Lake Martin Voice Realty
My Barber Gives Cuts And Google Earth Tips
As a Lake Martin realtor, I am often guilty of a one track mind. I constantly bend every experience, every encounter in my life back to Lake Martin real estate. I admit it. So forgive me if you think this is stretching, but..
The other day I was early for my haircut appointment. My barber had another gentleman in the chair, snipping away. It’s a one chair “salon,” so I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.
It was about Google Earth.
What? Yes.
El barbero, or master hair cutter (I think of him as the guy who has the misfortune of dealing with my ‘fro once a month), was trading Google Earth tips with his patron.
He is in his mid 50s. The customer is 70.
They were going back and forth with nuggets of wisdom about the online mapping service. I was listening pretty hard as I am a Google Earth newbie. They were talking about how easy it is to create custom maps, spots, and the like.
If they wouldn’t have thought me creepy, I would have videoed it on my iPhone.
It just goes to show you that this whole “internet” thing isn’t just for young people, unless you define young as under 80. These results are typical.
A Thank You Note To YouTube
2011, in my mind, will be the year that I should write YouTube a thank you note. I do a lot of online marketing on Twitter, Facebook, Posterous, Flickr, and the like. But my videos on Youtube are a huge blessing and are, pound for pound, the best return on my efforts aside from this blog.
“That’s great, John,” you may say. “But the only people watching videos on YouTube are kids.”
Wrong.
We at Lake Martin Voice Realty have uploaded so many videos about Lake Martin real estate, area events, restaurants, marinas, etc., that we have had almost 86,000 views of them at this writing. Phenomenal, and we have you to thank. We have uploaded over 200 of them. My average video length is about 3 minutes so that is 258,000 minutes that people have spent watching. Amazing and humbling.
86,000 – that is more than a couple of national real estate brands have. Check me out and see if I am wrong. Go to the YouTube channels of any national brand and see how many views they have. Then compare it to ours, and keep in mind that we (currently) have two agents doing all of this.
When you get that many views, YouTube starts courting you and asking you to put ads on your videos. They also give you perks like being able to see your demographics.
Check out the age range of who is watching my videos:
 |
Observe that over 60% of my video views come from people that are 45 and older. Amazingly, more views come from people 55 and older than do those who are younger than 35.
And that’s a good thing. This is proof positive that I am hitting the sweet spot, demographically. Well, I take that back. The ultimate proof is when I hear from buyers that call me and say, “hey, I saw one of your videos on…” or a seller that says “I love your video home tours.”
Thank you, I still need your help
I thank the Lord, and also you, dear reader and viewer, for the eye popping numbers. But I still need some help from you.
What do you like to watch or read about?
I have noticed that my highest read blog posts and most highly watched videos are on subjects that were originally suggested by readers. So please, please, keep those suggestions coming. Please contact me through this form or directly at [email protected] or [email protected]
Also – how can I increase my female viewership on YouTube?
Thanks!
Real Estate Tours: When Video is NOT a Video
I love to use full motion video tours to market Lake Martin homes. I think it’s a cool use of today’s technology, but mostly I love video because buyers and sellers love it.
I know buyers love it, because they constantly tell me. I have been blessed with many people calling me and choosing me to help them find a home around the lake.
Sellers like it, too. When I show them how much a full motion video tour helps spotlight selling points, give context (how do you get to the lake from the kitchen?), and keep buyers’ attention, it’s a no-brainer. They want a video.
When a video is not a video..
Again, I realize all of this is pretty obvious. People want video of homes on Lake Martin or any other real estate market for that matter. Realtors everywhere are interested in doing more video, hence the (very flattering) invitation that ReTechSouth gave me to teach this class on real estate video at their conference in Atlanta.
With so many agents now trying to provide video, sometimes you encounter a slide show that is put in the “Video Tours” link on the Lake Martin MLS. These photo slide shows are also known as “Virtual Tours.” Not the same thing.
Don’t get me wrong, Virtual Tours aren’t bad per se. They are better than nothing. But most of the time when you click on it and watch, you are seeing a photo slide show of the pictures you just viewed, only set to Yanni /John Teshian muzak.
Why would you want to watch a slide show of pictures that you just saw on the MLS, only set to muzak? I don’t know. Like I said, it’s better than nothing and I certainly don’t fault other agents for using them. Just don’t call it a video.
That’s why I take pains (often) to point out that I do FULL MOTION video tours. I shoot them, walking through and around the lake homes WITH A VIDEO CAMERA.
Can you tell the difference?
I have long desired take the same property and to put a full motion video against a cheesy virtual tour, just to show the difference. But the problem is, I don’t do virtual tours. I would have to use someone else’s Virtual Tour as a comparison to my video. I’ve never done it because I don’t want to appear to be negative about another agent. Nor would another agent allow me to post their virtual tour on my blog. So I’ve never had a side-by-side comparison. Again, my goal here is not to criticize but to explain why I go to so much trouble to (attempt to) do a nice video.
