2016 – The Property Writers

Winter in real estate

August 3, 2016 No Comments

A common denominator in plenty of conversations of late has been how winter tends to slow things down in real estate matters.

Though real estate isn’t strictly seasonal, it’s fair to say that heading into the warmer months in Australia and come December each year, there are more properties hitting the market.

Considering people tend to only list their homes for sale in Australia an average of every seven years, it makes sense that timing is critical.

If you’ve got a sparkling swimming pool in your backyard, you’re hardly going to fancy your chances when sideways rain is battering people jumping in and out of their cars at opens.

This isn’t to say that properties aren’t popping up for sale consistently, in all major cities, at any given time, because they are.

In fact, auction clearance rates for the weekend just gone were pretty interesting (Source: Rp Data, week ending Saturday 30th July 2016):

City	Clearance rate	total auctions	RP data Auction Results	Sold prior to Auction	Sold at Auction	Sold after auction	Passed in	w/drawn
Adelaide	71%	39	31	2	19	1	8	1
Brisbane	59.6%	110	47	9	18	1	19	0
Canberra	90.9%	14	11	2	6	2	1	0
Melbourne	85.9%	447	396	59	279	2	53	3
Perth	29.4%	17	17	2	3	0	12	0
Sydney	74.0%	294	235	43	130	1	46	15
Tasmania	50.0%	7	2	0	1	0	1	0

But we know that inevitably, business can slow a little for real estate agencies and the services that they use.

So, how to make the most of these months, when your days each week may not be as jam-packed as warmer seasons? Here are some options:

1> Hit the networking events. Even if you’re a little on the shy side (doubtful, if you’re a real estate agent!), certain events in winter months can be a seriously enjoyable. And opportunities to make fresh contacts. They are almost always inside, so rain, hail or shine, you can head along and forget about the torrential rain outside. Even if you just stand around complaining about the weather together, it could be a few hours well spent.

2> Accept that this is a “quieter” period in your business year and allocate time for a holiday. Having less listings or work to oversee could mean that this is an ideal time to slip away, even if you’re still governing things from afar. It could also invigorate you for your upcoming silly season.

3> Do the opposite to the above point and come up with an action plan for a cold-weather hustle! Having time up your sleeve could be the best opportunity to do a business health check. There are a myriad of resources out there for ensuring that your business’s support systems, services and tools are currently best for you. Why not set aside half a a whole day and check in with your banking, POS systems, social media accounts and suppliers? It could mean that come spring, you and your business are feeling squeaky clean and ready for a mad summer.

4> TAX. Organise a time with your accountant and get that tax done now, so it’s not a deadline looming over you when you are really scraping for free hours. You’ll thank yourself for the foresight.

5> Make the most of the INDOORS. I’m a bit partial to winter-time for this incentive myself. We have some stunning scenery here in South Australia. But, sometimes when the cold air is making your fingers ache, these outlooks are best enjoyed from indoors, with a hot beverage in hand.

How lovely is it to warm your hands around a hot drink?!

There are so many sublime attractions that can be enjoyed no matter what the weather brings. Some of my favourites are (specific to Adelaide):

The South Australian Art Gallery
The South Australian Museum
Take in some theatre at Adelaide Festival Centre
The Adelaide Central Markets
The MOVIES! – My favourite for value-for-money is the classic Semaphore Odeon Star Cinema
Jam Factory for a spot of art appreciation and even a beverage

Or, of course, find a cellar door or restaurant, preferably one with a fireplace (My favourite is d’Arenberg in McLaren Vale) and duck indoors and enjoy the winter ambience.

We are so spoilt for beautiful beaches here (Christies Beach pictured) but winter-time isn't the time for a dip! — We are so spoilt for beautiful beaches here (Christies Beach pictured) but winter-time isn’t ideal for a dip!

The great thing is, most of these places can make for a wonderfully relaxing backdrop for a business meeting, if you want to mix work with play and remain on top of your (work) game.

Save for the movies, as you really will get shushed by other people, why not get creative for your next winter-time meeting? Opt for one of the above suggested indoor spots, or a fabulous idea of your own?

