Gardnerville, Nevada
Many home owners choose to sell their property on their own. Many are in need of professional assistance; www.SearchHomesOnTV.com has bridged the gap offering marketing and professional assistance in managing their transaction.
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Jul. 29, 2008
YouTube’s demographic is the perfect Real Estate Target!
I am just coming away from Inman Connect (the real estate news show) which is always invigorating as I see so many dear friends and associates. Being in the technology and marketing side of real estate has over the years brought many familiar faces and friendships.
Video and its place in the marketing of homes was really emphasized by Brad Inman as he waved his iPhone in the air during opening ceremonies. The use of video has become a regular practice for many For Sale by Owners and real estate professionals, but I must say only a small fraction are taking advantage of its marketing potential.
www.SearchHomesOnTV.com (SHOTV) has been doing video for the past 4 years; they have technology that allows them to animate still images in a way that a video would look with its panning and zooming. If you think about it, it makes a great deal of sense as using a video camera requires a certain level of expertise; still digital cameras are basically point and shoot.
SHOTV offers something that really makes sense; unlike a tour company that simply forwards you a link, the SHOTV guys take a very active role in marketing the home through distribution of the video. They post the listing video on Yahoo!, AOL, Google, YouTube and their site SearchHomesOnTV.com.
Interesting note, they are part of YouTube’s partner program that provides some added exposure and some pretty great tools that allow them to determine some demographics. YouTube provides some data points as to “who’s watching” the SHOTV videos, including number of views, gender and age group. The numbers are pretty impressive; 46% are female and 54% are male. The age group breaks down as follows: 35-40 = 20%, 45-55 = 38%, 55-65 = 22% … So just doing the math here, 80% of those viewing homes on YouTube are the exact and perfect real estate target.
The process is straight forward; provide 6-7 images and provide a brief description and they will take care of the rest. For more information, got to www.SearchHomesOnTV.com
Video services are available to Real Estate Professionals go here
May. 16, 2008
Together, Assist-2-Sell and SearchOnTV Will Provide For Sale by Owners With Marketing and Professional Assistance
With the ever-increasing number of homeowners deciding to go it alone in selling their home, Assist-2-Sell is teaming with FSBO marketer SearchOnTV Inc. to provide professional services through their more than 500 offices located throughout the United States and Canada.
SearchHomesOnTV.com offers a free posting of a FSBO listing and promotes their site through their weekly television show, Search Homes on TV, which airs on DirecTV Channel 225 on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time and through syndication in Europe, creating a reach of more than 145 million households.
“Search Homes On TV’s model creates an atmosphere of cooperation, basically bridging the For Sale by Owner and the real estate professional in an environment that allows both to coexist. Assist-2-Sell brokers are highly qualified, they know and understand all aspects of a transaction, and are well suited to assist the For Sale by Owner when called upon,” stated Lyle Martin, Assist-2-Sell’s co-founder and co-chief executive officer.
John Giaimo, president of SearchOnTV Inc., stated, “SearchHomesOnTV.com has an effective means of reaching the home buying public, which is only part of the equation for the FSBO. Once they begin the paperwork process or closing escrow, they are in need of professional assistance. Assist-2-Sell has a large network of very qualified brokers to provide services under our “Hire-a-Pro” menu of services program.”
The “Hire-a-Pro” Menu of Services program allows real estate professionals to provide ala carte services. They can include “packaged” or “bundled” elements of a transaction or a basic hourly rate. The services provided and the fee associated with the service is totally up to the individual real estate broker.
Lyle Martin, Lyle@assist2sell.com (800) 528-7816 www.assist2sell.com
Mar. 9, 2008
"Should I advertise in this market?"
Absolutely! Contrary to what the media has to say, HOMES ARE SELLING!
Okay, the number may be down considerably from previous years, but sales are NOT at a standstill. Families are still in need of good homes in good communities and may not have the luxury of waiting for the market.
Back in 1990, at the peak of the last housing boom, my wife (Melinda) and I found ourselves in a 2 bedroom town home with 4 children! Two kids in one room and two babies in our room...We were waiting for the market to change, but actually our sanity would have taken a turn for the worse much quicker than our wallets. So we took the plunge and guess what? The home we purchased dropped in value 4 months later, by $65,000!
I recall the reaction I had from friends and family... "wow you lost a bundle on that house!" My standard response: "We bought the house to have a place to live in; a community in which to raise our children... I could afford the house when I purchased it and even with a decrease of equity I could still afford the house..."
Guess what.. 14 years later we sold that home and made $400,000 from the proceeds of the sale..
If you are serious about selling your home... the best advice is to push forward and keep the home in front of the buying audience. You can do this in a multitude of ways and without spending a great deal of money.
Marketing areas to focus on:
The internet - Last year NAR stated that 84% of the home shoppers started their home search process on the web. So you need to be there! Show a lot of pictures and not just on one website.
SearchHomesOnTV.com - creates a 40 second video commercial, launches it on National TV and then posts it on 28 web portals; this is a huge amount of visibility! The videos remain on the web until you have sold the property. Take advantage of SHOTV's March Madness special: just $199 and a posting on the site is free.