Now we can.
Unit 202C in Harbor Pointe is one of my current listings. Therefore I have a full motion tour of it. Coincidentally, I had the same unit listed back in 2006. So – for illustrative purposes only – I have gone back in time and grabbed my pics from the initial listing. Nobody should get their feelings hurt – these are my old pics taken with my old point and shoot. No wide angles, no nothing.
I have created a typical Virtual Tour, and will let you be the judge.
Which one do you like the best? If you were a buyer, which gives you more information? Context? Makes you want to take the next step?
If you were a seller on Lake Martin, which would you want to be used for your home, lot or condo?
Here’s the typical slide show. Now, PLEASE keep in mind – I DON’T DO THESE! It’s for illustrative purposes only! You may want to turn your speakers down a bit – Yanni doesn’t allow any voice overs to mar his sultry Virtual Tours’ insomnia fighting tunes.
What did you think?
Next, here’s the full motion video tour that I did for this condo, and also one I did a few years ago about Harbor Pointe in general. Turn your speakers back up - you can hear a narration description.
How about it? Can you please vote below?
You won’t have to give any personal info. It’s completely anonymous.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
Pictures Of A Pro Taking Pictures Of Homes
As a Lake Martin realtor, I get to take plenty of pictures. Most of them (obviously) are of waterfront homes. Or people.
 |
But, I have never taken pictures of people taking pictures of other people in front of a home.
Whew.
Yesterday, Will Pollock came by the homes we have for sale at Water’s Edge. Will is a freelance writer and photographer from Atlanta. Will, whose work has been featured in Sea Ray Living (among other publications), was in town doing some work for a future article on Bryan Jones. Bryan, of Jones Pierce Architects, is the architect for Water’s Edge.
 |
They rode by a few of the Lake Martin homes that Bryan has designed over the years. I was really pleased that they chose to include the homes for sale at Water’s Edge.
Will even was nice enough to give me a few pro pointers, like dealing with the glare off of the water, and trying to get the both the clouds outside and detail inside to look good on a shot in the kitchen.
But… I think he was done with it all by the time the below shot was taken. What do you think?
 |
If you are interested in the beautiful homes we have at Water’s Edge, please see:
Lot 1 Water’s Edge
Lot 2 Water’s Edge
Does Your Realtor Play Nice With Others?
The waterfront Lake Martin real estate market is small by almost any measure: number of homes sold, number of school zones represented, number of builders involved.
Lake Martin is not small by two other factors – price per sale, and number of real estate agents per sale. When you look at waterfront sales only, the average price last year was in the range of $200k – $299k, and for Alabama that is high. Total Lake Martin waterfront homes sold in 2009 was 194. We have about 116 agents active, or almost 1.6 per home sold. I think this puts us in a “more than you can shake a stick at” category, despite that this is down from about 190 at the peak.
That means that the stakes are high for every sale. Granted, the commission dollars are higher than average, but the number each agent can expect to sell each year is also lower, therefore the competition for each sale is also higher.
It matters that you have an agent that plays nice with others.
Reputation matters.
Yes, it does, even in an industry like real estate which can sometimes be as cutthroat as our urban legend suggests.
So why choose a nice guy? Wouldn’t you want a shark?
Relationships matter.
Negotiations are fragile these days, especially for a second home or vacation market like Lake Martin waterfront properties. When I am dealing with another agent that I trust, that I know to be a truth teller and not a game player, I don’t have to second guess or filter their comments. I can concentrate 100% on my client instead of worrying what the agent may or may not be doing.
Do I really want my agent to be cozy with the competition?
You don’t need to be good with a knife to serve your clients well. Sure, I have been in plenty of contentious, balanced-on-a-hair negotiations with agents that I know and like. Was I too soft on them? Did I press it enough? No. Because we trust each other, we were able to get eyeball to eyeball much faster, without all of the needless agent posturing and preening. I was able to state my case passionately, but clearly to them, as they were to me. We were able to focus on what matters: the clients and the properties, instead of what doesn’t: agent egos and barb trading.
Are the Lake Martin Realtors all one big happy family?
Unfortunately, no. Even inside the same large company, in any industry, there are always the people that you just are not sure about. You know that when you deal with them, it had better be in writing, in triplicate, documented with voice mails, emails, and pony express. It’s the same thing on Lake Martin, or in any real estate market, I assume.
What inspired this post?
Another Lake Martin Realtor (who will remain nameless) saw a FSBO advertisement and thought it was one of my active listings. He was concerned that my client was intentionally trying to be fraudulent with me and my listing agreement. It turned out it wasn’t mine, but I really appreciated the fact that a member of “the competition” would be looking out for me like that, especially when he had more to lose than to gain by pointing it out to me. So – Mr. Agent (you know who you are) – when you read this, thanks again. You are one of the nice ones.
