Some related articles:

Print is steadily losing ground as the internet becomes the number one advertising medium for estate agents, a new survey shows.

The results of the just-released poll show that local or community newspapers are now the only print options that command more support than the internet, with 54 percent of agents regularly placing adverts in these papers while 47 percent make use of online property portals to showcase their stock.

What is more, 74 percent of agents now also regard their company websites as important advertising channels.

29 percent advertise in major newspapers

By contrast, only 34 percent of agents advertise in the property magazines that are distributed for free and only 29 percent support the weekly property supplements to major newspapers. Even fewer make use of glossy property magazines (15 percent) and just a handful (three percent) ever advertises on TV.

"To a large extent, this sharp shift towards online advertising is a result of the property market downturn," says Dr Willie Marais, national president of the Institute of Estate Agents (IEASA). "With sales and income way down, agents and agencies have been forced to cut costs wherever possible, and print advertising has always been one of the biggest items of expenditure for most real estate companies.

"Consequently, they have turned more and more to Internet advertising, which is relatively low-cost and sometimes even free, and has several other advantages too, including global reach and a much longer 'shelf-life' for each ad, which can remain on view as long as a property remains unsold."

The joys of interactivity

Agents have also discovered the joys of interactivity, he says, with most property portals offering a 'matching' service that immediately advises potential buyers of new listings that match their home search criteria, as well as the facility for those who are interested in a particular listing to instantly contact the agent via email or SMS.

"And then there is the greater manageability of online listings, with agents being able to instantly upload a new photo, for example, or to change price and other details that may make the property more attractive to potential buyers."

Article continues on page two...


Page: 1 of 2 - next
RSS
Digg
de.li.cious
facebook
How to get a home loan Some tips from home loan experts ooba on getting a mortgage application approved...
How to evict a tenant The procedure for cancelling a lease and evicting a non-paying or otherwise recalcitrant tenant...
Recovery? What recovery? Property's PR machine is shouting recovery, but the market is showing scant improvement...