ViMO Customers: Have You Tried the Market Intelligence Report?

Hey ViMO customers - if you’ve already subscribed and use ViMO, then you are likely well aware of the many great benefits - but have you tried the new custom Market Intelligence Report yet? With it you can significantly increase the potential for repeat business by keeping in touch with clients. All you have to do is adjust your preferences and ViMO will remind you to send out a report to your client.

What is the Market Intelligence Report? Simply stated, it is a report sent out to clients that leverages authoritative land registry data to keep clients informed about recent sales activities and neighbourhood trends!

Find out more and get a sample report here: http://marketing.geowarehouse.ca/acton/attachment/1288/f-0186/1/-/-/-/-/Market%20Intelligence%20Report.pdf

Check out our guide for step-by-step instructions on how to adjust your preferences: http://marketing.geowarehouse.ca/acton/attachment/1288/f-0183/1/-/-/-/-/Market%20Intelligence%20How%20To%20Guide.pdf

If you are using ViMO, we want to hear from you - your feedback matters! Give us a testimonial or an app review on Facebook and you will be entered for a chance to win an iPad cover with keyboard!

ViMO gives you the tools to stay in touch with clients, making you more competitive and giving you that extra edge. Contact us today to find out more about this exciting new feature! Visit www.myvimo.ca. 

Average Detached Home Price in Toronto Reaches 1 Million Dollars

It is no secret that house prices have been steadily rising over the last few years - it is the way of the world after all - but when we talk about a rise, what are we really talking about? It may or may not surprise you to find out just how much: we are talking an average house price in Toronto that has now reached $1 million.

According to the CTV News article, “In cities such as Vancouver and Toronto, the average cost of a detached home will set you back more than seven figures. Meanwhile, the market in Alberta has seen sales and prices drop since the collapse of oil.”

Check out the full article here: http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/million-dollar-homes-a-new-trend-in-some-canadian-cities-1.2263333.

Just for fun (or maybe not so fun), what does the average mortgage payment on a $1 million home look like? Over a 30 year amortization period, on a fixed rate mortgage at 2%, the monthly payments on a $1 million home would be $3692/month. When one takes into account the fact that the average family income in Canada was $74 540 in 2012, according to Statistics Canada, as well as Canada’s consumer debt levels, this figure seems pretty surprising since it is the national average. Clearly there are some big players on the scene here.

The key take-away here, we think, is the fact that many markets in Canada remain incredibly hot. Sales don’t seem to be stalling, and that means big gains for those looking to sell. Cities like Toronto are becoming more and more expensive, and these rising costs = more and more competition for real estate sales professionals.

Knowing this, how can you grab your piece of the pricing real estate pie? By using the tools that allow you to do more, even on-the-go. Tools like ViMO, your virtual mobile office, makes you more competitive by giving you the ability to research properties, grab neighbourhood demographics, and even network and connect with others in the area.

Another important step is developing new marketing in the suburbs - a good idea for all real estate sales professionals looking to take a chunk of what is on offer. Diversifying your own portfolio, and reaching out to those markets that have more than just million dollar homes to offer buyers, represents an important selling opportunity.

For more on average house prices and how to stay competitive in an increasingly competitive industry, call ViMO today. We have the tools you need: 1 855 999 8466 (VIMO). 

What is the “Right Type” of CRM for a Real Estate Sales Professional?

As real estate sales professionals, so much of what we do on a daily basis is carried out online, largely through email. Gone are the days of time-consuming phone calls, and emails that take seconds to send have become the norm. With the barrage of daily messages sent to clients, lenders, inspectors, lawyers, builders, etc., sometimes it can be tricky keeping track of all interactions.

This is where a customer relationship management (CRM) tool comes into play. These systems have come to play an increasingly important role in the everyday workflow of many real estate sales professionals, and for good reason. The ability to track and automate tasks, without the fear of duplicate or miss tasks, coupled with the ability to easily connect with others in the real estate industry, has made CRMs vital tools for those of us with heavy workloads.

However, with so many different CRMs on offer, it can be tough to decide which is best suited to you, or really, the real estate industry as a whole. So, what is the right type of CRM for a real estate sales professional? Here are a few key capabilities to look for:

• Engagement/transaction management. One of the most important capabilities needs to be tracking interactions. Recording documents, client information, email correspondence, etc., gives you the ability to access whatever you need, right as you require it. This saves a great deal of time and hassle. This also helps to prevent missed or duplicated messages. Think of it as an easily searchable online filing cabinet.
• Client management. Once contacts are imported, the above transaction management becomes easy. In addition to that is the added bonus of lead nurturing made easy. Client information included here makes personalizing every interaction a breeze, and gives you the ability to automate email updates and alerts to keep in touch, thus boosting that client’s perception of your brand, and therefore your overall image and reputation.
• Activity management/scheduling. A calendar system is great on its own (and an invaluable necessity), but as part of a CRM it makes cross-checking and scheduling easy. Make sure this feature is included - it is essential.
• Real estate specific capabilities. A regular CRM is great for customer management, but one that also gives you the ability to access real estate specific information (property detail reports or neighbourhood demographics) on the go is even better. Also, electronic form signing can help cut your time down significantly, reducing your back and forth, and again making everything that much more accessible.

