George Martin, Jr. – Real Experience, Marketing and Results

December 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

At the beginning of 2012 George joined Hallmark Idaho Properties, Hailey – Sun Valley as the Marketing Director and Associate Broker. George participated in the alliance of Hallmark Idaho Properties with Cabela’s Trophy Properties creating a unique global marketing opportunity for seller’s we represent.

The move also allows George to dedicate more time to his passions of online marketing, professional photography and consulting those that need marketing help. George started his real estate career in 1975 in the Seattle area. In 1977 he received an award for his 1st “Million Dollar Month” when homes averaged apx $40,000. He is a Graduate of the Realtor Institute.

George has been in top 1% in nation for sales the majority of his career. The major focus while working in the Pacific Northwest was marketing and representing major building companies. George was associated with Windermere Real Estate in the Pacific Northwest starting in 1989 and moved to Wood River Valley in 2001.

Specialties:

George is a natural leader in the world of marketing. Having worked with various advertising agencies helping design effective marketing campaigns for new home communities to being self taught on designing and building websites for various Windermere offices and major builders, George understands what it takes to get maximum exposure in today’s worldwide market place. He also worked with leading Northwest Interior Designers to target specific buyer profiles when setting up model homes in new home communities he marketed.

George’s unique online marketing approach exposes properties to the vast market throughout the United States and beyond. Because a large percentage of local real estate sales are too people that live outside the immediate area, promotional programs are geared to very specific markets including California, Washington, Oregon and East Coast Markets.

Certifications & Awards:

A Graduate of the Realtor Institute George obtained his brokers license in 1977 and has received numerous top achievements, sales and marketing type awards. George has also been recognized as an award winning professional photographer, skills he uses on a daily basis marketing homes and products online. George studied photography with the New York Institute of Photography.

Interests:

Photography, computers, marketing trends, financing and economics, building and design, consumer behavior and self-improvement

Skills and Experience

Top Real Estate Broker, Trainer, Sales Manager and Marketing Agent for 35 Years

Successful Negotiator, Proven Track Record

Sold and Closed over 2,500 Home, Condominium, Farm and Land Transactions

Top 1% of Realtors in Nation for Majority of his Real Estate Career for Number of Homes Sold and Closed Each Year

Built and Sold A Variety of Spec. and Custom Homes (In partnership with his wife Lesley)

Creative Marketer:

Designed and Implemented Major Marketing Programs for Various Corporate Builders and Real Estate Companies in Greater Northwest

Fee Hired Consultant (design, marketing and strategies) including 2 Homebuilders listed on the New York Stock Exchange

Professional Photographer and Internet Website Designer

Computer Geek Since Late 70′s With Focus On Effectively Selling Online

Past Technical Adviser for Sun Valley Multiple Listing Service, Northwest Multiple Listing Service and the Windermere Corporation

Active Online Marketing Consultant for Various Associations, Networks, Groups and Real Estate Blogs

Group Leader on Various Online  Marketing and Networking Groups

It’s A Changing World – Constantly Striving To Stay Ahead of Competition Through Continuing Education

Visit our company website: HallmarkIdahoProperties.com

 

 

 

Filed Under: Advertising, Areas, Bellevue, Biography, Buying, Consumer Behavior, Elkhorn, Hailey, Internet, Ketchum, Marketing, News, Photography, REOs, Selling, Short Sales, Sun Valley Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zillow: Buyers over optimistic on home value appreciation

October 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

More than 42% of prospective homebuyers polled by Zillow believe home values will appreciate by 7% annually in the years ahead.

“It’s troubling that we’re still in the midst of one of the worst housing recessions in history, and yet prospective buyers continue to have such high expectations for home value appreciation,” said Stan Humphries, chief economist at Zillow.

Many commented the Zestimates put out once a month by Zillow routinely show rosier-than-expected home values than other indices. Still, the findings in their survey were most troubling because even in a normal market, home prices only appreciate between 2% and 5% per year, according a 2005 study completed by Robert Schiller, founder of the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index.

Zillow polled 177 people who said they were planning to buy a home within the next three years.

The prospective buyers did show a knowledgeable grasp of the process. More than 65% of those surveyed answered questions correctly more than half of the time. There were still some areas of concern.

Roughly 41% of respondents believe purchasing private mortgage insurance is mandatory, no matter the down payment. Typically, lenders require PMI when less than 20% down is given.

And 56% of those polled said appraisals determine whether a home is in good condition, which is something an inspection does.

Nearly half of those surveyed said a prospective buyer  owns a home as soon as the contracts are signed, when in fact the purchase and sales agreements kicks off the closing phase, which can be lengthy.

