Tips for Real Estate Marketing Newsletters

What's happening on your real estate beat? Did you make a note of it? Great! It's another excellent idea for your newsletter.

A real estate marketing newsletter is an opportunity for you to be in regular contact with past and current clients, and introduce yourself to future clients. But for your newsletters to be a valuable marketing tool, they have to serve a purpose for your readership. Let's look at some strategies for your newsletter.

Supporting your marketing campaign

Real estate marketing specialists recommend that you have a clear strategy for your newsletter marketing campaign before you start writing.

    Target market - identify who you are trying to stay in contact with. One newsletter can't serve many markets.

•         First-time buyers
•         Retirees
•         Investment buyers

    Paper vs email - your format decision may be determined by your budget. Both paper and email newsletters have their merits and challenges:

        Paper newsletters are a tangible item that can impress readers with their physical presence. They can be shared with others, left in waiting rooms, and given out at client meetings. They also are expensive to produce.
        Email newsletters are less expensive and less formal. Many people disregard email newsletters that are poorly designed or arrive with spam-like frequency.

This is a budget-friendly option for communicating with clients but you should consider what clients will best be served with this format.

NOTE: Be cautious about forwarding e-newsletters by PDF attachment. Many email recipients are particularly cautious of PDF downloads, and rightly so.

Attention-grabbing content

Your mission is to provide content that is engaging to your readership. But when writing a regular newsletter, it can be difficult to keep coming up with fresh ideas.

•     Topical interest - write about what interests your clients. Your email may also provide excellent subject lines and topic material.
•     Customize-include local topics like area schools' high state exams results, new business and shop openings.
•     Real estate news - include the latest data on interest rate trends, home values, neighborhood statistics.
•     Listing posts - include a few listings that would be of interest to your prospects. Be sure to include a link of the listings back to your website.
•     Tips - offer some help tips like simple projects that can boost curb appeal, keep the drains clean, etc.
•     For fun - include a simple game or puzzle, a cartoon or short article to personalize your newsletter.
•     CAT - a call to action should be included to invite readers to contact you for some reason like a free home value consultation, comment on your newsletter, or to watch a video on your website.

Effective value

This newsletter is from you but it isn't about you. It should be:

•     Informative, something your readers will look forward to reading with every new edition.
•     Attractively and professionally presented.
•     Easy to read and in a friendly and conversational tone, as if you were speaking directly to your readers.
•     Proof read for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Now, start collecting your next newsletter content!

Kondapur - A Haven for Investors Due to Its High Rental Returns

Surrounded by established localities like Miyapur, HITECH City and Gachibowli, Kondapur has significantly evolved as a commercial and financial hub of Hyderabad. The influx of many IT (Information and Technology) companies has pushed the vicinity into becoming one of the most sought after residential destination for working professionals. With the realty market essentially driven by workforce, Kondapur is luring many real estate developers who are now keen on creating many extraordinary residential projects. According to a recent report, the vicinity has over 15 new projects that are currently under construction. With a number of apartments in Kondapur now mushrooming, the demand for homes is growing day by day.

Strategically located close to many IT hubs, the neighbourhood is a preferred destination for many IT professionals. The white collared professionals working in nearby IT/ITEs and software companies are looking to reside in a vicinity that offers the perfect blend of modern homes with all the basic civic amenities. And with apartments in Kondapur offering the same, the area is witnessing a major influx when it comes to housing. Both local and national builders are now pushi ng themselves to create more affordable homes to cater to the needs of these young home buyers. Real estate developers are now cashing on this demand and are offering 2 and 3 BHK homes at Rs 50 lakhs including all your pre-purchase costs like registration fee, tax and stamp duty.

According to current data, 70% of the demand is driven by end users, while the remaining 30% is propelled by investors and second time home buyers. And with the growing commercial belt attracting many families and retired personnel, the urban crowd is driven by the presence of many schools, colleges, banks, eatery joints and shopping malls. The cosmopolitan environment in drawing many, pushing the property prices through the roof. For instance, a property for sale in Kondapur has witnessed a hike of 6.28 % in the past one year. Emerging as a realty market that is favourable towards investors, the locality has become a rental hub.

As per recent data, in the year 2013, properties here recorded a high rental return of 4%. However, with the property rates dropping due to the unstable government, the locality has attracted many IT professionals who want to rent out properties. Investors are now cashing on the growing demand and are investing in a number of homes so they could earn formidable rental income. For example, a 1,000 square feet properties in hyderabad is estimated to fall under the price band of Rs 3,500 and Rs 3,700 per square feet, but the same house is capable of churning out a rental yield of Rs 13 per square feet per month, making the market conducive for investors.

Seamless connectivity is another factor that is driving the realty market. The locality's close proximity to the MMTS (Multi-Modal Transport System) train station at Hafeezpet and closeness to the ORR (Outer Ring Road) has eased access to other parts of Hyderbad drastically. The state owned buses and private auto rickshaws improve intra-connectivity.

