As the real estate market continues it's unpredictable swing nationwide, more and more savvy real estate agents are realizing that it now takes creative marketing in order to sell homes in this slower market.

Back in the good old days, all you needed to do was hammer a sign in the front lawn and you had 5 offers. Today, it takes a great deal of business savvy and marketing ingenuity to sell a home. According to a National Association of REALTORS survey, 90% of homebuyers begin their searches online, it only makes sense that the internet is in integral part of the home buying and selling process.

In those good old days, "curb appeal" meant everything. Today, it's "web appeal". Whether real estate agents like it or not, prospective home buyers are sitting at home at 1:00 am in their bunny slippers shopping for homes on a 15" laptop computer. The quality of that web presentation determines whether someone picks up the phone to schedule an appointment... or hits the "next" button. It's as simple as that. Being able to "virtually" walk through a home via the internet is a godsend to people searching for housing - especially if they're from out of town.

Selling It

Real estate video works on several levels. For buyers, it helps them visualize the layout of the home, as a good video tour will allow you to virtually walk through the entire house. Oftentimes, it's helpful to include neighborhood shots, driving through the neighborhood, and nearby amenities of the community. Buyers don't want to waste their time - there are a record number of properties on the market, and video helps them narrow their choices.

For sellers, it helps qualify serious buyers. Video is a very transparent way of viewing a home - the entire home - not just the choice still shots that are often depicted on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) shown in still photos. Video reduces the number of showings, but increases the quality of those showings. With homes staying on the market for weeks, months or even years, having to clean up, get rid of pets, kids, toys, etc. for each and every showing is a chore, to say the least.

Video does help sell homes. For the real estate agent, it's the best listing tool out there today. Agents will get almost every listing they're up for if they present their video tours properly on a listing appointment. It's also an incredible branding tool. It helps set an agent apart from their competitors. I recently created a killer iPad presentation for my clients to show off how they market homes with video on a listing appointment. It's very compelling!

Enter the 21st Century

They just got rid of their IBM Selectric typewriters and index cards - The real estate industry is not known for it's technological expertise. Many agents are older and somewhat resistant to change and technology. They do what always worked in the past for them. Many would happily return to the days of the big, fat MLS books if they only could.

90% of real estate clients are online, yet according to the National Association of Realtors, only 6 out of 10 real estate agents have their own website. That says a lot! Buyers understand the value of real estate video. Sellers understand the value of real estate video. The one group that generally does not is your potential client: The real estate agent. Only a small percentage, maybe only 5% of real estate agents understand the value of doing real estate video.

The real nut to crack is how do you market to a group where 95% of your potential customers aren't interested? - This is the most difficult road to success in real estate video. Based on phone calls and emails I receive weekly from videographers around the world, it's an industry issue - not a local or national issue. From South Africa to New Zealand to Iowa, the number one frustration among real estate videographers is "How do I get business?"