There was a good comment today on my last blog article about doing what you do best and staying positive. Those are definitely good recommendations, and we should all try to focus on the positive things going on around us.
As many of you may already know, we also own the websites at LakehomesUSA.com, RiverhomesUSA.com, and OceanhomesUSA.com. In doing so, we communicate each day with real estate agents and brokers across the country. Recently, although sporadic, I'm starting to hear more comments about good things going on in various markets, and that tends to shine a brighter light on days ahead.
Just in the last week, I've had positive comments from agents regarding their markets in California, Alabama, New Jersey, Florida and Mississippi. It's not all rosy out there, but there seems to be some sense of doom and gloom subsiding a bit.
We've also had a few more buyers contacting us recently, and in Minnesota you can't complain about that this time of year. See, I'm already in a better mood.
I spend a lot of time these days sitting at my desk and running this company, so it might be good for me to get outside a little more often. If any of you would like the company of an experienced lakeshore specialist in your search for just the right lake place, give me a call or email and we can get to work on it right away!
Dan
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Heading For 2009
You may notice a slightly different look to our website today. Over the coming months we plan to bring Lakehomes.com to a new level of design and format, and the logo seemed to be a good first step.
You've probably also seen a few video camera graphics popping up to the side of some of our listings, which will make it easier for long distance buyers to get a better perspective of a property before they make a trip to see it. More and more of these will be available in the days ahead.
As the new logo points out, Lakehomes.com has been around since 1996 - longer than any other waterfront website. It is based on the simple concept the "Specialized Agents" can do a more productive job in guiding waterfront buyers and sellers to their desired goal. And with the Lakehomes.com name behind them, our agents have some of the best resources available in Internet marketing and expert knowledge to make sure their clients are getting the exposure and guidance they deserve.
The real estate business has changed immensely over the past twenty years, when I first started my career. The days of sending an ad for a new listing into the newspaper several days in advance, have now been replaced by immediate and thorough exposure for those properties on niche websites such as ours.
As a seller, it is probably more confusing than ever to try and figure out what types of online - or offline - marketing may work best. And with the slowdown in the economy, the decisions you make may be more important than ever.
I have had a lot of calls lately from prospective sellers asking me what kinds of things we can do - or they can do - to attract a buyer to their home or property. The most honest answer I can give is, "I'm not sure." Having great exposure is no doubt a big part in getting buyers to find you, but there will be many other factors that come into play on each particular property...and the expertise of the agent you choose to work with is a huge one.
It has been our goal for many years to provide a deeper value to Lakehomes.com than just as a website to find properties. The site - and the agents you see on it - are an extension of the waterfront niche that we built long before our competitors came around. And from personally working with thousands of lakeshore buyers and sellers throughout the years, we have a pretty good sense of what is important to them, in general.
The next stage of Lakehomes.com will be different from the past. I firmly believe the real estate industry will need to re-tool along with the automakers if they are to come out of this downturn in decent shape. Many brokers have continued to hang on to antiquated methods of doing business, and I don't plan to be in that camp.
So it is now time to move ahead with new ideas. Many of those are in my head, and I'll release them to the website now and then. But the real change will be the philosophy on how the business operates to benefit the consumer the most...far beyond changes in design or added features.
The one thing I'm sure of is that you will see a lot more of Lakehomes.com soon. And...you will see a lot more waterfront real estate sold because of it!
You've probably also seen a few video camera graphics popping up to the side of some of our listings, which will make it easier for long distance buyers to get a better perspective of a property before they make a trip to see it. More and more of these will be available in the days ahead.
As the new logo points out, Lakehomes.com has been around since 1996 - longer than any other waterfront website. It is based on the simple concept the "Specialized Agents" can do a more productive job in guiding waterfront buyers and sellers to their desired goal. And with the Lakehomes.com name behind them, our agents have some of the best resources available in Internet marketing and expert knowledge to make sure their clients are getting the exposure and guidance they deserve.
The real estate business has changed immensely over the past twenty years, when I first started my career. The days of sending an ad for a new listing into the newspaper several days in advance, have now been replaced by immediate and thorough exposure for those properties on niche websites such as ours.
As a seller, it is probably more confusing than ever to try and figure out what types of online - or offline - marketing may work best. And with the slowdown in the economy, the decisions you make may be more important than ever.
I have had a lot of calls lately from prospective sellers asking me what kinds of things we can do - or they can do - to attract a buyer to their home or property. The most honest answer I can give is, "I'm not sure." Having great exposure is no doubt a big part in getting buyers to find you, but there will be many other factors that come into play on each particular property...and the expertise of the agent you choose to work with is a huge one.
It has been our goal for many years to provide a deeper value to Lakehomes.com than just as a website to find properties. The site - and the agents you see on it - are an extension of the waterfront niche that we built long before our competitors came around. And from personally working with thousands of lakeshore buyers and sellers throughout the years, we have a pretty good sense of what is important to them, in general.
The next stage of Lakehomes.com will be different from the past. I firmly believe the real estate industry will need to re-tool along with the automakers if they are to come out of this downturn in decent shape. Many brokers have continued to hang on to antiquated methods of doing business, and I don't plan to be in that camp.
So it is now time to move ahead with new ideas. Many of those are in my head, and I'll release them to the website now and then. But the real change will be the philosophy on how the business operates to benefit the consumer the most...far beyond changes in design or added features.
The one thing I'm sure of is that you will see a lot more of Lakehomes.com soon. And...you will see a lot more waterfront real estate sold because of it!
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