Home owners talking to real estate agents are often surprised by what is now required to sell a home. Smart listing agents are using the latest technology to attract buyers and compete with new construction. With the recent changes in the market the number of houses for sale in Charleston has doubled. Last year at this time there were approximately 3,000 houses on the market, now there are over 6,000! The days of putting a sign out front and having a contract within a day or two are a memory.
This new environment means that every property must be thoroughly marketed to stand out from all the other houses it must compete with. Some agents are stepping up to the task by investing in the tools their clients will need to get the best possible contract. The telephone is still the most widely used and easily understood means of communication. A majority of buyers are now carrying a cell phone. A few agents are taking advantage of this fact by establishing advertising “1-800” information lines that explain the features of a property and collect the buyer’s information for follow-up.
With the latest statistics showing that 75% of buyers are starting their search for a new home on the Internet, no agent can ignore this aspect of a complete marketing plan. The well connected agent is bringing: websites which showcase their listed properties, sophisticated virtual-tours, web addresses specific to each property and web pages that collect buyer information and forward it to the listing agent. Some major real estate companies are joining forces with well known websites to market properties to the largest number of potential buyers.
For example, Prudential Carolina Real Estate is Yahoo!’s real estate partner nationwide. The benefit for Yahoo! is that they can work with the only company that is in all major markets. Prudential Carolina Real Estate benefits from the huge name recognition and traffic that the Yahoo! website generates. The real estate market in Charleston, SC is active and growing. Home prices in most areas are still increasing. Because of its quality of life, Charleston is a popular place to relocate to, and many corporations consider Charleston a great place to invest.
Terry Hoffman is a Prudential Carolina Real Estate agent in Charleston, SC. He both lists properties for sale and works as a buyers agent. He is a member of the NAR, SCAR and CTAR boards of Realtors and is an Accredited Buyers Representative through REBAC. Visit his website http://www.terryhoffman.com for more information about the Charleston, SC real estate market or to contact him.
Source: www.ezinearticles.com
