How to keep your real estate business alive during Covid-19

In these difficult times it’s especially hard to focus on the strategic decisions needed to keep your real estate business running. Instead, you’re fixing problems, adjusting to a new way of working from home, and trying to help your clients who are anxious and uncertain. We know that being strategic is harder during moments of crisis, but this is also when it matters most. The future of your business depends on it.
Using a proven formula for success, you need to be prioritising your time based on your most revenue-productive activities, diversifying and growing your lead channels, and having the right CRM system to leverage the value of your database.
1. Prioritise your time
Finding time to be strategic is about understanding how you’re actually using your time and getting your to-do list clearly list out. You need to identify which tasks you should be delegating to others, simplifying, or taking off tasks of your plate. Once you have determined this, you will have a good structure to focus time on your most important work. Your revenue generating tasks, the tasks that energises you and moves your real estate business forward.
For many property agents, managing time is a big struggle. Your “office” may very well be the dinning room, in shared space with the child’s schoolwork and lots of togetherness. Working remotely is not easy. Taking out dedicated time to check emails and answer whatsapp calls can feel impossible sometimes. This puts us all in “fire alarm” mode and leaves little time for prospecting new business or responding to leads. This means missing out on business.
So now is the best time to consider offloading some of your less productive work, employing teams of experts to handle your
real estate digital marketing
 or getting team members to help with lead response and nurturing. This ensures nothing slips through the cracks, you’re building a strong future property pipeline, and you’ll be ready to take advantage of vent-up demand when crisis-mode is over.
Questions you have to ask yourself:
Am I leveraging the right technology to help with my work?
Do I have strong, effective processes in place that are streamlining lead channels?
Should I hire experts to help with my
property digital marketing
 and lead generation?
Do I have the right
CRM platform
 to manage my database and prioritise opportunities?
2. Focus on Lead Engagement Tactics and increase your Lead Sources
You need to make sure you’re leveraging the right tech tools to meet your clients where they are, and deliver value now.  There has been a large surge of interest in site requests for
video property tours
. It’s time to lead into lead generation and find new sources to fill your sales funnel.
As online virtual tours and video chatting have become critical to business normalcy in today’s climate, we’ve seen incredible results by providing website visitors with the option to do virtual viewings from their
real estate websites
Future success of real estate is looking very much virtual.
3. Create the Right Processes & Systems for your Database
You know that lead engagement priorities deserve your time. You’re investing money into
 lead generation
. But without the right tools, processes and systems, and the right processes built into your real estate business, you won’t have the right framework to see the ROI on your lead generation investment and deliver a great customer experience.
You need to Question to ask yourself:
How fast will your leads be responded to?
Are leads tracked and content sent automatically?
Have to invested in your database to realize the return in investment?
Part of being a real estate professional, a leader, is preparing for situations in your business where the future is uncertain. That’s why, now more than ever, the only way to alleviate uncertainty in your business is to have reliable
real estate systems
. The right technology and CRM systems produce consistent, predictable results. Now is the time to get in control of your property business.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How to make an offer on a home

Making an offer on a home can be an exciting, but also a nerve-wracking experience. It’s important to carefully consider all the factors involved in making an offer, as it will likely be one of the largest investments you make in your lifetime. Here are some tips to help you make an informed and effective offer on a home.
Research the market
Before making an offer, it’s important to research the local real estate market. Look at recent sales prices of similar homes in the area, and take note of any trends or patterns. This will give you an idea of what similar homes in the area are selling for and help you determine a fair offer price.
Get pre-approved
It’s advisable to get
pre-approved for a mortgage
 before making an offer. This will show the seller that you’re a serious buyer with the means to purchase the home. It will also give you an idea of how much you can afford to spend and help you stay within your budget.
Consider the home’s condition
When making an offer, it’s important to take into account the condition of the home. Are there any repairs or renovations that will need to be made? Will you need to budget for these costs? If the home needs a lot of work, it may be worth offering less than the asking price to account for these costs.
Take into account any contingencies
When making an offer, it’s important to consider any contingencies that may be included. For example, you may include a contingency that the offer is contingent on the sale of your current home. Or, you may include a contingency that the home passes a certain inspection. These contingencies can help protect you but also can make your offer less attractive to the seller.
Consider the timing
The timing of your offer can also be an important factor. If the home has been on the market for a long time, the seller may be more willing to accept a lower offer. However, if there are multiple offers on the home, the seller may be more inclined to accept a higher offer. Be aware of the competition and the market situation to make the best timing decision.
Be prepared to negotiate
Making an offer is just the first step in the process. It’s likely that the seller will counter-offer, and you’ll need to be prepared to negotiate. Have a clear idea of what you’re willing to accept and what you’re not willing to compromise on, and be prepared to stand your ground if necessary.
Hire an agent
Hiring a real estate agent
 can be extremely beneficial when making an offer. An experienced agent will have a deep knowledge of the local real estate market and can provide valuable insight into the buying process. They can also help you navigate negotiations and can act as a buffer if things get heated.
In conclusion, making an offer on a home requires careful consideration of all the factors involved. By researching the market, getting pre-approved, considering the home’s condition, taking into account any contingencies, and being prepared to negotiate, you’ll be able to make an informed and effective offer. Hiring a real estate agent can also be beneficial in providing market insights and navigate the negotiation process. Remember to be prepared and stay confident, making an offer on a home is a big step but with the right information and preparation, it can lead to the successful
purchase of your dream home
.


How to make an offer on a property in Malaysia

Making an offer on a
property in Malaysia
 isn’t just about telling the seller how much you are willing to pay for it. You also need solid negotiation skills, an understanding of the process and knowing your limits. Having a good real estate agent on your side can make the biggest difference to your offer and peace of mind.
Work with your agent
When you find yourself falling head-over-heels for a property, don’t prance around and shout it from the rooftops. That only makes the seller think you’re willing to pay more. Instead, play cool, think rationally and work with your agent. A good agent will guide you and smooth the way for you in many ways, like:
– Find out any offer terms that will make the seller accept your offer.
–
Prepare your offer
 and help you to strategize for a competitive edge.
– Arrange a property inspection to root out any issues early before you’re under contract.
Understand the offer process
Generally, the offer process in Malaysia follows a standard formula such as:
– Find a property you want to buy and tell your agent.
– Your agent will contact the seller’s agent to find out if they are still accepting offers, if there are other potential buyers and so on.
– Your agent will advise you on a suitable offer price based on similar homes that were recently sold.
– Provide your
loan eligibility
 information to your agent.
– Your agent will discuss the offer strategy with you which includes an initial offer with a buffer for negotiating later. This is important if there are other offers on the table.
– Your agent will then prepare the formal offer with your approval and send it to the seller’s agent.
– The seller will respond with an accept, reject or propose a counter offer.
– If an offer is accepted, you and the seller will proceed to the closing phase.
-If a counteroffer is proposed, your agent will help to strategize and renegotiate until both sides reach an agreement.
Decide your offer price
Your agent will do a comparative market analysis to determine the initial offer price and plan your negotiation strategy. It is also important to weigh in the asking price and the market competitiveness. Avoid bidding for more than 10% below the asking price. If you are going to do so anyway, you need to increase your competitiveness in other areas like putting down a bigger booking fee.
Package your offer right
What makes an offer attractive to a seller? It is when the price, closing timeline and terms align with what he is looking for. Here are some ways to strengthen your offer:
– Increase your earnest deposit or booking fee.
– Work with a bank that the seller prefers.
– Waive contingencies.
– Be flexible with the closing date if that will make you win.
Deal with contingencies
Contingencies are conditions that need to be fulfilled for a sale to be successful. In many ways, it protects the buyer because they can back out of a sale if something is not right. For most sellers however, the fewer (or zero!) contingencies there are, the better. If you want to make your offer more appealing, discuss with your agent which contingencies you should waive but make sure you are comfortable with the risks involved. The most common types of contingencies are home inspection, title, financing, sale and home appraisal.
Negotiating a counter offer
If a seller is willing to negotiate, it is generally a good sign. It means they are after more money or better terms, but they are willing to meet you somewhere in the middle. This is when you will benefit from your agent’s experience and skills in negotiating. It is best not to prolong the negotiation and try to reach an agreement with the seller as quickly as possible so that he doesn’t lose interest and goes for another buyer. During this time, either side can decide to ditch the deal at any time.
Unfortunately, it’s a no
Experiencing a rejected offer is part and parcel of
buying property
. It can be demotivating to lose the house you’ve set your heart on but don’t give up. Take it as a valuable learning experience that will help you in your next try. Always gather feedback from your agent on why your offer was rejected. Sometimes it has nothing to do with you at all. Perhaps the seller changed his mind about selling. Other times it could be one of the following:
Bidding war:
 The seller received many offers for his property and simply went with someone else’s.
Too low:
 Your offer price was much less than he was looking for, but he chose not to make a counteroffer.
Financing issues:
You were eligible for a loan but maybe the seller had other preferences like an all-cash buyer.
Specific terms:
The seller was fine with your offer price but maybe he wanted someone who could meet other terms like a buyer who could pay 20% down payment.
Your offer is accepted!
Once you and the seller agree with the price and terms, you will sign the Letter of Offer and pay the earnest money. Typically, in Malaysia, from this point, you have 2 – 3 weeks to sign the Sales & Purchase Agreement and pay the down payment unless a contingency of the sale is not met.
Closing
When your offer is accepted, you will enter the
property closing process
. In Malaysia, it can take between 3 – 5 months before the keys to the new house are officially yours. You will need to hire a lawyer to handle the legal paperwork, choose a bank for your loan and continue to follow up with your agent to make sure things are moving smoothly. At the same time, you will have to prepare your funds as you will be spending a sizeable sum of money on closing costs.
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How to market your home effectively