So, which CRM is the right type for a real estate sales professional? We will leave it up to you to decide, but just make sure that the one you ultimately choose includes all of the above - going without just doesn’t need to be an option anymore.

For more about the perfect CRM for real estate sales professionals, one that accomplishes everything you need it to, call ViMO today at 1 855 999 8466 (VIMO).

How to Make Your Real Estate Listing More Attractive

When it comes to helping a client sell their home, your job as their real estate sales professional is to help keep them on the right path, providing them with knowledge about comparable sales in the area, proper price points, and to help negotiate. But the paperwork isn’t your only job. Helping to make that real estate listing more attractive is a job in itself - but a very important one.

So, how can you achieve this? Here are a few simple and easy tips to help make that real estate listing show off its best assets!

One of the best ways to show a house to its greatest potential is by staging it. When people walk through a home, they like to envision themselves living there, and a house that shows well can work wonders for the imagination.

Here are some staging tips:

• Get rid of the clutter and personal items
• Clean the house from top to bottom, especially focussing on the kitchen and bathroom
• Paint in neutral colours and remove outdated wallpaper
• Arrange furniture to show off a space, both size-wise and with regard to functionality

Landscaping is another big one. No matter the season, you always want to make a good first impression, and landscaping is a great way to achieve this - especially in the summer. Make sure that all garbage, clutter, debris, etc. is moved out of sight or disposed of. Grass should be mowed and hedges well-manicured. Try to have some flowers in the gardens, or at least a few hanging baskets for an extra burst of colour.

Be able to provide stats on the neighbourhood - research and highlight neighbourhood demographics to point out the features not only of the house, but also the larger community. Local schools, shopping areas, recreation centres - these can be big draws. You also want to appear knowledgeable and confident - this in turn will make potential buyers feel confident. Technology has come a long way and so you can use a desktop tool to perform this research like GeoWarehouse or if on the go a mobile app like ViMO.

Make sure you have lots of great photos of the property. Post these wherever you can. You want to make sure that the property gets lots of exposure. Think about including those mobile apps that make this easy - and look for one that can also give you access to all of the info we mentioned above, neighbourhood demographics and property info and such.

Your job as a real estate professional is complex - there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to selling a client’s home, and you want to try and get top dollar, every time. Staging, landscaping, ensuring wide exposure and getting as much information as possible are all ways to make that listing shine.

ViMO can help when it comes to making your real estate listing more attractive - are you using it yet? If not you should definitely consider it! Call us today for more information: 1 855 999 8466 (VIMO).

What is a Customer Relationship Management System?

No matter the industry, maintaining a strong relationship with your customers is likely a critical aspect of your overall game plan. When it comes to real estate, this becomes even more important, specifically when it comes to repeat business, reputation and image, and future referrals.

In the last few years, customer relationship management (CRM) has become a powerful buzz phrase encompassing a number of different things - all of which work together to create a strategy or practice which helps to achieve this relationship maintenance, and a customer relationship management system has become the ideal way to do this.

Still a bit green behind the ears when it comes to the role of a CRM system? We are bringing you back to basics this week - answering the question “what is a customer relationship management system?”

As mentioned, customer relationship management refers to the strategies and processes used to build and strengthen these networks and connections by managing, recording and evaluating customer interactions. When done effectively, this can help to boost sales, encourage repeat business and increase customer bases.

Ok, but what is a CRM system? It is simple. A CRM system works by consolidating customer information, updating and recording customer interactions, automating workflow tasks like calendars and alerts, and giving you the ability to more efficiently and effectively keep track of what is happening with each customer.

Benefits of a CRM:

• Marketing: because all contact info is recorded, sending out newest housing trend reports or market numbers is made easy, thus giving you the chance to reach out to current and past prospects easily. Also, automated workflows allow for birthday emails or other personalized alerts to remind customers that they are important to you, and to keep in touch.

•  Sales interaction management: since customer interactions are recorded, a CRM will help to prevent and avoid duplicate emails, letters, etc. Reaching out too often will often cause customers to become annoyed or overwhelmed, rather than appreciated - it is a delicate balance - one that can be met with the right CRM system.

•  Networking and connecting: not only does a CRM give you the ability to connect with customers, it should also give you the ability to connect with others in your industry. As a real estate professional, this is great for things like promoting listings and finding out more information in real time.

Customer relationship management, no matter the industry, is crucial. As a real estate sales professional it is even more so. With easy-to-use CRM features, coupled with real estate specific additions, keeping everything in line is simple.

For more information about adding a CRM system to your workflow strategy, call ViMO today at 1 855 999 8466 (VIMO).