David Ursino, Chad Bowe, Aleksandra Oleksak
By Christina Pellegrini
David Ursino’s next client will likely be a recent visitor to his website or a new connection on LinkedIn. That’s because one of every two homes sold by the Royal LePage sales representative is from an online referral by a search engine or social media networking website.
Real estate professionals like Ursino are trading print ads for tweets, brochures for blog posts and in-person tours for virtual visits – and they say they’re getting real results. Sales reps are converting Facebook fans and YouTube viewers into buyers and sellers, and they’re striking deals faster and for more.
“I’ve stopped all print media as of 2012,” says Ursino, who has been serving communities north of Toronto in Thornhill, Kleinberg, Woodbridge and Maple for six years. “People are able to see my personality and relate to me online even before we meet.”
Ursino says just hammering a for sale sign on a lawn or listing a home on a popular residential real estate website is no longer enough. He builds a website for each of his clients’ properties that includes a virtual tour inside the home, a detailed description of the layout and photos captured by a professional photographer. Then, he promotes the property on his personal website, Facebook fan page and Twitter account – places where, he says, 90 per cent of buyers begin their search for a home.
In 2008, Joe Chiovitti’s King City property was on the market for six months without a single offer when he hired Ursino. Chiovitti received 10 offers in 10 days and sold his home for 122 per cent of his asking price. He says Ursino’s marketing plan was “thoughtful, clear and solid.”
Digital marketing isn’t new to Ursino. He purchased a URL in 2007, started operating his personal website in 2009 and began producing two-minute videos and uploading them to his YouTube channel in 2010. Ursino, who calls himself “Vaughan’s first real estate video blogger,” has since uploaded nearly 170 video clips on York Region schools, local businesses and market performance.
Aleksandra Oleksak, a 29-year-old sales representative for Sage Real Estate, uses her personal website and Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest accounts to sell homes and apartments in Toronto. She says during the last year, four clients connected with her through Twitter, two through Facebook and one through her blog, Realty Queen TO.
“It has shown my audience that I’m an active agent who is very knowledgeable,” says Oleksak, who also buys fixer-uppers and posts pictures of the renovation and redesign process on her website. “One of my clients wanted to buy a fixer-upper and said he truly trusted and believed everything I said to him after reading my blog.”
Oleksak, like Ursino, creates virtual tours and custom websites for her properties. But what sets her apart is the “human element” to her online professional profile. She syncs all her social media accounts with her Instagram, where she posts pictures of her dog, Roxie, her boyfriend, Amir, and her latest manicure, cupcakes. Oleksak’s Facebook profile is accessible to anyone who views it. Her posts vary from check-ins at a local restaurant, pictures of hand-written notes from clients and links to new content on her website. She even wrote about the death of her dog, Harley.
“The general public wants to see the face behind the brand,” she says. “People can relate better to you and are more willing to work with you if they feel they know you professionally and personally.”
While Ursino and Oleksak say they are converting fans and followers into clients, many real estate professionals aren’t, says Chad Bowe, a member of the American Marketing Association and the owner of Toronto-based marketing firm GTA Consultant.
“Online marketing is a tool for Realtors that helps bring more prospects to their door,” says Bowe. Many Realtors, he says, are “drunk with the idea” that a website, Twitter and Facebook accounts or a YouTube profile will always turn a lead into a sale.
“If a Realtor can’t sit in front of a potential client and ‘seal the deal’ through old-fashioned salesmanship and personality, no amount (of time) spent on online marketing will be enough.”
Ursino and Oleksak say their young, tech-savvy clients are visiting their websites instead of knocking on their doors. They’re selling themselves and their clients’ properties, 140 characters at a time.