How We Use Video to Market Your Lake Martin Home
At Lake Martin Voice Realty, we believe video is one of the crucial ways to market a home for sale. 
The days of slide show picture montages with Yanni playing in the background are over. Pictures are better than nothing, but these days, with the money involved in waterfront homes on Lake Martin, sellers and buyers deserve better.
Research has proven that about 90% of buyers use the internet to look for property. Buyers and sellers alike want a more authentic way to tour property online. Especially in a second home market like Lake Martin, where most buyers live hours away.
Below are two great examples of what video marketing can do. We can’t take all the credit – these homes at Water’s Edge are really cool, and we were able to meet with the architect on site and let him do the talking. But the result is an architect-guided tour at every viewing.
You be the judge: A John Tesh slide show or our version?
Realtors must do video, and they must do it well. There is just no excuse anymore.
It’s so easy to do an “OK” home video tour that I can’t imagine why everyone isn’t doing it. But, I’ll admit it. It is pretty hard to do an effective one, and I still consider myself an amateur.
I’m not saying I am Francis Ford Coppola, or even Errol Morris, but if I were a seller, I would want an (albeit imperfect) agent that not only is trying (cliche alert) “cutting edge” marketing techniques, but one that is pushing harder and harder to get better at it every day.
If you need more convincing, here are two of our latest property listing videos:
If you are a potential seller of waterfront property on Lake Martin, and you like what you see, give us a call. We can do the same for you. If you’re a buyer, use our website for research, and then let us guide you from research to relaxation!
Happy 1st Birthday (to a Lake Martin Home)!
Lake Martin Voice Realty clients, Tom and Melissa, recently celebrated the 1 year anniversary of owning their Bay Pine area lake home on Lake Martin.
Imagine my surprise at the Facebook invite to help celebrate! I mean, who purposely invites their Realtor to anything after a closing?
Well, this family is a lot of fun, and I was flattered to be included, so we tubed the kids all way from Kowaliga Bridge to the 280 River Bridge, and made the trip with a birthday cake (almost) intact:
Tom and Melissa, thanks again for the invite and the testimonial!
We like to show you authentic Lake Martin “moments” and love it when our readers contribute, too. Check out our fan page on Facebook, and feel free to share your own Lake Martin memories – photos, stories, videos.
Spreading The News Far & Wide About Lake Martin
Has anyone ever asked you “Where is Lake Martin?”
You might think that because Lake Martin is such a special lake community that not many people may hear of us very often. Especially when you’re considering selling your lake property, you may wonder how far the reach is of Lake Martin Voice Realty..Alabama wide? East Coast wide?
Well it might surprise you to know that we offer marketing that stretches nationwide, and is growing all the time, thanks to our readers and community.
This map shows a recent marketing campaign that we did, and all of the interest we had based on the shaded states. Alabama of course is the darkest, it had the most interest, followed closely by Georgia and Florida. I was also happily surprised to see that Nevada garnered almost 10% of the interest in the campaign. Did someone have a great night at the tables?
The other light blue states were also included in the “Who Wants to Know More About Lake Martin” category, so I’d say that’s a pretty good reach!
I want to stress, this is from just one email campaign. I have hundreds of regular visitors on my blog every day. Over the course of three years of blogging about Lake Martin, I have been blessed to have about 300,000 page views from every state at one time or another.
Yes, I also realize the internet has no borders. That’s exactly the way Al Gore designed it. That’s the whole reason I go to all this effort to keep it going. But every now and then even I have these little “wow.. that’s humbling!” moments where I realize that people really are reading, really are getting good information here, and really are picking up the phone and calling us.
So to all you Lake Martin Voice readers – THANKS!
And by the way –
If you own waterfront property on Lake Martin and are considering selling
– are you tired of vague allusions from agents that they have “nationwide marketing” or something fuzzy like “coast to coast referral programs” that are somehow going to get your home sold? What does all of that mean?
Tell them to show you the numbers: how many calls have you received from your “program?” How’s that network going? What’s your plan, anyway?
Then call us. We will peel back the curtain (except there is no curtain) and show you our numbers. Our results. Our happy clients.
There’s no mystery, no secret plan. We work our butts off to provide good info, to be helpful, to be informative, and be responsive. People like to be treated like that, whether they are from Alabama or Nevada.
Why I Will Never Be As Cool As A Fishing Guide
Fishing guides are just cool.
Especially fly fishing guides. They just are. They know all the secret spots, the best trails to get you there the fastest. They know if you sit on that rock to eat your lunch, the ants will find you sooner. They know to fish a regular Adams on this riffle but a para Adams on that one.
