Technology Helps Home Buyers Connect With Real Estate Agents! Here's How!

When looking for your next home, Technology has changed the way real estate agents communicate with their clients! There are so many tools out there, here are a few that can make your next transaction smooth and easy!

Street View on Google Maps

When you have found a home that you love, if you go to Google Maps, there is an option to look at the home from the Street View. This allows buyers to preview subdivisions and get a 360-degree view of the community to narrow their likes and dislikes.

Mobile Apps

According to the 2013 Digital House Hunt study, mobile applications are used by 68 percent of new-home shoppers during their search. Keller Williams Realty agents have a branded mobile home search app which allows home buyers to hunt for homes in multiple ways; using GPS-based searches, map searches, or lifestyle features like proximity to restaurants. There are mobile apps that will aid buyers in their search such as; the iPMT mortgage calculator, DotLoop electronic signatures for documents, and GreatSchools Finder which gives school test scores and ratings.

Cloud-Based Tools

Leveraging the cloud gives you easy access to information and the ability to sync files across mobile devices. Cloud services for document storage, like Evernote, Carbonite, and Google Drive, can make sharing files with clients easy. 

Hyperlocal Websites

Buyers are looking for specific information on communities through hyperlocal data on your website. This should include links to information on the schools, property tax rates, neighborhood amenities, things to do for families in the community and much more. Having relevant, local content on your site that is updated regulary, is vital if you want to show up on search engines.

Video

86 percent of buyers say they like videos to learn nore about a community or property. Several programs are making it easier to shoot, edit and upload videos, such as video editor apps like Videolicious, Magisto, and Animoto Video Maker. For out of town or international buyers, UStream can be used for live video streaming so you can 'show' the home to buyers. Many agents are using video to introduce themselves, detail the buying process, and show testimonials. 

Technology plays a critical role in helping more buyers forward. It's providing agents with the ability to connect with clients of younger generations. It is also allowing buyers to start building a relationship with their agent before they even call! As more buyers start their home search online, if agents are not using technology in their real estate business, they are missing out on a large population. 

For more information on how Technology is helping the world move forward, visit Technology Turtles!

Social Media Users Outsell Other Salespeople

Social media may be the key to ramping up sales. In 2012, 72.6 percent of salespeople who used social media for selling out-performed those who weren't using social media, according to new research conducted by Jim Keenan, a social sales specialist. What’s more, Keenan’s firm found that social media users were 23 percent more likely to exceed sales quotas than their non-social peers.

 

More than 40 percent of those surveyed say they've closed between two and five deals as a result of social media. Another 10 percent of respondents attributed their social media efforts directly to closing transactions.

 

So how much time are successful salespeople devoting to social media? Keenan’s firm found that 50 percent of salespeople say they spend less than 10 percent of their selling time using social media. The top sites they identified were (in order) LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and Google+.

 

Society has become more visual; if a person doesn't have to read, you will keep their attention longer. This means that photos and short videos are becoming more prevalent in today's marketing strategies. The one thing to remember when starting out in the wide world of social media, is do one thing at a time. It is OK if you are not immediately on every social media site, choose one that you feel most comfortable with, and focus your time on that until you are ready to go to the next level.

It's time to get social, create a profile, find people that you know, and start posting information that  you are passionate about. When you are passionate, others notice and they are drawn in to find out more. It is important to find others that you know on the social platform that you choose because you want to cultivate a meaningful relationship with them. When someone mentions you in a post, or tags you in a photo, make sure you respond! (Even if it to 'like' their post.) This will get your name and photo in front of a larger group, and slowly, you will see your following and influence grow!

10 Dos and Don'ts of Using Facebook in Your Business

Facebook has become the main way to stay in touch with your family, friends, sphere of influnce and even past clients! It is also a great way to show your potential clients that there is a person behind the website. Show the world that you are multi-faceted, you are a person, have a family, have interests outside of work, and run a business. A common misconception is that Facebook is for selling, but it is actually meant for building relationships and sharing ideas, so be a personality, not a salesperson, when you post or update your status.

 

1. Do share personal tidbits about your life. Let people know you have interests outside of real estate. But not even your mother wants to know what you ate for breakfast—unless it was something really memorable.
2. Do visit the pages of your clients and friends, and “like” their posts. Then follow up with a phone call or note that shows you actually care.
3. Do be genuine. Post items that you are truly passionate about.
4.   Do make your personal profile somewhat public. Your personal profile will come up higher in online search results than your business page. Set at least half of your items to “public” through the privacy controls so potential clients can actually learn a little about you.
5. Do group your friends into lists. A “Local Folks” list can receive your invitations to local events. A “Clients” list enables you to check in with them easily.
6. Don’t post virtual tours on your personal profile. Just don’t.
7. Don’t auto-post from a third party. Your page will look like it’s run by a robot.
8. Don’t self-promote. It’s as much of a turnoff on Facebook as it is in person.
9.  Don’t post negative comments about people. It tells others that you might talk about them that way.
10. Don’t forget to log in daily.  To be successful, consistency is key.

 

Remember that Facebook can be used to promote your business, but ultimately, you are in the business of creating and maintaining relationships. In a relationship, it is important to talk about what you are passionate about, and ask others what they are interested in. Then listen! Find out what your friends are interested in and share articles that they might want to read about, like and comment on their posts to show that you are just as interested in them as you want them to be about you!

2014 Terms to Know When Using a Smartphone

Cell phones are everywhere, and most of them are Smartphones. Society has become hooked, everywhere you look, kids in school, adults, even seniors are using them. When you enter a phone store there are so many different brands, features, and service compatibility. It's hard to know which phone is better than the next, which phone has all the 'new' technology and which phone will have the function to do what you want it to. Here are some terms to know when reading the info cards next to all the phones on the wall of the phone store.

 

3G, 4G: This refers to third- and fourth-generation mobile telecommunications services for high-speed culluar data transmission. While 4G is faster than 3G, LTE (below) is faster yet.

Android version: A version of Google’s popular operating system, which determines compatibility with software apps. It is denoted by both a name (generally a type of food) and a number. There are several, with the current version referred to as Android 4.4, or KitKat.

CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access, one of the competing 3G and 4G standards for radio transmissions over cellular communications networks, is used in the U.S. by providers Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular, and Sprint.

ETF: Early termination fee, which is the amount a cellular service subscriber must pay in order to terminate a service contract before it has ended.

GSM: Global Standard for Mobile Communications,the other 3G and 4G standard for radio transmissions of cellular communications, is the more popular wireless standard for mobile communications worldwide. It’s used in the United States by providers such as AT&T and T-Mobile.

Gesturing: Controlling a smartphone by moving your hand, eliminating the need to actually touch the screen.

LTE, WiMax: Standards for high-speed mobile broadband Internet service. WiMax is being phased out in favor of LTE, the newest standard.

SIM card: Subscriber identity module, a removable identity card required in GSM phones to activate the hardware and service.

Unlocked: A phone purchased without a service contract, usually at full retail price.

When choosing your next smartphone, you will be prepared to get the phone you want with the features that are best for you!