Marketing a home can be a daunting task, but with the right approach, it can be done effectively and efficiently. Whether you’re selling a starter home, a luxury property, or anything in between, there are several key strategies that you can use to help your home stand out in a crowded market. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most effective ways to market your home, including the use of professional photography, virtual tours, and social media.
One of the most important things you can do when marketing your home is to hire a professional photographer. High-quality photographs are essential when it comes to attracting potential buyers, as they will be the first impression that many people have of your home. A professional photographer will be able to capture the best angles and features of your home, highlighting its best qualities and helping it to stand out in online listings. Make sure the photographer you choose has experience in real estate photography and have portfolio that you can review before hiring.
In addition to traditional photographs, many home sellers are now turning to virtual tours as a way to give potential buyers a more immersive and interactive experience. Virtual tours allow buyers to explore your home in a way that photos simply can’t match, giving them a better sense of the layout and flow of the space. If a virtual tour is done well, it can help to increase engagement and interest in your home. Some of the technologies that can be used for this include 3D tours and videos
Social media is another powerful tool that you can use to market your home effectively. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow you to reach a wide audience with minimal effort, and they’re a great way to connect with potential buyers. You can use social media to post high-quality photographs and videos of your home, as well as updates about open houses and other events. If you’re not sure how to get started, consider hiring a social media marketing expert to help you create a strategy and manage your accounts.
Another way to market your home effectively is to use online listing services like Zillow, Redfin and Trulia. These platforms allow you to list your home in front of millions of potential buyers, and they’re a great way to get your home in front of the right people. When creating your listing, be sure to include detailed information about your home, including photographs and a description of the features and amenities that make it unique. You can also include virtual tours and other multimedia to help your home stand out.
Another way to increase visibility for your home is through open houses. These events give buyers the opportunity to tour your home in person, and can be a great way to generate interest and build buzz. When planning your open house, be sure to choose a date and time that is convenient for potential buyers, and make sure that your home is clean and in good condition. You can also use online platforms, like Eventbrite, to help you organize and market your open house.
In addition to these strategies, there are many other things you can do to market your home effectively. For example, you can create a brochure that highlights the best features of your home, or you can reach out to local real estate agents to see if they’re interested in promoting your home to their clients.
Another idea is to reach out to your network, friends and family, to see if they know anyone that is looking for a property. Even if they’re not, they can help spread the word about your home, as this is still a valuable marketing channel, especially if you haven’t got a budget for paid marketing methods.
Finally, it’s important to remember that marketing your home is an ongoing process, and it takes time and effort to get the results you want.


How To Nurture Your Real Estate Leads So They Become Sales

Nurture Real Estate Leads
Nurturing real estate leads into a sale in Malaysia is like trying to score a date with the guy or girl of your dreams. Although first impressions matter, it is not everything. A couple of emails or phone calls are just not enough to seal the deal. You need to woo a lead into being a prospect, then a client and finally a closed client. This calls for an effective system to be in place – a real estate customer relationship management (CRM) solution.
It involves practices, strategies and technologies that help to manage your interactions with your customers and drive your leads towards sales. According to Forrester Research, companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales leads at 33% lower cost per lead.
Whether you’re new to the real estate scene in Malaysia or an old-timer, one of the biggest headaches is how to correctly categorise leads and nurture them in an efficient yet personalised way. Using an insightful CRM goes a long way in helping you. Find out how it can simplify your professional life with these 4 tips below.
Consider your current methods for lead nurturing so you can improve those strategies and better engage with prospects.
REHDA’s Home Buyer Survey 2017 reveals that 56% of buyers in Malaysia want to own a home in the next 6 months. Is your lead nurturing strategy in line with this? A potential client’s budget, urgency and character traits are all factors that determine how you shape your lead nurturing methods. Consider which leads are worth your time and money before investing into certain nurturing activities.
Time away from the office and on the road, makes it challenging to keep up with every lead that comes your way. Fortunately, technology can help. Instead of randomly calling up or emailing leads, a CRM database system can help you to prioritise “hot” leads first, for example, those who are planning to buy within a month.
Have a plan for effective lead nurturing. For example, your plan can be like this:
Dedicate an hour every day to follow up with leads
Create a prioritised list of your leads with the CRM system
Call or email leads according to your list
Enter relevant notes into the CRM system straight away
A dynamic real estate CRM software not only keeps all your information organised, it also improves your ability to send valuable content to targeted groups. This ultimately saves you precious time so you can focus on your other daily business activities that also require urgency and attention.
Understand how a modern,
real estate CRM
 can both simplify your business tasks and enhance your bottom line.
Without an effective CRM in your real estate business, you run the risk of being unorganised with your contact list and nurture emails. You may not even realise that you’re not doing all the things you should, to convert a lead into a sale.
CRMs in the form of dynamic real estate technology tools are equipped with lead management features to improve your nurturing process in many ways. In fact, Gleanster reports that 74% of top-performing companies use automated lead nurturing. Automation frees you from being bound to your desk while still providing valuable content and information to your prospects.
Automating mundane and time-consuming tasks, like sending out emails, is a great way to stay on top of your leads. These systems enable you to set autoresponders to engage with potential clients who have an inquiry or to request them to provide their contact information. It gives a positive impression that you are organised, prompt and you take each lead seriously.
Modern CRMs also offer real-time activity tracking for your
real estate websites
. You will be able to see the types of property and content people are most interested in. By monitoring how people interact with your sites, you can use this information to reach out to them and build the bridge towards being their real estate agent.
If the thought of figuring out a new system seems daunting, don’t worry. CRM software is designed to be intuitive so you spend less time learning the ropes and more time focusing on the quality of leads coming. As long as you understand enough to use the system in a way that best suits your business needs, you’re going to be alright.
Choose a CRM that offers both a desktop and mobile version so you can see your leads’ info at all times.
Your real estate business is not just office-bound anymore. You are multitasking between road shows, open houses and a bunch of other tasks that keep you on the move. A mobile version of real estate CRM is important so you can conduct your business on the go.
Ensure that you have seamless desktop-to-mobile synchronisation of your essential features like contact list, task reminders and sign-up notifications. It will be useful to track your leads’ interactions on your sites from your phone and send a text to your lead with the mobile CRM for prompt and consistent communication.
Send leads a series of drip marketing emails that entice and educate them and encourage them to keep you top of mind.
Whether it’s a new lead or a past client, keeping in touch with them is an important lead nurturing method. Using a CRM software, a drip email campaign that’s customised to specific groups or individuals will do the trick. The key to an effective drip email campaign is:
To teach your lead something relevant. Every downloadable how-to guide or link to featured listings must teach them something about you and your real estate business.
Deciding the frequency of the nurture that your leads will receive. For example, don’t bombard leads who have been checking out your sites but are slow to respond to your emails. Instead, focus on the leads who are actively interacting with your site and you. Their drip email schedule should be different from the former group.
Lead nurturing takes effort, time and patience but real estate CRM can simplify it for you. Commit to it and remain in touch with your leads and you will start to see them becoming buyers, refer others and even repeat buyers in the future.
What feature of a real estate CRM do you find the most useful? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How to positively promote yourself as a real estate agent

All the skills, technology and expertise in the world won’t matter unless you are positively perceived by your prospective clientele.
Your agency, your listings, your property developer, these can only take you so far. You also need to offer proof that you, above all others are the best real estate professional your prospects should be working with.

