You will have to adjust how you Market to the Lazy home buyer and renter searchers out there or other Agents will get the quality Leads.

Read this summary paragraph twice (if you are not sure what is being said here). Getting a buyer lead has much lower probability when the Google Search results produces a link that when clicked it lands on a page where a home buyer must now filter by price or by bedrooms or other criteria. Why? Well, over the past several years the search creator Google, has given birth to lazy searchers, that’s why. They don’t need the extra work of these types of search results when they can just click BACK on their browser and click the next link in the search results. A High quality lead comes when a searcher clicks through to exactly what they searched for on Google in the first place.

Using superior real estate marketing lead services right now will result in a few high quality potential buyers per month. Google Gives RISE of a Lazy Home Searcher. Everyone is working to capture the few buyers that are out there. Some Agents are paying a lot more for lead services right now to generate quantities of leads; many are not getting much more than a waste of their time and money.

Having patience right now and the ability to hold on during this market is not just the advice we offer to Sellers, but is also good advice to Agents. When you convert just one high quality lead per month and it’s worth thousands.

Now you may be asking, “Where can I find quality marketing that produces quality leads like that?”

The answer MUST begin with Google. Give yourself every chance to be found in a Google or other Search Engine search where so many buyers or renters begin their search and find those properties and Agents they see in their search results.

Go ahead and start with a Search on Google. Search what? Well if you want to catch a buyer online you must act, think and search like a buyer searches and see what they see and where they are seeing it, on Google.

What do buyers enter in their property search? Humm, how about 4 bd 2 ba Light and Bright Open Floor Plan Home near great schools.

Nope, not a chance. This is what WE as Agents have used for years to market to each other on MLS or at Sales Meetings handing out our hot list of flyers with what we are selling. Oops! We forgot. We are not marketing to Agents anymore, are we? Those that are getting the leads know market directly to buyers (or renters). So, let’s start thinking like a home, condo buyer renter searching for a property for sale or for rent.

Ask yourself; do my listings have the keywords (aka. buyer search words) in them that match with what a buyer would enter as they are searching on Google for my Listings?

Let’s see two examples I have found that REALLY make the point.

BEFORE you click the link below, I will tell you that I have researched and I share what I preach in emails, articles like this, on the PropertyNut.NET BLOG and in Free weekly Webinars. In a NutShell, in order to be found by a buyer searching Google, every Ad Title of a listing (or description if no title is allowed) must have;

Type of property, How offered, number of bedrooms, City, State, and specifically what the property is near that a buyer would know or recognize and use to search with.

Ok, click http://propertynut.com/belowmarket this link and the page will open in a new window so you can keep reading while I make some points for you about these Listings being marketed.

Now let’s look at these Listing Titles from the Link above you hopefully clicked.

Most of the Listing Ads don’t have Home for Sale City State or specifically what the property is near. People won’t search Google with words like  “Gorgeous Home in a Fantastic Location”  (this is the Ad Listing at $275,000 Phoenix). Ok, you laugh. But 85% of Real Estate Agent Ad Listings look like this. How can buyers find you if you don’t match their search words (aka. keywords) in your listing?

A good title using the same home Ad Listing above, a buyer will search for ……  Phoenix AZ Home for Sale 4 Bedrooms blocks from Cave Buttes Recreation Area 15 minutes to Mayo Clinic Hospital 2 miles from Desert Ridge Marketplace easy 10 minute commute to American Express

Our research shows that a Keyword RICH title that people do type into Google every day, every month by the thousands produces quality calls and emails that many of you are missing out on.

How do you find and select these keywords? You can research and then enter keyword rich titles into a quality lead and marketing service like PropertyNut or you can pay most of them to do it for you. Either way you MUST have marketing like this in place for your Listings that Match up with the buyer or renter search.

Now let’s see a few Listing Ads that do have Titles that are Keyword rich and are being FOUND in Google search results.

