Attributing Target Emails with Analytics for Real Estate Campaigns

We all use an e-mail as one of the tools in real estate to promote our houses for sale and houses for rent. However, all of our online marketing efforts are a waste of time if not useless, if we don’t take action and improve the results. E-mail marketing is convenient and economical and it continues to be one of the most used tools in real estate’s armory.

Some real estate companies may use a third-party for creating email campaigns and distributing them to lists of prospective buyers. If you use a third party the point is to measure successful deliveries and click-throughs to your call to action. This is just the beginning of what you need to do to measure success!

E-Mail Campaigns, simplified, the two basics required are as follows:

1. An interesting subject heading about properties for sale and email message with interesting & useful content and triggers receiver which is our real estate buyers to act instantly to follow through.
2. A landing page containing a form or other actionable link that is accessible only from the campaign distribution, yet still linking to other pages of your site.

This page must also contain a goal tracking code for your analytics software.

So at its simplest form, a potential real estate buyer reads your email, clicks the link – which is counted by your email distributor’s widget – sees your landing page, completes the action and you get the lead.  Okay, so far so good? But, what happens if the visitor or the buyer isn’t yet ready to complete the goal you specified?  Maybe your visitor or buyer likes what they see but wants more information before filling out your form or clicking a buy link?

We should also be measuring other actions the visitor or buyer can take? Like does your landing page give them the option to browse other aspects of your site like an about page or terms and conditions?  How do you differentiate that visitor’s browsing?

You need to tag your inbound links with tracking parameters to monitor what this visitor or real estate buyer did click and view.  Without tagging, you’re stuck creating a segment just for numbers of people who landed but no clear picture about what happened next!

Also what if someone shares that landing page via social networking?  What if they bookmark to come back later?  What if they use Chrome to Phone and continue browsing via mobile? How do you know the conversions and clicks came from the campaign and not random locations?

Why Track Your Campaign Links?

Links from your e-mail to your landing page should be tagged to track inbound users.
In a nutshell, an e-mail distributor can tell you who clicked the link to your site. However, if that visitor or real estate buyer lands on your site and does not complete the primary call to action on that page, but drifts to different criteria on another part of your website, then you can’t easily differentiate their actions from those of other visitors.  E-mail visitors who click a link can either be clicking an e-mail link from within Outlook or another e-mail client opens a new browser window.

Remember, if everything is tagged, then you won’t waste time wondering about who were the real estate buyers who visited what and then all is crystal clear. Analytics will analyze measure, collect and report the internet data to assess and improve the effectiveness of the internet tools that we are using today to optimize our web usage and convert this into leads and ultimately, sales. We are trying our best to track everything that we can because in Working With Houses, measurable results are the only ones that we care about in our business.

Sell Your Atlanta House Fast for Cash Today! We Buy PRETTY and UGLY Houses! We Pay Cash for Homes and We will Buy Your House Fast! We are Atlanta Real Estate Investors. We look forward to hearing from you today with your Atlanta Real Estate needs! Visit - http://workingwithhouses.com and http://atlantabuynow.com

Real Estate Investment Startup: What You Need To Know

There is no excuse for real estate investors to be in the dark as there is so much information available on internet websites including YouTube.  Information is also freely shared on social network sites like Linkedin and Twitter. So many experts are available and will freely tell you what, when and how to invest and the processes that need to be followed.  All this information can be accessed.  In a short time after you have closed a few deals and assuming you have been following the right advice you too can become an expert in the housing wholesale market.

Flipping houses is usually the first rung of the ladder that most housing wholesalers have climbed.  This is a way to make a commission without spending a dime on your real estate business and the only investment needed is your time, commitment and determination to succeed.  By acting as a go between and connecting someone who wants to buy with someone who wants to sell you can make money while learning your trade and honing your skill-sets.

