Florida home sales remain healthy

While the country experiences a sharp decline in home sales and even the Central Florida market adjusted sharply in 2006, the sellers who contracted associates from Watson Maitland to sell their property, have not felt the full brunt of the changing market.

As an office we have avoided the double digit drop in closed and written business volume that our competitors and sister offices have experienced. Part of the staying power has been the increase of listings and the ability to close new business we have opened.

Besides the increase in listings and limiting "fall-thrus", the associates of Maitland have been diligent in their marketing, dusting off old stand bys of days gone by. Open houses on nearly every day of the week, Broker opens, creative flyers and post cards to targeted neighborhoods, phone calls to their center of influences to ask for referrals. Sign riders, associate paid advertisement and neighborhood walking all have had a part to the success of this year.

Maitland associates have also embraced the new. Virtual tours, virtual caravans during sales meetings and personal and real estate related website positioning all work to give our sellers the maximum exposure. Targeting the limited supply of buyers is the goal that each and every associate takes seriously.

No better example of how noticeable their efforts have been than noting a call our floor agent received last week. As relayed to me, our associate received a call from a seller who has their home listed with a nationally known company. The seller, through their own research, found that Watson Realty Maitland lists their homes on several different classified websites. They were curious if we would tell them how we get such exposure, so they could relay it on to their listing associate. Amazing.

The back to basics theme appears to have worked. The experience level, business minded nature and professionalism that the Watson Maitland associates have insured their continued success this year.

Related Florida real estate views:

Is customer service improving as the market weakens?

Real estate agent flying high

Advertise your home where it will do the most good


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255

Our buyers and sellers are the true winners. Instead of gimmicks and negative results, we have been able to provide to them a service that is made up of positive attitudes and fundamental practices.

The great jar opener giveaway

Every year, Watson Realty Corp. conducts a jar opener contest. William Watson Jr, the CEO of Watson Realy believes strongly in this marketing giveaway. These jar openers are round rubber mats that are better describe as a gripping device. Each office or associate has their contact information printed on the jar opener and as part of a reminder to get out and meet the people, each year a company contest rewards associates and consumers alike who receive or pass out these little rubber hand helpers.

As a part of this years contest, I decided to put a jar opener page up on my site. I encourage the associates in Maitland to consider the internet as a strong business source. I received a few requests a month for this giveaway and each time I would assign to a different associate, who was taking an interest in web marketing, the address and customer name so they could send them an opener and have another contact.

Things changed drastically this month. Someone stopped by my site and while hopefully searching for real estate in Florida, they came across my jar opener giveaway page. My page link was then placed at several forums that announce freebies and great online deals and BOOM, suddenly my traffic increased by 1500+ uniques! This went on for 5 straight days. Fortunately I had a "while supplies last" warning on my jar opener page. I have had to suspend the free giveaway. I will be restocking up on personalized jar openers and I am working to get those visitors who got their requests in on time, their openers in a timely manner.

The point of this is wow, how quickly things can change online. Kudos to sites like Absurdly Cool, Red Flag Deals and Free Stuff Times who were the 3 top links to my site. I promise to have more jar opener giveaways along with other marketing pieces. I may include these giveaways in with consumer surveys. Complete a survey on what you look for from a real estate site and get a jar opener or calendar, something along those lines.

Until then, I am now looking to see if I can get my "free no obligation property search feature", picked up by other great online referrers. Any takers?


Related Florida real estate views:

Crazy not to buy real estate today?

The future of real estate advertisement

Is there a difference between buying an airline ticket and a home online?


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255

I... uh, lost my password, yeah...that's it.

Ok, last post was May. So June, July, August September and now most of October have past with no blog posts. My admission is, contrary to what the title of this blog states, I did not lose my password, I just fell into that black hole that a lot of new bloggers stumble into. Stop me if you have heard (read) this before, I am going to start blogging again and this time I will keep active!

Blogging is hard. If you don't believe it, type in google "blogging is hard". I just did and found over 24 million results. The 1st result was from this site. I read the article and it provided me with several good explanations to why blogging is hard. I must admit part of me was kinda hoping the 2/21/2006 post was the last time a blog post was made on this site. (I thought it my ease my guilt of not blogging since May) To the credit of newsome.org, there was a blog posted today titled road gear. Good for them.

Anyway, I am back. Lots of things have happened since May. Lots of things to blog about. The big difference from this "hey, sorry I have not been blogging but now I am back and will start blogging again" and the bazillion of other times you have read that lame excuse from other apologetic bloggers online is, well.....I mean it. ;)


Related Florida real estate views:

Imagine an entire real estate office blogging

Kissimmee agents enter the blog world

And now a word from home buyers and sellers.


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255