November 07 2013
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Nov 7, 2013) - (from the National Association of Realtors Convention) - Even with the tech avalanche, business still comes through the door the old-fashioned way.
That is, real estate agents' most valuable leads still come from traditional sources -- open houses, past-client referrals, for sale signs, and walk-ins to brokerage offices -- significantly outranking online sources according to the latest Imprev Thought Leader Survey of top real estate executives.
"A remarkable 97 percent of broker-owners and top executives at brokerage firms surveyed said traditional sources provide the most valuable leads," said Renwick Congdon, CEO of Imprev.
Sixty three percent say these leads are of "exceptional value" and 34 percent say these leads provide a "reasonable value." In comparison, none of the major online lead-generation sources included in the survey received an "exceptional value" rating higher than 3 percent.
"Considering the millions of dollars paid every month to the online lead providers, these results were not what we expected," Congdon said.
Other key findings:
Imprev inaugurated the Thought Leader Survey in 2012 to provide insight into key business challenges for top executives in order to encourage discussions, ideas and solutions. Respondents included broker-owners and top executives at leading franchises and independent brokerage firms that were responsible for nearly half of all U.S. residential real estate transactions last year.
The survey was conducted in late October, after the announcement of the re-opening of the U.S. government. Nearly one-third of the 260-plus respondents are 61 years old or older; and 38 percent were 51 to 60; 19 are 41-50; and 13 percent are 31 to 40. None of the respondents are under 30.
Approximately 70 percent of the respondents run brokerages with more than 100 agents; 26 percent have more than 500 agents; 12 percent have more than 1,000 agents.
About Imprev
Imprev, Inc. provides real estate companies with custom Marketing Centers and web applications built on the industry's most advanced platform. The fully integrated marketing tools allow agents to self-publish print, multimedia, video, web, and email advertising and communications in one place. Established in 2000, Imprev is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., and is online at www.imprev.com.