I have been working the in the real estate world for just over five years and have been around it since I was a wee child (both of my parents are Realtors). I have moved five or six times locally in seven years, but I have never directly asked myself or my clients this question – What do you want to know about the area that will either help you move or help you decide to move here? – Schools- Crime Rates- Employment- Grocery Stores- Public Transport- Recycling- What is there to do?- What have you been looking for online that you just cannot find?A general, all-encompassing question that usually elicits the responses above is this – “What, if anything, do you want or need to be “close to?”” Listening is my best weapon which I use to discern my clients’ wants and needs. I just need to be sure I am asking the right questions.
Browsing Category Questions for readers
Website updates
Maintaining an efficient and profitable real estate website takes an awful lot of time; I’ve been working for the past hour or so already.Two notables additions: – I have added an RSS feed for this blog to my real estate site’s homepage.- I added a podcast page the other day.Little tweaks: – Added a few keywords to hopefully increase traffic. – Deleted some older information.- Moved a few things around in general.My constant question is this – what are consumers/buyers/sellers looking for in a real estate website? What would encourage them to return? To bookmark my site rather than search others?
What do you want to know?
What questions do you have about the Central Virginia real estate market? What interests you? Our real estate market touches most people who live and work in the Charlottesville area, whether they own real estate or not – land use freedoms and restrictions, transportation projects and bottlenecks, what impact a 5% reduction in property values may have, property tax increases, etc. How many people commute to Charlottesville? What happens if tourists become residents?What piques your interest?
Morning thought
Do people not walk or bike places because the infrastructure is not there or do they not build the infrastructure because folks don’t want to walk or bike places? What impact will gas prices have on development in the short- and long-term?
Cooling.
When America’s housing boom finally ends, don’t expect a loud pop.”It’s not going to be a big dramatic event,” says William Apgar, senior scholar at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.From today’s WSJ.I wish I could do a poll like the snapshot I took from their site (see below) to gauge the Charlottesville area’s public perception. In this situation, I believe that perception is going to be as, if not more important than reality.
What do you want in a Realtor?
Integrity, prompt response time and commitment are among the most important factors consumers consider when choosing a real estate agent, according to a new survey.It’s a darn shame that integrity is something that is such a rarity, rather than a simple expectation. Maybe if the market slows a hair, some of those Realtors lacking integrity may choose another profession.Most survey participants agreed that the integrity of an agent is the single-most important factor in their choice.
Alternative advertising?
I am looking for alternative methods of advertising. Most of the local outlets (C-Ville, The HooK, Daily Progress, AlbemarleFamily, etc.) are already super-saturated with Realtor ads. I want something more grass-roots. Something that will grow (and grow with) my business.