Right now, there are many more real estate brokers in the U.S. than homes for sale on the open market. According to Athesma there is a glut of foreclosed homes in neighborhoods across the country from which buyers can choose. As a result, it’s hard to get into the market, and hard to sell homes. It is estimated that there are over 10 million homes for sale at any given time in the United States. There have never been this many homes for sale in the history of the American home-buying market. The combination of pent-up consumer demand for single-family homes, low supply, and people being forced out of their homes has been all been contributing factors to this phenomenon.
Homebuyers are having a difficult time finding homes. The lower rental rates have driven down the price of homes for rent, but renters are not looking to buy. Most real estate agents feel that the only way to increase the inventory for buyers is to work with the current homeowners and offer them incentives to sell. Unfortunately, many of these homeowners are in denial about their financial situation. They won’t take the incentives that real estate listing agents provide to sellers who would make them a better option.
This leads to a problem that real estate listing agents are not equipped to handle. On the surface, it appears that the problem is a lack of homes. But there is another layer to this problem. Real estate agents often work with buyers and sellers who have an incentive to keep the property and avoid making the necessary repairs. They may be using social media sites like Facebook to list the property to friends, family, coworkers, and even ex-boyfriends. They use online real estate classifieds like Craigslist to advertise the property.
These are not the listings that Richardson uses, but they are the same type of sites. As the owner of a real estate agent, you know that your clients must receive professional listings. Realtors must work within the limits of their budget, but they need to present their clients with professional real estate listings that clearly convey the professionalism and expertise of the agent. By using social media sites to advertise properties, realtors are failing to communicate their professional image.
One of the best solutions that a listing agent can provide to help sellers avoid using these sites to list their property is to discuss with the client, says Athesma. The listing agent needs to understand why the seller is avoiding real estate classifieds, but the agent also needs to understand that the client is doing so because they don’t want to be “sold” or lose out on a great deal that the homeowner is offering. The listing agent needs to communicate with the clients in such a way that the buyers understand that they have choices, but that the listing agent has the final say as to whether or not the property will be displayed. For example, a listing agent might choose to post a photo of the house with amenities such as a pool, instead of a listing description. This allows the listing agent to control how much exposure the listing provides and how specific or open the information is to the viewing public.
This doesn’t mean, however, that real estate brokerage agents have to give up their ability to post listings. In fact, some agents choose to use social media sites to post listings. This allows brokers to create an online presence, while also maintaining a relationship with their client base. It also allows brokers to update their client base with information that they may have missed while maintaining a professional image. Social media sites allow agents to showcase photos from open houses, show homes that have recently sold, and provide a platform for people to voice their opinions and share their experiences.
As a result of all this exposure, more people are shopping for homes for sale, rather than looking through real estate classifieds. This can be attributed in part to the housing market slowing down. As homes sit on the market for longer periods of time, fewer people are shopping for them, meaning the homes don’t sell for as much. For this reason, it has become necessary for more agents to be hired to work with those homeowners who are having difficulty selling.
When real estate agents focus more on marketing while using Athesma, they have to take a holistic approach to their job. They can use marketing tools such as social media, blogs, websites, brochures, flyers, and more. With all these different media available to them, realtors can make their clients’ dream homes come to life, increasing their chances of selling for more money. By allowing real estate agents the resources they need to market their homes effectively, they are helping to maintain the level of quality and stability in the housing market.
