Realius: How To Market in a Web 2.0 World
What is the cry that is heard across the real estate spectrum? The one I am hearing is that there are not enough buyers and too many agents. Red Oak Realty in Berkeley, California has found a way to turn the down time into a great fun tool that will bring people in and raise the awareness of their firm with the new game Realius.
The game, Realius, allows people to guess the price of a home on the market. Using the latest web 2.0 technologies and adding a pinch of fun to a broth of real estate voyeurism allows Red Oak to stand out from the crowd.
I am sure that the game was not cheap to put together but the exposure that Red Oak Realty will get from the game will dwarf the price they paid.
And what it screams to the 20 somethings that will soon be buying their first homes is that Red Oak gets it. And that is a huge hurdle to cross.
Living in Georgia I am not going great on my guesses in homes in Berkeley, but it is fun to play still. And going through it I am learning about the market.
Great job Red Oak Realty!
Now my question to you is, what is your brokerage doing to stand out in your market?
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Great blog, keep the great content coming! 
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Comment by LC on 20 December 2007:
Our blog talks a lot about differentiation for strip mall retailers, and what a classic example this is! Good post guys, and a reminder that even the most homogeneous businesses can get name recognition, even brand preference, by an innovative promotion such as Price It Now!
Comment by dean on 21 December 2007:
Tommy,
Just one thing about the first time buyers. Most of them are not able to afford a home in this area until they are a 30 something.
Another strategy that Realtors in Northern California may want to emulate is that of the harper team in San Ramon, CA. John Harper and his team recently merged forces with one of the most influential high end luxury market teams the Mees Team.
The Mees bring a very high end listing portfolio. A good example is a mansion they have listed at $7 million.
In my opinion this type of merger gives the harperteam entrance into the upper stratosphere market. It gives the Mees team entrance into the harperteams’
stronghold of $400k to $2 million.
In addition theharperteam.com has a fantastic marketing tool as John is one of the premier hyper local bloggers in the country.
Together both teams have a better chance to thrive and survive in the current market.
dean
Comment by Cynthia on 22 December 2007:
Great idea, but I have one question – the prices on these properties, are they closed prices, or are they listed prices.
In any market, at any time, it doesn’t matter what the asking price is. But especially in this crazy market where I’ve seen differences of 20% or more between listed and sold prices.