New methods of selling real estate in the 21st Century

Gone are the days when land sellers operated in dingy single-room offices stuck up winding spiral stairs with little to show in the name of style. Today, some firms dealing in land are set up in stylish offices that would rival many blue chip companies with fittings to announce to the world, and mostly clients, that “you can trust us”.

Growing up, the image I had of people dealing in land was a bunch of wazee in oversize coats and tattered hats seated under an acacia tree discussing transactions. If you wanted to know who was selling land in my hometown, you had to talk to a certain bunch of men who met regularly under a tree strategically located in the town.

They literally had the pulse of the small town on their fingers: From who was selling what to who stole what from who.

This is not the only thing that has changed about selling land: a colleague reminded me the other day about a firm that has been using “models” or mostly young women who are very easy on the eyes to market their real estate offers. Never mind what little connection the said young women had to do with the house being sold; it is the stuff of all advertisements and real estate agents are catching on fast. Then there are the characters who promise ready title deeds, of course forgetting the “small’”question of how they have ready title deeds when you have not even bought the land yet.

Think about it, what else are developers and selling agents using to bring their products to your attention? If the answers are not coming fast, let me jog your memory: If you are keen on the showbiz arena and you were asked to list 2016’s biggest concerts, one would definitely make the cut. This is The Plot held in August. What would that have to do with real estate? The answer is everything, with the organisers being the Property Reality Company, better known as PRC. Welcome to real estate marketing in the 21st Century.