2020 Digital Trends For Real Estate Agents In Malaysia

Real Estate Marketing Trends 2020
Technology is constantly changing the real estate landscape. Conventional marketing no longer seems to be enough. New apps and devices are regularly being introduced.
With an abundance of up-to-date real estate software available on the market and a wide variety of digital marketing trends, real estate agents are spoilt for choice. Here are some of the top
real estate digital marketing
 trends for 2020:
Responsive real estate websites
 – a top priority for effective marketing
Mobile has surpassed desktop as the preferred method of browsing online as people are rarely without their phones. This means that agents need to ensure that all their content and communication is easily viewable and optimised for mobile devices.
Audiences are more likely to close a site that requires them to zoom in and out on their phone.
Ensure that all the content on your current site translate well onto a mobile device. Simple layouts with contact information that is easily accessible on every page as well as engaging and clear visuals.
Add your city and state to the title, URL, content, and meta description of your site so that your name and office will show up in organic and map searches. This will increase the chance of leads finding you when they look for real estate agents in your area.
Take advantage of Google AdWords, Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads to drive traffic to your site. It is important that your site offers localised ads with their own specific call-to-action.
Targeted content – “an oldie but a goodie”
Cliché but true. While stress is placed on relevant and engaging content, it would serve an agent better to focus on a target audience and create content specifically for them over releasing waves of generic information for the masses.
Keep your target audience in mind when creating content – whether in the form of social media posts, videos, or infographics. For example, you’re targeting first time buyers from the younger generation. This niche will require specific information that will aid in them making their decision.
To create focused content for this target audience:
Social media post
More and more agents have taken to sharing details of their listings and its perks on social media – the “hangout spot” for most of the new working professionals. This is also a good place to create content with images and short descriptions of the benefits of the areas surrounding the listings, the top up and coming housing market areas, or the benefits of investing in a property.
Video
Engage your audience via visuals of the community and its homes with minimal effort on their part. Authenticity remains the key to real estate buyers’ interest. Mobile videos provide this. More so as this media consumption increases 100% every year.
Infographic
The new working generation is constantly on-the-go. Hence the preference for short videos or summaries of long articles. An infographic is an ideal way to summarise long blog posts while creating shareable and unique content that is relevant to this niche.
Live videos – take the marketing world by storm
As of 2020, there is no surer way to attract leads to your site than through a live feed. This surge saw prominent social networking platforms add live videos as a part of their feature. The interactive and visual content serve to cater to the audiences’ shorter attention spans which leads to increased brand awareness, lead generation, and online engagement. The best part in all this is that it caters to both, new agents just introducing themselves to the market as well as old hands who are keen on keeping up the new generation by building their brand online. It can be used to showcase listings and the housing market, among many others. The sky is the limit with this trend.
In order to keep up with this growing marketing strategy, agents should:
Utilise social media platforms such as
Facebook
, Instagram, and even Whatsapp –all of which offer live videos.
Bank on the virtual reality trend and provide your audience with the choice of a live tour without being there in person.
Optimise videos for search by including relevant descriptions, hashtags, and titles so that they can be found at the top of search results
Keep videos both entertaining and informational
Marketing automation – more agents are using it
Only the most savvy of real estate agents are using the power of marketing automation to automate their follow-ups with leads, and continuously engage their clients.
This is a trend that more real estate negotiators will follow in 2019, with more advancements in technology, and the opportunity to save time from manually engaging clients.
Marketing automation will save negotiators time and money, especially when they are busy with the day to day life of being a real estate agent.
To keep your clients engaged and always have you top of mind, you should:
Put your leads into a
CRM
, and have an email schedule for engaging them based on your own engagement criteria.
Use a drip marketing system to automatically send regular communication to your leads, so they are always engaged. Marketing automation will help leads turn into sales.
Studies that show most leads take anywhere from six months to two years to become a sale, this is why you need to keep them engaged with your personal brand.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up to date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


Easy Instagram Story Ideas For Real Estate Agents

Instagram stories have become one of the most popular ways people are posting and viewing content on social media, and has come a long way since they were first introduced in 2016. The feature that initially were quite confusing to real estate professionals now offers a very powerful and personal addition to their social media marketing and
real estate branding strategy
. With over 500 million daily viewers, insta stories are a unique way to showcase your real estate brand and enhance your digital marketing efforts while showing your audience the real you. Plus, they are available on Facebook and Whatsapp now, too!

Here are some simple, and creative ways to start using insta stories to grow your real estate brand and business on social media today.

Community & Neighbourhood
When people use a real estate negotiator, they want someone who not only can navigate the property buying and selling process, but they also want a local neighbourhood area expert. Insta stories are a great way to show off how well you know the neighbourhood and community while also building relationships with key businesses in your area.  Take a photo of that latte you got at your neighbourhood cafe, the takeaway you ordered from a restaurant or the plants you picked up at your local plant nursery. If you’re lucky, by tagging the business names, you may get a re-share, which also gets your post in front of their own followers.   This is also an easy way to show a behind-the-scenes look into your own life while also highlighting your community and neighbourhood involvement.

Follower Polls
One of the smartest ways to create user engagement and interact with your followers is by using community polls. This cool feature allows you to have fun, show off your real estate personality and get an idea of what your followers/clients actually like. So, what can a property agent create story polls about? Well the opportunities are endless. A simple way to do this would be to use two different images and ask your client base to vote which one they like best.
Here are some options:
Which garden landscaping do you like better? Modern or Classic
Which bathroom style would you want? Option 1 or Option 2
Which kitchen cabinets do you like better?
White Cabinets or Blue Cabinets Roses or Hibiscus?
Who wants this new kitchen? Yes or No.
You get the idea. This can also be a great way to show off your own property listings without it seeming like you’re trying to make a sale. If you have a property with a beautiful kitchen, flawless landscaping, amazing backyard, you can use polls to highlight it and let your client base know that it’s now available to purchase or rent.

Property Market Updates
Now more than ever, people have a lot of questions about what’s happening with the real estate market. Instagram stories gives you a great way to control the conversation and keep your clients informed on the current situation.   An easy way to do this is to show a weekly photo of what’s happening in your local area. Is buyer traffic picking up in your focus neighbourhood? Are property prices holding steady? What are the current home loan rates? These are all great topics you can cover to move hesitant buyers and sellers to make confident decisions.   This is also a great place to post relevant
real estate market news
. If there’s a property article talking about how the real estate market is positioned to strengthen the economy or what property experts are predicting about property values this year, you should create a story about it and share it. You can do this easily by filming a quick video covering the biggest news article takeaways or breaking it down using dot point text, quotes and visuals like trends, graphs and charts. This allows you to build a reputation and brand as a real estate professional that knows what’s going on, is a knowledge leader and earns the trust of your followers/clients.

Property Listing Behind-the-Scenes
Instagram stories offer a unique opportunity to create your own
virtual tour of a property
 without time spent editing videos, fancy drone shots or complicated video editing software. To do this, start by letting your followers/clients know that you’re doing a quick run-through of a new property to build hype about it a couple of days in advance and then create videos walking through each room. You can talk through your favourite property features and further emphasise this by adding in text that breaks them down in detail.   This is a great creative and real way to showcase your listings without the extra effort and stress. Have fun with it. Try new things on social media and see what actually works. Best of luck!

Bottom Line
Instagram stories offer the ability to connect with your client base in a more authentic and real way. It’s a great way to not only show off your properties but also your own branding and personality. Today’s consumer wants to see the human behind the brand, and this social media platform allows you to be more creative and market yourself in a more genuine and candid way. You should start small, be patient and don’t be discouraged from trying new things on social media. In due time, you’ll find what actually works and what your followers/clients respond to and can build your social media strategy from there. If you’re looking for an easy way to jumpstart your Instagram stories with beautifully designed graphics that show you’re a trusted property advisor, sign up to our content marketing tool
TALGIC
. We are currently open for free trials, and will be providing you ready-to-share posts that cover the week’s most important real estate topics.

Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


Empowering Real Estate Lead Generation through Proptech Innovations

In 2023 the real estate industry is no stranger to technological advancements, and the rise of Proptech (Property Technology) has ushered in a new era of lead generation possibilities. Proptech encompasses a wide range of tech-driven solutions tailored to enhance efficiency, streamline processes, and elevate customer experiences in the real estate sector. Today we will explore how Proptech can significantly benefit the real estate industry by revolutionising
lead generation strategies
.
Expanding Reach with Digital Marketing
Proptech facilitates digital marketing strategies that enable real estate professionals to reach a wider audience than ever before. With sophisticated
online advertising tools
, social media platforms, and search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques, real estate professionals can target specific demographics and geographical locations with precision. By maximising online visibility and engaging potential clients across various digital channels, Proptech empowers real estate businesses to generate more leads and make more sales.
AI-Powered Chatbots and Instant Communication
Efficient communication is critical in lead generation. Proptech solutions integrate AI-powered chatbots that can engage with website visitors, answer inquiries, and provide information round-the-clock. These chatbots simulate human-like interactions, providing instant responses and nurturing leads even outside business hours. With seamless and responsive communication, real estate professionals can establish stronger connections with potential clients and convert them into qualified leads.
Virtual Property Tours and 3D Visualisation
Proptech introduces cutting-edge virtual property tours and
3D visualisation
, allowing potential buyers and tenants to explore properties remotely. With immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), prospects can virtually walk through properties, inspect various features, and visualise the space as if they were physically present. These immersive experiences captivate prospects and accelerate their decision-making process, resulting in higher lead conversion rates.
Personalised Property Recommendations
One of the key advantages of Proptech is its ability to personalise property recommendations for prospective buyers. Leveraging artificial intelligence and data analytics, Proptech platforms can analyse consumer preferences, past interactions, and behaviour to offer tailored property suggestions. This personalised approach fosters a deeper connection with potential clients, increasing the chances of lead conversion.
Data-Driven Lead Scoring
Proptech employs data analytics and predictive algorithms to assign lead scores based on various parameters such as engagement level, online behaviour, and demographics. This data-driven lead scoring system enables real estate professionals to prioritise leads with higher conversion potential. By focusing efforts on the most promising prospects, property professionals can optimise their lead generation strategies and maximise efficiency.
Seamless CRM Integration
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software plays a pivotal role in lead management and nurturing. Proptech seamlessly integrates with
CRM platforms
, allowing real estate professionals to track interactions, monitor lead progress, and automate follow-up processes. This streamlined approach ensures that no lead falls through the cracks, leading to better lead conversion rates, improved customer relationships, and more sales conversions.
Conclusion

Proptech has emerged as a game-changer in the real estate industry, empowering property professionals with innovative tools and strategies to revolutionise lead generation. Through digital marketing, personalised recommendations, virtual property tours, AI-powered chatbots, data-driven lead scoring, and CRM integration, real estate professionals can efficiently attract, engage, and convert potential clients. Embracing Proptech not only enhances lead generation efforts but also positions real estate businesses at the forefront of technological advancements, ensuring sustainable growth and success in a competitive market. Looking to boost your lead generation initiatives to the next level with the help of proptech?
Ready to supercharge your property development business? Let our cutting-edge Proptech solutions transform your lead generation efforts! Get in touch today to explore how we can revolutionise your sales pipeline and connect you with qualified leads. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to maximise your real estate success.
Get in
contact
 with RealestateMY today!

Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


Enhancing the Real Estate Industry through Artificial Intelligence

If you haven’t jumped on the AI trend yet, you might get left behind in the stone age. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool across various industries including the property industry. The real estate sector, known for its complex and information-intensive nature, can greatly benefit from AI solutions. Today we will talk about ChatGPT, a language model powered by deep learning algorithms, and how the real estate industry can leverage ChatGPT to streamline processes, improve customer interactions, and drive overall efficiency in the real estate market.

Enhanced Customer Support and Engagement

Artificial intelligence has the ability revolutionise customer support in the real estate industry. By integrating a chatbot powered by ChatGPT into websites or mobile applications, real estate companies can provide instant responses to customer inquiries, 24/7. ChatGPT’s natural language processing capabilities allow it to understand and respond to a wide range of customer queries, from property details and pricing to availability and location information. This improves customer satisfaction, reduces response time, and ensures consistent and accurate communication.

Personalised Property Recommendations

With its ability to analyse large amounts of data, ChatGPT can offer personalised property recommendations to potential buyers and tenants. By understanding user preferences, budget constraints, and desired locations, ChatGPT can generate tailored suggestions that match their requirements. This not only saves time for customers but also helps real estate agents provide a more personalised and efficient service.

Virtual Property Tours and Showings

ChatGPT can facilitate virtual property tours and showings, especially in situations where physical visits may be challenging. By integrating ChatGPT with virtual reality or augmented reality platforms, potential buyers can explore properties remotely, experiencing a realistic walkthrough without being physically present. This technology can save time for both buyers and agents and enable them to make more informed decisions.

Market Analysis and Predictive Insights

The real estate industry heavily relies on market trends and insights for making informed investment decisions. ChatGPT can assist in analysing vast amounts of real estate data, including property prices, market trends, demographics, and economic indicators. By leveraging this data, ChatGPT can provide valuable insights, such as predicting future property prices, identifying emerging markets, and recommending investment opportunities. This empowers real estate professionals to make data-driven decisions and stay ahead in a highly competitive market.

Streamlined Documentation and Contract Management

Managing paperwork and contracts can be time-consuming and prone to errors. ChatGPT can simplify this process by automating the generation and management of real estate documentation. By inputting relevant information, ChatGPT can generate contracts, agreements, and other necessary paperwork with accuracy and efficiency. This reduces administrative burdens for real estate agents, ensuring that legal documents are created promptly and in compliance with regulations.

Language Support and Translation

In a diverse global market like real estate, language barriers can hinder effective communication. ChatGPT can act as a language translator, facilitating smooth interactions between real estate professionals and clients who speak different languages. By supporting multiple languages and providing accurate translations, ChatGPT can foster better collaboration and expand business opportunities in international markets.

Conclusion

As the real estate industry continues to evolve, embracing technological advancements becomes paramount. ChatGPT offers immense potential for transforming the industry by enhancing customer support, providing personalised recommendations, facilitating virtual property tours, analysing market trends, streamlining documentation, and bridging language barriers.

Real estate professionals who harness the power of ChatGPT can improve efficiency, customer satisfaction, and gain a competitive edge in an increasingly digital market. By embracing AI solutions like ChatGPT, the real estate industry can unlock new opportunities and create a more seamless and engaging experience for all stakeholders involved. Ready to supercharge your property business? Let our cutting-edge Proptech solutions transform your lead generation efforts! Get in touch today to explore how we can revolutionise your sales pipeline and connect you with qualified leads. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to maximise your real estate success.

Get in
contact
 with RealestateMY today!
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


The Essential Guide to Building a Real Estate Business

Building a Real Estate Business
Do you want to sell houses for the rest of your life or do you want to build a successful real estate business? Do you want to keep working nights and weekends or do you want to work less and get more income? In this guide, we will show you how to build a real estate business.

Culture
Culture is a real estate buzzword, but every successful company needs a good culture. A positive real estate company culture can keep you satisfied and happy with your career choice. This doesn’t mean that agents need to be holding hands and singing “Kumbaya.” But it does mean people are happy to be there, have a sense of camaraderie and support, and share an overall enjoyment that comes from being part of that group.

Be Authentic
The bottom line is that you will not be successful if you are not authentic. Your business should be an extension of who you are as a person, so, recruit and hire people that you like and that also like you. Aligning with your core values is critical, so remember to be “slow to hire and quick to fire.”

Service is 1#
Serve your “team”. That means help your agents grow and empower them to be just like you. Don’t expect your brokers to be a cog in your real estate agency wheel! In order to “work hard and play hard,” you need to build a culture of accountability and enjoyment.
Accountability happens when you frequently check in with your negotiators and team leaders. Require your negotiators to hold themselves accountable for everything including career visioning and goal setting. You need to figure out.
What makes you wake up in the morning?
What are your inner strengths?
Where do you add the greatest value?
How will you measure your life?
Enjoyment happens when you cultivate an environment of be actually fun. When you learn about your negotiators and connect with them through monthly events and outings etc.

Be A Great Resource
Training is key. If you want your business to thrive, every single person that works for you needs to have the tools that they need to be successful. That means technology and systems, trainings and masterminds, and support from leadership (team leaders and the principals).

Lead Generation & Conversion
Lead generation itself isn’t the most important thing. You have to convert those leads into sales! Also, every year your deals are going to come from different lead sources. (This is why it’s critical to diversify!) In a seller’s market, you might have more deals closed from online
property generated leads
 vs. more offline leads in a buyer’s market.
Once you’ve generated the leads, they need to be converted! You can think of this as pushing them through the funnel, from their first click to eventually closing. And you need to create effective follow-up and nurture plans for every step in the sales funnel. This should be systematic!

Accountability
A lot of the time negotiators will get frustrated because they’re leads aren’t converting or their leads are “junk.” In actuality, it’s not the negotiator’s fault, it’s not the system’s fault or
Google AdWords
’ fault. It’s only the team leader’s fault… for not setting expectations, empowering the negotiators properly through training, and holding them accountable.

