Not Your Father’s Realtor

Every home has a story to tell, and as times change, Realtors must adapt to new ways of reaching the end client.

Once I had this home and asked if anything was excluded?  The husband told me no but one thing was staying.  That was kind of an unusual thing to say.  I then asked what was staying and he said, the mistletoe. I said huh.  They both walked over to this spot right before the kitchen entry.  This lovely older couple then embraced below the mistletoe.  He said the reason it stays is it always reminds them to love each other, and they want that for the new buyer.  I told that story to the end buyer and it clinched the deal.  A house with “good energy” sometimes is the most important part of a sale.  Last week, I wrote about the 2 most critical part of ads, the opening photo and the opening write up.

There is another important piece of marketing that is emerging quickly and that is storytelling on social media.  Originally everything was Facebook but today it’s so much more. Tik Tok, Reels, Instagram all have giant extended reach and have overnight become critical ways and mediums which end consumers are on. You have to be present there and must have a video department to get buyers’ attention properly.

One of the unique things about ECHO is that we have an entire photojournalism department.  We have extensive camera equipment and editing equipment, and create professional videos internally on every home we market.  We are also streaming live once a week to do virtual open houses on our website and this streams into a multitude of social media channels. In additional, we have used our video and editing department to market in a few very unique ways to make sure a home we are marketing never ever misses a potential buyer.

Storytelling

The first way is with fun video storytelling. Think MTV but for home buying watching.  Check out this $3m modern and fully remodeled estate showcased by Penny Burke in BallenIsles – see the video here. Has nearly 2,000 likes on Tik Tok.    Andrew Levy tells a different story here while on the phone from these stunning lakefront views in Jupiter Villas of Ocean Dunes.  Over 17,000 views so far!  Both are telling short stories and are having fun with different music videos. The short stories are more interesting than scrolling through photos in many ways.

Love Letters

Another way of telling a story is by the owner writing a Love Letter to the home. I, myself wrote this piece in the early days of the pandemic about my own home “Looking Out Over My Feet.”  Suzanne Slate had her clients write a Love Letter to their home on their magnificent nearly 2-acre property in Horseshoe Acres here. Their furbabies in the video might miss it more.  The story of seeing their doggie play and hearing how the backyard is used goes deeper than the words “nearly 2-acres” or just showing an aerial shot. Jon Hazman has his clients talk about their home in Ibis – watch that video here.  Everything about it from the tranquility to the giant pantry and kitchen they will miss. There is something about hearing it in the owners own words that is different from an advertisement we put out. Communication and messaging in advertising changes.  Early TV ads were not that sophisticated.  Later good ad people learned they had to make commercials entertaining, story tell and fun to help keep the consumers attention.  That is what we are doing right now. If a brokerage does not have an in-house photography, photojournalism, and social media department they are going to miss potential buyers of your home.

No matter what though, we should all have a mistletoe in our home.

Just one of the 57 Items we do with our Home ECHOnomics Guarantee.

Jeff Lichtenstein is owner and broker of Echo Fine Properties, a luxury real estate brokerage selling real estate in Jupiter  and homes in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He has 20 years of real estate experience, has closed over 2,000 transactions, and manages over 70 agents in a non-traditional model of real estate that mimics a traditional business model.  Some publications he has been quoted in.

Feel free to ask him a question directly at jeff@EchoFineProperties.com including a complimentary real valuation of your home.