Reasons That Hold Would-Be Real Estate Investors Back

Some would-be real estate investors think they need a pile of cash to put on the table to make deals, when in fact there are various ways to leverage an investment deal without using your own cash or borrowing from the bank.  Although it is more difficult to do this than was once the case it is still possible.

Find a real estate broker to partner with you to provide “wet funding” as double closings are difficult without some money shown on the table.  Remember that nothing ventured is nothing gained.  Some types of double closing have become illegal but a good real estate broker that knows the ropes and loopholes will find ways around this and help you stay legal and respectable in your transactions.
Failure to invest in some real estate formal training is a pitfall that you should avoid.  You can get some good accredited real estate training online and a certificate to prove your credentials.  This will give you added confidence and you will be perceived as the professional that you have become and has earned respect and recognition that you deserve.

Training and practical experience will be a great foundation on which to build your real estate investment business and remember the expression: “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow”.  It will take time to build trust and build your real estate business but you will have a great sense of fulfillment and achievement on the journey.

Sell Your Atlanta House Fast for Cash Today! We Buy PRETTY and UGLY Houses! We Pay Cash for Homes and We will Buy Your House Fast! We are Atlanta Real Estate Investors. We look forward to hearing from you today with your Atlanta Real Estate needs! Visit - http://workingwithhouses.com and http://atlantabuynow.com

Modern Real Estate Apply Technology And Utilize KPI’s To Measure Targets

Technology plays a key part in the modern Investors toolbox, gone are the days of “Real Estate Listing Ledgers” that were updated biweekly and were always out of date.  Now we have Multiple Listing Services like FreedomSoft, Listingbook, etc. to give us up to the minute information about new listings, withdrawn ones and expired listings.  This is all done at the touch of a button; we can walk down the street, look at the condition of properties and do “comps” from our desk while talking to buyers and sellers.

Of course nothing beats the personal touch and all the above is geared to getting appointments to win listings and get contracts signed by next step of getting your foot in the door.  After measuring up with a digital laser and complimenting the seller on their new granite kitchen worktops it’s time to make a marketing presentation to show how well the local market is understood and by listing the real estate seller will get top dollar for their house.  To keep real estate seller grounded about price expectation it may be necessary to do a “Market Absorption Analysis” comparing current situation with previous 12 months for current homes on the market, current days on the market, current average listed price, number of homes sold, average sold days on the market and current average sold price.

The modern owner or manager needs to apply the Key Performance Indicators not just to Real Estate Buyers and Sellers stats but to the motivation and performance of all employed in the business.  This includes following but is not an exhaustive list of the KPI’s:

-No of houses business lists in a year
-No of houses business sells in a year
-Average percentage of asking price achieved in a year
-Amount business invests in Marketing
-No of days it takes for average listing to sell
-Marketing Plan
-Regular verbal follow up and feedback program
-Have own in-house mortgage company
-No of days a week office is open
-Designations held by Owner and employed agents. Example ABR, SFR, RSPS, E-PRO
-Huddles held between owner, agents and all staff to involve team in overall objectives and individual goals

Technology plays a part in the process of the buyers and sellers and 90% (below age 44 years it’s 96%) start the process with searches on the internet or by contact with an agent through websites and or e-mails.  Buyers and sellers can find each other without the aid of estate agents.  Although this is true there are many good reasons to list with an agent, rather than be a For Sale By Owner (FSBO):

-On Average FSBO’s get 18% less for their house than an good agent will get
-FSBO’s think they will save money, typically it’s less than $400.00 to advertise compared to 6% with an agent
-Buyers expect a lot more leverage on price when a seller is an FSBO than is the case with an agent
-Not so many buyers are going to find a seller on just one FSBO site, whereas agents have a whole bunch of marketing strategies, including local newspaper advertising, radio advertising, listing on the MSL and even get the millionaires houses shown on TV programs
-Savvy agents arrange pre-inspections that resolve issues and avoid buyers using defects as leverage to reduce the price
-Priced correctly good agents typically get 97% of asking prices so paying 6% commission can make sense
-Modern agents are skilled and knowledgeable about the lending process and often have contacts who can get buyers loans that they otherwise would find very hard to raise.  This is very relevant as in 2012 87% of homebuyers relied on finance

In short, by using an agent you are more likely to get top dollar and the most money for your home and guide you through the daunting processes from contract to closing and to de-stress the whole process. Without the right agent fighting your corner, the processes will very likely fall through due to technical difficulties.

