Dear Subscriber
Herewith, the SA Hometraders’ April Newsletter. With fears of a global recession, the recent commercial property index returns for 2007 at least shed some relatively positive light on economic growth in the country. Although, the wonders of Eskom continue to undermine this and in a tight property market, average house prices are down. SA Hometraders strives to remain at the forefront of innovative online property marketing, ensuring that you have the best possible reach for your product.
This newsletter comprises:
- Updates on current activity;
- Information on our exciting new features;
- Advice on any technical issues.
SA Hometraders is proud to provide the latest in cutting-edge marketing services. If you have not already taken advantage of what we have to offer, please click here for more information.
If you have any queries regarding our various products or services, please don’t hesitate to email us at sales@sahometraders.co.za.
Yours in online marketing
The SA Hometraders Team
Subscriber Update
- Holiday rentals
We felt it necessary to reiterate the extended option for holiday rental properties. The description fields can now contain more relevant information about the accommodation available, such as whether beds are double or single, if DSTV is available and how many people the dining area can seat. If you are interested in making use of this excellent feature, please click here to see an example.
- Working with images
There is still confusion around the replacement of images on the site. It’s important that you save the new image and then refresh your browser cache using CTRL F5. If the image does not refresh automatically then you need to repeat this action until the right image uploads. It is not just your browser cache that needs clearing, but also the proxy server of your ISP. Here are a few tips on how to do this through your browser:
Internet Explorer:
Select Tools then Internet Options and under General select Temporary Internet Files and select Delete Files then OK. You can automatically set up the browser to clear the cache by selecting Tools then Internet Options and under Advanced Settings, go to Security and check “Empty Temporary Internet Files” and OK.
Firefox:
Select Tools then Options and under Privacy select Clear Cache and OK. If you are using the latest version of Firefox then select Tools then Options and under Advanced select Network then Cache, Clear Now and OK.
- Banner advertising
When it comes to maximum exposure for your product, banner advertising is the ultimate tool. The SA Hometraders website receives a high density of traffic and investing in a banner will ensure that your product is viewed by thousands of potential buyers. This type of advertisement is perfectly suited for developments. If you would like to take advantage of this excellent option, please contact us by phone or email us at sales@sahometraders.co.za.
- Legal Update
This month’s legal update from C & A Friedlander Attorneys has to do with Information to Assist Buying Property as a Non-Resident in South Africa.
“South Africa is said to have one of the best Deeds registration systems in the world, which is highly accurate. All the information to each piece of land, including diagrams and owners details are recorded in the Deeds Registry of that region…” To access the full article, please click here.
- Logos
Please be advised that in future all logos featured on the SA Hometraders website will be a maximum of 10 000sq pixels in size. This is to ensure equal brand representation across the board. You should also know that we will be resizing all current logos in line with the new limit.
§ Property Forum
Introduced as a resource for potential buyers and sellers using the SA Hometraders site with information and feedback, the Property Forum currently receives high traffic. It provides agents with excellent additional marketing exposure, so please don’t hesitate to take part and respond to any postings. Your replies will have a twofold effect, marketing yourself and your product in the process. First time users need to register, so check out the site at http://propertyforum.saht.co.za for more details.
- SA Hometraders User Guide
For those of you who are new to SA Hometraders or are struggling with the back office, there is a User Guide available. There are a number of links within the page to help with specific areas, such as Agents, Developments or Rentals Admin. You can access this information via the “download help” links.
- Reports on enquiries made on your properties
When someone makes an enquiry on any of your listings, their details are automatically added to the agency contacts database. It’s important to know that there is already a list of contacts available, as this list is built up continuously. Not only do you have a past client database, but you are also gaining potential business and building up your future client database.
- Deeds Lookup
Please be advised that we are currently looking into the development of a deeds office lookup access service in the back office. Anyone interested in this feature, please feel free to contact us for more information.
Technical Issues
- How to take decent photos of real estate
It can’t be stressed enough how important photos are when marketing a property online. A couple of well taken images can increase the number of times a property is viewed, which in turn means a higher likelihood of an enquiry or sale. With all the latest camera technology, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to take a good photo. Of course, even if your calling isn’t photography, you can always put your budding progeny to work with a version of Photoshop. If you would like tips on how to take professional photos of property, a useful link for subscribers has been placed in the back office.
§ Uploading images
Please ensure that you resize the image before uploading it to the site, otherwise it can take forever to upload. Images should be a maximum of 350 pixels in width. If you want to cancel uploading an image or you don’t want to use one then please ensure that you also uncheck the tick box. When you replace an image, be sure to save your new image first before refreshing your cache with CTRL F5.
Marketing Services
A brainchild of the Millennium, SA Hometraders now has over 600 subscribers, marketing 23000 properties for sale, 4000 rentals and a selection of farms and commercial developments. At SA Hometraders, we realise that real estate agencies are increasingly choosing to invest in alternative forms of advertising. Our goal is to meet that demand with progressive online marketing ideas and state-of-the-art design features.
There is also a heightened awareness of the importance of having a database of contacts that is up-to-date. This database should consist of a list of contacts, including past and potential buyers with whom you wish to remain in regular contact. Ideally, this list would be developed and expanded on an ongoing basis.
SA Hometraders has created a range of innovative products to ensure maximum reach:
- List Management
- Monthly/Quarterly Newsletter
- Electronic Signatures
- Newsflashes
- Various SMS Options
We would be happy to design an appropriate package to suit your particular needs. Please feel free to call us on 086 110 2379 or email sales@sahometraders should you require our services or any other information.
Should you be in the process of setting up a similar arrangement elsewhere, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a competitive option.
Agency Website Design and Hosting
In addition to the national site, SA Hometraders has designed over 180 agency sites. These sites are template based, but are personalized in terms of look, feel, branding and any additional information that may be required.
A major benefit of investing in this option is that properties listed on the agency website will automatically be listed on www.sahometraders.co.za. This gives you the unique prospect of having numerous sites working for you simultaneously. Your properties are listed on the SA Hometraders website, as well as www.sarental.co.za, www.sadevelopments.co.za and www.safarmtraders.co.za, should you be active in these areas. There is then the added benefit of a regional listing on www.capetownpropertyforsale.co.za, which attracts a good deal of its own traffic. This is extremely beneficial in terms of obtaining maximum reach and exposure of your product, without the burden of having to list each property more than once.
SA Hometraders designs agency sites at a once-off all-inclusive cost of R3876. Thereafter, there is a monthly stipend of R171 for website hosting, plus the applicable monthly subscription payments. Agencies have two options when it comes to monthly subscription: either R228 p/m for up to 10 listings, or R399 p/m for unlimited listings. All costs include VAT.
If you are interested in taking advantage of this option, take a look at some of the sites that we have designed:
www.tasselberry.co.za
We look forward to hearing from you and are more than happy to discuss further detail telephonically, or where practical, it can be arranged for us to call on you. You can email us at sales@sahometraders.co.za.
