Video Openhouse

Stacy recently sat down with with Matt White from The Real Estate Channel - I think the interview turned out great. Thanks to The Real Estate Channel for the opportunity.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, take some time to look at what The Real Estate Channel has to offer.

After a night of investigating some new website stuff, a new spam filter for the blog, some interesting new prospects for playing flash video, an overall assessment of website performance… I got to thinking about a common thread in many different real estate blogs. Articles with titles like:

• Big Changes at Zillow.com - Are they becoming a national MLS? - from the Ubertor Blog
• Google Implements Local Search Results - from Future of Real Estate Marketing

I got to wondering WHY MLS.ca seems to have lost in real estate searches to Google and others. So I did a little looking around, I went over to MLS.ca do do a little checking. Now I realize real estate agents do not use MLS.ca to do searches, and that may be why nothing has been done about it. Here are a few of the website atrocities I noticed:

1. Load time from the time I typed “mls.ca” into my browser, until the time I had relevant search results for properties in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver was an astounding 40 seconds. As a reference, I typed “Kitsilano Real Estate” into google and was presented 109,000 search results in less than 1 second.
2. Ease of use Count them, 5 maps I had to click on!
   • The British Columbia portion of a map of Canada.
   • Then click on “Vancouver - Lower Mainland” on a map of BC.
   • Next (when it loaded), I got to choose “Greater Vancouver”, I thought “Great! finally the area I want!”.
   • Wrong! Assuming that I am immigrating to Vancouver from say, Toronto (some say escaping rather than immigrating) I needed to determine if Kitsilano is in VW, VE, BU or RI.

   

   • That aside, after choosing VW, I finally get to choose between KT, FA, AR or gag me now…

   I feel sorry I had to write all that. You probably didn’t read this far! I wouldn’t.

   So Why did I have to click on 5 maps, then select my property search criteria just to see listings!

Before someone points out the “Advanced Search” page on MLS.ca would have been quicker, I will try to recall the the last time I clicked on the advanced search link in google. Never! Why? Because I don’t have to.

It is not too late, some basic site redesign, speed enhancements and a proper marketing effort could save MLS.ca. The call for change might have to come from the people who don’t use it, the Real Estate Agents.

About 2 weeks ago, someone mentioned ComFree to me. I felt obliged to evaluate their website and found nothing that significantly differentiates them from all the other FSBO sites out there. They offer website listings, publish a magazine of their listings every 3 weeks, and provide marketing packages for homeowners that include brochures and signage. But about a week ago, I saw my first ComFree television commercial. During the past week I noticed billboard advertising across the city and heard multiple radio ads as well. ComFree is obviously well-funded to market in such a traditional and cost-ineffective way, but it may be the tipping point that differentiates them from all the other companies that offer similar services.

A good realtor is well worth the commissions that they earn. They carry a large overhead and spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars marketing listings. There is no guarantee of any compensation for an agent if a home does not sell. But still there exists a public perception that many real estate agents are overpaid for the service they provide. Perhaps it is too easy to become a realtor. Definitely, not all agents fall into that “good” category either, but that can be said of any profession.

Will Comfree acquire a significant portion of the Real Estate Market here in Vancouver? They currently have 9 listings on their website. They have a long way to go. But they claim to have one third of the market in Edmonton and a 15% share in Winnipeg. I will wait and see how events play themselves out, but for anyone connected to the real estate industry here in Vancouver, it is worth watching.

We found an article in The NY Times titled “Making Every Pixel Count” about how photography may be your best chance at getting people to come view a property. This reinforces what we have been saying about listing pictures,

In the first paragraph they get straight to the point

“Less-than-flattering pictures can turn buyers off and lead to lonely open houses”

and

Good photos will grab people’s attention and help you sell a home.

Our photos stand out. People who know us tell us that they can spot our pictures immediately, that they stand out from the rest.

I recently came across a website that claimed to list new houses & condos Canada wide. This site had listings in Ontario, Alberta & BC. I wanted to learn more so I entered their forum area to see what people were saying. To my dismay, the forums were littered with spam, I could not count a single legitimate post.

Real Estate Blogs & Forums can be a great addition to a real estate website. If you are thinking of starting or maintaining a blog or forum, I would suggest getting advice from someone who can help you maximize the benefits. Dara Sklar of Realty Support can assist you with all of your website needs & questions.

I would like to thank Grant Sorensen, who recently stumbled across our blog. Grant, who shares my interest in all the development that is occurring around the city, pointed out that our blog post titled, “Vancouver Condos Recently Completed, Under Construction or Proposed” is in need of updating. The Orpheum Condominiums Project, 833 Seymour Street is now known as Capitol Residences, www.capitolresidences.com. He also pointed out a development that I overlooked, Atelier on Robson.

Grant also suggested I look at a new development in Dubai. The Burj Dubai has been under construction since April, 2005. Its final height is officially being kept a secret due to competition; however, rumours suggest that the final height will exceed 800 metres (2600 feet) and the total number of liveable floors is expected to be 162. I was able to find a 1100 square foot unit for sale for 2500000AED, which amounts to just over $800000 CAN. That seems to be quite a bargain in comparison to downtown condo prices here in Vancouver. If you are interested in purchasing a unit in the building, check out the official website, www.burjdubai.com for more information.

I just spoke with Leon Ng of the Real Estate Channel (www.realestatechannel.ca). He informed me that they are offering new members 3 free listings a month for a year. To become a member, a realtor needs to only purchase one of their packages. Their packages are affordable and in return they receive a 30 second advertisement video in rotation on their network and the video hosted on their website. The Real Estate Channel works hard to promote realtor listings. They also have done a great job supporting/promoting their clients by drawing from their membership when they need real estate experts for their on-air interviews.

For our clients that are interested in this offer, we are able to produce your video for the Real Estate Channel as part of our services. Do you have a few active listings? Interested in advertising on television? Video Openhouse can help you get your listing on the Novus Network’s Real Estate Channel.