No matter how transparent they are, you are sure they’re holding back on you, too. But that’s okay, because they are so cool you don’t mind.
<yes, I can hear my wife’s eyes rolling>
In short, they are the ultimate local experts.
Last fall I went fly fishing with Ian Rutter , who has to be one of the best guides on this side of the Mississippi. He and his wife Charity run R&R Fly Fishing out of Townsend, TN. In the course of planning the trip I obsessively read everything I could find on and offline, and watched every video I tracked down. Ian’s blog was the main source here. I couldn’t get enough.
When I finally got up there, my experience was richer for it, and I can’t wait to go back.
What does this have to do with Lake Martin real estate?
Nothing much, except that my trip up there has had a big influence with how I blog and present information now. I mean, if I want every morsel of info from the rock star guide for a 1 day fishing trip, how much more info and local color would someone want before buying a $400,000 waterfront lake home?
Obviously, I can’t turn my marketing engine (this blog and its related spots on twitter, youtube, facebook, etc.) into a Chamber of Commerce. I realize that I have to serve the meat and potatoes of real estate: Lake Martin home searches, market reports, and home valuations.
I also realize that we real estate agents will never be as cool as fishing guides.
If you see a good guide out somewhere, you corner him and bug him about what they’re biting and where. If you see a realtor in the grocery store – admit it – you duck behind the Co-cola display, don’t you?
How can I ever be cool with that professional prejudice? Oh well.
In Memory Of Mickey Phillips
Lake Martin real estate legend Mickey Phillips went to be with the Lord on January 11, 2010.
A lot of good things can be said about Mrs. Mickey. I can’t say it much better than her obituary which was published in the Montgomery Advertiser. Here is a summary:
Mrs. Mickey K. Phillips 1936-2010
Funeral service for Mrs. Mickey K. Phillips, 73, of Alexander City, will be Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 11:00 am at the First Baptist Church of Alexander City. Burial will follow in the Hillview Memorial Park. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Radney Funeral Home. Mrs. Phillips passed away on Monday, January 11, 2010 at her residence. She was born on August 10, 1936 in Phenix City, Alabama to George Joseph Kennedy, Sr., and Cumi Hawkins Kennedy.
She was a member of First Baptist Church Alexander City and was an active supporter of the Children’s Harbor Ministry. She was very involved in her community having served as a charter member of the Alexander City Rotary Club, Children’s Trust Fund, Board of Directors for the Corporate Foundation for Children, and Vice-Chairman of the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce.
Mrs. Phillips was very passionate about her real estate career. She was a member of the Ten Million Dollar Club, Top Sales Person for Russell Lands in 1992-2001 and was awarded the Russell Lands Inspirational Award in 2004. She served as President of the Alabama Association of Realtors and the Tallapoosa County Realtors Association and served on many state and national committees and received numerous awards for her service. Recently the Discovery Center at Russell Crossroads was named in her honor.
Mrs. Phillips was a wonderful mom, wife, an exceptional grandmother, loving sister, and a kind friend. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Children’s Harbor, One Our Children’s Highway, Alexander City, AL 35010. Memorial messages may be sent to the family at www.radneyfuneralhome.com. Radney Funeral Home is arranging.
Realtors Need To Copy Thomas The Tank Engine Train
I get asked a lot about a.) how the real estate market is on Lake Martin, and b.) how I think the industry in general is going to cope with this downturn. The answer to a.) = slow. The answer to b.) – I think this market will weed out most of the half hearted, hald serious realtors. Hopefully it will also weed out the lazy and the rest of the baddies that give us such a bad rap. If I may be so bold, I submit that to survive this market, and to improve our reputation, we all should resolve to the below. Maybe by suggesting these, it will give ME some accountability to make sure I try to do these everyday:
Realtors Need To Copy Thomas The Tank Engine Train:
Be Helpful – Don’t treat everyone as either a “lead” or a “non-lead.” If someone
calls to ask you for directions, where to rent a boat, or something seemingly unrelated to Lake Martin real estate, be nice, don’t blow them off. Be an ambassador for the region.
Be Hardworking – we Realtors need to put in the hours it takes to help people find what they want.
Be Useful – Unlike 2005 when sellers were rare, in 2008 I think that you have to convince buyers that you can be useful to them. You have to show them how you can help them cut through all of the inventory and save them time and money.
Don’t Be Cheeky - This is one of my favorite phrases in Thomas movies. I just had to work this in somehow. As much as I enjoy to try and write cleverly for this blog, maybe I should watch my cheekiness.
Form Alliances – just as Thomas formed alliances with the other vehicles in the Isle of Sodor, Lake Martin Realtors need to have a strong network of mortgage brokers, builders, subcontractors, boat people, restaurants, anything that their buyers or sellers need.