This Agent has great keyword rich titles! More importantly, can you find these listings in the Google results of a buyers search?

Now let’s see. Open another Brower and go to Google.Com - we need some provable results. Results may vary based on your Internet browsing habits and your location.

Search Google on 5 bedroom home for sale in Chandler Arizona  or AZ      produces Page 1 Google search results

Search Google on 3 bedroom home for sale in Mesa AZ or Arizona     produces Page 1 Google search results

Search Google on Gilbert Arizona 5 bedroom home for sale by banner hospital     produces Page 1 Google search results

Only a FEW free websites provide you with this type of SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Quality Marketing services or websites will place the Links in Google and all over the internet that when clicked returns the searcher to your listing or a page filled with only your listings. Often a small fee is part of leveraging these services and their generosity for this quality of links which only lead back to you. One other major benefit to this type of marketing service is it makes no difference how many listings the service has in a given city, state or zip code. The great services are marketing your listing and you and NOT a web page with thousands of Listings for buyers to begin searching through.

End of Story. End of Lesson. Use this information and start marketing with a service that offers these concepts, capabilities and resources at a reasonable cost. When buyers FIND you and your listings, you will get quality leads and more commission checks. Oh, by the way, sellers will be thrilled to find their listings on Page 1 of Google as well.

At the moment (late 2009), it seems that real estate values may have stopped falling finally. Are they headed back up now, or are we in for a period of stable prices that barely move for years? Or are they going to start dropping again? I suspect we are in a slow recovery, but let’s look at some of the things that determine prices. Watch these factors and you can make your own predictions.

Supply

The state of housing supply, like many other factors, is not the same in all parts of the country. Some areas have enough empty homes to meet demand for a long time to come. In other areas the building boom never came, and so the supply is more in line with demand.

In general there is an over-supply in the country still. Watch as that is eaten up and at some point prices may spike upwards, since it will take some time for builders to realize it is safe to build a few homes as speculations again. If you can’t find the statistics you need easily for your area, you can call the local board of realtors and ask how many homes are sold each month. Then divide that into the number of MLS listing to see if the supply is below six months yet (this is a more normal supply).

The foreclosure rate will also affect the supply going forward. We may still have an increasing rate of foreclosures due to loans that are due to adjust their interest rates. That will put more homes on the market, and because banks need to sell fast they will sell cheap, potentially lowering the prices of all real estate. When foreclosures start declining prices may rebound.

Demand

One of the things that has affected demand for real estate is the first time home buyers tax credit. It has been an $8,000 motivation to buy, but it will likely have expired by the time you read this. That means we might see less demand going forward.

Interest rates have also been near historic lows, which always helps demand. If they rise much there will be millions of potential buyers who will qualify for tens of thousands of dollars less on a mortgage loan. That might push demand down, especially for homes that are above average in price.

Immigration, both legal and otherwise, creates demand for housing. During the boom years even illegal immigrants were able to get home loans, and those that rented single family homes contributed to demand for those through the investment purchases of their landlords. Immigration has slowed, and due to the recession many illegal immigrants have even returned to their home countries. If you see immigration levels returning to normal that will be a good sign for real estate values.

Unemployment is still rising as I write this, and that dampens demand, as well as increasing supply due to foreclosures. When total employment in the country starts rising again that will be a good sign for home prices. Watch your local unemployment figures as well, since they may change before the rest of the nation (or afterwards, for that matter).

Inflation

In addition to raw supply and demand issues, there is the matter of inflation. Although it is not yet showing in prices of real estate or even most other goods, that will change. The government is creating money at a historic rate, and as soon as the recession is clearly over and employment starts to rise, we can expect that to push the prices of almost everything up.

Watch the things outlined here to predict real estate values going forward. In the mean time, consider the current slump to be a huge sale for homes and other properties.

There has been a great deal of negative press recently regarding sell to rent back schemes. Such schemes are offered to those homeowners who are struggling to meet their mortgage repayments or who have fallen behind on their repayments and for whom repossession is a huge threat.

