marketing – Page 8 – Help-U-Sell® Connect

Broker Focus: Ginger Davis

Ginger Davis of Help-U-Sell Lake Tahoe Properties

Ginger Davis, co-owner of Help-U-Sell Lake Tahoe Properties, got her real estate license “for fun” eight years ago. After making real estate her career (she has a Master’s in speech pathology) in 2005, she shows no signs of looking back, just ahead.

Davis opened her Help-U-Sell office in 2006 with her husband, after buying a house from and working at an Assist-2-Sell office. She liked the business model, looked at the other options and ultimately chose to become a Help-U-Sell franchisee. With the downturn in the market over the past few years, her husband switched careers and became a general contractor. Davis brought on a new partner earlier this year in an effort to grow her business.

She met partner Brenda Knox while they both were serving on a non-profit’s board. It was a perfect fit. Knox had recently sold her business, and she has an MBA and a real estate license. Davis can now concentrate on the sales aspect that she loves, while Knox is focusing on administration, including optimizing the office’s website and taking advantage of the other benefits Help-U-Sell offers its franchisees.

Davis says the goal for 2013 is to bring on at least two more agents. The Lake Tahoe area has seen growth this year in terms of more full-time residents purchasing property in what has historically been a vacation-home market.

Second-home buyers remain important, so advertising to the two markets requires creativity and balance. “We still [advertise in] ‘Homes & Land’ because vacationers come to town and pick that up,” she says. Zillow and Trulia also help reach the second-home buyers, but Davis adds that her office also does “quite a bit of local radio” because it’s a small community. Print and direct mail factor into the marketing equation as well. “We’re constantly looking at it and seeing what we can do differently,” she says. The office is located in a highly visible new building, too.

For new Help-U-Sell franchisees, Davis encourages them to be able to step back and take a breath to focus on planning for the year. “Know that the business will come,” she says. She also advocates getting involved in the community as a whole and in the Realtor community in particular. “It’s important for agents in the community to see who you are and it helps them understand the Help-U-Sell business model better.”

Share with us your goals for 2013 or your advice for new franchisees.

Sold and Saved Banners Added to Broker Websites

During our annual Help-U-Sell Success Summit, several brokers requested we add a Sold and Saved $x,xxx banner to all Sold listings on the broker websites.

Last week, we worked on this feature and launched it over the weekend. You will now have the option to show either a Sold banner on your sold listings, or the Sold and Saved $x,xxx banner.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Sold and Saved Banner — By request from some of our brokers at this month's Success Summit, we've added Sold and Saved banners to the broker websites.

We calculate the dollar savings by taking the amount you reported on the listing side of the transaction (if you represented the seller only), add 3% for the selling side, then compare the savings to a 6% commission. If you represented both the seller and the buyer, we take what you reported on both the listings and selling sides and compare it to a 6% commission.

We also are aware that in some cases, such as REOs, you may receive a full 6% on the transaction and therefore have $0 savings. To account for this, we will only display the Sold and Saved banner when the savings exceed $1,000. When the savings are below $1,000, we will only display the Sold banner.

We look forward to your feedback on this new feature. We also want to thank the brokers who participated at this year’s Success Summit and came up with this and several other great initiatives.

New Help-U-Sell Marketing Materials

We have created new print marketing materials for you to use to build brand awareness and enhance your work with sellers.

Many of you already know about the updated seller brochure, which is a great tool for listing presentations. It features a blank Seller Savings Comparison chart that you fill out with the seller’s estimated home value and your office’s fees to demonstrate the seller’s potential savings. The brochure is available to order from Alexander’s Print Advantage, and it can be customized with your office’s name and contact information. View the brochure and order it here.

New folders with the current branding will be available on Alexander’s Print Advantage within the next couple of weeks also. A preview of the back and front of the folder is below. There will not be contact information on the back as shown. Customization proved too costly. The folders will have slots for your business card in an inner flap. Pricing has yet to be determined.

The new Help-U-Sell Real Estate folders will be available to order soon.

Let us know what you think of the new materials and if you have requests for other items.

Five Tips for Success in the Luxury Real Estate Market

Help-U-Sell Westside Realty's Beverly Hills property listing — The sale of this $6 million Beverly Hills home is pending. It is listed with Help-U-Sell Westside Realty.

Being a set-fee broker and selling high-end real estate shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. In fact, this is where Help-U-Sell Real Estate should thrive. We can save luxury home sellers the most money.

Earlier this year, Henry Ho, of Help-U-Sell Westside Realty in Los Angeles, sold a $10.5 million apartment complex, saving the seller a few hundred thousand dollars.

Help-U-Sell Grein Group in Stafford, Va., can also claim success in high-end real estate. If you would like to enter into this market, Bettina Grein and Henry Ho offer the following advice.

Send targeted mailings to upscale neighborhoods. Grein says her office mails just-listed and just-sold cards. The cards also make a point of emphasizing how much sellers saved versus a 6% commission. The savings are particularly powerful once you’ve sold a luxury home.
Prove your expertise. “The client has to feel comfortable that you have knowledge and expertise to handle more expensive properties,” Ho says. Study the local high-end market, know how to analyze and interpret financial statements and hone your negotiating skills. If you’re looking to break into a more specialized market, such as apartment buildings, get certified.
Be tech savvy. Take advantage of all the available tools for marketing a home and be prepared to show examples, says Ho.
Use personal referrals. Ho believes testimonials from mutual contacts are your best form of advertising. Who in your center of influence knows potential upscale sellers?
Give a strong explanation of how Help-U-Sell works. Grein says because high-end homeowners are often type-A personalities with high expectations, it is crucial to demonstrate that Help-U-Sell performs the same services as traditional brokerages.

The luxury real estate market is yours for the taking. If you have more tips or if you try this advice with success, share with us.

See You in November!

We’re finalizing plans for next month’s Success Summit, which will take place Nov. 12-13 in Orlando. This year, the focus will be on Help-U-Sell® Core Marketing and will feature special guest Pete Codella, who will teach us how to build and maintain a profitable online presence. We’ll also unveil new technology and have fun mingling with and learning from each other. Some of our top producers will be sharing their secrets to success, as well.

Read more about the Success Summit and register at http://seminars.helpusell.com.

If you can, come early for REALTORS Conference & Expo. We’ll be in the expo hall again this year.

Check out this rendering of our booth! It’s similar to last year’s but with a more contemporary light gray color and red carpet to match the new marketing materials.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Booth Rendering — Our booth for this year's REALTORS Conference & Expo

We would love for you to help out at the booth (#619) or just stop by to say “hi.” Expo-only passes for NAR members are just $25, and the Clarion Inn & Suites will honor our $92/night room rate before and after the Summit. Our block of rooms is almost sold out, so call the hotel (800-826-4847) and make your reservations as soon as possible.