Your Personality

Personality can make a huge difference in separating you from other property agents. Clients want to work with an agent who’s attentive, trustworthy, and reliable. If you’re serious about winning their business, you’ll have to show them you’re there to provide the best experience possible–not just to collect a commission.
A winning personality is about more than just your integrity. It’s also important to be real and true to yourself. If you’re naturally introverted, don’t force yourself to be the extrovert outgoing agent you think everyone wants: chances are you will repel more people than you attract. Instead, focus on learning, sharing, and being as helpful and knowledgeable as possible in your specific property niche.
Content marketing
 can be a major asset here as well: if initiating social interactions isn’t your strength, your content will speak for you. (A great video or blog post could also inspire others to reach out to you for partnerships.)
Similarly, when it comes to getting involved in your community, don’t just take up causes and join communities because so and so told you that you will find customers there; do it because you are genuinely interested in what the the association stands for. Your passion will say far more than just your membership.

When on Social Media

For starters, you should be using social media to engage your audience and network and to find new customers. But just having a profile on one or two social media outlets isn’t enough: you need to actively use those networks to spread the word about your expertise and your property business to everyone. Of course, there are a few things when it comes to social media etiquette.
Don’t complain about how busy you are.
This suggests you can’t handle the workload and might signal that you wouldn’t be pleasant to work with.
Don’t spam your networks with information about all of your listings.
Instead, share them sparingly, concentrating on only the best and most unique and relevant properties.
Don’t brag about your successes.
Instead, try to add value with every post. Share informative articles and research findings. Educate, enlighten, and enrich.
Don’t be vague.
Whether it’s a link to a blog post or a question you’d like answered, make sure every post has a clear call to action.
Don’t be selfish.
Balance promotion for your own company, listings, and content with posts that raise awareness for others, whether they’re colleagues or local business owners.
Don’t overshare.
At best, people will ignore that post about what you had for lunch. At worst, they’ll delete or block you. Before you share something, think seriously about whether your connections will be interested in it.
Don’t limit yourself to Facebook and Twitter
While less traveled than those networks, LinkedIn is also less noisy, and since its users are actively looking for business and investment opportunities, the professional network boasts a higher lead conversion rate.

Content Marketing

Your social media accounts also serve another purpose: they’re venues for promoting your expertise through high-quality, informative content. By creating your own content, you’ll drive traffic to your
real estate website
 and create value for your visitors. Plus, you’ll offer new leads serious proof of your professional worth. The proof that a headshot and a short bio on social media simply can’t match.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started with content:
Oﬀer advice and suggestions about everything from home maintenance to preparing a property for sale.
Profile local businesses, highlighting restaurants, bars, and shops that prospective residents of your community should know about and visit.
Create a
property neighborhood guide
 for each area you serve. Offer a free download in exchange for filling out a contact form.
Comment on current events in your community and the real estate market at large. Show people you know what’s affecting their real estate prospects.
Create professional videos that show off the best listings in your inventory.

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


How to prepare your home for sale

Preparing your home for sale can be a big undertaking, but it’s worth it to ensure that you get the best price possible for your property. By taking the time to make your home as attractive as possible to potential buyers, you’ll be able to
sell your home
 more quickly and for more money. In this article, we’ll go over some of the key steps you should take to prepare your home for sale and make it stand out from the competition.
First and foremost, it’s important to declutter and depersonalise your home. This means getting rid of any unnecessary items that you may have accumulated over the years, such as old magazines, extra furniture, and personal items like family photos. The goal is to create a clean and open space that potential buyers can envision themselves living in. This can also include reorganising and rearranging the furniture to make rooms look larger and more inviting.
Next, give your home a thorough cleaning. This means not just tidying up, but deep cleaning every room in the house, including bathrooms, kitchens, and even the basement. Clean the windows, scrub the floors, and dust all surfaces. Make sure to pay extra attention to the kitchen and bathrooms, as these are two of the most important rooms in a home when it comes to making a good impression on potential buyers.
Once the interior of your home is clean and clutter-free, it’s time to focus on the exterior. This includes the roof, gutters, siding, and landscaping. Make sure that everything is in good repair and well-maintained. Power wash the exterior walls, clean the gutters and make sure that the roof is leak-free. Landscaping can be simple as a lawn mowing, trimming hedges and planting some flowers. It can make a big difference in how your home looks and can be a deciding factor for some buyers.
Another important step is to make sure that your home is well-lit. This means checking all of the light fixtures, replacing any bulbs that are burnt out, and adding additional lighting if necessary. This will help to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in your home, which will make it more appealing to buyers. Natural light is also an important factor in home design. If your home has a limited number of windows, consider installing solar tubes or skylights to bring more natural light into your home.

In the kitchen, consider making some small updates that can have a big impact. This could include updating the appliances, painting the cabinets, or even replacing the countertops. Even small changes like new hardware for the cabinets can make a big difference in the overall appearance of the kitchen. Additionally, ensure that all appliances are in good working order and that the kitchen is spotless before showing your home to buyers.
In the bathrooms, make sure that the tile and grout are clean, and that the fixtures are in good working order. If your bathroom is looking a bit dated, consider making some small updates such as new fixtures or a fresh coat of paint. Newer bathroom fixtures can help to modernize the space and give it a more polished look. Additionally, ensure that all shower curtains, bathmats, and other bathroom linens are clean and looking new before showing your home to buyers.
One of the key elements in preparing your home for sale is staging. This means arranging furniture and decor in a way that will highlight the home’s best features and create an emotional connection with potential buyers. You can hire a
professional home stager
 or do it yourself, but the goal is to create an inviting and visually appealing space.


How to sell your house fast in Malaysia

People often incorrectly assume that selling a house is all about the condition of the real estate market. While it is true that there are certain things beyond your control, there are some things you can do to assure that your house sells fast in Malaysia. If you need to sell your house quickly, these tried and tested tips will help you to get offers close to (or even exceed!) your asking price.
Choose the right real estate agent
Don’t hire a
real estate agent
 just because you liked their profile picture on their listings page or they’re a relative. Selling a house takes negotiating skills, time and good knowledge of the neighbourhood. You need a good real estate agent to help you to balance between finding the best price and a swift sale. Check online client reviews for the agents that you are considering and don’t be afraid to ask questions, like:
– What is your commission rate?
– How many sales have you done in this neighbourhood?
– How and where will you market my property?
– Will you handle the viewing of my house?
– Has a client ever filed a complaint against you?
Price it right
Of course, you want to get as much as you can off your house sale but the key to selling it fast in Malaysia is setting a realistic price. To do that, consult a bank to get a
valuation of your property
 (it’s a free service), survey the latest prices of similar properties in the area, ask real estate agents familiar with the location or refer to the National Property Information Centre (NAPIC). Avoid setting a sky-high price for your house with the intent of negotiating it lower later as this is detrimental for a fast sale. Your house may not turn up on homebuyers’ online searches or worse still, completely discourage them from making an offer.
Timing is important
The housing market rises and falls throughout the year so check with your real estate agent on when is the best time for a quick sale. You want to sell at a time when the demand is high to increase your chances of a fast sale. However, keep in mind that buyers tend to be choosy with more houses for sale on the market so put in a little effort to set yourself above the competition.
Be accommodating to house tours
The more
potential buyers
 who schedule a house tour, the greater your chances of a swift sale. So, make arrangements with your real estate agent to host an open house and be flexible about when people can view your house. However, before you open your house to scrutiny, spend a little time and money to make sure it’s in tip-top shape because first impressions are impossible to reverse.
Update your home
A house that appears well maintained assures buyers that they don’t have to worry about hidden defects. However, don’t go crazy with the renovations as you’re unlikely to get your money back anyway. Instead, focus on small upgrades like a fresh coat of paint or a new kitchen sink. Also, repairing things like leaky pipes or broken tiles will lead to a fast sale.
Jazz up the curb appeal
The outside of your house is just as important as the inside – it’s usually the first thing people notice on house tours and listing sites! This means tidying up the yard, planting flowers, shaping hedges and so on. If you can afford to splurge a little, hire a professional landscaper to do the work for you.
Stage your home
Once you’ve updated the interior and exterior of your house, it’s time to hire a
home staging company
. These professionals are great at showcasing the strengths of your house and downplaying the flaws. If you decide not to stage, then you must clean, declutter and depersonalise. To sell your house fast, remove family photos, religious items and political memorabilia so that potential buyers can visualise their family in the house, not yours.
Take good photos
If you want to sell your house fast in Malaysia, resist the urge to
take photos of your house
 on your smartphone and hire a professional photographer instead. Most homebuyers search online and will decide based on photos whether to view a house or not. A good photo emphasises the best features of your house and makes your space look as appealing as possible.
Negotiate for a fast win-win
If a buyer is interested in your house, their agent will most likely contact your agent to
make an offer
. You will need to decide what will motivate you to close the deal. Is a lower asking price acceptable if it means the sale will be quick? During this time, keep in regular contact with the potential buyer via your real estate agent to ensure that they are serious about buying and not merely window shopping. Remember that houses on the secondary market in Malaysia takes around three months to find a buyer. Any longer than this and buyers get suspicious that there is something wrong with the property.
Seal the deal
Once you accept an offer, congratulations, you have entered the final stretch of
closing the sale of your home
. This usually means financing, appointing a lawyer, home inspection, title, appraisal and a final walk-through. Once all that is settled, you will pay your real estate agent his or her commission, receive your money and hand over the keys to the new owners.