Track & Measure Everything
You’ve got to know your data and there’s no way around it. The more informed you are (down to the minute details) the more likely you are to grow and scale your business successfully. The best way to hold yourself and your negotiators accountable is with reporting and dashboards using a
CRM
.
Here are 4 Success Metrics you should be measuring:
Negotiator response times to leads
Follow-up & lead nurture
Lead conversion rates
Close rates

Check-In With Team
Even though you’ve built a thriving business and you’re working a little bit less, a good leader is still present and engaged with every member of their team. Set daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly check-ins with everyone in your organisation.
You might need to meet with your leadership team and success managers weekly, and your individual negotiators monthly or quarterly. It’s going to vary depending on the size and structure of your business, but those check-ins are absolutely critical for success.

Systems & Strategies
Technology is critical for your success in real estate. This is even more apparent if you want to stop selling real estate and start building a business. A large-scale, top-producing real estate business needs best-in-class
real estate technology
.
Strategies
To be a great leader you have to constantly think about how you can reduce your expenses, boost your ROI, and maximise your profitability. That means being very strategic.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


Essential tech tools for all top real estate agents

#1:
Responsive Real Estate Website
Ensure you have a beautiful, mobile-friendly site that displays your
property listings

#2: CRM Lead Management System
Use a
CRM database
 that helps you add, organize, and prioritize leads.

#3: Comparative Market Analysis Tool
Find a CMA resource that allows you to visually compare local listings.

#4:
Virtual Open House
Broadcast your home viewing to many clients remotely.

#5: Listing Presentation Software
Make your listing presentations pop by using an intuitive design program.

#6: Customer Satisfaction Platform
Send surveys to your clients to record their happiness with your business.

#7:
Online Advertising Solution
Develop targeted, paid advertising campaigns to earn quality prospects.

#8: Content Management System
Write, edit, and publish your site content from a modern, easy-to-use CMS.

#9: Transaction Management Software
Keep track of your closed deals, net income, and other financial metrics.

#10: Marketing Analytics Platform
Measure the performance of your site pages using up-to-the-minute data.

Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


First-timer’s guide to buying a home in Malaysia

Buying your first home can be as scary as stepping out of an airplane and free falling 10,000 feet into the unknown. It’s really tempting to grab the first place within your budget, continue to rent or stay with your parents. To help you to understand the process, we’ll examine what goes on before, during and after the
property buying process
.
Before Buying
Do Your Homework.
Before you do anything else, spend some time talking to experts, investors and fellow homebuyers. You’ll be surprised how much insight they’ll be able to give you. Don’t stop there though. Read up on the housing market in Malaysia or attend road shows. Find out the average house prices where you live. All this might seem like a hassle now, but you’ll be thankful you did it later.

Make a list
The options for a first-time home owner can be mind-boggling but making a list will bring some clarity. It doesn’t have to be very realistic yet. We’ll get to that later. Think about what kind of home best suites your needs: a traditional single-family home, a duplex, a townhouse or a
condo
? Include basic desires that you can’t compromise on. It can be big things like the neighbourhood or little things like the bathroom tiles. Since you’re quite possibly making the biggest purchase of your life, you deserve to have it fit both your needs and wants as closely it can.
Consider how deep your savings is
Now it’s time to get realistic and scrutinize your financial situation. First-time home buyers in Malaysia need to fork out 5 – 15% of the property price in cold hard cash for the down payment. There are also other costs such as legal fees, 6% government service tax to be charged on the real estate agent’s commission, stamp duty, and so on.
Find out how much you can borrow
Next, find out how much of
home loan
 you qualify for by calling up some bank officers or visiting a branch near you. The standard in Malaysia is 90% of the property price but it also depends on the type of property and your credibility.
 Understand

how much you can actually afford
Just because you qualify for a loan that gets you a Balinese style villa in Ara Damansara, doesn’t mean you can afford the monthly payments. Avoid being “house poor” – a common mistake made by first-time home buyers. They have the house of their dreams, but no money left for clothes, petrol, entertainment, holidays and even food.  Most financial experts recommend that you allocate no more than one-third of your total income to pay off your home loan. Remember that owning a home is more than the monthly loan payments though. There are other fees like maintenance fees, insurance, quit rent, assessment, utilities and so on.
 Engage a real estate agent
You’ve done well on your own so far and now it’s time to get external help. Shop around for a good real estate agent. They can really help to make the whole process less stressful for you. Other than navigating the negotiations and paperwork, they can protect you from any problems you might face during the process. Most agents receive a commission, paid from the seller’s proceeds.
During Buying
Find the right home
It’s time to put your background work into action. Use all the options available to you including your real estate agent, online listings and driving around looking for for-sale signs. As a first-time home buyer, look for property that you can add value to so that it increases your equity and helps you up the property ladder.
Get to know your financing options and secure it
Bank loans are not the only way to finance your property. Find out if you qualify for My First Home Scheme, 1Malaysia Housing Programme (PR1MA) or MyDeposit Scheme. Search for the lowest interest rates and best packages and finalise the application.
Do a home inspection
To your untrained eye, your potential new home may appear flawless but it’s always safer to get a professional to inspect the quality, safety and overall state of the place. The last thing you want is to move in and get hit with a lot of unexpected repairs.
Make an offer
Your real estate agent will help you negotiate the offer price and terms & conditions with the seller. Once you reach an agreement with the seller, you’ll have to sign a Letter of Offer or Offer to Purchase document and pay the 2% earnest deposit.
Engage a lawyer and close the deal or move on
If the house inspection didn’t turn up anything serious and you reach an agreement with the seller, it’s time to close the deal. This basically means you need to engage a lawyer to prepare all the legal documents and you’ll have to sign a ton of paperwork within a very short time – usually within 2 weeks of signing the Letter of Offer or Offer to Purchase. Please note if you are a
foreigner buying Malaysian property
 there are extra regulations and documents to you to provide.
After Buying
Perform regular maintenance
Just like a car, your house also needs regular maintenance. This allows problems to be fixed when they are small, manageable and cost less.
Keep saving
Expect unexpected expenses when you own a house – like installing a new aircon or fixing a leak in the roof.  Start an emergency fund for your home so that you won’t be caught off-guard when these costs inevitably happen.
Ignore the housing market
The only time the value of your house matters is when you want to sell it. Being able to choose when you sell your home, rather than being forced to sell it due to financial crisis or job transfer, is what will determine how big your profit from your investment will be.
Don’t expect your home to fund your retirement
Owning a home can be a source of wealth but it will not necessarily fund your life after retirement. Continue to save the maximum you can in your retirement savings account every year.
Once you are equipped with the right information, the process of buying your first home won’t seem so daunting. You will be able to manage it with much more confidence and soon even share your knowledge with other newbies.
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How To Get Testimonials From Real Estate Clients

