Help-U-Sell Real Estate Develops Real-Time Market Statistics Tool

Help-U-Sell Real Estate has launched a new tool that provides home buyers and sellers real-time information about their local real estate markets.

Called Market Sketch, the tool uses local Multiple Listing Service data to display statistics such as median list prices, average square footage, days on market, and total inventory for the selected city. Users can also choose to view statistics by property type, including land, multifamily and single-family. Once enough data have been collected, users will be able to customize the time frame. Charts compare the number of properties sold per month and the median price per square foot, among other facts.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate's new Market Sketch statistics tool
Help-U-Sell Real Estate's new Market Sketch tool displays real-time local real estate information, including days on market and total inventory.

In addition to graphs and charts, written sections explain the status of the local real estate market. Brokers can personalize certain elements, and the office’s contact information is included.

Brokers will be able to send the information to their buyers and sellers via a direct link, and users can register to receive their local Market Sketch via a monthly email. If the broker wishes to use Market Sketch as a lead-generation registration tool, he or she can opt to require registration before a user can view the most recent statistics.

The broker’s current listings are displayed in the right-hand column to encourage users to browse properties for sale. Dynamic interest rate charts, and daily mortgage and interest rate news show up below the current listings.

See an example of Market Sketch on Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties’ site.

Top Producers for July 2013

Matt Kellam, broker/owner of Help-U-Sell Keystone Realty
Matt Kellam's office, Help-U-Sell Keystone Realty, closed 12 transaction sides in July.
The dog days of summer didn’t slow down our top-producing offices in July.

1) Still holding down #1, Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties finished the month with a sweet 16 closed sides. Two were buyer sides, 10 were seller sides, and two were dual-sided transactions.

2) Help-U-Sell Detwiler Realty, in Carlisle, Penn., had 14 closed sides: one buyer, seven seller, and three dual-sided transactions.

3) Also in Pennsylvania, Help-U-Sell Keystone Realty wrapped up July with a dozen closed sides, consisting of nine buyer sides, one seller side, and one dual-sided transaction.

4) Help-U-Sell Grein Group, serving Stafford, Va., closed 10 sides. The breakdown was three buyer sides, five seller sides and one dual-sided transaction.

Congratulations! We can’t wait to see what you all accomplish this month!

[Figures as of August 6, 2013.]

A Testimonial for Testimonials

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Testimonials
Help-U-Sell Real Estate is making it easier for its franchisees to localize their testimonials pages.

Word of mouth, especially in the service sector, has always been one of the top ways people make buying decisions. In this information age where it’s so easy to share reviews, word of mouth is more important than ever.

Testimonials can and do bring new clients to Help-U-Sell Real Estate brokers regularly. Help-U-Sell Federal City Realty’s Marc Dosik reports that he has acquired buyers and sellers through the power of positive reviews on Yahoo! and Zillow, to name two. Steve Vincent, broker/owner of Help-U-Sell Triad Realty, posts his testimonials to his Facebook business page, and sometimes his clients write their testimonials directly on his page.

Each of our franchisees have a Testimonials page on the broker site, as well. Many are still populated with the national testimonials provided by the home office. We strongly encourage localizing this page with your clients singing your praises, but we know this is easier said than done. To help our brokers get more local feedback, we are working on creating an automated email that will send out a testimonial request form to a seller as soon as the transaction is marked “closed” in the Office Management System. Once the form is filled out and sent back, the broker can review the response and make any necessary changes before posting it on the Testimonials page.

We plan to have this completed in time for the Success Summit in October.

Tell us your success stories that came from testimonials.

Success Summit Update

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Success Summit
The third annual Help-U-Sell Success Summit will cover marketing, technology and coaching topics as selected by our brokers.

As many of you know, our third annual Success Summit will take place from October 22-24 in Las Vegas. Read more about it, including how to book your hotel rooms, in an earlier Connect post.

Who’s Coming

So far, we have about 30 registered attendees from coast to coast: Virginia and North Carolina to Arizona and California. If you have not yet registered, please do so at seminars.helpusell.com.

What’s on the Agenda

The survey results are in! Thank you all for responding to the Summit Survey. In the coming weeks, we will flesh out the agenda. Based on your input, topics will include:

* brainstorming new marketing materials
* creating your marketing plan and analysis
* optimizing your Facebook business page
* generating web leads
* creating drip email campaigns
* taking your business to the next level
* troubleshooting your office

Many of you told us that learning from your fellow Help-U-Sell brokers was highly important, so we will also set aside time for fluid, purposeful networking conversations.

We have other surprises up our sleeves that you won’t want to miss. See you in Vegas!

Attracting Younger Buyers and Sellers

The National Association of REALTORS released the first ever Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report last week. The 104-page document compares the habits, practices, beliefs and goals of the Silent Generation, people born between 1925 and 1945, and all subsequent generations through the Millennials, who were born between 1980 and 2000.

The National Association of Realtors Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report
A new report from the National Association of Realtors report outlines the differences among younger and older home buyers and sellers.

Based on some of the data regarding the younger generations, Help-U-Sell Real Estate is perfectly poised to assist them in their real estate transactions.

Younger buyers are more likely to want help understanding the process because they’re most often inexperienced in purchasing a home. Help-U-Sell offices often have agents dedicated to working with buyers, and our specialized Jack Bailey Buyer Consultant Training program is nearing completion.

The majority of Millennials who sold their homes used a full-service brokerage, but they were more likely than other generations to opt for limited service, presumably due to less equity in their properties. With a business model that offers full service (or less, if desired) for a low fee, Help-U-Sell is a perfect fit for the newest generation of homeowners.

Why are the younger buyers and sellers a desirable demographic? According to the report’s findings, they are the most optimistic, and younger sellers are the most likely to use the same broker or agent for their next purchase.

What can you do to attract Millennials?

* Make sure you’re easy to find online.

* Consider creating a Facebook ad that targets that age group who live in your area. You can further home in on potential buyers and sellers by selecting people who are newlyweds or just had a child, factors that could precipitate a move.

* Avoid the hard sell. Instead, offer information in a conversational tone.

* For buyers, write a blog series or create a drip email campaign geared toward educating first-time buyers.

* For sellers, let them know about your low set fee and how they can save the most money. These tips can include staging on a budget and how to market their property to friends, co-workers and neighbors, along with the different ways your office works with sellers.

What tips do you have for working with younger buyers and sellers?