Commercial Real Estate Developers and Brokers Thrive Online During Tough Economic Times

The economy may not offer ideal conditions for sellers in the real estate market at the moment, but a bright spot does exist. Firms like inMotion Real Estate Media (www.inMotionRealEstate.com) are helping commercial developers and real estate brokers make more sales by taking advantage of the efficiency and affordability of Internet marketing.

Few industries have been hit as hard as the real estate market by recent economic troubles. Yet developers are finding new hope in attracting buyers using the Internet. Real estate media and marketing firms such as Boston-area inMotion Real Estate Media are introducing developers and real estate brokers to Internet marketing and new media tactics enabling them to reach more targeted buyers with tighter advertising budgets. In fact, the California Association of REALTORS discovered in their 2008 Use of Technology survey that REALTORS attributed 48% of their 2008 business to the Web — an increase of 4% over the previous year.

Real estate marketing is still very traditional in a lot of ways
When a developer is seeking buyers for new a property, they may launch a direct mail campaign, purchase pricey newspaper or magazine advertisements, or put up large print signage. Internet marketing gives developers a targeted and cost effective approach to attracting willing buyers. It works by connecting people to properties they’re interested in and already searching for.

A professional Web presence and effective marketing strategy on the Web give real estate developers a competitive edge
“Real estate marketing is still very traditional in a lot of ways,” says inMotion Real Estate Media Founder Bob Samii. “When a developer is seeking buyers for new a property, they may launch a direct mail campaign, purchase pricey newspaper or magazine advertisements, or put up large print signage. Internet marketing gives developers a targeted and cost effective approach to attracting willing buyers. It works by connecting people to properties they’re interested in and already searching for.”

inMotion Real Estate Media helps commercial real estate developers find people or companies interested in leasing their properties without relying on costly advertising and print promotions. With expertise in building comprehensive online real estate marketing solutions, inMotion is able to directly connect developers with interested buyers who are actually searching on the Internet for properties like the ones they have available.

They help companies put a professional and interactive face on their development projects by building new Web sites or improving outdated ones to offer a better user experience. After building or improving their Web presence, developers can better attract interested buyers through targeted search engine optimization (SEO), making it more likely that people will find their Web site ranked well in the search engines while searching for properties. Once on the site, potential buyers can be offered property tours or promotional videos, floor plans, and other features to convert more visitors into viable leads.

inMotion Real Estate Media offers real estate Web development to commercial developers, including an increasing number of the nation’s top development firms, guiding them in interactive and online real estate marketing strategies to stay ahead of the competition.

“A professional Web presence and effective marketing strategy on the Web give real estate developers a competitive edge,” says Samii. “Many of their competitors in the real estate market don’t have Web sites, have outdated sites, or haven’t fully embraced digital promotion yet. If they have, they may be facing unnecessary costs of having a designer or developer make all of their Web site updates for them, at an additional cost. At inMotion, we help developers keep their costs down while giving them an online presence that appeals to today’s buyers. Sites are built on our user-friendly content management system (CMS), so clients can make changes to their information online whenever they want, with no complicated software to learn.”

Foreclosure.com Traffic Grows Along with Homebuyer Interest in Once in a Lifetime Real Estate Deals

Foreclosure.com announced that its Web site traffic has increased more than 30 percent since this same time period last year because of the increased interest among prospective buyers in distressed real estate, including pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, short sale and other amazing deals.

Historically low home prices, as well as interest rates, and the recently-signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from the new administration on Capitol Hill that offers first-time homeowners a no-strings-attached $8,000 tax credit to put toward their principal residences, are all key factors in the recent surge in interest on the Web, according to Foreclosure.com Vice President, James Houston.

“Our servers are getting crushed around the clock,” said Houston. “We have noticed a significant increase in traffic over the last few months, which we attribute to several factors that have created a ‘perfect storm’-like situation.”

Foreclosure.com — already America’s largest and most trusted source for distressed real estate information — is among the top 20 online real estate destinations on the Web, placing twelfth for visits on a recent report from HitWise.com — the leading online competitive intelligence service – for the week ending on Feb. 28.

It’s perhaps no coincidence that the National Association of Realtors® issued a report just last month, revealing that foreclosure-related purchases comprised more than 40 percent of real estate sales nationwide.

Foreclosure.com features nearly two million foreclosure, preforeclosure, bankruptcy, FSBO, tax lien and sheriff sale listings from throughout the United States on its Web site. Visitors are allowed to search the complete database totally free for seven days without obligation. If a potential homebuyer or investor needs more time, the company charges a competitive low monthly subscription fee to continue using the service.

But, according to Houston, curious buyers can typically find great deals in their areas in literally just a few hours.

“There is just so much inventory to choose from right now,” he said. “The odds are favorable that anyone who visits our Web site today will likely find several great deals quickly for pennies on the dollar.”

Foreclosure.com visitors benefit from detailed listing information, which includes photos, maps, community statistics, complete address, contact information and so much more. In addition, Foreclosure.com features a Community Expert Program and Broker Network that matches up interested buyers with the best local real estate agents and brokers to assist them through the purchase process.

It’s among the several benefits that Houston says is what differentiates Foreclosure.com from the other distressed real estate sites on the Internet.

“Our traffic and retention figures speak for themselves,” he said. “Buyers want to maximize their time and find the homes that are right for them as fast as possible at reduced prices. That’s what we offer – it’s our bread and butter. Not only is our database the most accurate and comprehensive in the business, but we also provide all the help and assistance anyone could ask for throughout the process that ensures smiling faces at the closing table. That’s the Foreclosure.com difference.”

Feel free to visit Foreclosure.com at www.foreclosure.com today and search for homes in your area at no cost.