Real Estate Directory

Google changes ico for 2.0

Have you seen the new Google Ico? Its like from a Hawaiian space Scene.

I kind of am partial to the old Google. I guess this Google 2.0?

Men and Valentines Day and the Net

Men are more likely than women to use the Internet to aid them in their Valentine’s Day gift purchase, particularly to get gift ideas or find a store, this according to DoubleClick Performics.

Of 656 men and women surveyed 47% said they planned to use the Internet in shopping for a Valentine’s gift. However, 57% of men said they planned on using the Internet compared with only 39% of women.

“Retailers should understand the potential link between online research and in-store purchases, even for a simple item like Valentine’s Day candy,” says Stuart Larkins, vice president of search for DoubleClick. “No matter where consumers intend to make their purchases, online is proving to be a springboard and a key influencer for much of their purchase activities.”

Convenience was cited by 48% of consumers as the key reason for using the Internet for Valentine’s Day gift shopping

Convenience was followed by:

• better selection 18%
• less expensive 9%
• better quality 4%
• 19% said they weren’t sure why they were using the Internet

The key questions missing from the report is how many of the 48% who cite convenience actually admitted that they shopped online to their girlfriend or wife. And how many of those were accused of laziness instead of being convenient!   

Marketing Hispanic

• One out of ten U.S. internet users are Latino.
• 18.8 million of the 44.3 million Hispanics living in the United States today are online.
• By 2050, Latinos will be 29% of the entire American population.
• 32% of Latino adults who speak only Spanish go online

Videos

Comscore recently released December 2007 data from their Video Metrix service.  U.S. Internet users watched more than 10 billion videos online during the month, representing the single heaviest month for online video consumption since comScore initiated its tracking service. 

• 77.6 million viewers viewed 3.2 billion videos on YouTube.com (41.6 videos per viewer).
• 40.5 million viewers viewed 334 million videos on MySpace.com (8.2 videos per viewer).
• online viewers viewed an average of 3.4 hours (203 minutes) of online video during the month, representing a 34-percent gain since the beginning of 2007.
• The average online video duration was 2.8 minutes.
• The average online video viewer consumed 72 videos.

Realtor Marketing

Realtor Marketing

Real Estate SEO Services

"What I Want For Christmas is a House With a Garage..."

NAR just released their 2007 Profile of Home Buyers

What does the discriminating home buyer want most in 2007?

Extra garage space with two or more spaces in their homes. The want for an oversized garage is up 16% since 2004. One has to wonder if that is the increase in McMansions built?

The big key is that of 57% who say they want a bigger place for their wheels, 56% would have paid more the luxury.

So what else matters to todays buyer?

• Air conditioning: 3 of 4 respondents surveyed ranked this as “very important.” Living and working in LA, of late I would agree.
• Master bedroom walk-in closet: 53 % of buyers rated this as an important feature in a home.
• Hardwood floors and granite countertops
• Cable/satellite TV-ready: 46 %. As Sting said "I want my MTV".
• Energy efficiency: especially among new-home buyers — 65 %

Real Estate Postcards

Real estate marketing from the printers mouth.

These days the web is defiantly were it is at for real estate agents.

Recent studies show that 80% percent of consumers interested in buying or selling a home start their search online.

As a printer in the recent years i keep hearing agents say print marketing has become less effective. In large I believe the statement is true however maybe their are reasons for this as well.

The idea behind any form of real estate marketing is for the agent to stay fresh in the minds of every potential buyer or seller. One historically proven method of achieving this has always been print marketing & direct mail postcards & brochures etc.

So then what exactly has caused direct mail print marketing to become less then effective for so many agents in the recent years ?

The answer is that print marketing has not become less effective at all however with web 2.0 the way direct mail print marketing is used must change with the time in order to continue being as effective as it once was.

With the information era in front of us what good does a postcard or brochure do if it doesnt have a website adress on it.

www.full-color-postcards.com

http://www.businessadvancement.com

Is the Open House Dead?

