Guest post by By Alexander Chandler
A tough market can still provide opportunity for real estate professionals. I opened Alexander Chandler Realty in Fort Worth, Texas in April 2008. By July 2008 I had becom
e the top listings agent, with the top listing office in our MLS and the fourth in our entire target area.
Alexander ChandlerIt happened because I started doing my homework well before the housing crisis, developing a solid, forward-looking marketing strategy built around Internet companies that reflected my marketing philosophy. When I began we were in the heat of an up market. By launch time the bottom was dropping out. Nevertheless, I opened strong and continue to grow at a pace that has me well positioned for the eventual recovery.
I chose to locate my company in Fort Worth, where my family had lived for 11 generations, settling here in the 1690s and becoming involved in real estate in the mid-1800s. Just as importantly, however, Fort Worth, which Texas Monthly named the state’s “most livable city” and which Business Inc. calls one of America’s Top 10 places for business, has proven itself a resilient market. Although over-development has hurt property values in the city’s outer belt, property values in the interior neighborhoods near the cultural district have actually increased slightly.
2009 brings with it a number of potential marketing challenges starting with the economy, but also including the evolving online consumer. Will you continue marketing the same way as years past, or will you be applying a new approach? The correct answer is probably a hybrid of the two. Here are 3 mantras for 2009:
