The National Association of Realtors® recently released the results of their Buyer & Seller Profile Survey that was conducted in 2008. As agents, we like to know where buyers are shopping for homes (RESOURCE). It is also important to know how the buyers first learned about the home they actually bought (SOURCE).
No surprise, the Internet is growing in magnitude for its importance in the home search process at 87%. However, Realtors® are THE leading originator for the home the buyer actually purchased (34%). The Internet came in a close second at 32%. Here is a chart showing the NAR Survey’s findings. The yellow bars shows the various resources buyers used when they were in the exploratory stage. The dark brown bars show the source where the buyer FIRST learned about the home they actually bought.
Click to enlarge graph
You might be surprised that the Internet isn’t higher than Realtor® as a source for the home actually bought. What might be happening is that although buyers do so much web surfing for homes, those homes may no longer be on the market. That’s a major flaw to many of the web sites. Realtors® have access to the MLS which does show whether the home is an active listing or not. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the buyer’s Realtor® will continue to be a main source for ACCURATE info on homes.
The data also indicates why Realtors® no longer place ads in newspapers and why the home magazines have become thinner. Those media sell the agent, but don’t sell the home. The print quality of newspapers is so poor that it doesn’t compare well with the crisp photos on the Internet. The lead time on magazines is so long that the home may no longer be available. Although open houses are still conducted, they also are diminishing in favor due to security concerns and the known fact that they seldom sell the home held open.
If you are a home buyer, how do your habits compare to this National data?
Copyright © 2009. Elaine Reese, Real Living HER. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate.com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.
Over 80% of the home buyers start their home search on various Internet sites. Sellers select their Realtor® based on how many Internet sites the agent displays the home. Conscientious agents make sure the home is featured in the best way possible by making sure the photos are as best as they can be. Now what happens when the most basic of information about the home is WRONG or MISSING?
ed after the “Cash for Clunkers” program ended?
As if the bedroom wasn’t bad enough, the adjoining bath used the THIRD version of the coordinating paper. Don’t ya’ just love it!
Elaine Reese
614-825-8860Real Living HER
Mailbox litter – how do we stop it?
11/20/2009 · Leave a Comment
I personally don’t care for these flyers as they make the neighborhood look messy, especially when they blow away into our yards and streets. Similar to these flyers are the “free” newspapers that are thrown in our drives.
As a Realtor®, this “litter” creates real problems when the home being sold is vacant. To keep the home looking presentable – and NOT look vacant – I do frequent drive-bys to remove the papers and flyers. I know the days the newspapers are delivered, so I time my schedule to do the pick-ups then. The other business flyers are random, so they are harder to monitor.
In my previous career, I traveled frequently. I would make arrangements with the P.O. to hold my mail while I was gone. There was nothing I could do to stop the incessant flyers other than ask my poor neighbors to toss the junk around my mailbox when they saw it. There was one real estate agent who habitually left flyers, so I called her to explain my situation and asked her to please not leave the flyers at my address. Apparently my multiple requests to her fell on deaf ears, as it didn’t stop. When it came time for me to sell that home, guess which Realtor® I DID NOT call.
With the issues we have today of thieves entering vacant homes to steal copper, these flyers have become even more of a concern because they are a bold advertisement of an empty, unoccupied home.
I would like to make a plea to to the businesses using this form of advertising and to the newspaper delivery folks. If you see a “For Sale” sign in the yard, please don’t tack your flyer to the mailbox or throw your paper in the drive. You might just be contributing to a burglary.
Copyright © 2009. Elaine Reese, Real Living HER. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate.com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.
Categories: Central Ohio · Commentary · Home selling process · Homes · Homes for sale · Safety · Sellers · Sellers
Tagged: central ohio real estate market news, mail box flyers