Lake Martin Voice Realty
Emerald Shores Time Lapse Sunset and Lot Sales Update
It’s hard to beat a Lake Martin sunset. I’ve been experimenting with this time lapse app on my iPhone, and the other week I recorded some pretty skies over Emerald Shores. The video below is the sunset view from Lot 18, a 1.26 acre lot with +/- 321 feet of shoreline that is still available for sale. For all the listing information on Lot 18, CLICK HERE.
Here’s an Emerald Shores SALES UPDATE, too.
As of April 23, seventeen of the twenty-nine lots that were released for sale by Alabama Property Company are under contract. Two additional lots are in negotiations. In thirty-eight days, sixty-five percent of the lots offered have gone under contract or are being negotiated (we at Lake Martin Voice Realty joyfully listed these lots on March 16, 2013). These are strong sales numbers, especially when you look in the Lake Martin MLS and consider that in the entire year of 2012, a total of 38 lots waterfront lots were sold on Lake Martin, by all agents, all brokerages, everywhere.
Like I’ve said before, if you’re interested in one of these lots, NOW is the time to call me. They’re moving quickly, but there are still some beautiful lots available.
Lot 18, featured in the time lapse video above, is a great example. It’s flat, wooded, and private. Alabama Property Co. has already installed a rip rap seawall, and that wall is included in the sales price. It’s also a flexible lot; there is a variety of ways to place and orient a home on this lot. Check out the pictures below:
I also really like the lots on either side of Lot 18 – Lot 17 and Lot 19. Big views. Pretty sunsets.
For more information, give me a call at (334) 221-5862, or CLICK HERE to email me. Lake Martin Voice Realty is the listing company, so we can answer all your questions.
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Emerald Shores: Lot Sales Update
Of the 29 Emerald Shores waterfront lots that were released on March 16 for sale, NINE are already pending, and SIX more are currently under negotiation.
As the listing agency for Emerald Shores, Lake Martin Voice Realty is excited about the public’s interest in these lots, and we want to make sure you have the latest information on this east side development.
CLICK HERE for listing information on Emerald Shores.
Contracts on these lots have been brought by our company, along with several other Lake Martin real estate companies. My point in telling you this (I know this sounds like typical Realtor barking) is that you really need to give us a call if you have any interest in a lot in Emerald Shores. Don’t wait until you get around to it because the lot that you want, in your price range, and with the view you like, may be gone.
Why all the interest in Emerald Shores?
Well, there’s clearly a demand for lots in a deed restricted neighborhood on this popular side of Lake Martin. And frankly, Emerald Shores has really pretty lots on the big water of Blue Creek. It’s an established community with homes already built, so there’s a history of sales and construction.
For more information, give me a call at (334) 221-5862, or CLICK HERE to email me. Lake Martin Voice Realty is the listing company, so we can answer all your questions.
Quick Video Tour of Emerald Shores:
Video Tour of the Blue Creek Area of Lake Martin:
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Suddenly All My Videos Seem Lame
I used to think Lake Martin Voice Realty was pushing the forefront in real estate video until I saw the video below of a property in Napa from Realty World’s Christine Dwiggins. Wow!
Sure, they had a huge budget and hired actors and a production company. But can’t I do the same thing in a small volunteer way?
Aren’t there some of my friends that would volunteer to be in my listing videos? Or local aspiring actors to tap? So I guess the real title of this post should be, “Do my friends love me enough to act in my real estate videos?”
These are the type of videos I’m impressed with. The production quality is great. There are a lot of agents nationwide that are working very hard to give their clients serious exposure. I saw an interview with Christine Wiggins about this Napa video, and she said they filmed for 16 hours to get all the shots they needed. And that was just the filming.
So I’m trying to learn from people like Christine. Even though I’m the only Lake Martin Realtor who currently creates video tours for all listings, I can still improve. I’ve been using video since 2007, and while some of those early clips make me cringe, I had to start somewhere. See these 2 videos, both of the same home I sold in 2007, and again in 2012. My narrator had clearly not discovered coffee in the first version. I’d like to think there has been some growth in all aspects of production. But in 2007, the idea of a video tour seemed revolutionary.