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How to set the right price for your home

Setting the right price for your home can be a daunting task, as it can have a significant impact on how quickly and easily your
home sells
. Pricing your home too high can lead to it sitting on the market for an extended period of time, while pricing it too low can result in you leaving money on the table. In this article, we will discuss some of the key factors to consider when determining the right price for your home, and provide some tips for setting a competitive and attractive price for potential buyers.
One of the most important factors to consider when setting the price for your home is the current market conditions. It is essential to have a clear understanding of what similar homes in your area are selling for, as this will give you an idea of the range of prices that buyers are willing to pay. You can research this information by looking at recent home sales in your neighbourhood, or by consulting with a real estate agent who is familiar with the local market.
Another important factor to consider is the condition of your home. Homes that are in good condition and have been well-maintained are likely to command higher prices than homes that are in need of repairs or upgrades. If your home is in need of repairs or upgrades, you may want to consider making these improvements before putting your home on the market, as this can help increase the
value of your home
 and make it more attractive to potential buyers.
You should also consider the size and layout of your home. Homes with more square footage, more bedrooms and bathrooms, and additional amenities such as a garage or a swimming pool, are likely to command higher prices than smaller or less well-appointed homes. The location of your home is also a significant factor that can affect its value. Homes located in desirable neighbourhoods or school districts are likely to command higher prices than homes located in less desirable areas.
When setting the price for your home, it is also important to consider the competition. If there are a large number of similar homes on the market in your area, you may need to set a lower price in order to be competitive and attract buyers. On the other hand, if there are few similar homes on the market, you may be able to set a higher price and still attract buyers.
In addition to these factors, it is also important to take into account any unique selling points that your home may have. For example, if your home has a great view or is located near a popular park, this can be used as a selling point to justify a higher price. Similarly, if your home has recently been updated with new appliances, flooring or other features, this can also be used as a selling point to justify a higher price.
When it comes to setting the price for your home, it is important to be realistic and flexible. A good starting point for determining the price for your home is to consult with a real estate agent who has experience selling homes in your area. They will be able to provide you with an accurate and professional valuation of your home, and also give you an idea of how long it may take for your home to sell based on your asking price.
Another good way to get a sense of what your home is worth is to compare it to similar homes in your area that have recently sold. This will give you an idea of what buyers are willing to pay for a home like yours, and help you determine the right price range for your home.
Once you have a good idea of what price to set for your home, it is important to be prepared to negotiate. Many buyers will try to negotiate the price of the home, and it is important to be prepared to make concessions in order to close the deal.


How to take great photos of your property in Malaysia

To make sure you
sell your home
 at the best price in Malaysia, great looking photos are very important. Most buyers will only decide to view a property if the photos look good and are what they are looking for. To help you take the best photos possible of your home, we have come up with a few simple tips and tricks for making your
Malaysian home
 photos magazine worthy.

Make sure you clean your property
Before taking any photos, you must reorganise and declutter first.  Especially if the photo is for a real estate ad, you’re going to want to clean up and throw away anything that takes away from the space in an effort to give prospective buyers a clear view of the potential property.
If the photograph is being taken for a
rental property
, these pictures need to be extremely tidy. Clients will be looking for cleanliness which is a big indicator of how comfortable the home will be. This may require the hiring of a Malaysian home staging expert as they know how to make your home look open and welcoming.
Go into your photography session with a plan
If you’re looking to create a comfortable feeling around your photograph, consider taking the most of your shots in late afternoon as the sun filters dimly through the room. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a bright and airy photograph of an interior room, afternoon is going to be your best time for the clearest light. Also don’t forget to turn on all the lighting sources in the room such as lamps, fixed bulbs, and wall lights. Having layered lighting creates an overall sense of warmth and openness.
Buy the right photography equipment
It would definitely be easy to just pull out your smart phone and snap a perfectly professional shot of your property. However, its not as easy as you think. Without a little help, homemade shots just aren’t good enough.
Professional photographers spend a lot of money investing in the right equipment to get the perfect shot every time. While it’s not recommended that you spend your life savings on equipment for photos, it is highly beneficial to invest a little into buying (or possibly borrowing) the proper equipment.  No matter what, it will be cheaper than hiring a professional photographer for the property.
When it comes to the right camera, there are plenty of choices to be considered on the market. One that often finds its way into homeowner hands is the SLR, or single lens reflex camera. Many agree that this type of camera gives a very stabilizing effect and creates very clear shots overall.
Use good lighting for your property photographs
One of the most important factors when it comes to photographing your property, is lighting. Lighting can alter the feel of a photograph drastically within a matter of minutes depending on the time of day.
Make sure that your photographs are not blurry
The space will not look good even if its a well-staged interior photograph of a home because of blurry edges or lines in the photograph. If you’re going to take photographs the right way, make sure you put as much care into the actual picture as you do setting up for it!
Play with angles around the property
While the goal is obviously to get a great shot of any given room, many people make the mistake of stopping the photo shoot too early. In order to get the perfect shot and angle, you’re going to have to invest your time with different angles and memory card space.
When it comes to photographing your property like a professional, you’re going to have to think like one. This means you’ll need to take more pictures than necessary and be willing to shoot as many angles as you can find. As lighting changes and angles change, the best photo can come out of the most unexpected of shots!
Also, it’s important to be adventurous with your setup choices. If getting a great photo means taking the time to set up some helpful artificial lighting, then so be it. And don’t be afraid to move furniture and accessories around to improve the space, even if it’s only temporary.
Get Help
If you find yourself struggling with the final results, never hesitate to reach out to friends and family. Run some of your final photos by them and ask them what they think. If you get the answer you’re looking for, great! If not, it’s time to keep on clicking because after all, you’re trying to do this like a professional.

While doing your own home photography can be a challenge, the results are often worth the risk. It gives you a chance to not only create your own space, but put your personal touch into the final product in nearly every way. This will mean a higher change of your
property selling
 for the best price on the market, or finding a renter who is willing to pay more.

Get RealestateMY’s Property Content


How to take great photos of your property

To make sure you sell your home at the best price on the market, great looking photos are very important. Most buyers will only decide to view a property if the photos look good and are what they are looking for. To help you take the best photos possible of your home, we have come up with a few simple tips and tricks for making your home photos magazine worthy.

Make sure your property is clean
Before taking any photos, you must reorganise and declutter first.  Especially if the photo is for a real estate advertisement listing, you’re going to want to clean up and throw away anything that takes away from the space in an effort to give prospective buyers a clear view of the potential property.
If the photograph is being taken for a
rental property
, these pictures need to be extremely tidy. Clients will be looking for cleanliness which is a big indicator of how comfortable the home will be. This may require the hiring of a home staging expert as they know how to make your home look open and welcoming.
Go into your photography session with a good plan
If you’re looking to create a comfortable feeling around your photograph, consider taking the most of your shots in late afternoon as the sun filters dimly through the room. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a bright and airy photograph of an interior room, afternoon is going to be your best time for the clearest light. Also don’t forget to turn on all the lighting sources in the room such as lamps, fixed bulbs, and wall lights. Having layered lighting creates an overall sense of warmth and openness.
Buy the right photography equipment for the best results
It would definitely be easy to just pull out your smart phone and snap a perfectly professional shot of your property. However, its not as easy as you think. Without a little help, homemade shots just aren’t good enough or presentable.
Professional photographers spend a lot of money investing in the right equipment to get the perfect shot every time. While it’s not recommended that you spend your life savings on equipment for photos, it is highly beneficial to invest a little into buying (or possibly borrowing) the proper equipment.  No matter what, it will be cheaper than hiring a professional photographer for the property.
When it comes to the right camera, there are plenty of choices to be considered on the market. One that often finds its way into homeowner hands is the SLR, or single lens reflex camera. Many agree that this type of camera gives a very stabilising effect and creates very clear shots overall.
Use good lighting for your real estate photographs
One of the most important factors when it comes to photographing your property is lighting. Lighting can alter the feel of a photograph drastically within a matter of minutes depending on the time of day.
Make sure that your photographs are not blurry
The space will not look good even if its a well-staged interior photograph of a home because of blurry edges or lines in the photograph. If you’re going to take photographs the right way, make sure you put as much care into the actual picture as you do setting up for it!
Play with angles around the property
While the goal is obviously to get a great shot of any given room, many people make the mistake of stopping the photo shoot too early. In order to get the perfect shot and angle, you’re going to have to invest your time with different angles and memory card space.
When it comes to photographing your property like a professional, you’re going to have to think like one. This means you’ll need to take more pictures than necessary and be willing to shoot as many angles as you can find. As lighting changes and angles change, the best photo can come out of the most unexpected of shots!
Also, it’s important to be adventurous with your setup choices. If getting a great photo means taking the time to set up some helpful artificial lighting, then so be it. And don’t be afraid to move furniture and accessories around to improve the space, even if it’s only temporary.
Get Help
If you find yourself struggling with the final results, never hesitate to reach out to friends and family. Run some of your final photos by them and ask them what they think. If you get the answer you’re looking for, great! If not, it’s time to keep on clicking because after all, you’re trying to do this like a professional.

