Real Estate Virtual Assistant

 Since joining AR only a week or so ago, I have to say its topped my list of addictions, and its quickly growing on me!  One of the other websites I frequent is my local "Community Website" It was started by a local agent, and provides a forum for me and all of my neighbors to sit around and exchange just about anything....our garage sales, annoying neighbors, recommendations, you get the picture. Our sponsoring agent joins in, and has links to his various websites etc. He now has firmly planted himself in this community as the guy to go to for real estate!

Upon the success of his website I suggested the idea to my clients who farm a gated , luxury property/golf course community, and we have since started our own "community website" Although its been a little slow to start, the little community is starting to talk. We sprung for a more elaborate community website, that allows us more creativity, drip emails (to opted in members), HTML newsletters, plus links to all of our other sites. I act as administrator and moderator, and chief newsletter creator. But it has a community photo album, classified section, and well, members could even blog if they wanted to! Listing percentages for that farm are up, and the interaction keeps my clients names circulating when it comes to real estate, plus its a soft sell, service oriented approach, to working your farm~

I just think with all the great info you AR members have to  share, not to mention the personalities, it is a great way to stay in front of future potential clients. Just a thought..)

Has anyone else tried this? What were your results like?

  Ok, so today I stumbled across yet another marketing idea...listing cards..?  There is a website that you can drag and drop a listing photo text etc. , your branding stuff and make a business card size version of a listing flyer.  I like the idea of agents being able to give those cards to the Sellers, and let them take the cards and pass them out..sort of to get a taste of marketing their own property! Drop the cards off anywhwere and to anybody...even windshields of cars! I could think of a million possibilities~ Especially if the property has its own website~ My point.....?

Because it never fails, when things slow down, all of a sudden we're not "doing enough" to market their property. I hear amazing things come from my clients, the things that sellers say when the property sits on the market. The excitement they felt at the listing presentation, now turns to frustration. They question their choice in agent as they are bombarded everyday with other agents marketing stuff coming in the mail, being dropped off on doorsteps, etc. Maybe they should have gone with "Rhonds Realtor" instead of "Andy Agent"...the second thoughts creep in. 

Maybe you could use it, maybe its not really cost effective on every listing. But wouldn't be nice to have a handy little bag of items to pull out when your seller starts to get antsy? I need some more ideas for the bag...got any?

OK, So here I am a Virtual Assistant, manually imputting my clients listings on Craigslist.com.  7 days later, I'm typing in the same info over again. But, something always nags me...from my creative eye the listings look terrible...no matter that my ad copy sounds great~ that luxury home doesn't look any better than the overpriced condo down the street!  

Upon further review of the competition, I'm noticing listing ads that look like nice flyers, or website screen shots or something...BUT they are far more professional looking that what I'm putting in. so my detective work begins.  I go to Craigslist HELP, nothing, I post a help ticket, nothing.  Finally in very small print I find out that Craigslist will accept HTML code in the text portion of posting form. hhhhmmmmm. So I go to my clients website where we can pull up a web-flyer for our listings, color photos, link to V-tours, etc, etc.  I copy/pasted the web-flyer into my HTML editor that I use to create web-based newsletters, flick the switch to translate the flyer back to HTML, then wala....I copy/paste the code in my Craigslist posting, and now my clients listings look like beautiful flyers! Even the links all work!

So, I think there is something to be said for using Craigslist, when you can get your listings, or your marketing to stand out above the others...best of all its FREE!  Except for the Virtual Assistant ...of course:)