Generation Y, also referred to as the as the Millennials, use communications, media and digital technologies in their everyday life.  They connect with their world online, through social media and they are very aware of what their "friends" are doing.  Marketing to this group obviously means connecting with them through social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.

"They are the first generation in human history who regard behaviors like tweeting and texting, along with websites like Facebook, YouTube, Google and Wikipedia, not as astonishing innovations of the digital era, but as everyday parts of their social lives and their search for understanding." said the Pew Research Center.

In an article on The Next Web.com, Ekatarina Walters gives us the statistics of Gen-Y's brand awareness and how they connect to their world through social media:

Facebook:

• 40% visit Facebook more than 10 times a day and 76% spend over an hour a day on it.
• 43% have liked more than 20 brands on Facebook. 71% reported liking a brand just for the free offer.

Twitter:  58% use Twitter "all the time".

Foursquare:  66% would look up a business after learning that their friend checked in there.

Buyers seem to be getting younger and younger!  In 2011, the average age of a first time home buyer was 30, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The oldest members of the Millennial generation are reaching 32 now.  Make sure that your marketing includes social media to keep in touch with younger potential clients who will soon be looking to invest in the real estate market.

Read the full article at TheNextWeb.com

View the Highlights of the NAR Report.

photo credit: AlvaroArenas

Posted in Internet Marketing, Gen X-Y, Technology And YOU

Clients slipping through the cracks?  Client Tickler is a calendar software program that helps you keep up with the tasks and deadlines you need to do to keep up with the demands of real estate.

One of the great things it does is help you keep track of past clients who need a little TLC, just to let them know you are still out there, doing great things and would love to help them in the future.

"Have you ever had a past client purchase their second home from another agent because they haven't heard from you since they bought their home?" asks Blake McCall from ClientTickler, Inc. 

Each time you close out a task with Client Tickler, it requires you to set a new one for every client. "You can always make a client inactive if they never want to hear from you again, but hopefully that's not the case." says McCall. This ensures past clients never fall through the cracks.

Other great features of the program include:

• Task tracking software that allows you to easily juggle all your properties, clients and the entire escrow sales process.
• A postcard feature that allows you to customize your emails with a different template for thank you's, birthdays and every occasion.
• A snapshot view that shows previous tasks for each client.

You can test Client Tickler for free for 30 days to see if it works for your business, if you like it, it's $150. The company is working on an app for the iPhone, iPad and Android. 

Learn more about Client Tickler.

photo credit: Sharon Drummond

Posted in Lead Generation, Gen X-Y, Technology And YOU

Lead generation is the hardest part of real estate.  How do you attract buyers and generate leads?

Here are a few things real estate professionals can do to connect with potential homebuyers: 

First Time Buyer Seminars:  Holding a seminar for first time home buyers to educate them on how to shop for a loan, what to look for in representation, the importance of contracts, inspections, etc.

Market to College Bound Students:  Bernice Ross, Real Estate Coach suggests holding a seminar for parents on "How to Buy Your First Investment Home and Save a Bundle on Dorm Costs." You can also target medical and law students as well. This could be done on your website too, as a video!

Mortgage Seminars:  Educate consumers on the types of loans out there and how to obtain financing ahead of time in order to act fast when the right property comes along.

Credit Seminars:  Team up with a mortgage professional to educate consumers about the mysteries of the FICO score and how to make sure they are in good shape to obtain a loan.

Downsizing Seminar: Showcase the areas in your community for folks looking to downsize to a smaller, maintenance free lifestyle. 

Are you Bilingual?  Hold the seminars in another language to market directly to that segment.

Become a trusted advisor to your clients and they will come to you when it's time to purchase or sell their home.

photo credit: mikecogh

Posted in Lead Generation, Gen X-Y, Technology And YOU

Home buying in Colorado is still a better option than renting, especially since apartment vacancies are at a 10-Year low and rent prices have increased statewide.

A home buyer purchasing a typical 2 bedroom home in Denver at current average interest rates would have a mortgage payment of approximately $965 a month. Denver's average home sale price from August to October 2011 was $192,000. (Monthly costs based on 4.25% interest rates with a 20% down payment.)

"Denver's overall cost of living is 35% above the national average, so it's not the cheapest place to live." states Trulia, a real estate data website. The median price for apartment rentals is $700 in the Denver area with rents ranging all the way up to $2,000 a month depending on location, size and amenities.

In Colorado Springs, the average home sale price is $178,549, which calculates out to be approximately $900 a month, based on 4.25% interest rate and a 20% down payment.

"Colorado Springs enjoys an overall cost of living that's 29% below the national average. Apartment rentals are lower-priced here than in Denver." states Trulia. The average price for apartments is $640 per month with amenity-rich apartments going for $800 and up.

The National Association of Realtors recently reported that 30-Year Mortgage rates have fallen below 4%, for the first time in thirty years. "Expect mortgage rates to average something closer to a 4.5 percent rate by spring of next year and possibly hit 5.0 percent one year from now." predicts NAR Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun. "A lower mortgage rate in later months is not likely."

So depending on what you are looking for, home buying is still an affordable option versus renting. Take advantage of low interest rates and low prices on homes and hire a professional REALTOR® to help you decide if buying a home is an option for you.

photo credit: herlitz_pbs

Posted in Denver Colorado Real Estate, Real Estate Market Conditions, Real Estate Industry, Gen X-Y

Keeping track of all those paper receipts and then organizing them come tax time is a demanding task for all small business owners.

A new service called Lemon gives you an easy way to save all your receipts using your smartphone. Simply take pictures of them and store them online in your own personal Lemon account.  Digital receipts mean less clutter and better organization!

"The sweetest way to keep track of your purchases." says the Lemon website.  Save your receipts "on the go" with their free app for Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and, coming soon, for Windows Mobile.

This is an easy way to keep track of expenses, whether it's for reimbursement or just to see where your money is going. The data is compiled using easy to read charts and helpful reports that show how you are spending your money.  

Large companies are now offering digital receipts, instead of giving you a paper receipt, which has been a hot topic in the news recently.  By giving them your email address, companies will send you a paperless receipt by email instead of a slip of paper to keep track of.  "These new electronic receipts go by many names - e-receipts, email receipts, online receipts, digital receipts, paperless receipts - but the process is usually the same.  Instead of handing you a paper receipt, the store offers to send a receipt by email.  All you have to do is hand over your email address." writes Cindy McAdam on the Lemon Blog.

But with the option of a digital receipt, the merchant will also be sending a lot of other communications that you might not want cluttering up your inbox.  Lemon is the perfect solution.  Giving the merchant your Lemon account email address means that they sort out the receipts from the junk mail and the data is easy to find and keep organized.

With Lemon, you get your own email address @lemon.com, to send all those receipts (and junk mail) to.  Lemon has a limited free account, offering unlimited storage and up to 100 emails/receipts a month.  Lemon also offers a free trial for their paid memberships offering up to an unlimited number of receipts for businesses.

Use this easy application to manage all your expenses in one place, whether you paid by credit card, debit card or cash.  Stay on budget and track expenses to make your life a little easier. 

Learn more at Lemon.com.

Posted in Real Estate Industry, Gen X-Y, Technology And YOU