Sell Your Atlanta House Fast for Cash Today! We Buy PRETTY and UGLY Houses! We Pay Cash for Homes and We will Buy Your House Fast! We are Atlanta Real Estate Investors. We look forward to hearing from you today with your Atlanta Real Estate needs! Visit - http://workingwithhouses.com and http://atlantabuynow.com

Smart Tips To Refurbish Your Bathroom

Having a smart and fresh bathroom enhances the quality of your life and you should not put up with tired fixtures and fittings or stains on the sink, toilet or bath.  Tiles should be secure and have clean grout in-between.   We all start our day in the bathroom so we want this to be a pleasant experience to get our day going on the right note.

Depending on your budget and skills, you may opt for DIY or engage the services of a bathroom fitter and if you go for the latter option be sure to ask for recommendations before committing to employing anyone.

If you do it yourself then be sure to have everything in hand before you start work as you don’t want to be using your bathroom while it’s like a war zone casualty.  Items like special vanity top mirrors and some specialist design tiles may take several weeks to arrive.  So make sure you have a check list for new fixtures like mirrors, plumbing fixtures, new lighting and tiles.  Having everything on hang will help you to figure out if you need to move the plumbing lines for the sink, bath or shower.  Also additional wiring or replacement is necessary for the lighting.
If you have a second bathroom this point is not so important but keep all this in mind before you start ripping everything out.

TIPS FOR WORKING ON YOUR NEW BATHROOM

• Shop around for your vanity as home stores have a limited choice.  Delivery may be quicker from local independent suppliers who may do you a deal on price and delivery and even have choices including marble edgings for your new bathroom.
• Upgrade to making a recess in the bathroom shower for shampoo and soap.
• Removing vinyl flooring can be easier if you cut it into sections before removing as just ripping it out may leave stubborn pieces stuck down hard to the bathroom floor.
• Use accent tiles sparingly as they still make an impact if you put thought into how to make the most of them in your new bathroom.
• Curved shower rods for your bathroom look smart and will save space compared to square rods.
• If you are replacing a vinyl you will likely need a “spacer” to put under the toilet so that the toilet and bathroom floor are flush.
• Update the bathroom lighting as you want the entire look to be new and no outdated lighting.
• If you get out of your depth in the middle of a bathroom plumbing or wiring job don’t be too proud to call in a professional to sort part of the job out.
• Although a new bathroom is a big expense splash out on a couple of the features you really want.

As with any home improvement it’s important to consider your budget however never compromise the quality of your work as well as comfort, usefulness and the style that you set your mind into.  Remember to plan this project thoughtfully and consider the smart tips mentioned.  You and your family will enjoy this feature and you will enhance the value of your home

Sell Your Atlanta House Fast for Cash Today! We Buy PRETTY and UGLY Houses! We Pay Cash for Homes and We will Buy Your House Fast! We are Atlanta Real Estate Investors. We look forward to hearing from you today with your Atlanta Real Estate needs! Visit - http://workingwithhouses.com and http://atlantabuynow.com

Shhh… You Know Who’s The Seller?

If you are a serious qualified buyer and you can’t find a seller or what you’re looking for posted on the internet, or in the local real estate agents window then you need to ask around about any “pocket listing” in your preferred neighborhood.

“Pocket Listings” are not included on the multiple listing services, where realtors can tap into other agent’s buyers and these properties are not openly advertised.  Instead it is marketed directly by the agent or broker – “it is in that person’s pocket”.  The seller keeps control about who knows the home is for sale, who may view it and ultimately who may buy it.
 