While doing your own home photography can be a challenge, the results are often worth the risk. It gives you a chance to not only create your own space, but put your personal touch into the final product in nearly every way. This will mean a higher change of your
property selling
 for the best price on the market, or finding a renter who is willing to pay more.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How to treat your real estate leads like VIP even during Covid-19

When real estate competition is tough, and technology is automating services left right and center, what makes you stand apart from the other real estate professionals? Providing a VIP treatment, a red carpet client experience that will leave a lasting impression on your leads. It is also important to never forget that you are in the real estate service industry! The experience your clients have with you will make or break your sphere of influence, and amazing client experiences can build the foundation for a lasting, thriving property business.
1. Reach Out To Clients During Milestones
Have you ever received a handwritten birthday card from your supplier? Or an holiday card from your doctor? It may seem very simple, but those little gestures can go a very long way. As a real estate agent, you are involved in one of the most important decisions in your clients’ lives, and you end up spending quite a bit of time getting to know your clients during their property buying journey. Reaching out to them to show that you care, will make your clients feel appreciated, and will provide a lasting impression on them.
You can even use Facebook Lists, which will make this process so much easier. Simply organize all of your clients into a Facebook List. You can break it down even further, by grouping them into “Buyer Prospects,” “Current Clients,” and “Past Clients.” Once they’re grouped into lists, you can click on a specific list, and see only the “news” from those people. This way you can easily keep up with milestones such as birthdays, weddings, etc.
Here are a some ideas to get you started:
Handwritten birthday cards
Flowers once a closing has gone through
A bag of treats if they have a new pet
Congratulations card for a new job or baby
Quick phone call to check-in a few months down the road. “Just wanted to see how you’re settling into your new property!”
2. Listen to Clients and Ask Questions
For you, the process of buying a property is very routine. You’ve walked many clients through it time and time again, and you’ve perfected your process into a nicely packaged system. For a first time homebuyer, however, it’s a totally new experience to them.
We know you’re busy property agent. And of course, you don’t have time to spend countless hours talking to every client, but don’t underestimate the importance of listening and communicating to them. Hear what they have to say when they’re describing their perfect property. Ask many questions, and genuinely listen when they discuss their concerns, preferences, hopes and fears. At the end of the day, the property agent who listens, is the agent a client is going to trust and recommend to their friends and family.
Particularly, right now as the Corona virus pandemic unfolds, fears and uncertainty about the right move and the state of the housing market are troubling your clients’ decision-making. You can be their source of comfort by hearing all their concerns and providing trusted sources of  valuable
property data and information
 to help guide them in their real estate process.
3. Anticipate What Your Clients Need
You need to be in the right place at the right time for your clients, this is what will set you apart from the rest of your
real estate competition
 and help you close the deal. But it’s not easy keeping tabs on the hundreds, potentially thousands and tens of thousands of leads in your
real estate client database
. So be sure to leverage great technology like CRMS to help you stay in front of leads and clients at the right time.
What is the most valuable currency in the world? Time ofcourse. So disrespecting someone else’s time is a sure way to come across as unprofessional and disorganized. Of course, life happens.  But always be honest and upfront with your clients. If you are running late, or have to reschedule an appointment, let them know as soon as possible, and apologize beforehand.
Even during social distancing, we all still seem to fill our calendars with real estate appointments. Whether you’re at home or struggling to find some quiet office space, try to prioritise time-blocking to avoid being late.
Some tips for being on time:
Be clear about exact location, and check waze ahead of time. (Always plan for traffic!)
Be very thorough (to the minute!) with your Google calendar.
Have a journal or physical planner in addition to your phone.
Synchronize all of your devices to the same time for accuracy.
Set proper boundaries and expectations for appointments. If a meeting is extending on, you’ll be able to say, “I have to stop at 2pm for my next.”
4. Be Compassionate To Your Clients
Excellent customer service is always very important. But now, you have to go that extra mile.
Being friendly will never go out of style. Be the property agent who brightens a client’s day. Be the agent who goes the extra mile to make a stressful situation feel a little less stressful. A great way to make sure you are providing a friendly experience, is to work it into your own core values or mission statement. Whether you are a single agent, or you work with a team, being kind should always be you number one priority.
It may be tough to be friendly when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed! Take all the necessary steps during the day to make sure that you’re calm, collected, and enjoying yourself. Property agents spend a lot of time in their car! When you’re on your way to an appointment with a client, put on your favorite playlist, album, or audiobook, and allow yourself to have a few brief minutes of “you time.” Additionally, exercise and a healthy diet are natural energy-boosters and can help keep your mood elevated all day, so start being active.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How to use content from positive customer feedback

Think about your real estate clients, the people whose reviews, ratings, and testimonials ultimately matter for your long-term success for you as a real estate agent. It’s these people who can most impact your future lead generation and sales numbers, as it’s their voices that will be heard by those prospects when it comes time to select a real estate agent to represent their property needs.
While your property website and
digital content marketing
 plays a very important role in your business growth, its important to note that social proof has become in buyers’ and sellers’ decision-making in this day and age. Your clients’ opinions is the most important as it relates to your bottom line. The good news regarding your social proof efforts is there are many different mediums you can use to showcase your client feedback you receive on your real estate website.
1.Testimonials Page
The most basic method is to create a dedicated
real estate testimonials
 page, where you can include quick content snippets of the many recommendations you get from clients, usually in just a few sentences. You can develop a big list that features every client you’ve ever had who offered their feedback on the work you did for them and your brand in general. Just imagine you’re one of your website visitors checking out this page: If you saw several dozen people indicating just how happy they were with your work, wouldn’t you want to learn more about the real estate agent in question and consider hiring them?
2.Reviews Page.
Whereas testimonials are the short-form social proof for your real estate website, online reviews can be considered the longer editions. Do the same as you did for your testimonials, but instead of having the reviews on your own sites, ask your clients to learn their reviews on online review sites, like
youragentreview.com
, Google reviews, or Facebook. This makes the review independent therefore more credible.
3.Video Interviews.
You can even feature video recordings not just on the testimonial pages, but also on your homepage and about page — perhaps even a video montage of different client interviews mashed together to show just how many people you’ve helped purchase or offload homes for sale over the years in one, 2-minute clip. When featured on these pages, you can craft copy to accompany the videos that acts as even further proof of your business acumen: for instance, sharing you’ve helped X buyers in your market buy homes since your career began or noting you sold Y dollars worth of property in the past decade.
4.Infographics:
You can use this medium to showcase your most satisfied customers as well. Ask clients you’ve closed deals for if they don’t mind if you use a photo of them, their feedback, and the listings they bought or sold in stylish infographics you can feature on your website and in other online channels (e.g. lead-nurture emails and your social media pages — including and especially Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).
These are just some of the digital content assets you can generate from the notes and opinions your customers share with you post sale. If you’re stuck in terms of how you can differentiate your reviews and testimonials from other agents in your market, simply evaluate their
real estate websites
. How do they exhibit their social proof? How detailed are their site pages that feature client responses? What kinds of calls to action do they incorporate on those pages to improve their lead conversion odds? Ask yourself these questions whenever you want to start (or restart) your
social proof marketing
 so you can give your brand and property website advantage on the competition and truly make your real estate business and web presence stand out from the rest.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How to use data & analytics to optimise real estate sales campaigns

We live in a digital world, data and
property analytics
 play a crucial role in the success of
real estate lead generation
 campaigns. By tracking and analysing key metrics, property developers and real estate agents can gain valuable insights into the performance of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimise their strategies. In this article, we will explore some of the best practices and tools for using data and analytics to optimise real estate lead generation campaigns.
Metrics to Track
   The following are some of the key metrics that property developers and real estate agents should track to measure the effectiveness of their lead generation campaigns:
Conversion rate: The percentage of visitors to your website who take a desired action, such as filling out a form or requesting more information.
Cost per lead: The amount of money you spend to acquire a single lead through your marketing efforts.
Return on investment (ROI): The ratio of the revenue generated by your campaign to the cost of running the campaign.
Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of people who click on an ad or link in your campaign.
Engagement rate: The level of interaction your audience has with your content, such as likes, comments, and shares on social media.

