Selling a home in Portland? Check these 5 Media Tips
Real estate is all about connections — and lucky for those who buy and sell homes, we live in a very connected world these days. But constant connection with friends and strangers alike can have its drawbacks as well. Here are our quick tips for taking advantage of social media’s benefits when selling a home in Portland, while avoiding the pitfalls.
1. Don’t share it all. Public posts on social media about accepting offers or starting the moving process are fun for your friends and followers. They’re also a goldmine for anyone who would take advantage of your home’s vacant status. Criminals may be watching. Even if you think nobody is listening on Twitter or Instagram, if it’s a public account, “nobody” might be the wrong “somebody”.
2. Verify the letters and emails you receive. One of the top trends in real estate fraud is for scammers to impersonate the real estate agent, lender, title company, and other professionals you’re working with to sell your home.
3. Change your passwords regularly (considering using a highly rated keychain app). If it can happen to top tech CEOs, it can happen to you! Using the same password on multiple websites and social media platforms — especially if it’s the same password you use for your email — is just asking for trouble and potential real estate transaction fraud. Keychain apps work by protecting all your passwords using encryption technology, and entering them automatically when you’re logged into your device.
4. Avoid answering questions and offers from friends and acquaintances online. There are so many ways for people in your social network to get in touch with you now. For example, your best friend’s uncle might hear that you’re selling, then PM you to ask how far your Southeast Portland home is from the MAX line. It might seem harmless to answer a simple question, but if he follows up by asking if you would take 10K less than the list price, it might be an uncomfortable situation. Talk with your real estate agent before the listing goes live to come up with a communications strategy — when to give answers and when to pass inquiries off to the experts.
5. Don’t ignore the power of media marketing – from your real estate agent’s accounts. When choosing a listing agent, check out their media presence. Do they have a sophisticated strategy to reach the 95% of home buyers that are looking online, or will they simply put your home on the MLS and wait? Do they have their own followers via blog, social media, newspaper, and more? After your home is listed, you can share posts about your home as much as you like — keeping in mind that your real estate should be doing the heavy lifting of marketing your home to potential Portland buyers.
Got social media tips for buying or selling a home? You can find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