How to get real estate testimonials
Malaysians love to check online reviews before making a purchase – anything from booking a hotel to buying a new phone. The same goes for the real estate business in Malaysia. Client testimonials are vital for a business to thrive, Shiv Singh the Global Head of
Digital Marketing
 Transformation at Visa Inc. says, “The purpose of a business is to create a customer who creates customers.”
Hearing how past clients are satisfied working with you will give those who are visiting your sites an idea of what to expect from your business. However, not everyone is willing to put in the time and effort to write a testimonial. Here are some useful tips on how to secure positive feedback from clients.
Tools to Help Get Real Estate Testimonials
People will be more inclined to leave you a testimonial when they realise they don’t have to write a long story. These tools make everyone’s lives easier.
Typeform – It helps you to send out customised surveys to your clients.
SurveyMonkey –You can create surveys, poll clients and leads on their home search, and request sales and marketing preferences from current clients.
Boast – It lets your clients go beyond the written word and record short video testimonials.
How to Write Real Estate Testimonials
You can choose what information to include (or exclude) and the presentation format but you can’t change the wordings. So, it is important to consider how to package your client testimonials in the most attractive way.
Add multimedia elements to make testimonials more compelling.
Images and videos elevate your testimonials as it helps people to associate faces and voices to words. Be respectful that not everyone is comfortable to have their faces on your sites but try to include images of your clients with the homes they have bought or sold.
Try different formats and styles.
People who visit your testimonial page are just going to scan through the information to get the gist of it. So, ensure that you help them to ingest as much as possible quickly. Some ways to do this are:
Use bullet points
Try a Q&A structure
Keep sentences simple but powerful
Use bold or italic headlines
Experiment with different fonts but no more than two types or it becomes messy
Use a video testimonial like Tracy McLoughlin of Pacific Union International Christie’s Great Estates
Include positive feedback in testimonials … but know when to stop.
Always remember: less is more. Consider the attention span of your readers – they are not likely to spend more than a minute to skim through your testimonials before heading to your
property listings
. The main point of a real estate client testimonial is to promote your business so don’t bore people with lengthy stories.
Questions to Ask Clients for Real Estate Testimonials
Some clients are willing to write you a testimonial but they may not know the right things to say. Help them along with these questions.
“Why did you hire me to represent your home sale/purchase?”
Potential clients want to know what your past clients thought of you – specifically, your background in real estate, qualifications, personality, and niche sales speciality (if you have one). Having positive reviews about you and your work helps people to trust you.
“What led to your decision to buy or sell your home?”
When potential clients are browsing your site, seeing other people’s personal situations and motivations, helps them to identify with your client base and get a clearer picture of your business.
“What could I have done better to help you buy or sell?”
It may not be pleasant to hear, but negative feedback is important so you can improve your sales and marketing, and ultimately your bottom line. It’s okay not to share this publicly but constructive criticism will help you to be a better real estate agent.
“What did I do best to help your home sale or search?”
Emphasise the thing that your client most enjoyed or appreciated about working with you. It could be something big, like you helped them to get a lower buying price for their home or something small, like how you braved hours of traffic jam to make it to an appointment with them.
“Would you ultimately recommend my business to others?”
Malaysians are generally a helpful bunch but sometimes, unless you ask point-blank if they would suggest your business to others, it’s not the first thing on their minds. Assuming you had a good working relationship with your clients, don’t hesitate to ask and get them to explain exactly why they would. Potential clients are interested to know the motivation behind their answer.
Places to Publish Real Estate Testimonials
Share the testimonials you have collected about your real estate business to Malaysia and the world with these options.
Dedicate an entire page on your real estate website to testimonials.
Remember that generally, all real estate agents in Malaysia offer similar services which mean clients are not paying for your unique services, they’re paying for your unique
results
. Testimonials are proof of the results you can deliver. Create a dedicated page just for client testimonials on your site. Use this link to lead people to view all your client testimonials in one place just like how Fidelity Real Estate St. George Associate Broker Odete Cesar has done.
Incorporate your real estate testimonials into your email marketing
Develop an email campaign that highlights your happy clients’ testimonials. You can utilise real estate CRMs to automate this process and schedule emails to targeted groups of people. The email should include a short extract of the testimonial, a photo of the happy client with their property and an invitation to view the full testimonial on your website.
Schedule social media posts featuring your testimonials
A marketing automation tool can help you to schedule updates on your social media accounts. Use attractive headlines like “What a pleasure to help the Lim family to purchase their dream home!” And then provide the link to the full testimonial. You can also request satisfied clients to leave you feedback on your social media accounts like Facebook and Google+. These reviews on social media not only boost your credibility but also increase your website’s search engine ranking.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How Google Search Works for Real Estate: Malaysian Beginners Guide – Part 1

How Google works for real estate
How do Malaysians find things? In the past people use to look for information in newspapers, cardboard signs, and recommendations from friends. Now everyone says “just Google it”. This is the same when people are trying to find out about property they want to buy or sell.
Malaysians have now fully embraced the digital age with most of the population fully depended on smart phones, the internet, and computers. Even the way Malaysians search for information have totally changed. Everyone is using Google to find information about things they are interested in rather than using traditional methods, and with searching real estate online it’s pretty much the same. People will search online for properties they are interested to buy or sell, and evaluate the agents who are selling them.
This means getting visual exposure from search engines like Google is essential for you as a real estate agent in Malaysia for getting high quality leads. But in order for you to be able to harness the benefits of Google, you first have to understand how it works for realtors, and how being on Google helps potential clients find real estate properties online, and evaluate capable real estate negotiators who can help them. This is the power of
real estate digital marketing
.
In this article we will touch on how Google ranks websites based on keyword searches, and in general how their search algorithm functions. There are also two different types of Google search results, organic and paid results. In order to understand Google search results, you must first understand the difference between organic, and paid search results. We will be discussing the differences between both.
We are also going to break down the structure of the Google’s search results page so you can understand the formats and rankings that you normally see.
Ok, let’s start
So how does Google work? and how does it decide which websites are listed on the Google search engine results page?
Well when someone is looking for information online; for example, a property for sale in Bangsar, they start by entering keywords into the Google search bar. Like below
Once the search button is clicked, Google returns with a list of results on the search engine results page (SERP) with results based on the keyword terms.
There are actually many different types of results on the search results page depending on the actual search term, but we will only be going over the organic and paid results in this article. In the next installments of this article series we will go over the rest of the Google search result types.
So let’s talk about paid and unpaid search engine results, starting with organic results.
Organic results (non paid) are sometime referred to as SEO, even though SEO actually means search engine optimization, which is the actual process of optimizing a website so it will rank well on Google. Organic results listings are websites that Google decides are the best match for the keyword phrases you have searched for.
Google has a secret algorithm that it uses to rank websites based on keyword search terms. It’s a secret so only Google knows how it actually works, but SEO experts are continually working to figure out how the algorithm works, and have strategies to help your website out rank others. Unfortunately Google changes the algorithms regularly so SEO experts have to continuously experiment in order to understand how to continuously optimize a website.
You cannot pay Google to make your website rank higher for organic listings, and there are only 10 organic listings per page. So its important that your website is fully SEO optimized, so you have a better chance of ranking for searches from people looking for property or real estate information in Malaysia.
Below is an example of organic links on the Google search results page:

Now let’s talk about paid listings on the Google search results page (SERP).
Paid search results are referred to as either SEM or PPC, which stands for search engine marketing & pay per click. Paid search or SEM is basically advertising on Googles search results page. The Google advertising product is called Adwords.
With AdWords you can pay to have your website listed as an ad, appear on the 1
st
 page of Google search results, for specific search terms. But it isnt as easy as just paying top dollar to be on the number one spot. Google adwords also have an algorithm that ranks ad listings based a various factors including:  keyword bid, quality score, targeting, & performance.
So how it works is, advertisers will set a bid price of how much they are willing to spend on their ad listing, for each time it is clicked. When your ad appears on the SERP, and gets clicked by a user, you pay a fee per click, this cost per click varies dependent on many factors including the keyword search, competitor bids, target audience and past performance. Google are more likely to rank the ad listings with the highest possibility of resulting into a click (because that is how they get paid). We also have another series published on how much
Google advertising
 cost.
Below is an example of paid search results.
Why it is important to get on the first page of the search results
Everyone’s aim should be to get on the first page of the Google search results, while aiming to have the top ranking on the search result page.
Independent research shows that over 70% of Google searches result in clicks on the first page of the search results, while pages after the first page get significantly less clicks the further away the result is from the first page.
Research also states that with organic results, being in first position or top rank, receives over 30% of the clicks on that results page. And the click rate decreases more than half for position two rankings, and keeps dropping as the results get lower down the page.
Users also spend only 7-10 seconds in search results, so if your ad listing is not in a prominent position, there is a high chance that the users might miss it.

So what can you take home from this informative article.
Basically the better you are positioned on the Google search results page, the more traffic your website will get. But to be visible on google, you must have an SEO optimized website, with great content. And if you have budget to spent on marketing, then paid listings will get you directly on the first page of google search results instantly. So if you aren’t on Google already, now might be the time to start.
As mentioned at the start of this article, there are many type of search results, that may appear on the search results page. But we will only be covering the other types of results in our next installment of this series. So stay tuned to the 2
nd
 part of this series where we will cover the other types of search engine results on Google.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


When to Hire Marketing Experts for your Real Estate Business

Hiring Real Estate Marketing Experts
Being a real estate agent is like running your own business. And most of the time owning your own business means being a one-man band – being the accountant, the bookkeeper, the administrator, the secretary, the salesperson, the marketer, and many more. These many hats lead to all types of challenges.
Digital marketing professionals
 tend to get asked by relatives or ‘good’ friends for tips on improving themselves in this relatively new field. We wouldn’t be humans after all if we did not capitalise on personal relationships to help ourselves or the people close to us. You
know
, that curiosity of another’s work over a cup of coffee.
Don’t get it wrong. Picking another’s brain is not a bad thing. However, the common question asked is “what should one do to generate more business from digital marketing” when the right question that should be asked is “WHEN should one hire help to generate more business from digital marketing”. While a real estate agent / business owner may wear many hats and deem it possible for themselves to oversee and run every aspect of their business on their own, it may not be the most prudent long-term solution.
Let’s say that a digital marketing professional was asked the right question – there would not be a one-size-fits-all answer. There are however established guidelines to help one determine if it is time to hire someone to handle their marketing strategy and execution.
Keep in mind that as a real estate agent / business owner, you would still have to be involved to an extent. As the face of the business, your marketing content would need to mirror your tone and character. In an industry that depends on face-to-face interactions and a high level of trust, your marketing should take on a personal approach and promote your
personal branding
.