Tools to Use
   There are several tools available for real estate agents and brokers to track and analyse the metrics mentioned above. Here are some of the most popular tools for optimising real estate lead generation campaigns:
Google Analytics: A free tool that provides insights into website traffic, user behaviour, and conversions.
Property CRM
 software: Customer relationship management software can help track leads, automate follow-up processes, and provide insights into the sales pipeline.
A/B testing tools: These tools allow you to test different versions of your website or ad campaigns to see which performs better.
Heat mapping tools: These tools provide visual representations of how users interact with your website, which can help identify areas for improvement.

Best Practices
   To effectively use data and analytics to optimise real estate lead generation campaigns, it is important to follow some best practices:
Set clear goals: Define what you want to achieve with your campaign and set specific, measurable goals to track progress.
Use the right metrics: Choose metrics that align with your goals and track them consistently to gain a clear picture of your campaign’s performance.
Test and iterate: Continuously test and optimise your campaigns to identify what works best for your audience.
Use segmentation: Segment your audience based on factors such as behaviour, demographics, and interests to deliver targeted messages and increase conversion rates.
Monitor competition: Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing and adjust your strategies accordingly.

   In conclusion, using data and analytics to optimise real estate lead generation campaigns is essential for success in today’s digital landscape. By tracking key metrics, using the right tools, and following best practices, real estate agents and brokers can gain valuable insights into their campaigns and make data-driven decisions to improve performance and generate more leads.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


The Impact of Inflation on the Property Industry: Exploring the Challenges & Opportunities

As everyone in the world knows right now, inflation is a problem that affects almost every aspect of the economy, and the property development industry is definitely no exception. Everywhere around the world the cost of raw materials are on the rise, property developers are struggling to maintain their profit margins and are being forced to delay the launch of their new developments. Today we will focus on Malaysia as a prime example of the current inflation issue in the property industry.
In Malaysia, the REHDA (Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia) has done a survey that shows 51% of developers are not launching new projects in the 1
st
 half of 2023, given the unfavourable market conditions.

REHDA’s president Datuk N.K. Tong said that based on current sentiment, 94 per cent of developers in its survey attributed that having access to end financing for homebuyers continue to be the main challenge for homebuyers.
“Looking at this environment, we think developers are waiting until the banks take a more positive view on financing terms. Besides, depending on the location on their projects, developers feel that the market isn’t quite there yet, or hasn’t reached the sales price that will make sense for them to launch,” he said at a press conference after presenting Rehda’s Property Industry Survey 2H 2022 and Market Outlook for 2023.

Datuk N.K. Tong also added that with the rising inflation situation, developers were having difficulty anticipating cost increases to be incurred, and how they would be able to keep within the affordability price range for home buyers. “About 68 per cent of respondents expect building material costs will continue to trend higher for another 12 months at least until they stabilise.

But the real question is what can property developers do to overcome these challenges? So let’s explore some of the options available to property developers to help them navigate this difficult period.

Increase Property Prices?

Well the most obvious option available to property developers is to increase the prices of their property projects.

Even Datuk N.K. Tong from REHDA said “To counter the price increase in building materials, developers have no choice but to increase property selling prices (double digit on average) or lower their profit margin,”

While this may seem like an easy solution, it is important to remember that property buyers in the current market are very price sensitive, and any increase in the price of a property may lead to a decrease in demand because of affordability issues. Property developers need to be able to strike a delicate balance between maintaining their profit margins and keeping their properties affordable for buyers.

Find Different Suppliers?

Another option for property developers is to source materials from different suppliers. By doing so, they may be able to find suppliers who offer better prices or who are not as affected by inflation. However, there is the issue of quality, and it is very important to make sure that the quality of the materials remains high, as the use of substandard materials could lead to serious problems for buyers down the line.
Property developers
 can also explore alternative construction methods that use cheaper or more sustainable materials. For example, some developers are turning to modular construction, which involves building components offsite and then assembling them onsite. This method can reduce the cost of construction and also speed up the construction process, allowing developers to launch their projects sooner. We have added a fun video below of “Lego” type construction.

https://www.realestatemy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/video.mp4

Government Subsidies or Tax Breaks?

Another option for property developers is to seek out government subsidies or tax breaks. Governments around the world are increasingly offering incentives for developers who use sustainable materials or who build affordable housing.

Datuk N.K. Tong

from REHDA also mentioned “We have asked the government to review any levies or import taxes on imported materials, but the reality is everything that we consume requires energy especially for construction materials.
“We hope the government can help to ensure that everything (along the supply chain) is running smoothly, such as construction material costs, the shortage of labour and remove any impediments that may cause the price to go up and encourage competition,”.
By taking advantage of these incentives, property developers may be able to offset some of the increased costs associated with inflation.

And finally what can Malaysian developers do to increase their sales in this difficult period?

International Marketing?

One approach that developers can take is to focus on
international sales
 to broaden their marketing reach. International sales can help property developers to expand their home buyer 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
.
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.

Property 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.

In conclusion, while inflation is undoubtedly a challenge for property developers, there are several options available to help them navigate this difficult period. Whether it is through increasing prices, sourcing materials from different suppliers, exploring alternative construction methods, or seeking out government subsidies or tax breaks, or marketing their properties internationally, developers need to be creative and adaptable in their approach. By doing so, they can ensure that they continue to build quality properties that meet the needs of buyers, while also maintaining their profit margins.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


The importance of property lead response speed

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


Improving Lead Nurturing For Real Estate Leads

Conversion rates for real estate leads have been on a steady decline due to increased competition and higher expectations from prospective buyers. Real estate industry professionals need to up their game when it comes to converting a lead to a sale, and people in the property industry need to understand that lead nurturing and follow-up processes are essential for converting potential leads into customers.
By implementing effective lead nurturing and follow-up processes, real estate professional can improve their chances of closing deals and generating more revenue. Today, we will explore some strategies for improving lead nurturing and follow-up processes for real estate leads, including CRM integration, retargeting, and email marketing.

CRM Integration
A
property CRM
 (Customer Relationship Management) system can help you track leads and manage your sales process more effectively. By integrating your CRM with your lead nurturing and follow-up processes, you can streamline your workflow and improve your chances of closing leads. Here are some strategies for using CRM integration to improve lead nurturing and follow-up processes in real estate:
Automate Lead Capture
Use CRM automation tools to capture leads from your website, social media, or other channels.
Use Lead Scoring
Use lead scoring to prioritise leads based on factors such as behaviour, demographics, and interests.
Track Engagement
Use your CRM to track engagement with potential customers, such as website activity, email opens, and social media interactions.

Email Marketing
Email marketing
 is one of the most effective ways to nurture leads and build relationships with potential customers. Here are some strategies for using email marketing to improve lead nurturing and follow-up processes in real estate:
Segment Your Email List
Segment your email list based on factors such as lead source, demographics, and behaviour to deliver targeted, personalised messages to your subscribers.
Provide Valuable Content
Use your emails to provide valuable content, such as tips for home buyers or sellers, industry news, or information about your projects.
Use Automation
Use email automation tools to send targeted messages based on triggers, such as lead capture forms or website activity.

Retargeting
Retargeting is a powerful advertising strategy that can help keep your brand top-of-mind with potential customers. By showing targeted ads to people who have already visited your
real estate website
, you can increase the likelihood of conversion. Here are some strategies for using retargeting to improve lead nurturing and follow-up processes in real estate:
Use Dynamic Retargeting
Use dynamic retargeting to show potential customers ads featuring properties they have viewed on your website.
Offer Incentives
Offer incentives, such as special rebates, a free investment consultation or a personalised property search, to entice potential buyers to return to your website.
Use Social Media Retargeting
Use social media retargeting to show ads to potential customers who have engaged with your brand on social media.

Conclusion

Improving lead nurturing and follow-up processes is essential for real estate professionals looking to generate revenue and close more deals. By implementing effective email marketing, retargeting, and CRM integration strategies, real estate professionals can nurture leads and build relationships with potential customers, ultimately increasing their chances of success. Remember to continually test and optimise your lead nurturing and follow-up processes to identify what works best for your property business.

