The Next Million Dollar Listing
Years ago, the idea of selling a million-dollar home was a real estate agent’s dream. Having an active 7-figure listing meant you were at the top of your game and placed you in an elite group.
In today’s market, having a million-dollar listing doesn’t set you apart as it did back in the day. From coast to coast, the number of million-dollar homes is skyrocketing — especially in zip codes found in states such as California, Florida, and New York.
According to a report published by Trulia in 2018, more than 3,000,000 U.S. homes were worth $1 million — which is double the share of million-dollar U.S. homes in 2012.
Despite the pandemic, the market is booming, as homeowners are spending more time under their own roof and want to lock in rates that are at an all-time low.
Million-dollar homes are being listed all over the country. If you’re not one of those listing agents, you need to double down on your digital presence and — at a minimum — look like you belong at the proverbial party.
First Impressions
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and in the real estate industry, this is especially true.
Buyers and sellers are moving faster than ever, and you may only have one shot at impressing them. Most people looking for an agent these days are doing it on the Internet, so you want to make you are wearing your Sunday best — digitally speaking, that is.
From a personal brand to social media activity, your online presence is paramount to your success at finding clients and securing new business.
According to HubSpot, 55% of visitors spend fewer than 15 seconds on your website. If you think about it, that’s not a whole lot of time.
For those looking to hire a real estate agent or are purchasing a home, the average time on site might be a bit longer. After all, the photo gallery of a single listing alone could take longer than that to browse.
Digital Curb Appeal
Your website is the front door to your business — it’s the digital curb appeal, if you will. There’s a chance potential buyers and sellers will either step foot into your entryway or breeze right on by based on what they see.
What if one of them has a million-dollar listing or are looking to buy one?
It’s critical more than ever that you dazzle them from the start. Imagine losing a 5-figure commission simply because you were cheap and failed to see the value of presenting yourself as a top-producer would.
Malte Kramer, founder and CEO of Luxury Presence, thinks looks are everything when it comes to agent websites:
“It has to be a proof that the agent can market the property in an elegant, elevated way. If it doesn’t look great, there’s a risk that a very sophisticated seller with a high-end property won’t trust that agent to deliver.”
Newsflash: He’s not wrong.
Master of Your Domain
There’s a Chinese proverb that says: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
There is no better day than today to prioritize your marketing and go-forward plan. Your digital presence represents who you are and how you do business. It’s what your prospects and clients discover when they search for an agent to help them buy or sell their home.
Consider this…
You are at a dinner party in an upscale neighborhood when a friend calls you over to join a conversation. They introduce you as the local expert to a couple who will soon be moving to the area with their kids.
After a couple of minutes of enjoyable small talk, they need to head home. Things are going well, and you want to offer your services to help them find the home of their dreams. Choose your own adventure here:
“You can view my page on my brokerage website. Just visit blah-blah-blah-dot-com-slash-agent-slash-my-first-name-hyphen-my-last-name.”
“Go to DesireeSellsTexas.com, and you can view my listings.”
This choice is a no-brainer, right?
You might wonder if real estate websites are worth it? You bet they are, because which of those two responses would you feel better giving?
Now, if you’re not quite ready for a million-dollar website, at a minimum, register a domain name and forward it to your brokerage page. It only costs $10, and you can set up a redirect in minutes.
The Next Million Dollar Listing
Your effort to utilize technology and social media can result in a million-dollar look without requiring a degree in marketing, graphic design, or even computer science.
It’s time to roll up your sleeves, focus your efforts, and invest in your personal brand. The rate at which you build (and grow) your real estate business highly depends on it.
And while you may not be an agent in West Hollywood, on the show Selling Sunset, working for the Oppenheim Group — you better act like you are.
Because one day, when you least expect it, you might receive a call… and the next million-dollar listing could be yours.
