Consumers start their home search online and aren't looking for an agent, they are looking for a house. We Realtors need to understand this to be effective in our business.

80% of buyers start their search for a home (not an agent) on the internet.
75% plan to buy in 120 days or less.

70% of these buyers don't have a Realtor.

Show buyers the homes that they like and they will buy them.

As Realtors, we provide information and educate our clients on the Real Estate market. We don't sell houses, we educate buyers and sellers.

Buyers don't want to be persuaded to buy the house you want to sell. Buyers want their agent to find the house that fits their needs and wants.

If you are a Realtor your advertising should focus on homes and properties and not you and your personality. I think your clients can see quickly your dedication and knowledge, but they won't find you if your advertising isn't about homes and land in your area.

In Real Estate we tend to focus on the agent, their abilities and past accomplishments and not always the homes we sale. I realize that agents that have the best homes at the correct prices will produce the most sales. That is why I am not interested in listing overpriced homes, or homes that do not appeal to the buyers in the market.

I want to represent buyers and sellers, but I have no problem taking my client to the best home regardless of the agent or agency. If the home is a fit for the client then I have done that part of my job correctly. Sellers that ask why I didn't you show my home need to understand that the buyer picks the criteria of the homes that they want to see.

If the buyer wants a Log Style home and you own a Victorian, I won't show them your home. If the buyer says single story, I will not take them to your 3 story home.

Many buyers in this market are only driven by price. These buyers will buy homes that don't appeal to the average buyer if they are priced to overcome the obstacle.

Homes that are priced correctly, easy to show, neat and clean are always the first to sell.

If you can't be easy to show, or neat and clean, you can always fix it with the price.

I was at the 4REALZ marketing seminar last Thursday in Irvine,CA. Dustin Luther and Jim Marks did a nice job of presenting some very interesting and timely information on website design and Blogging. I left the seminar with a number of ideas that I would like to share.

First of all I loved the analogy that Jim used to describe success: Getting the Car Ride. Jim said that the sequence of events that needs to occur is: Traffic to your site, capture of information from client, conversion, contact, and finally the CAR RIDE. Jim stated that any Realtor worth his weight in salt should be able have a client for life if they can get a 30 minute CAR RIDE.

Jim and Dustin discussed the 3 types of traffic to your site / blog.

1. Referrals ( from links and other sites)




2. Paid (pay per click etc.)




3. Organic (GOOGLE)

It was pointed out that:

80% or more of home buyers start their search online

75% of these people plan to buy in the next 120 days or less.

70% of these people don't have a Realtor!

There was discussion about the print advertising hitting a 45 mile radius and Internet advertising being global.

Jim Marks discussed the importance of being unique and different.

There was discussion about web site design. They talked about the importance of having your site be consumer needs driven. Product vs. brand. Consumers are looking for houses, not Realtors. Make your website what the consumer wants and you will improve your bounce rate. Make your site about properties not you or your dog.

Gen Y wants an agent that will give them information freely and accurately without obligation. (seems simple enough)

They recommended changing information on your site frequently and having favorite properties posted in categories such as: Top 5 lakefront homes, 5 least expensive homes in neighborhood, Top 5 REO / Bank Owned (foreclosures),5 highest price listings, 5 best deals etc.

Many other topics and ideas were shared at this half day event. I don't want to try to tell you everthing that was said at the event, but trust me what I have mentioned here is the tip of the iceberg. Dustin and Jim are also following up daily with training for the people that attended (great information every day).There was plenty of energy and excitement. I felt that it was money well spent and a great value. Click on the 4REALZ link to see details about future events.

Steve Hirschler

Associate, The Tim Wood Group

Coldwell Banker Mountain Gallery

42153 Big Bear Blvd.

P.O. BOX 6820

Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

steve@bigbeargallery.com

909 866-3481 EXT. 217 CELL 909 725-5889

Fax 909 866-3531

http://www.stevesellsbigbear.com/

I have been out mountain biking this past week. Most of the snow has melted off of the trails on the north shore. Van Dusen Canyon and Holcomb Valley are easily passed through, with only a few patches of snow in the shaded areas. I also rode up Polique Canyon to Holcomb Valley and it is dry. Grout bay trail has some good water flow, so you'll have to negotiate the stream crossings on the trail. The burn areas are depressing, but the trail is usable.

As far as the South Shore areas, I have only taken one ride so far. I rode up 2N10, turned left on 2N17 and followed 2N17 to 2N08. Then I followed 2N08 to the top and turned left on 2N10. I stayed on 2N10 and rode over to the Bear Mountain resort and down Clubview drive. There were areas of snow on the road and I had to walk 50 yards or less a few times. It was impossible to ride through these snow patched areas without crashing ( I found out the hard way).

I just ordered a mount for my FLIP VIDEO so that I can take some video on my rides soon. I will keep you posted.

If you want to visit Big Bear and ride, give me a call and I can let you know about the conditions etc.

Steve Hirschler

steve@bigbeargallery.com

909 866-3481 EXT. 217 CELL 909 725-5889

1. We are professional agents and we know the Big Bear Real Estate Inventory and Market.

The Members of the Tim Wood Group are full time agents that spend hours everyday studying the Big Bear Inventory. Often we will visit homes that come on the market the day that they are posted to the MLS. Would you buy a car from a salesperson that doesn't know the details of the cars that they sell?

1. We out work our competition. We are open from 8am to 6 pm 7 days a week.

We take our jobs seriously and work 6 or more days most weeks. The sale or purchase of a home is often one of your most important financial transactions, and we want to provide all of the information to help you make informed educated decisions.

1. We list your property on the Big Bear MLS, TheTimWoodGroup.com, BigBearEstates.com, So. Cal MLS, Active Rain, Localism, Craigs List, Back Page,all of the sites bellow, and others.

We are constantly reevaluating our marketing and looking for ways to better serve our clients. Remember that marketing is only effective when properties are priced correctly. We pride ourselves on being honest with sellers up front on pricing.

1. All agents at Coldwell Banker Big Bear are active bloggers on Active Rain.

We know that over 80% of todays buyers are searching the Internet to find qualified agents to help with their Real Estate needs. We have a strong presence on the Internet and are constantly looking for new innovations and ways to educate buyers and sellers along with our agents.

1. No other real estate agent or group sells more Big Bear property than The Tim Wood Group.

Tim has sold over 5000 properties throughout his career. This has created a valuable network of past clients and referral business that generates multiple buyer leads every week! Your property will reap the benefits of his 32 years of experience. Our group has over 55 years of Big Bear Real Estate experience.

1. Coldwell Banker is a name you can trust.

From the spectacular English Tudor building we work in to the hard working agents that we employ, our name is synonymous with high quality. In fact, our work ethic continually puts us ahead of our competitor's production levels and yet we have half the amount of agents as most companies. We attract the kind of buyers looking for your property. Our average sales price is well over the MLS average. Perhaps the most impressive statistic is that throughout the Coldwell Banker industry for office our size, we have been recognized on numerous occasions as the NUMBER 1 office in the world for properties sold.

1. Our Team concept benefits our clients.

When you list your Big Bear property with Coldwell Banker "The Tim Wood Group" you will enjoy the benefit of our team working together to get you home sold. We select the agent from our team that is an expert in the neighborhood that your home is located to handle your property. We don't compete for your listing amongst our fellow team members. When a sign call, Internet call, or walk-in wants to see your property they will be linked to an available agent from our group. This differs from most agencies that have independent agents that don't have the ability to work with multiple clients simultaneously.

Buyers will enjoy our vast knowledge of the inventory and availability on weekends.

These activities will help you net the most on the sale of your Big Bear property.