Classified Ads: Do not invest at this time; it's just too costly and requires continuous ads over long periods to be effective (open house promotion is the exception).
 Get a decent LAWN sign - the red and white Home Depot models just do not cut it.. you need one that tells the world that your home is for sale, display a website address with an ID to view the home details and a contact phone number that didn't wash off with the last rain.
Open Houses - You do need to do this and you need to promote it on the web and now's the time to place the classified ad.. consumers do shop for the next open house dates and don't forget to put out some Open House signs!
Owner Financing - If you have equity available, consider taking back a portion of the sale price in the form of a loan to the buyer, or even doing a lease option program.
Financing - Talk with some mortgage reps... many are very happy to assist you in many ways to help sell your home. Why should they care? They are hopeful to have an opportunity to handle the mortgage for your prospective buyer. Also see if they have a special financing options that you can promote.
Good Selling!
John Giaimo
President
www.SearchHomesOnTV.com
John@SearchHomesOnTV.com
Feb. 25, 2008
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SHOTV has just launched a new aspect of their website www.SearchHomesOnTV.com.. There are placing simi-exclusive agent ads on their site that get them directly in front of the FSBO.
Skilled Internet Realtors (e-PROs) only, may list themselves in SHOTV and offer a menu of services to “For Sale By Owner” consumers (FSBOs) using several billing methods.
In this way, FSBOs and Realtors can finally harmoniously co-exist, with FSBOs buying e-PRO services on a “for hire” basis. SHOTV administers a landing page coordinating the services and fees between e-PROs and FSBOs
The e-PRO services will be advertised to the FSBO seller on a zip code by zip code basis, through the SHOTV “Hire a Pro” program. No more than three e-PROS can be listed per zip code on a rotary basis.
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Check it out!
Sample Ad on SHOTV
Sample on how the agent is presented to the FSBO
Feb. 7, 2008
In today's real estate market pricing is key! The price rational used a year or 2 ago may not still apply to your area or situation. It's key that you don't overprice your home, which can be the kiss of death. Once the
price is out there, even if you lower it, it sends a bad message to buyer's and agents so price correctly from the beginning! Over-pricing is the biggest reason many "For Sale By Owners" don't sell their homes. Biggest point to remember is that it's not what you think your home is worth, it's what a buyer is willing to pay based on comparable homes on the market.
One easy way to price your home correctly is to use a service like www.eappraisal.com which gives you sold home prices based on your criteria in an instant. This information compares other homes, similar to your own, that recently sold for in your neighborhood. Talk to the home sellers, and buyers and compare home features and upgrades as well. If your house has more features or other desirable qualities, you may want to set a slightly higher house selling price, if there are not a lot of homes for sale in your neighborhood.
In most cases you set your asking price slightly above current market value. In a slow market you should price aggressively if you really need to sell quickly. Remember something you think is important as a feature may not be to a buyer. Example: New construction in your neighborhood with basic upgrades is selling for $100.00 a square foot, and there are 6 new homes for sale. Your home, which is 2 years old, has granite counter tops and upgraded cabinets. A buyer will probably buy new in this scenario than pay more for your home depending on your market. Also, a good rule of thumb is to find out what incentives builders are offering. If the builder is offering $5,000.00 in closing costs you may want to offer something similar as well.
So don't let pricing kill your For Sale By Owner home selling efforts! Use the tools available at www.SearchHomesOnTV.com to sell your home and save thousands in commissions!
Feb. 1, 2008
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Real Estate: For Sale by Owners Have a Competitive Advantage
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FSBO Advertise Homes on Television, Major Internet Portals
With the housing market in most parts of the United States currently heavily favoring buyers, homeowners who want to sell their homes face an uphill battle. For Sale by Owner (FSBO) properties often aren't marketed as aggressively as needed, because of the often-expensive cost of advertising or because of the marketing inexperience of the seller. Now, there is good news for homeowners selling their homes without the aid of a real estate agent: They can advertise their homes on Search Homes on TV (SHOTV), a weekly television program that began its run on DirecTV Satellite Network in early January.
Search for Homes on TV is, according to President John Giaimo, run by a professional marketing agency that knows how to get results. For those homeowners who want their homes featured, there are several advertising options, ranging in cost from $299 to $795. Each advertising campaign, run by Giaimo and his team, will include such marketing tools as television advertising; video walk-through and presentation; Internet distribution on well-traveled and significant search engines including Google and Yahoo; direct mail marketing with local distribution of postcard mailers; local newspaper classified advertising; and custom printed flyers and lawn signage.
In addition, homeowners can list their properties on http://SearchHomesOnTV.com - SHOTV's Web site - for free.
"Unlike competing FSBO sites, all data elements and up to seven images of the property can be promoted on our site at no cost. And the listing may remain on the site until sold,"
Giaimo says. "We have an aggressive and ongoing ad campaign to draw would-be buyers to our Web site."
The typical homeowner spends approximately $200 every week to advertise their homes in local newspapers. But, to sell a home in a down market, today's homeowners must be far more aggressive rather than focusing on only one marketing tool.
SHOTV allows them to do just that.
"We are changing the way real estate is handled. From the advertising to the actual selling of the property, it's now a whole new venture," Giaimo says.
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