Additionally, your choice of freelance marketer or marketing agency will be the driving force behind your business. While you may not understand fully the nuances of digital marketing, you should ask questions regarding the strategies that will be put in place to understand its implications and potential risks.
Here are some reasons to hire an expert:

When You Don’t Have Time for Marketing

As a real estate agent / business owner you’re going to have your hands full with your business’ development, customer service, marketing planning and execution, book keeping, accounts, and many more. It would be easy for marketing to fall to the side with so many other things needing your immediate attention.
Your lack of ability to focus the time, energy, and resources needed for marketing is a good indication to outsource some tasks such as marketing which itself is a full-time job.
By freeing up your time to focus on other things, you will be able to increase your efficiency while getting your business marketed consistently. Time is money and getting someone to help will be a win-win for you and your business.

When You’re Unsure What to Do Next
Amateurs and professionals alike will eventually hit a dead-end at some point. When you find yourself banging your head against a wall (figuratively, of course), it’s time to get some help. Whether it be with lead generation, client conversion, or meeting the bottom line, reach out to marketing professionals who tend to give out basic (and often free) advice on your next steps (especially if you invite them out for a
coffee
).
Regardless of who you talk to, if you still find yourself staring at a blank wall, then it’s time to look for someone to take your marketing to the next step for you.

When You’re Looking to Grow Your Business Faster
If you’re hitting your income target then congratulations! You’re at a peak of your business. Note, I said A peak and not THE peak as with any other business, there will be ups and downs. At the current peak, it’s now time to decide whether to grow your business more or maintain it at its current level.
If you decide to go with Option 1, then you’ll need more hands and brains on board. What was good enough to get you to your current position would probably not be enough to push you ahead. You will need different perspective, new strategies, and new skills to take things to the next step.
Decide where your time is best used and how much you want your business to grow. When growth is the goal, you will need help.

When You’re Unsure of How to Boost Your Marketing Strategy
You’re an expert in owning a business and in real estate, not in online marketing. While today’s connectivity allows us to learn about content marketing, ways to drive traffic to your site, and SEO, it is most likely that like many real estate professionals, digital marketing is not your main area of expertise. You need to find someone who has the skills to compliment your own skills so the business can grow.

When Your Business Stops Growing, or Starts to Decline
Why fix it if it’s not broke…right? It doesn’t always work that way. You may not notice your business’ growth stalling or declining right away. Either way, it’s always a good time to hire an expert to help figure out the problem. Marketing consultants can diagnose the issue, form a strategy and even help you advance your business. These experts present solutions based on their data as well as their experience in the field. Relying on your instincts or things that you’ve read about may not impact your business the way you hope to.
Great digital marketers are like scientist, and make decisions based on analytical data and continuous testing. You should find a digital marketing expert who focuses on data, rather than marketing amateurs that blindly blast advertising with no direction.
With technology changing at such a fast pace, it’s important to rely on experts that are up-to-date with technology and quick to change and adapt with current times.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up to date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How do expats buy property in Malaysia?

Purchasing property in Malaysia as an expat can be a complex process, but with some careful planning and research, it is possible to buy a home in this Southeast Asian country. Here are some steps to follow when
buying property in Malaysia
 as an expat:
Research the Malaysian property market
As with any real estate purchase, it’s important to familiarise yourself with the local property market. This includes researching prices, types of properties available, and the demand for different types of homes in different areas.
Determine your budget
It’s important to have a clear idea of how much you can afford to
spend on a property in Malaysia
. This will help narrow down your search and ensure that you don’t overstretch your budget.
Find a good real estate agent
A good real estate agent can be a valuable resource when it comes to finding a property in Malaysia. They can help you navigate the local market, find properties that meet your needs and budget, and handle the paperwork and other logistics involved in the purchase process.
Get a mortgage
If you’re an expat looking to purchase property in Malaysia, you’ll likely need to get a mortgage to finance the purchase. There are several banks in Malaysia that offer
mortgages to expats,
 but the terms and conditions can vary widely. It’s important to shop around and compare offers from different lenders to find the best mortgage for your needs.
Obtain a visa
If you plan to live in Malaysia long-term, you’ll need to obtain a visa. There are several types of visas available to expats, including work visas, business visas, and student visas. The type of visa you’ll need will depend on the reason for your stay in Malaysia.
Understand the legal requirements
Buying property in Malaysia as an expat requires you to navigate a complex legal system. It’s important to understand the legal requirements for purchasing property in Malaysia, including any restrictions on foreign ownership and any taxes or fees that may apply.
Choose the right property
Once you have a clear understanding of the local property market and your budget, it’s time to start looking for a property. Consider factors such as location, size, and type of property, as well as any amenities or features that are important to you.
Make an offer
Once you’ve found a property you’re interested in, it’s time to make an offer. Your real estate agent can help you negotiate the terms of the sale, including the price, closing date, and any contingencies that may be included in the contract.
Finalise the purchase
Once your offer is accepted, you’ll need to finalise the purchase by paying the purchase price and any associated fees. This will usually require signing a sales and purchase agreement and transferring the funds to the seller.
Take possession of the property
Once the purchase is complete, you’ll be ready to take possession of your new property in Malaysia. This may require obtaining keys or other access to the property, as well as paying any fees or taxes that are due.
Overall, purchasing property in Malaysia as an expat requires careful planning and attention to detail. By following these steps and working with a good real estate agent, you can successfully navigate the process and buy a home in this beautiful and diverse country.


In today’s real estate market it can often be frustrating to be a
first-time homebuyers
 to find their dream home, especially if they are not prepared.
Here we highlight some steps that first-time homebuyers can take to help keep their excitement of buying a home throughout the whole property buying process.
How First Home Buyers Can Find Their Dream Home
Get Pre-Approved Home Loan ASAP
One way to show you are serious about buying your dream home is to get pre-qualified or pre-approved for a home loan before starting to view properties. Even if you are in a market that is not as competitive, understanding your property buying budget will give you the confidence of knowing whether or not your dream home is attainable. This will also help you narrow your search criteria based on your actual budget and won’t leave you upset if the property you view, and love, ends up being outside your
property budget
!
Know the Difference Between What You Need Vs What you Want
Do you really need that double sink in the kitchen to be happy with your home decision? Would 2 car parks be a convenience or a necessity? Could the baby room of your dreams be a future renovation project instead of a deal or no deal right now?
Before you start your viewings, list all the features of a home you would like and then qualify them as ‘needs’ vs ‘wants’. This will help keep you focused on what’s most important to you.
Research and Choose The Right Neighbourhood You Want Buy In
Every neighbourhood has its own advantages. Before you commit to a property based solely on the building itself, we suggest driving around the area. Make sure that the area meets your needs for “amenities, commute, school district, etc. and then spend a weekend exploring before you make any decisions.
Pick a Property Style You Love and Stick to It
Evaluate your family’s needs and settle on a style of home that would best serve yours and your family’s needs. Just because you’ve narrowed your search to a postcode, doesn’t mean that you need to view every listing in that postcode.
Document Your Home Viewings
Once you start to view properties, the features of each individual property will start to mix together. We suggest keeping your phone camera ready to document what you love and don’t like about each property you visit. Making notes on a sheet as you tour the property will also help you remember what the photos mean, or what you were feeling while viewing the home.
In Summary
In a competitive property-buying environment, any advantage you can give yourself will help you on your path to buying your first dream home.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How much money do you need to buy a house in Malaysia?

