up to Property Alerts and our monthly email newsletter.

View Properties on Google Maps

2008-03-10T14:37:08Z

Home movers on propertyfinder.com can now view all their properties they’ve searched for on one Google Map!

]]> This is a great new facility for our users as it allows them to search for properties by location, making it much easier and more enjoyable.

Try it out now...
As an estate agent, why not do a search in your area for property and select the View on Map tab (see image below). You can fly over your area, virtually, and get a clear picture of your market. View all your properties plotted on a map and keep a close birds eye on the competition.

Click here to do a search now.

2008 SEES NEW LIFE IN THE PROPERTY MARKET

2008-03-10T13:59:07Z

Interest from home movers has begun 2008 more briskly than some feared, according to the latest figures from propertyfinder.com.

]]> With the Land Registry reporting national prices up 0.9% in the month, and rises in all regions except Wales, estate agents and mortgage brokers have good reason to be a bit cheerier. Mortgage approvals showed a modest month on month recovery too, after taking seasonal changes into account. This has all been reflected in propertyfinder.com’s own statistics.

After the end 2007 lull, January visits to propertyfinder.com soared 104% with unique users up 90% compared to the previous month. But this is more than just a seasonal uptick. Compared to January 2007, the number of people searching for property rose 15%.

These visitors were not just idle browsers. propertyfinder.com also delivered 38% more leads from people expressing interest in specific properties to estate agents in January 2008 compared to January 2007.

Lettings were particularly strong. Online viewings of rental property rose 25% faster than properties for purchase and the number of leads propertyfinder.com delivered on rental properties rose 35% faster than leads on properties for sale.

Gillian Kent, chief executive of propertyfinder.com said: “2008 has started better than feared and we have seen a lot more interest from home movers than expected. While much of this reflects propertyfinder.com’s own growth, there is also some life in the market. Anecdotal evidence from some of the big estate agency chains shows increased properties on the market and increased interest from home buyers and renters. Mortgage approvals for house purchase have also picked up from their record lows, although they remain subdued. The rental market is where things are busiest and we are seeing phenomenal interest from people looking for good rental homes. Our lead generation for estate agents shows that people are not just browsing but actively seeking to move.”

WIN Instructions just by...

2008-03-10T13:46:16Z

Win instructions just by showing a potential vendor or landlord all the TOP UK websites you can advertise their property on.

]]> We have a whole suite of materials you can download now and put into your instruction packs, flaunt in your window, place in your print advertising or even embed a banner ad on your website.

Visit www.propertyfinder.com/marketing to start downloading now!

LETTINGS VERSION

SELLING VERSION

Check it out...
See how Urban Estate Agents has the Banner Ad on their site http://www.urbanestateagents.net

Keep your properties looking FRESH this SPRING!

2008-03-10T13:37:50Z

It’s SPRING, so keep refreshing your properties and brand on propertyfinder.com

]]> We’ve spoken to our users, and the one thing that they can’t stand is when they find out that their dream home was sold, leased or under contract over a week ago!

So, to keep your name and brand in the good books of potential customers, remember to update all your properties to sold/let as soon as you can.

propertyfinder.com continues to grow!

2008-02-25T13:45:08Z

The rapid growth of the internet has forever changed the way people buy, sell and let residential property.

As more and more home movers start their search online, propertyfinder.com provides its agent members with greater exposure and more enquiry than ever before.

Let's look at the facts for May 2008.

]]> FACT 1
The total number of unique visitors to the site has increased by 2%
May 07         1,814,510
May 08        1,856,562
YOY % Change   2%

FACT 2
The number of email enquiries sent to our estate agents increased by 41%

May 07          73,884
May 08       104,138
YOY % Change   41%

FACT 3
The number of people registered to propertyfinder.com increased by 36%

May 07 403,131
May 08 548,463
YOY % Change 36%

FACT 4
propertyfinder.com has an audience that you can’t reach on other property portals.

In May 2008:
60% of propertyfinder.com Unique Visitors didn't visit Rightmove
64% of propertyfinder.com Unique Visitors didn't visit FindaProperty
81% of propertyfinder.com Unique Visitors didn't visit PrimeLocation

Estate Agent Success Story on propertyfinder.com

2008-01-29T09:05:50Z

propertyfinder.com is pleased to hear that Christmas wasn’t quiet for Tony Baker of Bowens. Read how propertyfinder.com made Tony Baker of Bowens’ Christmas,

]]> Happy New Year!

Just thought I’d update you on being on your site. Considering the quiet time of year for me in late December 2007, I am very pleased with the level and quality of the enquiries which your site has generated.

On the Saturday, between Christmas and the New Year, when the office seemed dead, I was thrilled to take an enquiry from the site first thing in the morning which converted in to a successful let by early afternoon.

This looks very promising for the busy Spring market!

Regards and thank you.

Tony Baker
Bowens
South Birmingham.

If you would like to meet or talk to with one of our online marketing experts, just give us a call on 08700 758 888 or email us TODAY

Size Does Matter - For Your Property Photos!

2008-01-29T08:47:21Z

The quality of your pictures can make all the difference in a potential buyer, seller, landlord or tenant contacting you. Did you know we accept images, dimensions 800 x 600px?

]]>

If you would like to talk to us about your property photos, please give our Customer Care Team a call on
08700 758 888 or email us at support@propertyfinder.com