Monthly Archives: July 2013

Uncategorized — No Comments
29
Jul 13

Look Out! ZMOT Rages Through Wyckoff Real Estate Market!

The “ZMOT” in question isn’t some 3-D cinematic monster that boils up from the sea to trample downtown Tokyo (though ZMOT and Godzilla do have a few similarities). “ZMOT” is what Google has decided is now happening to the real estate market –our Wyckoff real estate market definitely included!

The concept headlines this year’s joint Google-National Association of RealtorsÒ study of the current real estate market. It’s focused on how digital media usage is affecting home shoppers.

They find that ZMOT is trampling everything in sight.

ZMOT stands for “Zero Moment of Truth” — the long-anticipated point in time when traditional modes of shopping and purchasing become eclipsed by the digital universe: web sites, search engines, social channels, online video, etc. etc.

Nuggets from the publication:

    • 9 out of 10 homebuyers today rely on the web as a primary research source (forget about asking around at the PTA meeting)…
    • 52% turn to the Internet first (instead of the back page of Section 2 of the local newspaper)…
    • One-fifth of real estate-related searches take place on mobile devices (that doesn’t mean driving around the neighbourhood, either)…

ZMOT is here, all right, and those of us whose profession is to spend full time in the Wyckoff real estate market are not at all surprised. It’s unlike Raymond Burr’s famed opening line in Godzilla:

What has happened here was caused by a force which up until a few days ago was entirely beyond the scope of Man’s imagination.

What has now “happened here” is that homebuyers are performing an average 11 online searches before settling down to take action (‘take action’ is key — it’s a good way to separate out looky-loos).

Does this mean you’re on your own in this digital age, wrestling with your iPad, smartphone and web search engine to figure out your next foray into Wyckoffs real estate market? Fortunately, not at all. Of those 9 out of 10 who use the Internet, fully 89% also turn to someone like me — your Wyckoff real estate agent — to help buy or sell.

IOW, give me a call!

Wyckoff Homes For Sale — No Comments
22
Jul 13

Your Social Media Can Boost Wyckoff Property Search Visibility

Selling your home in WyckoffBy now, social media are an integral part of many peoples’ daily routine. If you are selling your home in Wyckoff this summer, you can decide to add your own social media clout to add further momentum to the professional campaign. Your agent already has a great website to attract anyone conducting a Wyckoff property search. Now many sellers are using their own social media network to link to it.

No one wants to be spammed by a friend’s marketing on Facebook, but a few posts about your home-selling adventures can be interesting. When your home is first listed, announce it and post a link to your agent’s website. Be sure not to sound too sales-y (that’s your agent’s job). Instead, share items that relate to your life: “It’s really happening! Listing our home for sale in Wyckoff this weekend. Now I finally get to show off my new kitchen with its 6-burner Viking range!” Share photos, too.

The rules for Twitter marketing are similar. It’s social, so avoid outright sales tactics. Try asking engaging questions, like, “Do you think buyers in Wyckoff will want to check out our #solarpanels?” Don’t forget to #hashtag key words, and always link to the listing’s website so interested buyers click directly to it for their property search.

Photos sell — so if you have a Pinterest account, use it! Ask your agent for copies of your listing’s top-quality photographs, then post, post, post! Choose the top three features local buyers might be looking for in their property search and create a Pinterest board for each. If you have a chef’s dream kitchen, create a board featuring gorgeous kitchens. If you have a waterfront property, make a board filled with beautiful waterfront properties (especially yours!) The boards will draw prospects whose property search keys on those features.

I welcome help from any homeowner who thinks their own social network will add to my full-time campaign. If you’re looking to sell your home in Wyckoff this summer, contact me today to discuss how my marketing plan can go to work for you!

Wyckoff Homes For Sale — No Comments
15
Jul 13

One-Liners To Make Selling Your Home in Wyckoff Happen

If you’re thinking of selling your home in Wyckoff this summer, you’re likely to have already considered different approaches to making it stand out from other properties. Will you repaint in the entryway? Stage the living spaces? Should you upgrade the appliances — or leave them as is to keep the asking price as low as possible?

Those are all pivotal decisions, and I would be delighted to offer advice on how each is likely to affect the sales effort. But there is also a less prominent element you may not have considered: the impact the text of your advertising will have on your marketing and – potentially – the overall results. The regimented way listings are presented tend to impart them with a similarity that may not be warranted. Overcoming that effect can make your message draw attention…and prospects.

According to real estate conversion content specialist Karen Hutton, next to the main photograph, the headline is everything. Hutton’s territory is Queensland, Australia, which goes to show how universal marketing truths are. Says Hutton of the headline tactic, “It must arouse curiosity, use meaningful specifics…and be intriguing.”

Some of my favorites noted on her marketing website?

  • Keep Your Cool: Coffee Just Around The Corner

I’m not sure what this means — it’s why I’d have to read the ad!