How Inflation Affects the Real Estate Sector

Inflation has always been the tricky devil that haunts all business and commodity sectors of the world. Economists have studied this phenomenon for years and theorized in abundance to explain its effect on our lives.

When you reach that stage in life when you're ready to invest in real estate, keep in mind that inflation cannot be overlooked. Any realty investment should be made cautiously. Let's look at how inflation affects the real estate sector.

Understanding Inflation

There are umpteen explanations for inflation, ranging from the concise dictionary definition to more complex explanations in economic textbooks. Put simply, inflation dictates how the buying power of your currency decreases with changes in demand or supply of basic serviceable goods. So, when you hear about a price rise in any commodity, it is considered to be because of inflation.

More specifically, price rise can be attributed to two things: increased demand or reduced supply. But how does inflation play into your equation with real estate? Let's look at it from three different perspectives:

Buyer's Inflation

When a buyer decides to purchase a house, he or she looks to strike a favorable chord between the money at hand and the price put up for the property. Typically, if there is a rise in property prices, you as a buyer will be unwilling to invest in one. What you need to understand here is that during inflation, not just the price of the property, but also your wages are rising. The only difference is that the wages are rising at an undetermined rate.

Buyers generally don't face the repercussions of inflation by themselves. They go through a lender, a bank, or a financial agent. The lender's terms and conditions would affect your buying decision more than the inflation itself.

Lender's Inflation

A lender, in this case, is the middleman in real estate business. A bank is an example of a lender. During inflation, lenders increase the one factor they have complete control over - interest rates. For instance, if the lender knows that the inflation is going to be 10% next year (based on the current market trend), they would hike up the interest rate in order to reap profits. This leads to a dilemma for the buyer. Invariably the buyer ends up not taking the loan, and thus creating a loss for the lender. But where does the real estate agent fit in all this?

Seller's Inflation

Sellers have a hard time during inflation because of the rising prices. Naturally the buyers will back out. If a seller wants to run a profitable business, they will have to reduce the prices. That explains how real estate prices stay stagnant or fall, but never rise during an inflation.

Thus, you can see that inflation has a cyclical effect on the real estate market. Are you still planning on buying that house? Be smart. Assess how the banks will play you, and make the right buying moves.

Federal Mandates For High Performance Buildings

Nearly 7 years ago, in 2007, the Federal Government passed executive orders which required newly constructed Federal buildings meet high performance standards. The goal is for Federal buildings to meet Net-Zero energy by 2030, relying on efficiency and sources of renewable energy to negate their environmental foot print. This is a lofty goal spurred by the fact 40% of the primary energy and 75 of the electricity in the U.S. is consumed by commercial buildings, schools and homes. The government hopes to spearhead the movement toward energy independent buildings, and push the U.S. toward energy independence. A bi-partisan congressional caucus exists to support the process.

Stated goals of this caucus include:

Pursuing resource and cost saving strategies, such as addition of solar panels, thermal heating, water recycling, reflective and vegetated roofs, etc.

Managing existing building systems to reduce waste of resources-from lighting, insulation, even recycling and composting. As an example, in 2002, the carpet industry formulated a plan along with the EPA and state environmental ages, to repurpose and recycle used carpets salvage from renovations.

When adding assets, identifying opportunities to dispose of existing assets to optimize property usage-I.e. repurposing buildings from one function to another, recycling materials. Ensuring effective retrofitting of older buildings.

Key concepts and phrases include:

Energy Intensity - energy consumption as measure by square foot, including industrial and laboratory enterprises.

Environment - environmental aspects of facility operations related to every aspect from usage of outdoor space to transportation.

Sustainable - the maintenance of conditions were humans and nature can exist in a mutually beneficial relationship, preserving resources for present and future generations.

Zero-Net-Energy - A building designed and constructed to operate efficiently on the most minimal amount of energy, and meeting the balance of energy needs from renewable sources.

The CAFM industry, with its focus on efficiency and cost-effective building maintenance, has a significant role to play in the evolution of high performance buildings. A collective overview of all aspects of building management, the accurate gathering of data across all modalities, is a crucial element in true efficiency. A concrete example of the intersection of Federal legislative efforts is and CAFM processes are the High Performance Buildings Database found at eere.buildinggreen.com.

This database is research sponsored by the U.S. department of energy which collects data on various factors that affect a buildings performance including, energy, materials, waste removal and land use. The information is collected from buildings around the world from homes, to industrial complexes, schools, commercial interiors and even whole neighborhoods and campuses. The facilities may be notable because they are certified "Green" or because they have one or more remarkable environmental features. Anyone may submit a project to this website which currently lists over 130 buildings. As the demand for high performance buildings continues to expand, a comparison of approaches and data can be an invaluable tool in CAFM development.