Quick Enquiry Questions

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Here are some questions I would like feedback from……

1. What real estate sites are you members of?
Example:realestate.com.au, domain.com.au homehound.com.au

2. Of these sites for every 10 enquiries break down how many enquiries come from each site?
Example:realestate.com.au (4) , domain.com.au (2+) homehound.com.au (1) Mysite (-1) [Note minus = less than]

3. Of these enquiries how many are looking for a property viewing and how many are asking further questions?
Example: 40% questions 60% viewing

4. Has the massive increase in traffic volume of portals equated to an increase in sales in the last 12 months?
Example: Yes

5. What key role do you think a real estate portal should play in relationship to your listings?
Example: Make it as easy as possible for visitors to the site to find my listings

6. Would you allow Real Estate Portals to market their additional services to your vendors?
Example: No……and reason

7. What proportion of your marketing budget in 2006 was spent online VS newspaper advertising (promotion, vendors listings, google marketing campaigns?
Example: 30%

8. What proportion of your marketing budget was spent online in 2000 Vs newspaper advertising?
Example: 5%

9. What proportion of property enquiries come from Internet related advertising?
Example: 70%

10. A Real Estate Related Dinner and Drinks who would you invite?
Example: Neil Jenman, Donald Trump, Simon Baker, Peter Foster

Just copy and paste your answers in the comments box!

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12 Comments

  • Sam
    Posted February 9, 2007 at 9:37 am 0Likes

    1. What real estate sites are you members of?
    realestate.com.au, domain.com.au

    2. Of these sites for every 10 enquiries break down how many enquiries come from each site?
    realestate.com.au (50%) , domain.com.au (50%)

    3. Of these enquiries how many are looking for a property viewing and how many are asking further questions?
    70% questions 30% viewing

    4. Has the massive increase in traffic volume of portals equated to an increase in sales in the last 12 months?
    The market has increased sales not the portals, the portals do not control the real estate market.

    5. What key role do you think a real estate portal should play in relationship to your listings?
    Display them professionally.

    6. Would you allow Real Estate Portals to market their additional services to your vendors?
    No, stay out of my backyard.

    7. What proportion of your marketing budget in 2006 was spent online VS newspaper advertising (promotion, vendors listings, google marketing campaigns?
    75% internet 25% newspapers

    8. What proportion of your marketing budget was spent online in 2000 Vs newspaper advertising?
    100% newspapers

    9. What proportion of property enquiries come from Internet related advertising?
    65% internet 30% boards 5% newspapers

    10. A Real Estate Related Dinner and Drinks who would you invite?
    Anyone who doesn’t self boringly promote which means I would invite no one from the real estate industry and anyone from a portal would be bounced immediately they showed their face at the door.

  • Melissa M
    Posted February 9, 2007 at 5:01 pm 0Likes

    1. What real estate sites are you members of?
    realestate.com.au, domain.com.au, homehound.com.au

    2. Of these sites for every 10 enquiries break down how many enquiries come from each site?
    realestate.com.au (4) , domain.com.au (5) Homehound ( less than 1) Just Listed ( less than 1) Just Listed

    3. Of these enquiries how many are looking for a property viewing and how many are asking further questions?
    80% questions 30% viewing

    4. Has the massive increase in traffic volume of portals equated to an increase in sales in the last 12 months?
    No, 2006 was worse as far as sales and enquiries go than 2005

    5. What key role do you think a real estate portal should play in relationship to your listings?
    Place our listings before all of their guff

    6. Would you allow Real Estate Portals to market their additional services to your vendors?
    Never, that would be it for us, even if they suggested it.

    7. What proportion of your marketing budget in 2006 was spent online VS newspaper advertising.
    25% internet 75% newspapers even though nearly ball our enquiries come through the web, newspapers are still relatively important

    8. What proportion of your marketing budget was spent online in 2000 Vs newspaper advertising?
    95% Papers 5% Internet

    9. What proportion of property enquiries come from Internet related advertising?
    85% Internet 10% Other 5% Newspapers

    10. A Real Estate Related Dinner and Drinks who would you invite?
    G This is hard, I would probably invite all of the major property investors in Australia!

  • Dave Platter
    Posted February 9, 2007 at 5:23 pm 0Likes

    (I work at realestate.com.au Ltd.)

    Peter this is a laudable effort. I’ll be interested to see your results after lots of people chime in. Even though the number of results will most likely be too small to be meaningful, some of your questions are well crafted to elicit meaningful information in any case.

    In question number 6, I’m curious what additional services you refer to, do you mean offering to take vendor-paid listings or some other type of service?

    I’m headed to NZ this weekend so I probably won’t be able to comment much until Wed., but I look forward to catching up on it all then.

    Oh, and Sam and Melissa M, my compliments to you for being willing to be the first to take such a public survey. Bravo!

    Sam, I promise not to crash your dinner party if you promise not to serve Chiko Rolls. I have a soft spot in my heart for those.

    dave

  • Robert Simeon
    Posted February 9, 2007 at 6:49 pm 0Likes
  • Michael
    Posted February 9, 2007 at 7:23 pm 0Likes

    it’s interesting to see such high percentages for internet enquiries (bows in direction of REA and Domain) yet generally not being reflected in advertising monies spent.

    because in my experience (yes was a agent and a principal) the papers were great as a listing tool – it gave you brand exposure. But the sign and internet was what delivered.

    REA and the like are seriously undervalued in comparison with Traditional Media.