It seems that various companies are less than ethical when it comes to making a reasonable offer. Some offer as little as 60% of the cost of the property. Some buyers sell the properties on to buy to let landlords, who may be unsuccessful to preserve mortgages which lead to banks repossessing in any case. Some considerably improve up the “affordable” rent agreement, which leaves tenants yet again with a struggle to wait in the property. Due to factors such as this and more, many homeowners do not have the deal they thought they were getting and have fallen victim to sell and rent back company traps. If you are considering selling your home and renting back here are various questions that you must ask the company before signing your home away, if you want to avoid falling into a trap and a decision you in a while regret.

One of the first questions that you should ask is how long you are able to rent back the property. Some companies lead homeowners to believe they can rent back indefinitely. However, in the majority of cases there is no actual lifetime guarantee. If the company you are considering selling your home to tell you that you are able to remain in the property for life, then ensure they provide you with this information in writing in a legally binding tenancy contract.

You may desire to find out if you have the alternative of being able to purchase back the property in the future if your condition allows and if so how the company works out the amount you have to pay. If the company refuses to present you the chance to buy back the property, then you may want to ask yourself why this is, as this may be a sign that they are not interested in you staying on in the property over the long term. If the company does present you the opportunity of buying back then you need to ask how they work out the figure you are given. It is likely that companies will give you with a set figure, which you are able to pay over time, at the time of you selling the property. Some ask that you pay a percentage of the right value and others may ask that you pay what they paid you for the property plus a set sum or premium on top of this. Whatever alternative you are given it is critical that you get the figure in writing.

When you take the option of being able to sell to rent back you want to ask how long the rent will be fixed and how the company will review it. Usually the rent will be fixed for the initial tenancy agreement. However, some companies may include break clauses in the agreement, which would allow them to increase the rent before this period had ended. Generally, you can expect a slight increase in rent every 1 or 2 years but make sure that you get everything in writing.

Read more about sell and rent back schemes or if you have any questions about rent back service.

1. No Clutter. Throw out old newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small items like figurines and other trinkets. Store clothing that won’t be used in the near future to make closets seem roomier. Clean out the garage. Buyers like to visualize their possessions in the house and that is hard to do when the ocean home is full of clutter.

2. Wash your windows and screens. Washing the windows will allow more light into the home and will allow buyers to see the beautiful view. Plus, dirty windows are a turn off.

3. Keep everything really clean. Wash fingerprints and dirt from light switch plates. Clean the floors, appliances, dust any furniture. A clean house makes a better first impression and tells buyers that the home has been well cared for.

4. Replace dim and blown light bulbs. Clean any dirty window treatments, i.e. draperies, blinds, etc. The goal is to make the rooms as bright as possible. Arrive early and turn lights on before buyers arrive to see the home.

5. Make all minor repairs that you can find. Everything you don’t repair now will be revealed in the home inspection and can create a bad impression. Small problems such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, cracked receptacle covers or a dripping faucet may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well maintained. You can also go a step further and get a sellers home inspection to see for yourself what the home inspector will see. You can also market the home as being pre-inspected.

6. Maximize your curb appeal. Cut the grass, rake any leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a couple of bright potted flowers near the entryway to cheer things up and get the buyers attention.

7. Fill cracks and holes in the driveway. Apply a sealant if needed.

8. Clean out any debris in the gutters.

9. Polish or replace your front doorknob and door numbers.

10. Eliminate odors in the home. Clean carpeting and curtains to get rid of unpleasant odors in the home. If the carpet is old, consider replacing it. The added value to the home will likely far outweigh the cost of replacing it. Open the windows. The number one turn off to a potential buyer is an unpleasant odor.

Hubert Miles is the founder of Waterfront Houses USA, an internet listing service that provides Oceanfront Homes For Sale and Ocean Homes For Sale available in the US and Canada.