2012 Video Tour
2007 Video Tour
Sure, it’s more work, but I truly believe video tours tell a more complete story of a property.
So who’s in for the acting gig? Comment below and let me know if you’re available. I pay in Lake Martin Crazy gear, but your exposure will hopefully be tremendous. Just this past month (Dec. 26 – Jan. 24), my YouTube viewers spent 2, 363 minutes watching my real estate videos. That is pretty strong for what is considered an off season for Lake Martin real estate.
If you’d like to see your property get exposure like this, give me a call at (334) 221-5862 or CLICK HERE to contact me and let’s talk about marketing your Lake Martin home.
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3,000 Minutes in 30 Days
My Lake Martin Voice Realty YouTube Channel lets me track how much time viewers spend watching the Lake Martin videos I’ve posted to YouTube. In a recent 30 day period (Jan 7 – Feb 5, 2013), YouTube Analytics recorded an estimated 2,877 minutes of viewing time, with the most watched video being a recent listing, 100 Harbor Place Unit 613 at Lake Martin. This, at a time of year that is not considered the most active real estate season on Lake Martin. That’s pretty strong.
YouTube, however, is not the only site that hosts my real estate videos; I use my Lake Martin Voice Wellcomemat Channel to embed video tours of my listings on the Lake Martin MLS. The YouTube number above does not take any of these views into account. 60% of the visitors to my website come strictly to search the MLS, and never see my YouTube channel.
So John into technology. This is not new information. Why is this important?
Buyers are into technology.
As a seller, it means that you are getting tons of exposure. It means that buyers who come to see your property in person have already toured it extensively via my video tour, and they are serious. They’ve seen the neighbors, the view, the slope of the lot, the back of the slough, that funky bathroom, and they’re still interested.
Compare that to the amount of time racked up viewing the 2″ x 1″ photo of the front of your lake home in print media. Some sellers may wonder why I don’t advertise in these. Bottom line: I’ve never closed a sale that originated with a call from a print source. No, not even one, and realtors pay a lot of money for these ads. In fact, one of my company’s listing was incorrectly priced $100,000 lower than list price in a print publication, and over the course of the month that the ad was in the magazine, NO ONE called to inquire about this great house at a huge discount. In my experience, hot leads are not reading print media. They are searching online.
For buyers – video helps you quickly verify what you’re getting. A real estate video tour makes it possible to understand the flow of a home and layout of the lot. It makes it hard to hide the skeletons in the closet, too. Most Lake Martin buyers are making a trip from out of town to view homes, and realistically can’t commit days to a search. What a letdown to find that the cute cabin in the picture only has 10 feet of waterfront, or a guest bedroom that can only be accessed through the master suite. Clear that up ahead of time with a video tour, and serious buyers can zero in on properties that truly meet their needs.
Also for buyers – I offer private video tours of other realtor’s listings. If you see another realtor’s listing on the MLS, and you want more info than what is available on the MLS, I make a private video tour for you. I send you a private link to view it on YouTube, and you can quickly decide to check it out in person or pass.
Think the power of real estate video might give you an edge with your home sale? Give me a call at (334) 221-5862 or CLICK HERE to contact me. I’d love to talk, and I’d love to go to work for you.
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Extreme Sea Wall Failure Part 2: Rebuilding
In the first installment of this three part series (Extreme Seawall Failure at Lake Martin), we looked at a wooden sea wall in the Jacksons Gap area that had completely failed. Scott Henderson of Henderson & Coker Contractors in Alex City is rebuilding a new concrete seawall in its place, and he was nice enough to let me peek at the guts of this project. During the summer, when Lake Martin is at full, or nearly full pool, we only see the tops of these hugely important structures. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface, though, and winter is the time to check it out.