“It’s great that buyers seem to have a fairly solid grasp of the home-buying process, but since this is one of the biggest financial decisions of most people’s lives, it’s even more important that they understand how that investment will appreciate after they sign the papers,” Humphries said. “Over-estimation of the appreciation potential will lead many to buy real estate when the time in which they plan to live in the house may make renting a better strategy.”

 

SOURCE: HousingWire

Filed Under: Buying, Consumer Behavior, Inspections, News

Consumer’s future is online and so is real estate marketing

August 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

According to Microsoft, the future of consumer behavior is all about online, and that has brought with it an opportunity for advertisers to understand.

[pullquote_left]Devices are all connected – people are relying more and more on their three screens to easily and quickly deliver information to tailor to them[/pullquote_left]The future of consumer behavior lies online – and that’s brought with it an opportunity for advertisers to understand their audiences better than ever, says one of Microsoft’s top online consumer experts.

Speaking at the “Click to Connect” event in Bryanston yesterday, Alexandre Michelin, Microsoft’s Regional MSN Executive Producer, explored some of the hottest online trends, and provided some rare insights into running one of the world’s largest consumer portals.

Michelin told an audience of more than 150 advertising and marketing professionals about the ways that MSN forges strong partnerships with industry to keep the portal relevant and innovative.

Hosted by Microsoft Advertising and DigitalMark, ‘Click to Connect’ showcased online trends and the possibilities of new brand experiences in the digital space. Microsoft South Africa’s consumer and online lead, Nazeer Suliman, believes that greater connectivity has opened the digital space up to richer interactions with consumers and that brands can no longer ignore these possibilities.

“Devices are all connected – people are relying more and more on their three screens to easily and quickly deliver information to tailor to them,” said Suliman.

Marcus Stephens, general manager, MSN & Windows Live SA / Kagiso Media, agrees that the potential for brands to interact is exponential. “With digital interaction, the needs and interests of consumers are fulfilled instantaneously and MSN is proof of that. Companies need to tailor their offerings for the digital arena,” he said.

Filed Under: Advertising, Buying, Consumer Behavior, Internet, Marketing Tagged With: , ,

June Housing Scorecard Just Released By Obama Administration

July 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON, DC July 5, 2011 — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the June edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard– a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. The latest housing data offer continued mixed signals as home prices turned slightly upward, though showed continued strain from foreclosures and distressed homes. As more homeowners secure mortgage relief, fewer borrowers entered the foreclosure pipeline in June.

“The housing data in this month’s Scorecard paint a mixed picture of the housing market, despite growing evidence of progress in the broader economy,” said HUD Assistant Secretary Raphael Bostic. “Last month we saw a slight uptick in home prices and a continued decline in mortgage defaults as our foreclosure prevention programs reach more borrowers upstream in the process. But we have much more work to do to reach the many households who still face trouble and to help the market recover. That is why this Administration continues to push for effective implementation of our recovery programs as we continue to help homeowners through this crisis.”

“The Administration remains committed to reaching homeowners who are still struggling so that our country can fully recover from an unprecedented housing crisis,” said Treasury Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability Tim Massad. “The Administration’s programs continue to benefit tens of thousands of additional homeowners every month, while keeping the pressure on mortgage servicers to offer more sustainable assistance to prevent avoidable foreclosures.”

The June Housing Scorecard features key data on the health of the housing market and the impact of the Administration’s foreclosure prevention programs, including:

Fewer homeowners are falling into foreclosure as the Administration continues to push servicers to provide more effective assistance to troubled borrowers. In May, 4.3 percent of mortgages were at least 30 days late – a significant decline from the peak of 5.9 percent seen in 2010. Moreover, seriously delinquent mortgages – those at least 90 days late or in foreclosure – dropped by 22 percent from a high of 1.9 million recorded last year. As new delinquencies decrease across the nation, the number of new homeowners seeking assistance through the Administration’s programs may also decrease.

The Administration’s recovery efforts have helped millions of families deal with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Nearly 5 million modification arrangements were started between April 2009 and the end of April 2011. While some homeowners may have received help from more than one program, the total number of agreements offered continues to more than double the number of foreclosure completions for the same period (2.1 million). In May, more than 32,000 additional homeowners received a permanent modification through the Administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP); more than 730,000 homeowners across the country have received a HAMP permanent modification to date, reducing their mortgage burden by over $6.8 billion. Even as new delinquencies begin to fall, eligible homeowners entering HAMP have a high likelihood of securing a permanent modification and realizing long-term success – the rate of modifications moving from trial to permanent is up to 71 percent, and the average time to convert from a trial to permanent modification is down to 3 1/2 months.

The full report is available online at: http://1.usa.gov/June_Housing_Scorecard

SOURCE: HUD

Filed Under: Consumer Behavior, Financing, Mortgage and Loans, Profiles and Surveys
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