REASONS WHY A HOME MAY BE A POCKET LISTING: 
          

·         Seller may be a high profile person who does not want nosey tire kickers wasting their time.

·         Seller may want privacy due to divorce proceedings.

·         Seller may have previously listed the property and it didn’t sell.  They feel that listing at the present time is a hassle and they just can’t cope with the rigmarole of listing, open houses and disappointments

·         Seller feels that agents will charge at the end of the listing term regardless of whether the property sells.  With a pocket listing the agent or broker will have to work and get the place sold and earn their guaranteed broker percentage.

·         Seller bought the property for top dollar before the 2006 – 2008 property bubble burst and has come to realize that to get the place sold a realistic selling price may be less than he paid.

·         Seller may be embarrassed selling at a loss.

·         Seller wants to avoid a posse of neighbors who may accuse him / her for selling too cheap and for driving down prices.

·         Sellers who are not high profile people, like movie stars, who go down this route are generally not so motivated to sell and may want to seek a “make me move” offer at a good price without the expenses and risks associated with listing on the MLS.

 

A pocket listing can heighten interest by giving an illusion of exclusivity that may stimulate some buyers to start bidding higher than asking prices.  This kind of arrangement is not new for luxury houses costing millions of dollars but now even $200,000 house sellers may be enticed by a 3% – 4% broker commission to get their place sold.  FSBO’s (for sale by owners) often fall back onto a broker deal as 80% of FSBO’s fail to sell at a desired price.  It is more likely that folks selling in this lower price range will have been courted by agents and brokers rather than being the instigator of the arrangement.
 

Sell Your Atlanta House Fast for Cash Today! We Buy PRETTY and UGLY Houses! We Pay Cash for Homes and We will Buy Your House Fast! We are Atlanta Real Estate Investors. We look forward to hearing from you today with your Atlanta Real Estate needs! Visit - http://workingwithhouses.com and http://atlantabuynow.com

 

To Renovate Or To Buy A Renovated House

This guest post is by Malhar Bhagat

So you hear the real estate market is coming back.  Great!  Your neighbors, friends and Grandma (well, maybe not Grandma just yet–when Grandma is ready to start flipping houses, you better sell ;) are all talking about it.  All the major media sources are saying real estate is roaring back  and you can sell your home fast.  Awesome! You’ve been meaning to get involved after your stocks took a nosedive in the last several years and you’ve barely made it back to what you initially had… 5 years ago.  You’re thinking diversity.  Maybe you have a friend that owns some rental real estate and talks about 10% or more returns on investment (just on cash flow).  Maybe you saw some statistics somewhere about the advantages to owning rental real estate.  Wherever you heard it or saw it, real estate is an excellent method to long term wealth building.  As I continue to build my income stream, I rely less and less on my day job (flipping properties) and more and more on continuing to build my passive income portfolio.  A $3-5K return per year per property isn’t much, but when you multiply that by 10, 20, or even 30 properties, you don’t have to work too much longer now, do you?  So now what?  How do you get into your first rental property?

You could get in touch with a real estate agent and find a “good deal”.  Now, this is not a knock at all realtors (so if you are one, please don’t mind the next comment), but realtors get paid on commission, i.e. they make money when you buy.  There are some GREAT realtors out there, but as an investor, I’ve come across more realtors that have told me what a “good deal” is, and, frankly, it wasn’t.  Just because it’s a smidge under market value doesn’t necessarily make it a good deal.  Alternatively, you could do all the marketing for motivated sellers, take the calls, do the analyses and then negotiate with the motivated seller inorder to sell your home fast.  Sounds easy, but wait until you start doing it.  It is a lot more entailed than the one previous sentence.

There are many things you have to look at.  To name a few:

1. Look at the comparables, both rental and resale
2.  Survey the neighborhood (what’s going on there?)
3. What’s your demographic?
4. What type of renovation, if any, is needed to sell your home fast?
5. Which elements will increase the value of your home?  Which will give you the most bang for your buck?