With recent postings on Inman and real estate blogs, we are hearing more and more that open houses are a waste of the agent’s time and present a potential hazard to home owners.

Having an entire Website devoted to selling your property solves this problem by creating a virtual open house that can be visited 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere in the world.  See 123AnySt.com

as a great example.

These Websites contain everything a buyer would want to know about a property including local area resources, maps, school and census data, floor plans, property documents and unlimited custom pages and links.

Add a high-powered video tour to these single property Websites like N I S T A R NetClips online movies and you’ve got a compelling and unique listing presentation that buyers love.  Beautifully crafted online guided tours with music and skillful narration are soon to become the norm in properties because of their impact alone.

Aspen Colorado Vacation Rentals

Throughout its history, Aspen Colorado Real Estate embraces its great reputation as the favorite alpine hideaway.  It shows a breathtaking view of the natural beauty that frames it, with aspen forest, deep canyons, scenic mountains, that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the place annually. 

The Aspen vacation rentals generally provide the grandest and comfortable accommodations to trekkers visiting Aspen at any period of the year.  Along with some hotels, the Aspen vacation rentals create an ideal environment for a relaxing and enjoyable weekend with a romantic getaway for two or with the family.  And, this is owed for their capability to offer superb views of snow-capped mountains as well as scenic vistas of inviting trails. 

Most of the Aspen vacation rentals are conveniently located nearest to its ski resorts and the downtown area.  It is with that strategic location that most of the visitors are drawn to stay at the Aspen vacation rentals as they greatly offer ski-in and ski-out access which is much popular in winter, with nearby biking and hiking in summer.   

In the Aspen vacation rentals, you can greatly find the finest amenities and furnishings, where strict attention to detail is highly observed.   Many have even claimed that the Aspen vacation rentals provide the best comfort possible to their guests of utmost priority.  They then serve as the ultimate place that makes you feel at home.  Much interesting to know is the fact that most of the Aspen vacation rentals exhibits handcrafted decors as well as state of the art facilities like a Jacuzzi, swimming pool, a whirlpool spa, and tennis court, to mention but a few.  And, for the best in terms of exclusive luxury and convenience, a number of the Aspen vacation rentals have member’s lounges, business centers, gift shops, saloons, and gourmet restaurants.

Real Estate Tool Xooms

Introducing the Real Estate Tool that Xooms People always say the same thing when they encounter the Next Great Idea: "Oh yeah, I could've thought of that."

Which very well may be the greatest compliment ever given. When an idea comes along that is so natural, so obvious, so seemingly simple – that inherent feeling of 'yes, of course' stands as a testament to how ingenious the invention actually is.

Cue XoomPad – a 'best of breed' Internet tool that is making a huge splash in the world of online Real Estate. Our 'little project that could' started out as a handful of agents and entrepreneurs who looked at how things were done in the industry and said, "We can do better."

Out of that innocent – but weighty – statement, a new way to sell, buy, and research Real Estate was born. XoomPad is the meeting point of technology, expertise, and innovation. An IDX Solution that runs in tandem with traditional listing services, but also takes advantage of the latest satellite mapping, the limitlessness of the Internet, and the sophistication of burgeoning technologies to make success simple. Simply. But most important of all is that XoomPad not limited to big-name brokers, industry fat cats, or multi-billion dollar corporations. It is designed, built, and optimized for use by anyone ready to stake a claim in the last Real Estate frontier. From up-and-coming agents, to old-school brokers looking for a new edge, to single family buyers and sellers that want to be successful the first time – XoomPad is perfected for universal success.

Knowledge is power. We at XoomPad know this is true. That's why we're not content to simply sell products. We take a more holistic approach to Real Estate and business by offering services for custom website development, marketing training sessions, and open-source-inspired news and discussion forums, such as our Real Estate Blog . Innovation is the name of the game. But it is a game we can all play. Find out more about the XoomPad revolution and our many great partners at XoomPad.com and keep up with the latest in off-the-cuff Real Estate news at UrbanTango.com.

Vipin Singh
Go, Agent, Go!