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


Keys For Success For New
Real Estate Agents
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realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


Leveraging Social Proof & Trust Signals For Real Estate

The real estate industry is a highly competitive industry, and generating leads is crucial to the success of any real estate project. However, this is more easily said than done, as building trust and credibility with potential buyers can be a challenge, especially in a market where consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of property developers. Today, we will explore how leveraging your brand’s social proof and trust signals can help
boost lead generation
 for all real estate professionals.
Social Proof

Social proof is a powerful tool that real estate professionals can use to demonstrate to potential buyers that their property projects are trustworthy, credible and wont be abandoned before being built. Here are some social proof strategies that can be used to boost your lead generation strategies:
Customer Testimonials
Positive reviews and testimonials
 from past buyers can help demonstrate the value and quality of your property projects. Displaying them prominently on your website and other marketing materials can help build trust and credibility with potential buyers who need some assurance.
Showcase Past Project Successes
Highlighting your previous successful projects can also help establish credibility and demonstrate expertise in handling property sales. This can include displaying images and information about completed projects and the success they have had with buyers and the community.
Utilise Social Media
Social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, can be used to display social proof. Sharing customer reviews and testimonials on social media can help build trust and credibility with potential buyers.
Trust Signals
Trust signals are visual elements that signal to potential buyers that your projects are trustworthy and legitimate, and have been approved by relevant authorities. Here are some trust signal strategies that can be used to boost lead generation and sales:
Display Project Information
Providing detailed information about the property project, such as the location, features, amenities and any accreditations, can help establish credibility and demonstrate the quality of your projects.
Use High-Quality Images & Design
Using high-quality images and professional design can also help signal that your projects are legitimate and trustworthy. Investing in professional photography, visualisations and design can pay off in the long run by helping to build trust and credibility with potential buyers.
Provide Contact Information
Providing clear and accessible contact information, such as a phone number and email address, can help demonstrate that your business is legitimate and accessible. Just make sure the email address gets responded to and the phone number actually works, because if they don’t this will have the opposite effect on your brand.
Conclusion
Leveraging social proof and trust signals have been proved to help real estate professionals build trust and credibility with potential buyers, which can ultimately lead to more leads and quicker sales. Incorporating customer testimonials, past successes, detailed project information, and high-quality design can help set your projects apart from your competitors and establish trust with potential buyers. Remember to continually test and optimise your social proof and trust signal strategies to identify what works best for your
real estate brand
.

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


Mistakes to Avoid When Selling a Property in 2021

What to Avoid When Selling a Property in 2021
It’s exciting to put your property on the market and to think about how much your
property value
 has appreciated, but sometimes we can have deep sentimental attachments to the homes we’re leaving behind. Growing emotions can hinder a sale, depending on how you manage them.
So when it comes to the bottom line, sellers need to know what it takes to avoid costly mistakes. Being mindful of these things and being prepared for this kind of process can help you avoid some of the most common mistakes when
selling your property
.

1. Don’t Overprice Your Home
Its common to think buyers will pay whatever you asks for when you price your property for sale. But believe it or not, that’s very far from the truth. Don’t forget that the buyer’s bank will send a valuation appraisal to determine the fair value of your property. The bank will not lend more than what the property is worth, so be mindful that you might need to renegotiate the price after the valuation appraisal. A real estate professional can help you to set the true value of your property.

2. Don’t Let Your Emotions Interfere
If you have been living in your property for several years, you may get a little bit emotionally attached to your space. If it’s the first home you bought after you got married or the house where your children grew up, it very likely means something extra special to you and your family. Every home has memories and it’s hard to detach from the sentimental value. So for some homeowners that makes it even harder to negotiate, because its hard separating the emotional value of the home from the actual market price. That’s why you need a real estate professional to help you with the negotiations in the selling process.

3. Do Staging Your Home
It’s so important to make sure you
stage your home
 with the buyers in mind. Buyers want to envision themselves in the space, so it truly feels like their own property. They need to see themselves in the property with their furniture and belongings – not your personal pictures and decorations. So stage and tidy your home so they can visualise their own dream home as they walk through your house. A real estate professional can help you with tips to get your home ready to stage and sell, either virtually or physically.

In Summary
Selling your property is a big decision and should be done with proper preparation. So if you’re considering selling your house, sit down with a local real estate professional to help you navigate through the process while avoiding common seller mistakes that are usually made.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


Optimising Real Estate Landing Pages For Better Lead Generation

It’s never a good idea to just throw a bunch of random information about your property project on a landing page and expect visitors will “just” convert into leads. This is definitely far from the truth, as having well optimised
project landing pages
 are an essential element of any successful
real estate lead generation campaign
.
A well-designed landing page can be the deciding factor between a successful lead capture and a lost opportunity.

So let’s deep dive and explore the best practices and design elements for optimising your landing pages for real estate lead generation.

Here are 5 best practices for real estate landing page design

1. Keep It Simple
The most effective landing pages are those that are simple, straightforward, and easy to navigate. Avoid clutter, unnecessary information, or design elements that distract from the main goal of the landing page, which is capturing leads.
2. Focus On Your Benefits
Your landing page should clearly communicate the benefits of your real estate project offering. Highlight the unique features of your property project, and make sure that your messaging speaks directly to the needs and desires of your target audience.
3. Use Compelling Imagery
Images are a powerful tool for capturing attention and communicating emotion. Use high-quality, professional images of your property to create an emotional connection with your prospective buyers.
4. Include A Clear Call-To-Action
Your call-to-action (CTA) is the most important element of your landing page. Make sure that your CTA is prominent, clear, and compelling. Use action-oriented language and communicate the value of taking the desired action of registering your their interest.
5. Optimise Your Landing Page For Mobile
More and more people are using mobile devices to browse the internet, so it’s essential that your landing page is optimised for mobile devices. Ensure that your page is responsive, loads quickly, and is easy to navigate on a small screen.

Here are 5 design elements for effective property landing pages

1. The Hero Image
The hero image is the large, visually prominent image that sits at the top of your landing page. Use a high-quality, professional image of your property to create an emotional connection with your visitors.
2. The Headline
Your headline should be clear, concise, and attention-grabbing. Use it to communicate the main benefit of your offering and to capture your prospects attention.
3. The Sub-Headline
The sub-headline should provide additional detail about your offering and support the main benefit communicated in the headline.
4. Trust indicators
Trust indicators, such as customer testimonials, industry awards, or accreditations, can help to build credibility and trust with your prospects.
5. Lead Capture
Your lead capture form should be prominently displayed on your landing page and should be easy to fill out. Only ask for essential information and avoid asking for too much personal information, as this can be a turn-off for visitors.

Conclusion
Optimising landing pages for real estate lead generation requires a combination of best practices and design elements. By keeping your landing pages simple, focusing on the benefits of your offering, and using compelling imagery and a clear call-to-action, you can create landing pages that generate high-quality leads for your property project.
If you haven’t already started optimising your campaign landing pages, now is the time to do an audit on all the landing pages you have on the market and make sure they are optimised to generate the maximum number of leads.

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


Personal Branding In Real Estate – Infographic

Personal Branding
 in Real Estate Infographic
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


Personalisation Strategies For Property Lead Generation

As we all know, there has been a slow down of real estate project launches due to rising inflation and an increase in the cost of building materials. So for property industry professionals, it has become essential to engage with potential property leads in a personalised and more meaningful way, rather than the typical “stranger treatment” that has been the status quo.
Personalisation in your marketing strategies helps build a much stronger connection with prospective buyers and increases the likelihood of converting them into actual sales. So let’s explore the 3 most effective personalisation strategies for 2023, that real estate professionals can use to boost their lead generation, and increase their profits.

Dynamic Content

So what does dynamic content actually mean? Dynamic content involves tailoring the content of your website or marketing materials to individual buyers based on their behaviours, interests, and preferences. This strategy will help improve customer engagement and provide a more personalised experience for potential buyers.
  H
ere are some dynamic
property content strategies
 that can be used for real estate lead generation right away:

1. Personalised Property Recommendations
By using data on a user’s behaviour, such as their search history or location, you can provide personalised property recommendations that are more tailored to their preferences. Just like how e-commerce websites do it for other things you buy online.
2. Dynamic Pricing
Using dynamic pricing algorithms, you can provide users with personalised pricing based on factors such as the user’s location, behaviour, and purchase history. You can segment users, and offer tiered pricing based on their user segment.
3. Tailored Content
Creating tailored content that speaks to the unique needs and interests of potential buyers can help improve engagement and increase the likelihood of conversion. This can also be tested using
multivariate testing
 to see which content converts for different product types, or target audiences.