Here’s something they should teach in college but don’t: how much money do you need to buy a house in Malaysia? Many
first-time homebuyers
 sign on the dotted line when they feel they can afford the monthly loan payments without being aware that that is just the tip of the housing costs iceberg. This can seriously jeopardise their financial stability. As a Malaysian aspiring to buy a house, here are the costs you need to know about to determine if you are financially ready to make that commitment.
Upfront costs
Earnest deposit
Also known as the booking fee, this is 2% – 3% of the property price and is paid when you sign the Letter of Offer. The money will be held in escrow until the time to transfer it to the seller when the sale goes through. If it doesn’t, this money will either be refunded or forfeited, depending on the terms in the Sales & Purchase Agreement (SPA).
Down

payment
In Malaysia, the down payment is typically (but not always), 10% of the property price as most banks offer loans up to 90% of the property price for your first two residential properties. This will be paid in cash to the seller. If you have already paid the earnest money, you just need to top up the amount to complete the total down payment value when you sign the SPA.
 Miscellaneous fees and charges
Legal fees, stamp duty and disbursement fees
You need to engage a lawyer to prepare the SPA, loan agreement and handle the mountain of paperwork that comes with
buying a house
. The fees for the SPA follow a scale rate which on average is 3% – 4% of the purchase price in the SPA. The fees for the loan agreement also follow a scale rate and averages on 2% – 3% of the loan amount.
Valuation fees
If you are buying a sub-sale property, the bank will require a
property valuation
 report before you can apply for a loan. The cost for this report is around 0.3% of the property value.
Memorandum of Transfer stamp duty
After the SPA is signed, the lawyer will make sure that the seller has fulfilled all their obligations including paying any outstanding bills before applying to transfer the property from the seller to you. This will cost you around a few hundred Ringgit.
Mortgage insurance
It’s not compulsory to get a mortgage insurance but think of it as a life insurance on your loan. It offers peace of mind and helps to settle the outstanding loan if a death, illness or disability happens. The premium amount depends on your loan tenure, monthly instalment amount and your age.
Other extra costs
Inspection
We’ve all heard of someone who bought a house and then later discovered defects that cost a fortune to repair. Often it is because home inspection is not a standard practice in Malaysia and the buyer relies on his untrained eye to assess the property. It will cost a few hundred Ringgit to perform a professional home inspection and can be done before or after buying the house.
Taxes
There are two kinds of taxes you need to pay when you become a homeowner in Malaysia: the cukai pintu and the cukai tanah. The cukai pintu is paid twice a year to the local authority for the upkeep of public infrastructure within its jurisdiction. The cukai tanah is paid once a year to the relevant land office. The rates for each tax depend on the property type and location.
Utility bills
These are monthly payments for your
property utilities
 including electricity, water, sewage, internet and so on. If you are buying a sub-sale property, you can request the seller for a copy of the monthly bills to get an idea of the costs you will be dealing with.
Insurance for your home
It’s not just people and vehicles that need insurance. Your home does too. Homes are vulnerable to robbery, natural disasters and vandalism. Most major insurance companies offer a range of packages so shop around before you decide on the coverage you want. The cost will depend on a variety of things like the value of the house, the insurance amount and so on.
Renovation and moving in
The costs for renovations depend on how much your budget can stretch to meet your dreams. If your new house is completely bare, you’ll have to start from scratch to make it into a home. Even if you’ve bought a sub-sale property, the furnishings and fixtures may still require some updating. Then there are the costs of moving in. Are you going to hire professional movers? Are you going to do the pre-move clean by yourself or get a cleaning company to do it?
Maintenance fee
Escalating crime rates in most urban areas have prompted house-buyers to purchase gated-and-guarded properties for an added sense of safety. These places also come with amenities like pools, gyms and parks which are shared by the residents. To maintain all these common areas, every owner has to pay a monthly maintenance fee to the Joint Management Body or Management Corporation.  The amount for the maintenance fee is calculated per square feet.
So if you are looking to buy a home soon, please consider all the cost related to buying a home before you make the ultimate decision.

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How property developers can increase sales when inflation has decreased profits

In a tough market where inflation has decreased property developers’ profit margin, it’s crucial to explore new strategies to increase sales quantity and speed. One approach that developers can take is to focus on international sales.
International sales can help property developers to expand their customer base and reach new markets. This approach can be particularly effective in a tough market where local demand may be limited. By targeting international buyers, developers can tap into new sources of demand and potentially increase sales volume.
International sales and
real estate marketing
 can help property developers to expand their customer base and reach new markets. This approach can be particularly effective in a tough market where local demand may be limited. By targeting international buyers, developers can tap into new sources of demand and potentially increase sales volume.

There are several reasons why property developers should focus on international sales to increase their sale quantity and speed in a tough market:
Diversification: Focusing on international
property sales
 enables developers to diversify their customer base and reduce their reliance on local demand. This can help to mitigate the impact of a tough market and reduce the risk of revenue fluctuations.
Increased sales volume: International sales can help developers to increase their sales volume and achieve economies of scale. By selling to a larger customer base, developers can potentially negotiate better prices for materials and services, which can help to offset the impact of inflation on their profit margins.
Higher profit margins: International sales can also help developers to achieve higher profit margins. International buyers are often willing to pay a premium for high-quality properties and exclusive amenities, which can increase developers’ profitability.
Long-term growth: Focusing on international sales can also help developers to achieve long-term growth. By expanding their customer base and establishing a presence in new markets, developers can position themselves for future success and potentially overcome the challenges posed by a tough market.
However, there are also some challenges that developers may face when focusing on international sales. For example, they may need to navigate different cultural norms, language barriers, and legal regulations in different countries. Developers will need to invest in marketing and promotional efforts that cater to the preferences of international buyers, as well as build partnerships with local agents and consultants to help them navigate these challenges.

To succeed in international sales and marketing, property developers need to take a strategic approach. Here are some key strategies that developers can use to increase their sales quantity and speed:
Build a strong brand: A strong brand is essential for attracting international buyers. Developers should invest in branding efforts that showcase their expertise, experience, and unique value proposition. A well-developed
real estate brand
 can help to differentiate a developer’s properties from those of competitors and increase their appeal to international buyers.
Develop targeted marketing campaigns: Developers should create targeted marketing campaigns that cater to the preferences of international buyers. For example, if a developer is targeting buyers from China, they may want to focus on promoting properties with feng shui design principles. Developers should also consider localising their marketing efforts to appeal to different cultures and languages.
Build partnerships with local agents: Building partnerships with local agents can help developers to expand their reach and tap into new markets. Local agents can provide valuable insights into local markets and help developers to navigate local regulations and customs. By partnering with local agents, developers can increase their exposure to international buyers and potentially increase sales volume.
Invest in digital marketing: In today’s digital age, online marketing is essential for reaching international buyers. Developers should invest in digital marketing efforts that reach buyers through social media, search engines, and other online channels. Digital marketing can be a cost-effective way to reach a large audience and generate leads.
Offer attractive incentives: To entice international buyers, developers should offer attractive incentives such as discounts, financing options, or exclusive access to amenities. Developers should also consider offering incentives that cater to the specific needs and preferences of international buyers, such as language support or relocation assistance.

In conclusion, property developers should focus on international sales to increase their sale quantity and speed in a tough market. By diversifying their customer base, achieving economies of scale, achieving higher profit margins, and positioning themselves for long-term growth, developers can potentially overcome the challenges posed by a tough market and achieve success in the global marketplace. While there may be some challenges to navigate, the potential benefits of international sales make it a worthwhile strategy for property developers to pursue.


How Real Estate Agents Can Increase Their Sales In 2022

Selling a property is generally not easy. Economic fluctuations greatly affect the ups and downs in the property market. Therefore, real estate agents need a good marketing strategy to help their business flourish. Here are some effective strategies real estate agents can execute to increase their property sales for better income this year.

1. Focus on the Right Prospective Clients

Having alot of people asking about your property seems great. But if they don’t end up buying or renting, then you have been wasting your time and energy. That is why it is critical to know who your ideal prospects are before promoting a property. Make sure your marketing efforts are always targeted at the right audience.
Determine your targeted leads as specific as possible. You need to do this to avoid unqualified leads, by specifying their demographics like: age, occupations, preferences, and so on. After collecting your prospect’s data, it’s time to filter them out. To make filtering easier, make sure you are using a reliable real estate CRM system. This software will help you maintain all prospect details, identify qualified prospects, assign them to the right property agents, update prospect status, determine next actions, send information automatically, and much more.

2. Create SEO Optimised Websites To Improve Discoverability

As more and more real estate connections are moving online, getting in front of the right audience is becoming increasingly difficult. For property agents or agencies looking to drive conversions and get discovered by the right customers,  an
SEO optimised property website
 has never been more important. SEO helps optimise your online content to attract people through organic search results by appearing on the first page of a search engine like Google.
To make sure your real estate website ranks, you’ll need to develop a strong focus on creating content that includes keywords and links for terms that your target audience is searching for. But in the highly competitive arena of real estate marketing, this isn’t always enough. Google also prioritises websites that deliver a great user experience and are optimised for mobile, so you will have to make sure your site delivers on a number of factors outside keywords to rank highly.

3. Keep An Eye On The Competition

You should not get  too comfortable and content with what you have accomplished so far. Your competitors could always outperform you at any time. Therefore, it is crucial to take note of what they are doing. Find out what marketing strategies your competitors use, what their promotion techniques are like, where they get their clients and any other important information that may help you overtake their success. One of the best methods to gather information from your competitors is by communicating directly with them. This can be done by submitting inquiries via Whatsapp chat, telephone, email, or attending their webinars.

