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Video Marketing – The most neglected tool in the Real Estate Industry.

October 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A recent report on Mashable.com on how the real estate industry is using social media reported that only 12% of Real Estate Agents have a Youtube Channel.

Going back to 2008 there was big push from the industry for Agents to purchase Flip camera; over that time Kodak has entered the Market with shirt pocket sized cameras and the emergence of the iPhone and it’s influence over video on smart phones has really made many wonder why the Real Estate Industry is so slow to adopting a Video Marketing Plan.  I have been consistently been using Video in my Real Estate business since 2007, in 2003 I had a goal to video all my listing and host them online, but prior to Youtube, bandwidth and hosting was a problem, let alone people at home with computers and connections fast enough to deal with online video then.

Fast forward to today and the neglect is astonishing.  The iPad and android devices have people looking for more intense visual experiences,  The maturation of Youtube over the last few years has made Youtube a viable means to distribute content for a Real Estate Agent if done correctly.  So why only 12%?

There is a learning curve – editing and basic equipment  usage really can make a difference in the outcome of the final production quality of video.  Many simply refuse to learn some new skills.

Low Self-Esteem – Yes the same people who put their name and image on everything they hand out are worried about how they will look and sound on video.

Too much work – It is simple enough to get a couple dozen photos, make a slide show and call it quits.

Most research shows that home buyers respond highly to online property information with multiple pictures.  The research also shows that buyers want to see more pictures.  This is where real estate Video can dovetail and provide a marketing edge over listing that only provide photos.

  • Video can highlight and explain special features of a seller property better than photos.
  • Video can show off the the nieghborhood and surrounding homes where photos cannot.
  • Video can educate potential buyers on the schools, shopping and parks in the community, where photos cannot.
  • Video on Youtube and other similar sites is very compatible with mobile playback and provides that extra edge in marketing that a slide show or still photos cannot.

So the question remains … Why would a home seller hire agents that don’t provide video home tours?

To see my Youtube Channel  http://www.youtube.com/tedmackel

Filed Under: Sellers Tagged With: , , , ,

Video Technology helps sell Simi Valley Real Estate

April 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Video Technology helps sell Simi Valley Real Estate

(April 2, 2009 Pasadena California)  Simi Valley local real estate agent Ted Mackel with Keller Wiliams Realty presented on full motion video home tours and video blogging in real estate at the Los Angeles Real Estate Barcamp.  Attended by approximately 300 real estate agents, mortgage brokers and real estate related service providers, Mackel  gave a 50 minute presentation on the future of real estate marketing.  David Gibbons – Community relations director for Zillow.com was at the event and was commentating on Mackel’s presentation live over Twitter:

RE Barcamp Los Angeles

The conference was streamed live over the internet at www.dakno.tv/live and was continually pushed via the Twitter stream from attendees and those watching the streaming video.

Real Estate Barcamp, known as RE Barcamp among the up and coming stars of the real estate industry, is loaded with talented early adopters of technology.  The RE Barcamp format breaks all rules where competitors in the industry get together and exchange ideas on how to improve business, reach more people and better serve the areas they work.  

Mackel has been working with internet video for over a year to help sell homes and create viral content to promote Simi Valley to those who plan to relocate here.  When asked why Mackel is so passionate about this topic he explained.  “78 percent of internet traffic is watching video.  The average time watching internet video is 3.5 minutes. Google’s Youtube just went over 100 million viewers.  3.5 minutes is perfect for a full motion video listing tour.”  When asked why the real estate industry is slow to catch on to new technology, Mackel was quick to respond.  “Most of my competitors have a hard time using email efficiently, they are resistant to text and mobile communication; just are set in their ways.  The internet, website design and mobile communication is light years ahead what most companies are aware of;  I have to stay in touch with the people at groups like RE Barcamp so I can give my clients the best service possible”.  Mackel continued, “CNN, ESPN and many other traditional media powerhouses have embraced new technology especially on the mobile level.  Sites like Facebook are being over-run by the 30s, 40s and 50s crowd and bringing even the novice computer users into the high tech communication age. I can go on and on with how grandparents are staying in touch with their grandchildren via free online video services like Skype and a myriad of other tools, but you might need to give me a whole page in the paper to do it.  The fact is that technology is changing and improving exponentially, it’s becoming portable, mobile and consumers of all ages have embraced these developments long before my industry even reacts.”

Mackel further explained “video for real estate applications still has a long way to go.  The learning curve, the tools and the computer skills to produce video is still a significant barrier.  My whole industry has developed for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Active X.  The video production software on the PC side is still cumbersome and not as user friendly as on the Apple Mac side.  Because most real estate agents are so comfortable using Windows and Internet Explorer and confined to the platform due to industry software requirements; they will be locked out of the tools afforded by Apple Mac’s OSX.  The option of hiring a professional to produce a video tour is still cost prohibitive for the average property.  Most agents have a hard time putting together enough photos for a traditional Virtual Slideshow.  I will continue to blaze a trail in this area and provide this service to my clients whether their home is entry level or high end, I’ve come up with a formula that works.  In the mean time I am going to strengthen my relationships in the real estate tech industry so I can continue to improve”.

