Summary of Ideas
Embrace Online Reviews of your Real Estate Services
Claim your profiles on REALTOR® Review Web Sites
Ask Your Clients to Write Testimonials ONLINE
JHA REALTOR® Review Resources
Online Reviews
Real estate agent reviews are happening online right now. There are even review web sites that have automatically created profiles for REALTORS®. In fact, someone may have already written a public review of your services. Did your eyes just light up? (or did your stomach just go empty?)
This trend is currently generating mixed reviews from REALTORS®. I’m the embracing type. Online reviews are a consumer driven wave that can be ridden by agents, companies, and/or associations. Take a look at the Houston Association of REALTORS®, they rolled out an online REALTOR® rating initiative called the Client Experience Rating. Now the public can go the Association’s web site and review their real estate agent for all to see.
Chris Smith over at TechSavvyAgent.com wrote a great post about agent reviews and the correlation between the traffic on real estate agent review web sites and the expiration of the first-time home buyer tax credit. Bottom-line: first-time home buyers want to read reviews.
Consumers are used to reading online reviews for products AND services. Have you ever read a review for a chiropractor, movie, mobile phone, music album, television set, restaurant, or mobile app? First-time home buyers certainly have. If they are in your target market, it may be time to embrace this concept.
Are Negative Reviews the End of the World?
Do you only watch movies that get 2 thumbs up? Probably not. Consumers are savvy enough to know that reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. Just because one consumer had a bad experience with a product or service doesn’t mean everyone is going to have a bad experience. Negative reviews are not the end of the world, just be proactive in getting the positive ones.
Real Estate Agent Review Sites
You’ve probably heard about some of the all purpose review web sites like Yelp, DexKnows, or Google Places. But a few REALTOR® focused web sites have started making waves. Have you heard of homethinking.com, incredibleagents.com, or agentscoreboard.com? Google the phrase Real Estate Agent Reviews and you’ll find them on first page.
These sites have an interesting strategy. Automatically create profiles for thousands of REALTORS® across the country and let consumers rate their services. Chances are a profile has already been created for you on one or all of these sites. So…
- Be aware of popular REALTOR® review web sites
- Claim your profile, add a picture and contact information
- Ask for and respond to reviews
Asking for Testimonials
Reviews online are much more visible than they are in print. The moral of this whole article is to push your clients to leave reviews ONLINE. The more positive reviews you have on these 3rd party web sites, the better. If you are ever asked by a client where they can write a review for you, be sure to send them to one of the profiles you are about to claim!
Online Review Resource for JHA
Positive Agent Reviews:
Safe Karubi
Barbara Hull-Otino
Kathy Moum
Positive Company Reviews:
Yahoo Local
Yelp – Tempe
Lists of John Hall Agent Profiles:
792 JH Agents – Homethinking.com
360 Phx JH Agents – IncredibleAgents.com
260 Scotts JH Agents – IncredibleAgents.com
160 Tempe JH Agents – IncredibleAgents.com
150 Glendale JH Agents – IncredibleAgents.com
Since these web sites automatically create profiles, not all the details are accurate. I recommend you claim your profile, correct any wrong information, and add as much information about you and your business as possible.