Chatbots

Chatbots are becoming more and more common for technology based businesses, and are starting to even appear in many brick and mortar businesses. Chatbots are a powerful tool that can help real estate businesses engage with potential leads in a personalised and efficient way.

One of the biggest issue in the real estate industry is response time to enquiries, which is a direct product of human inefficiency. Chatbots can be programmed to provide personalised and real time responses to user inquiries and can help provide a more seamless and convenient user experience.

Here are some chatbot advantages that can convince any property business that chatbots are essential for real estate lead generation:

1. Personalised Responses
Chatbots can be programmed to provide personalised responses to user inquiries, based on factors such as location, behaviour, and interests.
2.  Availability 24/7
Chatbots can provide round-the-clock availability, which can be particularly helpful for potential buyers who may have questions or concerns outside of regular business hours.
3. Seamless User Experience
Chatbots can help provide a more seamless and convenient user experience by quickly providing relevant information and answering user inquiries.

AI-Powered Recommendations

While we are all fearful that the robots are going to take over, and SKYNET is just quietly observing us in the background, none can deny that the introduction of CHATGPT and AI have been a game changer for any industry.

AI-powered recommendations on websites not only help provide personalised property recommendations based on user data and preferences, but also help improve engagement and increase the likelihood of conversion, by giving buyers the personalised VIP treatment that they sorely desire.

So here are some AI-powered recommendation strategies that can be used for real estate lead generation:

1. AI- powered Property Recommendations
AI-powered algorithms can provide personalised property recommendations and experiences based on a user’s changing behaviour, interests, and preferences.
2. Predictive Analytics
Predictive analytics can help identify potential buyers who are most likely to convert and provide personalised recommendations to improve the chances of conversion into a sale.
3. AI-powered dynamic pricing
Using AI-powered algorithms, you can provide real-time personalised algorithmic pricing based on factors such as the user’s behaviour, location, and purchase history.

In conclusion, we would like to highlight that personalisation strategies can be highly effective in
real estate lead generation
, even though it is still early days into businesses properly utilising data for personalised customer journeys.
But by utilising dynamic content, chatbots, and AI-powered recommendations, real estate developers can provide a more personalised and meaningful experience for their potential buyers. The key is to remember to continually test and optimise your personalisation strategies to identify what works best for your customers.

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


How to prepare for a real estate client call

Client Call Preparation

STEP 1: PREPARE FOR THE CALL
This is the conversation that secures you the actual property viewing. Which is very critical!
SAY YOUR PERSONAL AFFIRMATIONS OUT LOUD
Real estate is a very hard, and highly competitive business. The way to stay positive is to repeat your daily personal affirmations. It may sound silly, but thinking positive, believing in yourself and your skills, and reminding yourself that you are there to help and nurture your clients. These are very critical steps to ensuring success in business – and also in life.
KNOW YOUR PERSONAL VALUE
You need to know and understand your value. What is your personal approach and differentiator from your competition? Make a list of 3 to 5 differentiators, recite these every morning as part of your daily affirmation ritual. Remember, that clients respect value and professionalism.
KNOW YOUR LEAD SOURCES
You may not know much about your potential seller client at first, but you need to know where you connected with them. How you received the lead dictates the general approach you should take. Was this a referral from a previous client? family connection? Someone you reached while doing follow ups on expired listings? Did you get this buyer lead from a
Facebook ad posting
, a property classifieds, or your extended network? If your buyer lead came from a google advertising, you can assume that they’ll have some idea about the property they are looking for, so you can tailor your approach around this information. Be prepared to address the buyers needs and how you’ll provide a more complete data based on your local expertise.
UNDERSTAND THE LOCAL MARKET
It is crucial to understanding your local market, know all your stats, trends, and projections. Refreshing yourself on this information weekly and practicing on how you’ll deliver and explain its significance is very important to establishing trust during your initial conversations with prospects. Take a look through the property portals to get a sense as to how these
real estate platforms
 are presenting market information and information to visitors. Remember, you need to help your clients with information gathering, which most likely will have included, reading through major property portals as part of the data gathering process.
PRACTICE YOUR SCRIPTS
Practice your scripts so they don’t come across as fake, unnatural or robotic with responses. Practice on a weekly basis, once in face-to-face role playing and once via the phone. Role play objection handling, general Q&A, and recite the two most important property market stats for a variety of locations in your prospecting territory. This consistent preparation will allow you to quickly and authoritatively answer any questions from prospects.

STEP 2: THE ACTUAL CALL
First find out what type of property buyer/seller you are speaking to. The type of prospect you are speaking with will influence your overall approach:
For a first time seller, your conversations should demonstrate your understanding of the selling process and how you’ll guide them through it.
If they’ve sold a home before, they’ll likely have a good idea as to the process and what to expect, so you should focus on getting answers to the next three questions below:
Question #1: What are you looking for in a real estate agent?
By answering this question, you are essentially receiving your metrics to succeed; meet these metrics and you will be increasing your odds of winning the deal.
Question #2: Who are my competition?
When you know who you are competing against you can gauge their weaknesses and strengths, so you can showcase the qualities that set you apart from other real estate agencies and agents.
Question #3: Why are they are buying or selling?
Try to uncover the real motivations of your prospect and leverage your knowledge and experience to tailor your approach and communication style.

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


How To Promote Your Real Estate Website – Infographic

How To Promote Your
Real Estate Website
Stay tuned with the
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 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


How do property agents prepare for a client viewing

Agent Preparation For Viewing
The first thing to remember is not to be unprepared. Prepare well for the viewing; ideally, plan one day in advance. Remember your personal value and your list of key differentiators from your competition, and practice saying them in your conversation with clients.
You have to know your competition well, and anticipate what they’ll likely say and present to your clients. Knowing this you can neutralize their strengths and exploit their weaknesses by emphasizing your core principal and strengths and key value differentiators.
Familiarize yourself with your client’s location. Drive around or walk around it. Know the property market stats inside and out, and how to interpret and pull insights from these stats. Demonstrate how these real estate stats relate to national statistics; also remember, that your potential client will likely have heard more information about national housing trends than he/she will have heard about local trends, so use this to your advantage. By showing your understanding of the block-by-block listing activity around the prospect’s property, and how this relates to national statistics, you are showing your own expertise and reassuring any type of client that you are a competent, knowledgeable, and trustworthy real estate negotiator.
1. Put your understanding of the type of client you’re meeting into action.
A first time buyers/seller needs education, coaching, and a detailed walk-through of the home buying and selling process. With this type of client you’re an expert and mentor. Reassure them that you’ve got everything covered so they don’t have to worry.
For a seasoned buyer/seller, you may want to touch on your experience and knowledge but most of the time these clients will want you to cut to the chase on your points of differentiation from other agents. How will you
market their property
? How big is your database of contacts and listings and do they match the client’s property requirements?
For your luxury, downsize, upsize, or investor customers, make a list of five to 10 questions they will likely ask (based on your initial phone call with them). Answer these questions and layer theses answers into your client presentation.
Here are some general guidelines to help your presentation preparation around:
Investment
– They care how fast you can transact the property and for how much.
Luxury
– Bring a marketing plan that goes above and beyond the status quo.
Upsize
– This client needs to get the most for their current situation so they can move up.
Downsize
– This is most likely the last property they will transact, as their retirement is top of mind.
2. WHEN IT’S VIEWING TIME, KEEP THESE SEVEN TIPS IN MIND:
Show your past client references and testimonials
Dress up for success
Prepare for a
digital real estate
 presentation but have a backup in case your digital devices fail
Have everything prepared the day before; this means your presentation, testimonials, agreement, etc. NEVER prepare the day of the meeting.
Always show up 15 minutes early
Show your existing database to demonstrate how good you are
Practice your affirmations before your presentation to get in the right frame of mind to do well!
3. DO YOUR PRESENTATION WELL
TRUST IN YOUR ACTUAL PREPARATION
Now that it’s viewing time, trust in your preparation. Winning a client is never a sure thing, so you have to be on top of your game, appear relaxed, knowledgeable, and authoritative.
ASK FOR THE DEAL
Are your clients already dealing with multiple agents? Even if you’re first to present against your competition, ask for the business…you may be surprised that the client is ready to move forward to go exclusive without meeting with other agencies. And you can have the pleasure of personally informing your competition that your are exclusive!
POLITE PERSISTENCE
If the client does not offer you the deal, have a follow-up process in place to stay in touch. Remember, polite persistence is important. Ask them the best way to keep in touch and setup a reminder immediately.
Stay tuned with the
realestatemy.com/blog
 for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.


Property Online Marketing guide 2022