And that, is just the tip of the iceberg.  Now, as most experienced investors know, you pay for education in the real estate investment arena one way or another.  You either pay upfront, by educating yourself or you pay with experience.  So, if you decide to do the latter, here’s some quick things of how the process should work:

1. Locate a real estate property that is a “good deal”.  I can’t necessarily get into that, because a book can be written on that one topic alone.
2. Determine the comparables, both resale and rental to sell your home fast.
3. Determine a scope of work by visiting real estate properties in the neighborhood to ensure you’re not under or over rehabbing the property.
4. Interview at least 3 contractors for every trade.  Check their references, insurance, and license.
5. Hire a contractor for each trade and create a contract with each.
6. Manage the renovation so as to finish in the most time efficient manner while still staying at or under budget.  You did have a small “oops” contingency right?
7. Make sure to pass all required permitting inspections.  You did pull permits right?  You’d hate to have, say, an electrical fire in the house because your uncle Bill said he knew how to ground all the outlets because you’re going to be dealing with the consequences, not uncle Bill.
8. Ensure the renovation work has been done properly–wait, you didn’t go through a contracting course/code course?  Well, you can hire someone for this.
9. If the renovation work is not done properly, get the contractors back out to fix it… wait, you paid them already?  Well, that wasn’t the smartest thing to do huh?
10.  Now, if you made it through all of this successfully, great!  You’re 50% there.  Now you got to rent or sell it.  And what about price?

The list goes on and on, which, FINALLY brings me to my point.  You could just purchase a renovated real estate  property from an investment company that has a proven track record and raving fans.  There is a HUGE value that companies like this bring to the real estate investing arena.  First of all, they identify a property with good value.  They run all of the numbers and negotiate the best deal possible.  Thereafter, they manage the renovations.  Most have done this 10s, if not, 100s of times over and have relationships with contractors, agents, mortgage brokers/bankers, property management firms, inspectors, etc.; you name it, they likely have a contact for it.  If they don’t, they know who to go to for a solid referral.  Finally, some of them can even put you in touch with a property management firm that can bring you a tenant to rent the property  or to sell your house fast.   Some may even have done this for you already.  Although you’re paying for the service, the headaches of learning a brand new business are minimized.  You can continue on with your life and collect checks on a monthly basis.  So, you could do all of the stuff (and that’s only a small subset of the stuff you need to do) outlined in the 4-5 paragraphs above, or just what was written in this paragraph and still end up with a similar product.  Yes, it will cost a little more, but the time and headaches that are saved are well worth it, depending on your interests and time commitment.  If you like spending your Saturdays and Sundays chasing contractors, great!  I prefer to spend my time with my friends and family!  Shoot, if you learn it, maybe I’ll give you some of my business! ;)

Malhar Bhagat has been a full time real estate investor for 5 years now. He got involved with his first rehab property using a credit card and a hard money loan. Today, he has completed over 75 renovation projects and continues to expand his market area involved in several markets throughout the USA. Feel free to connect with his company on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/M2REST.

Sell Your Atlanta House Fast for Cash Today! We Buy PRETTY and UGLY Houses! We Pay Cash for Homes and We will Buy Your House Fast! We are Atlanta Real Estate Investors. We look forward to hearing from you today with your Atlanta Real Estate needs! Visit - http://workingwithhouses.com and http://atlantabuynow.com

Dream Home Mortgage Calculator: A boon for the nascent home buyers!

Are you planning to buy your dream home for the first time?  If so, then you may be a little nervous to find out the amount of mortgage you can afford to buy that dream home.  Most people may not be aware that their monthly mortgage payment is not only the loan amount but it is inclusive of the annual property taxes, homeowners insurance along with mortgage insurance.