Or, you can do what my daughter’s kitty does and just seek out the winter sunbeams and ride winter out:

If you have any other suggestions on being the winter blues and remaining proactive, let us know on Instagram or Twitter.

Katharine

Behind the scenes, Business, Copywriting, Marketing

Why we deleted our Facebook business page

July 21, 2016 No Comments

Do you ever tick boxes for things, despite them not sitting quite right with you? But because it is a common step and a universally acknowledged and sensible thing to do, you just run with something anyhow.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. It seems like today, more than ever before, people have less and less free time and more things demanding time and attention.

Having a Facebook business page was a box that we ticked for some time. We had a page, it had our credentials on it, contact information, you know the rest.

We know that it is deemed to be a crucial, essential presence for a business.

We know that Facebook is a powerhouse and owns many apps that we love and use, such as Instagram.

We know that Facebook folk may find out that we removed our neat, friendly little business from its community and give us a big digital thumbs down (read: limit our reach on other apps!).

We know that it can be a phenomenal online space and community for businesses, groups and people to communicate from all corners of the globe to drum up business and projects.

We know that one day we may have more reasons to have a page, than not to, and may start one up again. This decision is reversible.

Facebook can do AMAZING things for people and businesses, we get it. Perhaps just not for us…

We even tried Facebook’s advertising, with several targeted campaigns. But – it did jack for us in terms of reach and numbers.

And really, although this lovely business of ours is growing and we find ourselves just loving new opportunities and where they are taking us, we just weren’t feeling Facebook as being key. It just isn’t key to our growth or an enjoyable facet of our work, if we are being honest.

We often gain new clients in person, through word of mouth, or by random chances. Tanya does plenty of work for clients in far-off places, such as the U.S.A. and India. These clients didn’t pop up on our Facebook Page.

Instead, we felt as thought our page was impeding on our family and friend’s feeds.

When people put their feet up and scroll through their feed for some mental down time and a switch-off from the real world, we didn’t feel like they wanted to see our latest listings, or musings about life as a hired writer.

Our clients and industry colleagues didn’t really need to spend time on our page – we have plenty of other means of communication. So really, getting a ‘like’ from my Mum, as kind as it was, felt like an indication that we didn’t have the reach we wanted, or needed really.

As copywriters, we sell a service, not a product. What we were showcasing on our page, specifically our organic content, really wasn’t being seen by anyone and wasn’t going to change anyone’s lives. Seriously.

We love our work, we are good at what we do, but we weren’t being rewarded by our time on Facebook and it didn’t feel like it was an avenue worth continuing.

We live in a world where people are shuffling around the streets like zombies with their heads down, finding imaginary anime characters (another post in itself!). We daresay that people really don’t want to trawl through the business page of someone who isn’t offering them a service relevant to them, when they can be spending time doing things they enjoy in their free time.

There are plenty of articles floating around that weigh up the pros and cons of businesses breaking up with Facebook. Some of them had some really resonating points, but there was no particular literature that cemented the decision for us.

It just felt like a box we had ticked, but that our heart wasn’t in.

So we made a business decision to say goodbye to it!

Because when you run a business yourself you make these decisions and wear the consequences or rewards yourself. And it feels damn good to be authentic to our own thoughts and experiences.

So, we work in advertising.

We are professional marketing content writers.

We do use Facebook, in terms of having personal pages. It can provide a really wonderful space to make loved ones on different continents not seem so far away and, of course, to share messages, ideals and raise awareness.

But –

You won’t find The Property Writers creeping into your feed on Facebook (for now, at least!).

So see you elsewhere, folks! (Some not so subtle links below.)

Business, Copywriting, Tips

What is copywriting?

June 17, 2016 1 Comment

It doesn't have to be an awkward conversation when you are asked what you do!

As copywriters, it’s safe to say that we’ve encountered that slightly puzzled look when we answer that question:

“What is it that you do?”

Which is completely fine, because we have been the ones who give that look, when occasionally encountering someone whose own profession is way over our own heads. But these conversations are fun to have.

I think the confusion is typically because the terms copywriter or copywriting can easily be mixed up with ‘copyright’.

To set the record straight; copyright is a form of intellectual property, so a way of publicly and legally safeguarding original creative works. Here is the wikipedia link for more clarification.