A lot of folks are surprised by the cost of a new seawall, and I think this video will give you an idea of why it’s so expensive, and what’s involved: a whole lot of work, and the kind of work that is best left to the experts. But if you do it right, like the homeowners of the wall under construction in this video, you won’t have to do it twice.
If you’re thinking about buying a waterfront home or lot on Lake Martin, it’s important to check out the condition of the existing sea wall, or get an estimate for a new sea wall. Home inspectors do not include sea walls in the scope of their inspections, so call a professional contractor and let him check it out for you. And, as always, you must contact Alabama Power for approval of ANY shoreline projects, including seawalls.
I’d love to help you find your Lake Martin home, so give me a call at (334) 221-5862, or click here to contact me, and let’s get to work!
Related Posts:
Extreme Sea Wall Failure on Lake Martin 2012
Lake Martin Concrete Sea Wall Construction 2011
Lake Martin Concrete Sea Wall Construction 2011 Part 2
Lake Martin Concrete Sea Wall Construction 2011 Part 3
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Extreme Sea Wall Failure on Lake Martin
This is a failed sea wall. No doubt about it. When the waters of Lake Martin are at full summer pool, structural problems like this may by hard to spot. But when the lake level is lowered in the winter, mayhem is revealed.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that winter is a great time to work on these issues. Henderson & Coker Contractors of Alex City have been hired to replace this failed wooden seawall with a concrete sea wall, and they’ve agreed to let me video the process. I followed a project of theirs in 2011 where they built a new seawall around a large peninsula that had never had a seawall. This time I thought it would be interesting to see how they deal with replacing an existing seawall.
Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 of this series and I bet you’ll have a new appreciation for the importance of a seawall, and the importance of a professional sea wall installation. So much of the value of a Lake Martin waterfront property is tied to the dirt it sits on. It pays to get it right.
While I don’t build sea walls at Lake Martin, I do sell homes. I’d love to be your realtor, and I’d love to discuss Lake Martin real estate with you. Give me a call at (334) 221-5862, or CLICK HERE to contact me.
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John Coley Honored In Real Estate Magazine
I was honored to be recognized by RISMedia’s Real Estate magazine as one of twelve trend setting brokers from around the nation who use video in a unique way to help people with real estate.
Rudy Bachraty wrote, “we interviewed leading real estate brokers and brands and identified a number of unique real estate video trends occurring in our industry. Here are the key takeaways.“
I am so flattered to be included in this group! Most are from large metro areas like NYC, so it is exciting to me to be in the same breath as this crowd. The article appeared in their magazine’s December 2012 issue and also online here.
The National Association of Realtors estimates it has about 1.2 million members. Of those 1.2 million, it is estimated that only about 1%, or 12,000 agents across the country, are using video to market real estate. This number hasn’t really increased in the three or so years I have seen people talk about it. Why? I have no idea, because I think that video is such a no brainer in real estate.
It’s hard to write a blog post like this without sounding like I am boasting, so please don’t take it that way. I really am shocked that, out of all the agents in the nation, Rudy was kind enough to include me as an example among agents and brokerages that I watch on HGTV and read about in the WSJ. Really I see this as a victory for Lake Martin, which, in comparison, is such a tiny second home waterfront market.
I would like to thank my clients, friends, family, blog readers and video viewers for coming up with great questions about Lake Martin. I started using online video to answer questions, and it continues to be a driving force behind all of my marketing.
The best part about being included as one of the top 12 trend setters in real estate video is that it has called my attention to brokers that are doing such a better job than I am. I encourage you to click on the article link above, and check out the list. There are some really talented folks there, and I am motivated by their excellence. I realize I am merely hitting the record button on most of my videos, so I plan to get much better at this in the future.
In the meantime, please visit my video page on this site. I break my videos into three categories or channels: 1. Home Tours, 2. Neighborhood Tours, and 3. Community Info. Click the thumbnail pictures to make each of them play in the main space, and click the little arrows in each player to scroll to more.
If you have any suggestions for me on what to video or how to do it better, please contact me and let me know! Thanks!