    As for 10. Comeon guys how about having me over for dinner – it would be interesting debate…. 🙂

  • Garry M
    Posted February 9, 2007 at 11:47 pm 0Likes

    February 9th, 2007 at 5:01 pm

    1. What real estate sites are you members of?
    realestate.com.au, domain.com.au

    2. Of these sites for every 10 enquiries break down how many enquiries come from each site?
    8 Realestate.com.au 2 Domain

    3. Of these enquiries how many are looking for a property viewing and how many are asking further questions?
    60% questions 40% viewing – comes down to quality of information.

    4. Has the massive increase in traffic volume of portals equated to an increase in sales in the last 12 months?
    Not at all – in fact our page views have dropped in REA

    5. What key role do you think a real estate portal should play in relationship to your listings?
    Get rid of stupid advertising littering the sites

    6. Would you allow Real Estate Portals to market their additional services to your vendors?
    Yeah right!

    7. What proportion of your marketing budget in 2006 was spent online VS newspaper advertising.
    20% Internet 80% newspapers

    8. What proportion of your marketing budget was spent online in 2000 Vs newspaper advertising?
    95% Papers 5% Internet

    9. What proportion of property enquiries come from Internet related advertising?
    75% Internet 20% Other 5% Newspapers

    10. A Real Estate Related Dinner and Drinks who would you invite?
    A diverse range of people from different parts of the industry.

  • David Slattery
    Posted February 10, 2007 at 6:18 am 0Likes

    Nice post Peter! Like this one.

    1. What real estate sites are you members of?

    realestate.com.au, domain.com.au

    2. Of these sites for every 10 enquiries break down how many enquiries come from each site?

    3 – Realestate.com.au
    7 – Domain

    3. Of these enquiries how many are looking for a property viewing and how many are asking further questions?

    60% questions 40% viewing – depending if the price is displayed!

    4. Has the massive increase in traffic volume of portals equated to an increase in sales in the last 12 months?

    No, the market drives this. These portals are just research vehicles.

    5. What key role do you think a real estate portal should play in relationship to your listings?

    – Excessive advertising (REA are you listening!)

    – Displaying the information in a professional and consise manner.

    – Respect WE are their clients! Where is the schmoozing!

    6. Would you allow Real Estate Portals to market their additional services to your vendors?

    I would cancel my subs in a minute.

    7. What proportion of your marketing budget in 2006 was spent online VS newspaper advertising.

    80% Internet 20% newspapers

    What a waste the paper has become….! I’d like to reduce that even further, in terms of ROI.

    8. What proportion of your marketing budget was spent online in 2000 Vs newspaper advertising?

    100% Papers

    9. What proportion of property enquiries come from Internet related advertising?

    80% Internet 20% Other

    10. A Real Estate Related Dinner and Drinks who would you invite?

    Mr S Baker, Mr S Plowman, Mr J Packer

  • David Slattery
    Posted February 10, 2007 at 6:31 am 0Likes

    HI Peter – just re-read your post and noticed the rea PR guy on here, one that is specifically to look at agent experiece, and one that I’m looking forward to monitoring.

    PLEASE! Could we have one clear post session without Dave ‘I work at realestate.com.au but make sure I sit on the business 2 website and have a chat every single day’ Platter’

    THAT is getting a bit tedious! I mean really –

    ‘I

  • David Slattery
    Posted February 10, 2007 at 6:34 am 0Likes
  • Elizabeth
    Posted February 11, 2007 at 5:54 pm 0Likes

    1. What real estate sites are you members of?

    realestate.com.au, domain.com.au

    2. Of these sites for every 10 enquiries break down how many enquiries come from each site?
    Sales:
    realestate.com.au (6) , domain.com.au (3 mysite (1)

    Rentals:
    Realestate (8) domain (2) mysite (0)

    3. Of these enquiries how many are looking for a property viewing and how many are asking further questions?

    Sales: 40% questions 60% viewing
    Rentals: 5% questions 95% viewing

    4. Has the massive increase in traffic volume of portals equated to an increase in sales in the last 12 months?

    No, however this is more market driven.

    I can state that there has been an increase in not only Enquiry from the portals, but the enquiry is 60% comprised of qualified buyers. The other 40% I try to capture into my own database and put on my own websites newsletter.

    The good thing is that the increase in leads from both realestate and domain, has actually grown my own database.

    5. What key role do you think a real estate portal should play in relationship to your listings?

    Display the listings as accurately as possible, make it as easy as possible for visitors to the site to find my listings, and at all times make it possible for potential buyers to contact me immediately through which ever medium they feel comfortable with. (I am having a dickens of a time with this new phone number from one of the portals)

    6. Would you allow Real Estate Portals to market their additional services to your vendors?

    They do this already. I get new vendors from the portals, so they are already in touch with them. I would feel uneasy about the portals talking directly with my signed vendors, particularly if they were telling the vendors that I am marketing their property (in their eyes) incorrectly.

    I do not want to give another agent the ability to talk to my vendors. Robert, you said domain has some big and innovative things planned, is this one of them?

    7. What proportion of your marketing budget in 2006 was spent online VS newspaper advertising (promotion, vendors listings, google marketing campaigns?

    Own site

  • Robert Simeon
    Posted February 11, 2007 at 7:35 pm 0Likes

    Hi Elizabeth,

    No that is definitely not one of domain.com.au’s next releases. They will reveal their next at a cocktail party this coming Tuesday in the city.

    Interesting dinner party selection – indeed !!

  • Peter
    Posted February 19, 2007 at 8:39 am 0Likes

    Gravatars: If you go to Gravatar.com and register – you can post an image of yourself under your email address (image size 80 x 80 pixels) and any time you post a comment your image will appear alongside it! It takes around 48 hours to begin working, but after that it is completely automatic.

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