  • Designer Retreat In The Heart Of Town

A perfect marriage of two sales points in just seven words

  • Go Slow: A Home For Relaxing and Entertaining

A lifestyle pitch that sounds entirely credible

  • An Urban Getaway To Complement Nature

Instant appeal to city-dwellers who wish they could live in the country

  • Good Bones: Ready For Your Inner Designer

Clever way to avoid the negative sound of ‘fixer-upper’

If you’re thinking of selling your home in Wyckoff this summer, I’ve got many more sources of inspiration for creating standout marketing designed to get your home S-O-L-D. Contact me today to schedule a strategy-building session. There’s no obligation, and the ideas we discuss can make all the difference to how you approach the many options that are immediately available in today’s market!

Bergen County Homes / Franklin Lakes Real Estate / Homes in Wyckoff / Luxury Homes in Wyckoff / Ridgewood Homes For Sale / Tenafly Homes For Sale / Uncategorized — No Comments
10
Jul 13

The Most Expensive Homes For Sale in Wyckoff NJ

Looking for a Luxury Home in Wyckoff New Jersey? Below Are The Top 10 Most Expensive Homes For Sale in Wyckoff NJ

Most Expensove Home in Wyckoff NJ

740 HIGHVIEW DR – $1,695,000

Luxury homes For Sale in Wyckoff

202 Deep Brook Rd – $1,495,000

Most Expenisve Homes in Wyckoff

273 JOSHUA LN – $1,399,900

 

 

 

Bergen County Homes — No Comments
08
Jul 13

Fannie Mae Study Yields Clues to Odds of Bergen County NJ Foreclosure

Area investors have dozens of possibilities vying for their business at all times. Bergen County real estate investment opportunities come in a variety of forms: raw land, single-family residences, and multifamily rental housing in many forms, from duplexes to apartment buildings. Investors compare the various offerings according to the likelihood of return on their investment vs. downside risk.

Foreclosure represents the ultimate risk — so no matter how unlikely it might be, canny investors study the histories of real estate investments that have stumbled. Whether Bergen County foreclosure statistics or national trends provide the data, projecting the likelihood of such ‘Close Encounters of the Foreclosure Kind’ is part of an investor’s due diligence.

That’s why my eye was drawn to several published reports about Fannie Mae’s recent nationwide study. It drew an interesting connection between an investment properties’ relative location and the rate of potential default (foreclosure). National data is weighted toward big city populations, yet I think it’s a relevant approach to weighing the likelihood of a local foreclosure. Location is a given, and here, it’s relative location that’s important:

  • Locating close to workplaces matters. Each additional minute of commute time raises the risk of default by 3.7%. Put another way, each additional five minutes of commute time makes the likelihood of foreclosure 18% greater!
  • Public transportation is significant. If 30% or more of a neighborhood’s residents commute by rail, the risk of a local default is reduced by a full 58.4%.
  • Mixed-use areas are a positive. When there are 16 or more retail establishments nearby, the risk of default is reduced by more than a third.
  • (This is one we could have guessed) — affordability is key. If a multifamily building fits Fannie Mae’s definition of ‘affordable housing,’ foreclosure risk is reduced by 61.9%.
  • Parks matter. If the property is located within one mile of protected green space, the risk of foreclosure is reduced by 32.5%.

Naturally, avoiding any possible future local foreclosure is Job One for all my real estate investor clients. For up-to-the-moment information on the state of today’s market, join them: contact me anytime!

Bergen County Homes / Tenafly Homes For Sale — No Comments
01
Jul 13

Digging for Hidden Treasure: ‘Invisible’ Tenafly Home Listings

The actual percentage is nearly impossible to pin down, but something like 15%-20% of the nation’s homes for sale aren’t listed at all. You might assume that every homeowner with a property for sale would relish the effective marketing that comes through the multiple listing service, but there are at least four ways home listings in Tenaflysometimes don’t include everything that really is for sale:

Pocket Listing: Occasionally agents choose to withhold Tenafly home listings from the open market. Reasons vary, but they might wish to keep a choice property for their own brokerage’s clients, or they might seek to create an air of exclusivity around the listing. Digging for these off-market home listings can require energy and persistence, including regular searching through the websites of independent and luxury brokers, contacting scores of agents, or (a good deal simpler) making sure you work with an agent whose own Tenafly real estate network is deep and current.

FSBO: This is the “For Sale by Owner” group, usually comprising about 10% of the market. These properties are easier to find. Just drive through the target neighborhood looking for yard signs without a brokerage logo. Sometimes you will even find Tenafly FSBO home listings on the MLS if the owner is offering a commission to buyer’s agents.

Closely Held Transaction: When transactions are arranged between family members, neighbors, or other acquaintances (about 3% of the total market), they frequently close without appearing on our Tenafly’s home listings.

Expired Listing: When homes aren’t sold within the expected period they can disappear from area home listings. These make up most of the hidden home listings that are still available. A heads-up agent will often be aware of the situation, and if the property fits your criteria, can help you uncover them before others do.

If this summer finds you already on the hunt for a home in Tenafly, or you are just getting started, or are hitting a dead-end in your search, I stand ready to help you land the right property. Contact me today to see what my network can do for you!