Related Posts:
Real Estate Video Trends: John Coley and Geo-Targeted Waterfront Community Videos
Creating a Real Estate Niche with John Coley
John Coley Teaching Real Estate Video Class at REtechSouth
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In Search of Striped Bass on Lake Martin, Part 3
In continuing my quest to catch a Lake Martin striped bass on my fly rod – on purpose – I offer this following video. In it, guide David Hare of Alex City Guide Service gives advice to people like me who are crazy enough to try it.
I say crazy enough to try it, not because fly fishing for stripers around here is death-defying. I say it because after I’ve seen David catch them on live bait, I’m probably a fool to try this.
David is admittedly not a fly fisherman, but he is an expert on striped bass at Lake Martin. That’s why I figured it would be profitable for me to ask him these questions. Hopefully they are helpful to you, too, and if you have any tips for me on fishing for striped bass in Lake Martin, or any other fresh water lake in the South for that matter, please comment below. I would appreciate it.
Like I’ve said before, if you have any questions, please do not call me. You will get a lot of dumb answers. Please contact David directly at (256) 401-3089 or via their Facebook page.
If you didn’t catch Parts 1 and 2 of David’s interview, here are their links:
In Search of Striped Bass , Part 1
In Search of Striped Bass, Part 2
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In Search of Striped Bass on Lake Martin, Part 2
Here we talk about bait. In any kind of fishing that I know, the first question everyone asks is, “What are they biting?” Whether you chase trout in Townsend or bonefish in Belize, that’s what you want to know. It is no different here for striped bass fishing on Lake Martin.
Here David Hare of Alex City Guide Service talks about exactly what kind of bait he uses to score big stripers out of Lake Martin. First of all, he makes it clear that in his experience, he thinks live bait is the way to consistently catch big fish. He doesn’t use just any live bait – he throws shad, suckers, and other bait fish out there of gargantuan size. These things are so big that I would be proud to catch them on purpose.
Because many of these bait fish are not native to Lake Martin, David often travels up to 50 miles away to cast net for them. Once back at Lake Martin, he has an intricate system of live wells to keep them alive, fishy, and frisky for long periods of time. Talking about this with David has opened my eyes to a whole new world of fishing that is truly a hybrid of the spotted bass fishing I did growing up and the fishing done by our salty neighbors to the south.
Hope you enjoy this video of the David talking about the bait he uses for striper fishing on Lake Martin. If you have any questions, please do not call me. You will get a lot of dumb answers. Please contact David directly at (256) 401-3089 or via their Facebook page.
If you didn’t catch the first installment of David’s interview, here it is: In Search of Striped Bass , Part 1
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In Search of Striped Bass on Lake Martin, Part 1
I have literally spent a lifetime on Lake Martin, but the other day I felt like I met a totally new side Lake Martin for the very first time. It was kind of like driving the boat home from my kids’ first wake board demo at Blue Creek Marina and realizing we’d just scratched the surface of this Lake Martin subculture – like an onion, the lake has many layers. Except it’s not like an onion in that it doesn’t stink or make you teary when you cut it.
The layer I discovered a couple of weeks ago was the striped bass layer, courtesy of David Hare of Alex City Guide Service.
I had already shot this video series with him when I bumped into him around the north lake area, near the River Bridge (Highway 280 bridge). Even though I’d heard him talk about fishing Lake Martin, I was not prepared for the amount of fun I had. He took Lake Martin fishing to a whole new level for me.
The above video is the first in a trilogy of interviews with David about fishing for striped bass, in particular. If you’re antsy to fish and can’t wait for the next video post, you can 1) go to my LakeMartinVoice YouTube Channel and watch all three interviews there, or 2) go ahead and call David at Alex City Guide Service and schedule a trip. David’s number is (256) 401-3089.
After fishing with David, my only regret was that I was in my wife’s car, and didn’t have a cooler to bring home the fish fillets. Rookie mistake.
Check out the photos from my trip with David below:
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