Therefore, your mortgage payment is determined on the basis of all the above factors, plus principal and interest.  But keeping all the above factors in mind, it can be really difficult to calculate your monthly payment.  So a mortgage calculator can be beneficial for you to calculate the total amount you need to pay in a month. You can find a mortgage calculator on the Internet and it can help you determine your mortgage payment with ease.  A good calculator can help you compare the rates, so that you can get the best deal for your dream home.

Here are some of the points that can help you understand why a mortgage calculator is beneficial in buying your dream home.

Mortgage Calculator – It can help you understand what you can afford:
You can effortlessly understand what you can afford to take out, so you can avoid getting into the trap of debt.  If you submit the required details like the price of that dream home, the interest that you can afford to pay, annual property taxes along with mortgage insurance, then you can estimate the amount you can afford.  Your home mortgage calculator can help you estimate your total monthly payment.  As a result, you can estimate the amount you can afford to take out to avoid financial set back in future.

It helps you compare the mortgage rates:
Recently, consumers are really smart as they’re equipped with modern technology that helps them to get the best deal.  Modern technologies like Internet and smart phones can help you calculating your monthly mortgage. The young home buyers are constantly using the on-line mortgage calculator from their smart phones or Internet to get the best deal from their loan providers. These people are constantly comparing the rates with other loan providers. When they compare the rates, they get the best deal from the loan providers. So, these calculators have become popular from time immemorial.  But still, only a few young people are making the right use of this gadget.  Therefore, a calculator can help you get the best deal between adjustable rate mortgage and fixed rate mortgage.

Helps you understand whether it is beneficial to pay off the loan early or put a large down payment upfront:

A good mortgage calculator can help you calculate how much you can save over the life of the loan for your dream home, should you put some extra down payment, make bi-weekly payments instead of monthly payments or pay more towards the principal balance each month.  Therefore, you can make your own choice in how you want to pay off the mortgage.  A good mortgage calculator can help you illustrate the break ups.  It can also help you understand the benefit of minor changes while you pay off the loan.

Therefore, you’ll want to increase the use of a mortgage calculator to buy a new home, refinance your current dream home loan or if you’re planning for a reverse mortgage.  If you’re well aware of the rates, then you can effortlessly choose the best deal for yourself.

Different types of calculators available on-line:
Here are some different types of home mortgage calculators available for your requirements:      
Cost Calculator:  The cost calculator can help you calculate the entire cost related to your dream home.

Monthly payment calculator:  A monthly payment calculator can be beneficial for you to estimate your payment that you need to make to pay off your dream home loan. Therefore, you can be well aware of the amount you can manage to pay in advance.  In fact, it can help you understand whether you can afford to take out the loan.

Repayment Calculator: You can estimate your dream home monthly repayment balance with the help of a repayment calculator.

Adjustable rate mortgage calculator: You can effortlessly know the amount you need to pay towards an adjustable rate mortgage of your dream home.  In adjustable rate mortgages, the interest rate starts from a low percentage and increases in due course of time.  Therefore, the calculator can help you estimate your monthly payment in relation to fluctuating rate.

Amortization schedule calculator:  You can understand how your monthly payment reduces your loan over the course of the loan term. You can get an explicit break up of your payments toward the principal and interest.  Therefore, you can increase your monthly payments with the help of this calculator if you wish.  You can pay off your loan faster if you increase your monthly payment on your dream home loan.

In conclusion, the above calculators can help you provide a better picture of how much mortgage you can afford among other things.  If you’re aware of the different types of calculators and their use, then you can get the best deal out of your dream home according to your needs today.

This article has been contributed by Sam Stokdale, a financial writer specializing in mortgage. Immersing himself with the financial sector, he has covered topics including real estate investment, mortgage refinancing, lending and borrowing, managing finances and credit advice.

Sell Your Atlanta House Fast for Cash Today! We Buy PRETTY and UGLY Houses! We Pay Cash for Homes and We will Buy Your House Fast! We are Atlanta Real Estate Investors. We look forward to hearing from you today with your Atlanta Real Estate needs! Visit - http://workingwithhouses.com and http://atlantabuynow.com