What I want to show you is a different way of thinking. I recently found  a blog online talking about small housing called LittleDiggs. In the blog are some fun pictures of ways people are using their space wisely. “Driven by a purity of thought; abito is dedicated to the elimination of dead space…”

Another fun blog for small space living is based on Japanese culture (don’t worry the website is in English) and has 20+ pictures to awe you. “Probably the thinnest there is: this wall-like structure in Nagasaki…”

Whether you want to call these homes and businesses green living or just plain crazy… take a minute to think about your use of space and how you could be more efficient.

Why properazzi.com?

As the world’s largest property portal, properazzi.com gives users access to properties in over 50 countries. Currently, the site links back to over 10,000 Real Estate agents across the world, giving users the ability to search over 4 million properties in 20 different languages (http://www.properazzi.com/wp/about). These numbers will only continue to increase as more and more people become aware of this trend daily.

When it comes to thinking globally, here are two examples of companies that get it:

Halstead out of New York has struck up a partnership with EREN, the only pan-European network for independent luxury brokerages. Halstead saw the trend early on, acted on it, and is steady ahead of the game. Check out this recent article on EREN http://www.europeanrealestate.org/news/article/48.

Rubloff, one of our Enterprise Network Members, has also embraced the international trend. They are now syndicating to properazzi.com and have also established a direct partnership with international Real Estate site, Rimontgó (http://www.rimontgo.es/en/). Rubloff took the initiative to arrange the partnership in order to establish property data sharing across the web.

These partnerships are creating networks with a world wide reach. We should all be looking for these opportunities. Just imagine-–with every day that ends here, the rest of the world is just opening up for business. Start your global network now and let’s continue to share and distribute leads worldwide.

Active’s SEO plan includes strategically enhanced content that gets high web traffic numbers. We submit Luxury Keywords to Google and other large high-end portals nightly, as well as syndicate to international listing site, Properazzi.

The Independent Property Websites (IPWs) themed with an elite aesthetic, are very effective for enhancing online presence for the property. Luxury IPWs include higher quality photos, photos of views from and around the property, as well as photos that showcase the neighborhood amenities. Brochures may be uploaded, along with links, offering the potential buyer much more information than a typical online listing. Adding Video further augments the presentation, providing complex visuals, which spark interest for any property. Translation services are available for all of our sites, if needed.

Having a dedicated Luxury Portal (for instance RubloffElite.com) is a great way to streamline traffic to the high-end listings. The portal can have its own unique URL, with all the technology features of the main corporate site, but appealing to the Luxury sector.

All of these tools are getting our clients to the bottom line that much faster.

There are some major factors that are contributing to this influx of foreign property investors. International capital is on the rise, and it’s no secret, the American Dollar is declining in value. For example, the Euro is worth about 50% more than the American dollar, meaning international buyers are basically getting a 50% discount when they invest in North American properties.

According to the NAR Report, the typical international buyer purchased a single-family home or townhouse to be used primarily as a vacation venue for family and friends. The average sales price was $299,500, financed through a mortgage loan.

One main difference between the North American real estate market and foreign markets is that there is not a comparable MLS system in the foreign markets yet. So getting your property listed in these foreign markets takes some creative planning.

Your business can take advantage of this tremendous market opportunity by doing the following:

• Target International buyers with SEO and specific Key Words. The truth is international buyers will still be looking locally, so your local key words are important (ie. Vail Real Estate).
• Provide clear direction and content on your site specifically directed to International Buyers.
• Syndicate your listings to international sites (for example, properazzi.com is about open up for North American syndication)
• Target ads in International media featuring your website and opportunities available.
• Track your advertising. For example, if you are running an ad in the UK, you might want to use a specific landing page (ie. www.broker.com/uk) as well as a specific phone number so you can track your hits and ad effectiveness. It is important to know which marketing strategies are working and which are not.
• Showcase your properties with professional, high quality video giving international buyers the most informative online experience possible.
• Offer incentives for the buyer to travel and visit your properties.
• Hire a multi-lingual concierge.

By incorporating into your business specific strategies to attract and serve the international buyer, you will be leveraging this tremendous opportunity. You remain the local expert, but with the global clientele.