Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Listing of the Day - Tulsa OK

In an effort to improve the impact of the marketing of listings, I randomly choose current listings around the country in a variety of price ranges and comment on their effectiveness. No current clients of mine are used, nor do I know any sellers or buyers or have any additional information about the property.



14?? S. Quincy Tulsa OK 2 + 2 $250,000



http://tulsa.re.adicio.com/properties/search/detail.php?qBackToSearch=qAction%3Dsearch%26qCity%3Dtulsa%26qState%3DOK%26qBedrooms%3D2-%26qBathrooms%3D1-%26qMinPrice%3D150%252C000%26qMaxPrice%3D250%252C000%26pagesize%3D20%26view%3Ddetailed%26qtotal%3D374%26qSortBy%3DPrice%26qSortDirection%3DDESC&qAdid=tulsa_gtarmls_921173&propertyNumber=2


This advertisement is a disaster and an embarassment to realty professionals everywhere.

First, there is no street address for this property. The one I put at the top is a guess based on the street map, and one never knows for sure with Google maps. While it is true that some listings out there, even in this market, do not have a street address either, it is especially odd in this instance.

We can't even tell whether or not this property has been built or completed yet. I can sometimes understand not having an address when there are circumstances such as renters in the property, multi-unit, land value, or commercial or mixed. But there doesn't appear to be any reason why this address needs to be a secret.

Next, this ad boasts a photo spread. Fine, if there were ANY real photos. All we get are drawings. Those are not photos.

Thus, before we get to the description (for anyone still interested), we already do not know an exact location or have any idea of what the unit looks like. Hardly an enticement to read on.

And it doesn't get any better. Square footage for the unit is listed in the advertisement as "N/A". So we don't know the size of the unit either. Great.

The copy reveals this is an "ultra modern condo" yet is in the "Historic" Cherry Street District. The third sentence reads "Custom cabinets, granite, qual upscale appointments". Granite what? Exactly what is a "qual upscale appointment"? Over 20 years in real estate marketing, and I have zero idea what that means.

Then, we are told interior features include a security system and smoke detector. Whoopee doo. How does that make this property unique?

But there is more. Listed under "Exterior Features" are "gutters, sidewalk, sprinkler system". Boy, does this agent know how to impress?

Just to top it off, although the agent's name and listing office are shown, we would then have to click (an additional step) just to get her contact information.

Not only are there plenty of other listings in the same area, but this is not the most or least expensive 2-bedroom home or unit, and this one (whatever it is) is priced at $250,000.

Let me get this straight. They are asking one-quarter of a million dollars for a property based on no street address, no unique features, so square footage, and we aren't even sure if it has been completed or not.

I'll bet that while you are reading this, and hopefully sharing my disgust, the listing agent is probably telling a colleague about how bad the local real estate market is and that she hopes she gets some activity soon.

This agent should be glad about only one thing. That she doesn't have a listing appointment already scheduled with me. And after seeing this, that will never happen.

GRADE: F



Note: This commentary is uncompensated and for marketing purposes only and is no reflection on the featured property. Its accuracy is not guaranteed. Neither Dave Kohl nor First In Promotions shall be held responsible for any representations.

At this time, I have openings for more realty agent/office clients to critique current and brand new listings on an hourly basis. No current or past client listings are featured on this blog.Random listings are chosen around the country.

Your comments are most welcome!

1 comment:

sue como said...

I also love the "ultra modern" in the historic distric. Did the city really allow this. I guess she doesn't realize that 87% of buyers look to the internet first then call us if they can find your contact info Most would just say NEXT, since there are so many choices right now.