4. Create Social Media Content to Boost Your Brand Exposure

In addition to enhancing your real estate website content, try to actively post informative content on popular
social media
 accounts like Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok. Nowadays, people tend to be more actively looking for properties online, so make sure your property can be easily found on various social media sites. Post high-resolution images and videos of your property and make an interesting caption in every post. You can also use paid ads whenever you feel the need to boost sales. To ease this responsibility, you can consider getting the help of a real estate marketing company to help you promote your property to the right audience.

5. Showcase Customer Testimonials To Build Your Credibility

One of the best ways to market your real estate business is to let your clients do the talking. Social proof remains one of the most powerful tactics to convince customers that you’re the right person to handle their property.
Real estate testimonials
 from previously satisfied clients are an excellent way to show new or potential clients how you’ve helped others in the past and bolster your credibility and trustworthiness. You could choose to have a testimonials page on your property website or you could shoot video testimonials of your clients – this is particularly useful since people specifically seek out videos of customer testimonials when choosing a real estate agent.

6. Send Newsletters & Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing for real estate
 is one of the best strategies for building strong relationships with your prospects or tenants. Collect emails from your website, online ads, or any events you’ve held before. Send your newsletter subscribers what they are looking for, such as notifications about your upcoming project launches, your new properties, webinars that you offer online, tips on choosing properties, and more. If you happen to sell properties in different geographical areas, you’ll want to group your newsletter subscribers based on their location, ensuring that they only get relevant updates from you.
Sending emails to many consumers will be challenging to implement if you do it manually. Therefore, finding a good real estate marketing company that can help you create, setup and automate email campaigns is the right choice to strengthen relationships with clients. Having email campaigns setup will help agents and agencies automatically send marketing emails to multiple recipients, perform SMS marketing, and create custom email templates according to your needs.

7. Run Geo-Targeted Digital Marketing
One of the best tactics to use when marketing your real estate business is to target specific areas as far as possible. A great way to do this is to use geo-targeted digital ads have your ads show up to people in a specific location. When it comes to building recognition in a local market, geo targeted marketing is as effective as it gets. Focusing on specific locations can drastically improve your results and actually result in more business than if you focused on broader, more general areas.
Property agents can choose to display different content for their ads based on geographic locations so as to reach people that are most likely to be looking for houses in a particular area. Instead of trying to be the number one agent in your entire country, why not be the number one agent in a specific neighbourhood? When you focus on your local market, you can deliver ads that speak directly to the people and culture of your community, showing off your deep understanding of your area in the process.

8. Create 360 Video Tours Of Your Properties

Most potential home buyers nowadays seek out video content during their house hunting process. People are looking for houses online more than ever – and in a time when travel is still somewhat restricted and people are cautious about visiting houses, video walkthroughs can help with making critical buying decisions.
360 video tours
 offer more insight into how a home is realistically represented and provides potential buyers with a sense of spacing and layout that images can’t always capture.

9. List properties on online marketplaces

Make sure you list all your properties on online marketplaces to get them in front of as many potential buyers as possible. Many real estate websites also provide free profiles for agents across the local housing market. Agents are able to claim their profile and fill in their information such as name, brokerage, contact information, area of expertise, and covered markets. Having a strong profile on these sites will also encourage potential buyers and sellers to contact you to sell their homes.

Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How real estate agents can work with social influencers

As influencer marketing becomes more and more larger as a marketing channel, you should not deny using this new medium to help your real estate business.
Start by listing out all of the influences in your market in other words, those who have considerably large network and are considered influencers in your area. For example local bloggers, for instance. You may not deem them the most popular people in your community, but each market tends to have a fair number of full-time blog enthusiasts who share intriguing information about the region: upcoming events to know about, cool bands making their way through town, the newest eateries to try out, and so on. While the focus of their blogs may not pertain to real estate whatsoever, that doesn’t mean you can’t leverage their online and area popularity for your own benefit.
Using Public Relations to Earn More Social Proof
Here are some of the premier ways you can utilize a PR strategy to generate more buzz to boost your
real estate brand
.
CONDUCT MEDIA OUTREACH:
Contact bloggers, journalists, reporters, and other media members to build relationships with them.
REACH OUT TO BLOGGERS:
Identify the most popular bloggers around to offer your unique insights for a post (or series of posts).
SPONSOR EVENTS:
When local organizations hold events, offer to sponsor them in exchange for free air time, so to speak.
For
social influencers
 you should offer your input for a future blog post or Instagram ideas to one or more of the best influencers in your market. This could be in the form of buying or selling advice you can dispense for its readership or to discuss something else you’re passionate about that pertains to the post’s focus.
For example, if you find a foodie blogger whom everyone adores, suggest an interview about the unrivaled restaurants future homeowners in the area need to know about. In return for your insights, you could ask the blogger in question to give you some digital space to subtly promote your brand and — you guessed it offer some praise about your brand to act as some off-site
social proof
.
This, of course, is just one, specific example of this type of influencer outreach. Connect with others in the spotlight within your market as well like local TV and radio stations, podcasters, newspapers, magazines, monthlies, etc. — so you can repeat this process over and over again. Over time, you’ll have developed a far bigger footprint for your real estate business and likely one that’s bigger than other real estate brands with whom you compete for business: a win-win all around.
The key is persistence. Not every influencer, blogger, or other media entity you reach out to is going to want to run a story on your real estate agency or speak with your for a special post. That means, just like your lead segmentation, you need to short list the individuals and publications who don’t have interest in working with you and focusing on the ones who are willing to have you on air or featured online on their website or social media.
It’s these people who will eventually prove beneficial for your social proof, get your brand name top of mind with potential prospects, and drive more of the right kinds of traffic to your
property website
, which, at the end of the day, is the whole point of this social proof strategy.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How real estate professionals can improve their lead and client management

When it comes to lead & client management, you need a good system to identify which leads are priority, and which can be revisited later. Timing is very important when
nurturing leads
, and in order to make the best use of your resources and reach out to prospects that are likeliest to become paying clients, it’s necessary for a negotiator to think about how to segment their leads into specific categories and ensure their engagement efforts are in-line with those lead groups.
Lead engagement activities should be based on 3 categories: lead grading and lead scoring, and lead segmentation.

Lead grading
This is a system for lead qualifying based on specific details that apply to a group of leads that will help you determine the urgency of the nurture. This is typically the first step when deciding to in reach-out.
When determining how high or low to grade a lead, consider these 3 details:
1.         Urgency
How much of a hurry are they to buy or sell?
2.         Time searching property
How long have they been looking to buy or sell?
3.         Familiar client?
If they share similar criteria to the types of clients you’ve represented in the past, you’ll want to assign a high grade to these leads.

Lead segmenting
After your leads have received a grade they are ready to be divided into hot or cold leads. This process helps further narrow down your leads into a top class leads to focus more efforts on.
Hot leads are prospects that have visited your
personal real estate website
, and interacted with all the communications you have had with them. It’s likely they’ll want to make a purchasing decision in the near future. These people should be prioritised when you’re deciding who to reach out to because they’re most likely to convert to clients sooner than prospects in a different category.
Cold leads, however are prospects who have show interest but not frequently engaged with you enough to warrant enthusiastic lead nurturing and communication. You could still benefit from putting them on a drip email marketing campaign, so when the lead is ready to make a decision, your name comes to mind first. These cold prospects should be graded as soon as possible.

Lead scoring
This is the final step in categorising leads, and usually only used when you have over 100+ leads to manage. Only top prospects should be scored to determine the type of lead nurturing effort that’s needed. Leads can be separated by niche property interest like price or desired property type to get a better idea of the characteristics ideal prospects share.
After the bulk of your database of leads has been managed, sorted and segmented, a portion of them will likely move further down your sales funnel and that much closer to a transaction. At this point, you’ll want to quickly reach out personally to the leads you’ve scored highest to connect and offer your expertise on the client’s specific buying and selling needs.
Highly-scored leads
These leads should receive communication regularly. An agent could send their recently featured listings, along with market reports and neighbourhood guides. It’s important to send along information that the lead will find informative and will assist them in making a purchasing decision.
Mid-range leads
Prospects that have been designated to this category can easily fall into the low- score bucket if they’re neglected. With a bit of nurturing on an agent’s part, they can move into the highly-scored category. Ideal content to share with these people are data-driven information on topics like home buying and mortgages, as well as community and area content with featured listings from each neighbourhood showcased.
Low-score leads
Agents should choose to keep communication infrequent with these prospects. They’re at a different point in the buying process and won’t require a lot of effort to nurture. A monthly email or whatsapp detailing recently sold listings is appropriate to share.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How the property closing process works in Malaysia

You’ve finally found a
property to purchase
! Before you pop open the champagne though, there’s one thing left to do – the closing. It is a somewhat complicated and rigid process involving the transaction of documents and money so that you as the buyer can get the ownership transferred and possession of the property with no strings attached to the seller. In Malaysia, it typically takes around three months and ranges from a property inspection to paperwork signing. Check out our painless guide on what to look out for when you buy a property.
Work closely with your real estate agent
There are multiple steps in the closing process and it’s your real estate agent’s job to smooth the way for you. He or she will inform you about the payments you have to make and the documents you must sign such as:
Sale & Purchase Agreement and Loan Agreement/Title
Current year assessment receipt (
cukai pintu
)
Current year quit rent receipt (
cukai tanah
)
Costs in the closing process
There are several costs you have to bear when you
buy a property
. Some of them are:
Legal fee for Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA):
 This is calculated based on your property’s selling price.
Other miscellaneous fees:
 stamp duty, valuation fees, disbursement fees, lender fees, settlement fees, and processing fees, etc
Earnest Deposit
This is basically a deposit that you pay to show that you are indeed serious about purchasing your property. It is usually 1% – 3% of the sale price and held by the real estate agency. Under no circumstances should this money be paid to an individual and there should be a clear and legal paper trail to avoid any risk of fraud. If you back out of the sale for anything not covered by a contingency, you will most likely have to forfeit your earnest deposit.
Contingencies
Contingencies are conditions in an offer that must be fulfilled to keep the sale moving forward. It gives you options if the conditions are not met. The standard contingencies that you will encounter during the closing process are appraisal, inspection, title, and financing contingencies. For example, if you submit an offer with an inspection contingency, you have no obligation to continue with the sale if anything is found during the house inspection that needs serious repair.
Title and financing
If you have a title contingency, they will verify that the house’s title is clear of any issues before buying the house. For example, a property under master title for more than ten years is a red flag. As for the financing contingency, if you are not able to
secure a loan
, you can reclaim your earnest deposit.
Title insurance
Even with a title contingency in place, problems with the property title can crop up after the purchase is completed. There have been several cases in Malaysia where the property was turned back to the state or original owner because the courts decided it shouldn’t have changed its title name, to begin with. A title insurance protects against loses if this happens and usually, two parties require it – the lender and the buyer.
Home valuation
If you are getting a mortgage for the house, your mortgage lender (the bank) will order a
home valuation
. If the house doesn’t appraise, meaning the bank thinks you are offering more than the house is worth, then you will have to decide on your next step. If you have a home appraisal contingency, you may renegotiate a new price.
Home inspection
Unless you have done an inspection before
making an offer
 or waived the home inspection contingency, you have to arrange for a home inspection during the closing process. You can choose to do it yourself or hire a professional inspector to provide a report on any issues with the house.
Final walk-through
The final walk-through is one of the last things you will do before the property officially belongs to you. It should confirm that:
The house is in the same state as when the offer was accepted
All the required repairs have been completed
Everything that was included as part of the sale is still in the house
Get RealestateMY’s Property Content


How to attract attention to your real estate website

Think about how you spend your time out of the office. You have to meet with prospective seller clients to convince them you’re the agent to represent their home sale. You meet with existing clients to update them on new offers or properties to show them. You showcase listings via open houses and private viewings. In other words, you’re all over the place, just trying to keep your work organised and on the path to closing more deals.
If you’re like most full-time agents, though, there are some pockets of downtime here and there you can use to continue your goal of increasing
real estate website
 traffic, earning more
social media followers
, and promoting your brand to market. These are the periods when you can be more smart with your marketing and take advantage of a tool you have available with you wherever you are: your smartphone.
Some of the best ways to take advantage of your iPhone, Android, or other smartphone for your real-time marketing strategy include:

1. PHOTOS & VIDEOS
Chances are, you’re like most people and enjoy posting regularly to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. If you want to get your audience interacting with your digital presence, take photos and videos of your listings and client meetings and capture random moments around town.

2. HOST LIVE STREAMS
If you have 20 minutes in between lead and client meetings, use a LIVE
virtual tour video stream
 to show what you’re doing, where you are, etc. If you’re at an new property or project launch, for example, give an online tour of the place to highlight the residence and share your advice on the design of property.

3. BLOG POSTS

Who says you can only blog when sitting behind your desktop or laptop? Open up the notes feature in your smartphone like evernote, and share housing tips and tricks aloud into your device that you can later edit for grammar and spelling.

4. RECORD A VIDEO
When it comes to real-time video marketing activities, you can your smartphone or tablet, to make these kind of videos:
-Conduct in-depth Interview local community and intriguing locals
-Home Tour when collecting keys
-Reviews of local surroundings
-Testimonials

5. SOCIAL MEDIA SHARING
While your real estate website is the principal place to share your videos, don’t forget the power of your social media accounts. YouTube, for example: With a user base of more than 1 billion people and the average user spending 40 minutes per session on the social network using their mobile devices, it’s clear professionals and brands in just about every industry ought to spend a good portion of their time marketing on the site.

Share content to the big-time social players Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest – develop a big-picture plan for promoting your agency and specific listings that accounts for your particular audience’s wants, and needs. And make sure you link back to your
property website
, so users will know where to go to find you.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How to be an effective new real estate agent?

So, you’re a new real estate professional. If we had to take a wild guess, you’re probably feeling very much overwhelmed right now with this new career choice.

The hardest part of getting started is getting to know where to start. When it comes to building your real estate business plan and marketing strategy, you may be struggling with prioritising what’s most important and what you should begin with.

Here is a tip, start small and work your way up. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your new real estate business won’t be either, these things take time.

By having a checklist and ticking off items on this checklist, you’ll be well on your way to creating a property marketing plan that makes you a winner.
THE NEW REAL ESTATE AGENT CHECKLIST:
Subscribe To Property Market Insights
The real estate market can change as quickly as the weather, and your clients are looking to you to answer their questions about the current real estate market.

There is constant rumours and speculation about where the real estate market could be headed. It’s up to you as a real estate professional to provide basic insights backed by expert facts and data to clear the air and help your clients make the most informed decision about property.

You need to make sure you’re making it a part of your weekly routine to stay current on what’s really happening in real estate market. Following the
RealestateMY Blog
 is an easy way to make sure you don’t miss an important property headlines. Sign up for weekly emails
here
.
Get a CRM
These three letters are one of a real estate agent’s most important tools in getting leads, listings and managing them well. Any property agent will tell you that organisation is key to success, and keeping your
Real Estate CRM
 up to date and tidy will help you keep track of all your leads and listings.
Set Up Business Facebook & Instagram Account
In this day and age, one of the first places potential clients are going to try and find you is on
social media
 networks. Not only does having a Business Page & Profile add to your credibility, it also gives you more ways for connecting with your leads and getting engagement.
Regularly Posting On Social Every Week
Now that you have your social business profiles set up, it’s time to start posting and getting followers. If you’re not sure where to start, just start with small and slowly grow. Posting a few times per week is enough to build a solid social media presence without all the pressure. And remember, this doesn’t include your actual property listings!
 With RealestateMY’s
TALGIC
 tool you can post a local market update, a community highlight, a new graph, a motivational quote. There is no limit to the content your social media feed!
Create a Welcome Email For Clients
The average welcome email generates 5x more opens and 6x more clicks than regular
email marketing campaigns
. As your first impression for most of your incoming leads, this is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and start the conversation with clients.
Create a Storage System On The Cloud
The early days of being an agent are the best time to create processes and systems that will keep you organised for years to come, and cloud storage plays a huge part in helping you get there. Whether you’re using icloud, Gdrive or Dropbox, make sure to take some time and set up a basic system that you can use for years to come. Also remember, this is where you’ll be storing a lot of your digitalised paperwork so make sure to build out a secure system that’s easy to use.
Get Your Listing Presentation Ready
A good listing presentation is one of the most important tools a property agent needs, and it’s essential for you to start working on yours. Your listing presentation should be neat, professional, personalised, and have all details about your strategic marketing plan for selling a client’s property. You should use a lot of visuals, property market data and show, rather than tell, that you’re the best property agent for the job. You can also just download RealestateMY’s free Client Listing Presentation template and easily customise it to your own branding.
Signing Up for Virtual Conferences
There are lots of different virtual conferences and courses that will help you learn the ins and outs of the real estate industry. If you want to learn more about property marketing or if you need help with your client scripts? RealestateMY can point you in the right direction, and there’s a learning opportunity for just about everything.
In Summary
When it comes to starting in real estate, your marketing will take you far but your branding will take you even further.
You will need to spend your early months on building your
personal brand
 and connecting with your local community. This will not only help you get more property listings, but it will help you build meaningful relationships with clients that can last a lifetime.
Whats most important is that you have prioritisation and automation. You will need to learn how to focus on what matters most and turning to real estate marketing content experts for the rest, so you’ll be able to focus on what matters most to your business: your clients.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.