Nerang Real Estate

First National is changing its corporate branding  and Nerang First National will be one of the first in the new colours. The First National group is Australia’s largest independent real estate network and the third largest real estate brand in the country.  First National has changed a great deal in its 26 year history, having grown from having 30 members in 1983 to 450+  plus member offices employing in excess of 5000 people today.

Nerang First National is in the middle of changing over to the new First National brand and be one of the first agencies in the country to have made the switch and the painters and signwriters should be starting very soon. We thought we would give you a sneak peek of what the office will look like through this mockup.

(click on the photo to enlarge)

Google has just realeased Real Estate Search on their maps and we are pleased to announce that all of Nerang First National‘s properties are up on the site. Users can refine their search by price, type of property, bedrooms, bathrooms, and parking. The map will automatically update with relevant listings when moved around or zoomed into another suburb or when the search criteria is changed. You can view the official Australian Google Real Estate video here: You can check out the Google Real Estate results for Nerang, Carrara, Highland Park and Worongary. In Google’s official press release they said “Increasingly, people are starting their search for a new home online – Nielsen research shows that 87% of Australian home buyers use the internet to research properties*. Google saw more than 35% growth in real estate-related searches from Jan/Feb 2008 to Jan/Feb 2009**.” Over the next few week or months Google will probably integrate the properties in Google Real Estate into the normal Google Search as it has done in other markets around the world. With millions of people using Australian Google Maps daily it is essential that any agency  you consider to market your home is uploading their properties to Google Real Estate Search on Google Maps. Prospective sellers should conduct their own research into the internet presence of every agency they consider to market their property. Nerang First National maintains one Australia’s most successful agency websites attracting record numbers of prospective buyers.

As a nerdy real estate marketer and a proud member of Gen Y, there are 2 things I cannot live without: my mobile and the internet (which has now been made better since I can surf the net on my mobile!). And while I have been shopping online for years now for shoes, CDs, books etc, there is no doubt in my mind that when I go to buy another property, that I, like millions of others, will be searching online.

Looking at properties online is great, but is it best?

The information is up to the minute, there are usually plenty of photos, and more detail then in print.

So does this spell the death of traditional real estate advertising? People no longer buy CDs, they download albums directly to the computer. Cameras don’t need film and you don’t need negatives to print photos. And why catch up with friends weekly when you can SMS or twitter to catch up on any gossip!

This same debate has been going on for a while now with newspapers; why bother with news that happened yesterday when you can jump online and get new stories while they happen? The simple fact is, people still want something tangible to hold. I myself would rather spend Sunday eating breakfast outside with my newspaper then eat over the computer on the net.

When someone inspects a property, our salespeople leave them with “handouts”, a copy of a window card, a printout of the internet advertisement or a magazine. Having that physical information handy that you can refer back to is a must – it’s easier to share than a computer screen and you can keep it in your pocket so that you can compare it with other properties you inspect. Even better, if you buy that home, you have something to keep for scrapbooking.

It is also easier to use the Inspector Guide in the newspaper or having a brochure of open homes for the weekend then clicking in and out of properties to see if the ones you like are open for inspection.

So while yes, the internet is a very important part of any property marketing strategy, it cannot be relied on solely as the only marketing. Nerang First National’s statistics gathered over the last 16 years have shown that a combination of internet, print marketing and signage is the best way to market your home and get it sold.

The team at Nerang First National has a selection of marketing plans proven to get your property sold. Our results speak for themselves – our marketing works!

In this day and age, you can expect that when you list your home with a real estate agency, that your property will be listed on the internet, in one form or another. Along with everyone else’s property.

So how do you make your property standout from the crowd? And how do you convert views to a live inspection?

These are my top tips for making the internet work for you!

Over processing = bad photo

1. Photos

-Quite possibly THE most important component to an internet listing. After scrolling through pages and pages of listings, you are going to click on the property with the best looking photo on the frontpage, followed by the heading.

-Where do you think the best photographs can be taken from? Don’t be afraid to suggest these to your agent.

-When photographs are taken, make sure your home is neat & tidy. Don’t be afraid to ask your agent if you should move your furniture around.  Sometimes a slight angle to a couch makes a huge difference in the photo.

- Beware of over-processing! If a photo has been taken and it’s too dark, there is only so much you can brighten it on a computer before you start to get digital noise (those green and red speckles in the dark spots).

Read the rest of this entry »

The Oaks Seaforth Resort - Sunshine Coast

Despite a fair smattering of “Doom and Gloom” in the industry at the moment and the economy in general, Nerang First National has had an absolutley amazing 12 months.  

It started off with being selected the Australian First National Agency of the Year in the medium agency category.  Things quickly got even better as we were awarded with the REIQ Queensland Agency of the Year again and final three position in the REIA Australian Agency of the Year awards in the medium agency category. That is truly an amazing result when you consider there is around 10,000 agency’s in Australia.

As a 6 times finalist, current and past winner of the REIQ Queensland Agency of the Year,  and four times winner of the REIQ Gold Coast Agency of the Year, all since 2000, Nerang First National has been consistently selected by the real estate industry as one of Australia’s Leading Real Estate Agents.

During all this we have expanded our sales and property management teams whilst many of the industry are downsizing. 

So How Could We Thank the Community for their Support?

These recent successes are a resounding client and community endorsement of integrity, trust and performance so how can we say thanks for that support?  Nerang First National has secured hundreds of Accommodation Vouchers at two different 4 1/2 Star resorts allowing a holiday for up to 6 people for 3 or 4 days.

Read the rest of this entry »

When a home is listed for sale with our, or almost every office, a generic “for sale” sign is usually placed in the property, with no details specific to that property, just the office and agent details.

A perfect example of a Photo Signboard showing off the best features of the property not seen from the road

And while this is all well and good for most homes, the fact is that there are some homes out there that need a photosign.

Why? Because you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Many homes can be like the TARDIS: outside it looks like an everyday police phone box, but on the inside, it is massive with loads of features and gagets that you just wouldn’t expect.

This is where a good photosign comes in.

We had a home on the market which was MASSIVE! I think it had 4 huge living areas, 5 bedrooms, great kitchen and a beautiful pool. To boot, there was ducted air con, Vacuu-maid and all sorts of other goodies. Don’t get me wrong, this was a beautiful looking house. But driving past, you would never know that inside, it just kept going and going!

The photosign showed potential buyers the value of the home, all of the extra features, and how big it really was. Getting inspections on that property was no problem.

Another example, we recently had a home on the market in Highland Park. All you could see from the road was a garage, a big front entertaining area, and some very tall bushes. But inside, there were Surfers Views, a stunning new kitchen, big bedrooms and separate living areas. Very unexpected.

That home sat on the market with very little inspection prospects, until finally, a photosign was put up showing off those awesome views. That property is now sold.

So when your agent starts to talk about putting a sign on the property, take a minute and ask yourself

“Can you tell what my home is like on the inside from the outside? Will extra information help secure an inspection? Will I miss any potential buyers that are driving past?”

A photosign shouldn’t be seen as an expense, but an investment. It will entice more buyers and attract more attention & inspections.

If you are looking to give your property the marketing edge, call the Nerang First National Team on 07 5596 0055