A Message from Lawrence F. Flick, IV, Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerPrudential Fox & Roach, REALTORS®and The Trident Group

1

The Chairman’s Report

SPRING 2012

THE DAWN OF THE DIGITAL AGE

Fifty years ago, John Glenn launched into space andorbited the earth. Around the same time, an obscureidea known as the internet was conceived. Needless tosay, times have changed since then. Today’s Ford 150truck has more technology than Glenn’s Friendship 7space capsule, and the internet is the infrastructure thatinforms and connects our lives. While the birth of theinternet wasn’t as dramatic as the launch that propelledour country into the space age, it did create thefoundation that would thrust us into the digital age.

A lot has happened in the past 50 years, but in just thelast couple of years, the accelerated pace of technologyhas been mind-blurring. This is especially true inresidential real estate. Consumers began using the

internet about ten years ago for home searches, butthe most recent online tools have revolutionized the waysellers reach out and connect to buyers.

MARKETING REAL ESTATE INTHE DIGITAL AGE

There was a time when buyers relied on the local paperto find homes for sale. They waited all week to browsethe Sunday real estate section. But today, a propertydescription of 4 BR, 2 BA, EIK, FR w/FP underneath agrainy black and white photo simply doesn’t cut it.Now home buyers expect instant results, attractive androbust content, convenience, simplicity, and real timeinformation. Sellers hoping to connect with today’sbuyers must market their properties not just in, butalso for, this digital age.

Real Estate in the Digital Age

2

…home buyers expect instant results, attractive and robust content,convenience, simplicity, and real time information.

WHERE THE BUYERS ARE

If you were looking for a new home, where would youstart your search? The internet, of course! Almost 90%of buyers do. Whether having morning coffee, sneakinga peak on the office computer, or after the nightly news,they want instant access to property listings. Mostbuyers start on one of the national sites — Realtor.com,Trulia or Zillow — but then move to a familiar realestate company’s website to fine tune their search.Buyers also check out Craig’s List, search on Googleand find YouTube videos of homes for sale.

ABUNDANCE OF INFORMATION

The newspaper ads of yesterday have been replacedtoday by the virtual equivalent of a full page color ad,and in real estate, this translatesinto incredible exposure foreach property. Buyers expectinformative, attractive, robustformat that includes an arrayof professional qualityphotographs plus a virtual tour.Moreover, they are curiousabout what’s going on beyondthe property’s lot lines. Theywant to know about thesurrounding area’s amenities,parks, and schools, as well as real estate trends in thatcommunity. They can explore all of this online.

CONVENIENCE AND SIMPLICITY

Seeing a “For Sale” sign on a house may spark abuyer’s interest, but calling the phone numberdisplayed on that sign doesn’t even begin to satisfy theircuriosity. They want to know all about the propertyright then and there. So, today’s buyer texts a number,and voila! GPS gives them information about listingsclosest to wherever they are at that moment. Also,with the growing use of GPS enabled smartphones andapps, homes for sale are a single click away!

Contemporary buyers also like each property to have itsown website. They expect to key in a street address for aninstant in-depth look, without having to search around.And while online, they’re only a few clicks away fromsetting up an appointment to physically tour theirpotential purchase with a professional.

REAL ESTATE IN REAL TIME

Buyers don’t want to get excited about a property if it’salready been sold. By the same token, they don’t want tomiss finding out about a new listing. The internetallows real estate to be real time and allows buyers tomake the best use of their time.

HOW SELLERS BENEFIT FROMREAL ESTATE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Sellers also gain tremendousbenefits in this digital age.There’s a flip side to buyerswanting fast facts from theinternet about properties forsale. When your home ispositioned properly in thevirtual world, then real worldbuyers will find you at thespeed of a keystroke. Marketingin a digital age gives properties

maximum exposure and gives sellers access to high-techreporting capabilities.

PRIORITY PLACEMENT – GET “ABOVETHE FOLD”

Advertisers in newspapers would pay a premium tobe prominently positioned “above the fold” for greatervisibility. The same concept applies in online marketing.Properties that appear first get the most exposure. Ifyou’re a seller, it’s important that your listing getspriority placement.

SOCIAL NETWORKS

The richness of digital marketing provides theequivalent of a virtual color brochure. So why notshow it off on Facebook and Twitter? Or email a linkof your property’s website. It’s an easy and fun way togive your home additional exposure.

REPORTING CAPABILITIES

One of the best things about online marketing is theability to see how many times your property is viewedand which sites are attracting the most views. Withthis enhanced reporting capability, you can easilymonitor the online marketing of your listing.

YET SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

The digital age has irrevocably changed residential realestate sales. It’s an exciting time for buyers and sellers,

and for me, too! But no matter how much freedomcyberspace gives us, whether we are buying or selling ahouse, we still need a trusted advisor alongside us onour journey. Just like John Glenn relied on his crew tobring him back to earth safely, every buyer and sellerrelies on a team of experts to get them home. To learnmore about real estate’s digital age and how it can workfor you, visit prufoxroach.com or contact yourPrudential Fox & Roach sales associate and TridentMortgage consultant today!

3

When your home is positioned properly in the virtual world,then real world buyers will find you at the speed of a keystroke.

Lawrence F. Flick, IVChairman and Chief Executive OfficerPrudential Fox & Roach, Realtors® and The Trident Group

An independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Af&liates Inc. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rocksymbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictionsworldwide. Used under license with no other af&liation of Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity.

4

AN INDEPENDENT VIEW

Chris Smith is the ChiefEvangelist for Inman News.He is the emcee of theirnationwide agent focusedtechnology conference AgentReboot. Chris also co-hostsReal Estate Connecthappening in New York Cityand San Francisco. InmanNews is where real estate andtechnology truly connect.

There are three statistics that I am fascinated withwhen it comes to the internet and the home buyingprocess. Now, 88% of the home buyers start on theweb. The average cycle from web research beginningto closing on a home is eighteen months. In 2011, forthe first time ever, 51% of homes purchased werebrought to the Realtor by the consumer.

We are often an industry reluctant to change. So wasKodak. So was Blockbuster. So was Blackberry.

In the past, being average online with your marketingwas okay. The mediocrity of real estate websites andblogs has been accepted because they were tools onlyfor the “bleeding edge.” Now, social media—Facebook, Twitter and YouTube—have been boltedonto an agent’s or brokerages’ “real business.”

The companies and agents who will thrive will notlook at the plethora of platforms and tools and ask“How will this help me sell a home?” Those who willgain market share will be storytellers who use thenew online consumer hangouts as a way to humanizetheir brand and create empathy and feeling throughconsumer experience.

Owning a home will always be an emotionalexperience. Telling that story on the web and in themobile devices will be more important than simplyhaving listing details and photos available.

Visit Chris online at Next.Inman.com or onTwitter @Chris_Smth