When asked what value can be gained from video use in real estate; Mackel Responded: “Number one, people can see my video blogs and video commentary and see if I am for real.  I have a ton of knowledge in real estate and what a better way to share that knowledge with people looking for help.  Number two,  my video listing tours, use of viral medial solutions and adoption of a mobile media marketing plan gives me new and better opportunities to promote my client’s properties.  The statistics support my ideas, I am taking advantage.”

You can find Ted at www.homebuysblog.com, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter as @RealtorTed

Filed Under: Buyers, Real Estate News, Sellers Tagged With: , , , ,

Reaching for Each Other

January 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Jeff Turner made this video a while back and I have watched it a zillion times. Short, Simple and it makes you feel good.

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings Tagged With:

Three quick facts that are impacting the sale of your Simi Valley Home

May 4, 2008 By 2 Comments

Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.
John Wanamaker, (attributed)
US department store merchant (1838 – 1922)

Quick facts:

  1. 84% of all buyers start their search on the Internet.
  2. The top three Internet sites hit are Realtor.com, Zillow and Craigslist.
  3. 3 out of the top 23 searches are for agents, but these 3 don’t even show up before the top eight.

The above information is critical to the sale of your home.  The Realtor you interview to sell your home in Simi Valley better know these quick facts and better be able to demonstrate how these facts will impact the sale of your home.

Quickly looking at just Single Family detached homes in Simi Valley, let me show you how far behind my Simi Valley colleagues are when it comes to marketing real estate in Simi Valley.

Simi Valley SFD Active listings YTD = 503  only  19% of these listings have virtual tour.  Pictures are mandatory as a rule of our MLS, so many agents are forced to include at least one picture.

Simi Valley SFD Expired or Canceled Listings YTD = 255 only 14% of these listings had a virtual tour.

Simi Valley SFD Active listings between $750,000 and $999,999 = 80 only 25% of these homes have virtual tours

Simi Valley SFD Active listings over $1,000,000 = 47 only 43% of these homes have virtual tours.


I randomly entered the addresses for many of these homes into google to see how visible these homes are on the Internet and was shocked to see the only a few search results for each property showing up under the IDX feeds for brokers other than the listing broker.  Many times the brokerage that owned the listing had no serch results on the first page of goole results.  If you enter one of my listings like 1107 Mesa Drive Simi Valley into google you will see the whole first page of search results clearly show that this home is for sale, including much more than a Virtual Tour.

To bring Mr Wanamaker’s quote into a full circle where are these Realtors failing?

  1. It is clear the largest pool of home buyers is found on the Internet
  2. It is shocking to see that the active Realtors in Simi Valley are clearly unaware of where these buyers are and how to market to them.
  3. It is easy to see that the majority of these Simi Valley Realtors have no idea where they are wasting their money.


Virtual tours are very inexpensive these days. Tours of much higher quality than circlepix can be put together for as little as $5.00 per listing.  Knowing this, it is amazing to see that the Realtors in Simi Valley are including tours on only one out of five listings.  Now granted, there are some homes that have conditions that preclude them from a virtual tour, but a 1 out of 5 ratio shows that there are too many listings that are being left behind.

Even looking in the more expensive range there is a home over 5,000,0000 with no virtual tour and no video, just 10 pictures.  There are many marketing companies on the Internet where all you have to do is upload the photos for a virtual tour and the cost is small as I mentioned above.  Those of us who are embracing the web 2.0 home buyer have moved beyond just a virtual tour and now include a video walk-through.

I just watched a kitchen remodel on the DIY channel a few days ago.  The family bought the home off the Internet.  Job constraints kept this family from looking at any of the homes in person and they had to do all their shopping online and work with a Realtor online.

The online revolution is here, you need an advocate that can navigate this territory and give you a fighting chance in these tough market conditions.

Filed Under: Sellers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

How to Jazz up that old Virtual (slide show) Tour.

April 25, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Almost every listing I take now will have a video tour hosted on Wellcomemat.com, Google Video and Youtube.  However that old slide show virtual tour will now be two tours.  I was introduced to a new site yesterday and I will be exploring it with my listings.  the site is Animoto.com.  Below are an examples of what I can do with a slide show of my listing.

What is great about this service is that 30 second teaser videos are free.  $30.00 for one year lets you create longer videos.  If you use the following referral code wnrtgesd you will get $5.00 off.  In my trade area of Simi Valley, Moorpark, San Feranado Valey and Conejo Valley, I do not see tools like this used on real esate homes listings, so it will be fun to be the first.

Filed Under: Sellers Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,