Agent Marketing Minute: Marketing is not Advertising

Real estate agents wear many hats including one for marketing, advertising , merchandising, and publicity hat. Many agents think these are all one and the same. To be effective you need to know the difference and use all four to reach target real estate markets. Let's explore what each is and a brief example.

Advertising is any means by which an organization seeks to influence thoughts or actions of an individual, usually used to sell a product (house) or service (agent), or to promote good will. Example: an open house ad in the local newspaper. Marketing is all aspects of the advertising, merchandising, and selling of goods and services. An agent's annual marketing plan identifying the goals to be achieved and actions to be taken in the coming year. Merchandising is the promotion of the sale of goods and services through advertising and publicity. Think of merchandising as a physical tribute of marketing. Example would be a four-color brochure describing the physical features of a listing. Publicity or public relations is a promotion tool that motivate the public to take notice of a person (agent), product(listing), company (brokerage). Example is a press release and resulting article in the newspaper featuring an agent's support of a Habitat for Humanity project.

Mark Nash is the author of Fundamentals of Marketing for the Real Estate Professional, Starting & Succeeding in Real Estate, Reaching Out: The Financial Power of Niche Marketing, and 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home. Mark is a contributing writer for: Realtor (R) Magazine Online, Broker Agent News, Real Estate Executive Magazine, Principal Broker, and Realty Times. He contributes residential real estate analysis to Business Week, CBS The Early Show, CNN, HGTVpro.com, The New York Times, and USA Today. View his books at http://www.1001RealEstateTips.com.

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How to Use Real Estate Lists

If you are planning to purchase a home, you should be on top of your game in order to make a wise investment. There are many crucial elements in this potentially stressful process. You should make sure that you find a home that suits your family's needs. You should also make a prudent investment, so that you can sell the house for profit in the future.

It would not be wise if you choose a house that depreciates in value. If you want to ensure your home's worth, you have to do some research before any purchase. This may have been difficult 15 years ago, but this has become an easy task because of the Internet. All you have to do is hop on the web, and acquire real estate lists, and check out houses for sale all across the country.

I started browsing through real estate lists when I was looking for a new home a few years ago. It didn't exactly have to be a new home, but I did want it to be nice. I decided to check out a few houses personally after browsing through a number of valuable real estate lists on the Internet. At that time, I was looking in Salem, Oregon because I found out that houses there were popular.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find a suitable home after viewing around eight houses in person. I had no choice but to go back to the real estate lists. This was when I found the perfect house. It was a nice three bedroom, two and a half bathroom house situated in an ideal location. I was amazed at how pleasant the neighborhood actually was. With a fully fenced in, half an acre lot, it was really amazing. My wife and I decided to purchase it immediately.

If you want to acquire real estate lists to help you find a home, simply hop online and pull up Google.com. Punch in the keywords real estate lists and you will be rewarded with a long list of houses for sale ranging from one coast to the other. Nowadays, real estate lists are so simple to come by, even for the average person. Remember to consider the neighborhood, and not solely the home. Also keep in mind that the location and environment are important factors.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Real Estate Lists. Visit our site for more helpful information about Real Estate Lists and other similar topics.

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Protect Yourself with a Home Inspection

Home inspection plays a very important role in the real estate process. When you are buying or selling a home, you rely on a home inspector to provide an accurate and reliable inspection of a property. A home inspector will tell you about the condition of the home and help you avoid buying a home that needs major repairs. It is the perfect way to get an in-depth and impartial opinion of your next home before you buy it.

What to Expect

Typically, you will hire a home inspector either immediately before an offer is made on a home or as a contingency to a sale. Additionally, home inspections are ideal if you want to evaluate your home's condition or diagnose potential problems before they become serious issues.

Home inspectors perform the following duties:

-Evaluate the physical condition of a property, including the structure, construction and mechanical systems.

-Identify the items that should be repaired or replaced.

-Estimate the remaining useful life of the major systems (such as electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning), equipment, structure, and finishes.

Although inspections are primarily visual, inspectors may use tape measures, survey instruments, metering devices, and other equipment, such as concrete strength measurers, to aid in their inspection. They keep a log of their work, take photographs, and file a formal report.

The inspection usually takes two or three hours (depending on the age and size of the home). You should be present so you can ask questions and learn about areas that need additional work. All of the findings will be presented in a formal report that details the condition of the home.

A Close Look

The main purpose of the home inspector is to provide an objective viewpoint on the condition of a specific home at the time of inspection. The inspector does not evaluate the cost or value of the property, but provides a close examination of the following:

Structural Components: Foundations, floors and walls.

Exterior Components: Siding paint, windows, decks, garage doors, etc.

Roofing: Coverings, flashings, chimneys, etc.

Plumbing: Piping, fixtures, faucets, water heating and fuel storage systems, etc.

Electrical: Wiring, main service panels, conductors, switches, receptacles, etc.

Heating: Equipment, safety controls, distribution systems, chimneys, etc.

Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps: Cooling and air-handling equipment, controls and ducting, etc.

Interior: Partitions, ceilings, floors, railings, doors and windows, etc.

Insulation and Ventilation: Attics, walls, floors, foundations, kitchen and bathrooms, etc.

They will additionally perform the following services (sometimes for an extra fee): mold sampling, radon testing, asbestos evaluation, pests/wood destroying organisms, carbon monoxide testing, lead testing, and more. These services are not always available.

Make sure to protect your investment. Get a home inspection before you buy your next home!

http://www.realestatelicense.com http://www.homeinspectioncourse.com

Heather Brunson is a lead marketing writer for Allied Schools. She has a B.A. in Journalism with an emphasis on public relations. She has additional experience in technical writing.

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