Copywriting – what we do – refers to the action itself of what our role is, but you just need to do a little switch-eroo with the wording. We write copy. And the ‘copy’ part refers to content. You’ll find the wikipedia link for copywriting here.

So… we write content!

Engaging words are SO important.
(Image Copyright Gary Larson)

We tend to go on about how much we love what we do, because that’s the truth – we do love our job. We love how we each bring different strengths to our professional partnership and we love that we have a genuine 100%, authentic belief that what we do is valid, useful and value-adding for our clients.

It’s also demanding, often performed in a high-pressure environment and each day brings variety, as well as obstacles. But we take all of that in our stride.

Another question we are often asked is:

“How do I become a copywriter?”

The answer to this isn’t very straightforward, which is also encouraging for those who seek to get started in copywriting. That’s because there is no pre-requisite for commencing a copywriting role, at least not if you work for yourself.

It's okay to have a fictitious mentor, right? — It’s okay to have a fictitious mentor, right? Image Copyright Weiner Brothers/AMC Studios.

There are so very many areas in which copywriters are required, including medical and technical copywriting and specific, strategic SEO copywriting/consulting.

Essentially, copywriters can be “hired guns” on a permanent or freelance basis, or work on retainer or salary for companies across literally hundreds of industries.

As a copywriter, you can create a business or company, based on your own strengths or interests. This would allow you to provide a specific, unique service that caters to appropriate clients, who have a use for your service. Where there is a demand and value in what you do, there is work.

We have several university degrees between us, but neither of us went to university to study copywriting.

Our work today is the result of wonderful, sometimes random opportunities, that set us on a path in which we sculpted our work to suit the real estate industry.

We would however recommend that as a writer or prospective copywriter, you engage in and join a combination of communities and support networks. So, for example, you could join your local writer’s centre and (if you’re in Australia), the Australian Writer’s Guild.

And then, the information, opportunities and support you receive from these can be complimented further by joining your local Business Network, which in our case is Business S.A.

The combination of having access to information both as a creative writer and a business owner should set you on a course of (relatively) smooth sailing as you charter the waters of content writing.

And please hit us up for advice, any time you please!

This post is not sponsored or endorsed by affiliating membership bodies, it is simply based on our own experience and preferences for running a copywriting business in Australia.

Behind the scenes, Business, Tips

Do one thing every day that scares you

June 9, 2016 No Comments

Okay, hands up if you remember the song ‘Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen’.

Yes? No?

If you need a little reminder, or distraction, see the original music video below.

(Copyright lies with Baz Luhrmann and associated creators)

Poignant and direct, the lyrics most likely have something in there for everyone. It is a wonderfully engaging stream of advice, including being advised to floss, getting plenty of calcium, as well as remembering compliments that you receive.

One such piece of advice is

“Do one thing every day that scares you”.

This piece of wisdom was originally said by Eleanor Roosevelt.

Easier said than done, right?

But what is interesting about this, is that it can be a little more daunting applying this principle to your business and business practices.

Why is this? It’s not a rhetorical question, I really don’t know why this is!

Perhaps it is because our business or workplace and how we operate within our work can have a knock-on affect to plenty of others. Whether they are colleagues, clients or even future or prospective clients, drastic or ‘scary’ changes can cause ripples.

Whereas, making personal decisions, such as a change in hair colour or a choice in holiday destination, are less likely to offend, annoy, or upheave others.

Here at The Property Writers, we’ve had plenty of decisions to make along the way since our fruition and already in the span of a year have made changes to the way we work. Most of these changes have been overwhelmingly positive.

But have we really challenged ourselves to the extreme, or even scared ourselves? Nope, not really! The end of financial year is fast approaching and amid our meetings and talks on financials and processes and future goals, I’m going to be throwing into the mix the notion of mixing it up a bit and scaring ourselves.

This could be as simple as picking up the phone and phoning some targeted clients who have been on our wish list (so far, from afar!).

OR, utilising a social media app that has admittedly confounded us a bit until now *cough, cough*, Snapchat!

But we are going to mix it up a bit around here and scare ourselves.

After all, nothing ventured is nothing gained, right?

I have skydived before. Yes, I have jumped out of a plane, after only agreeing to do so around 4 or 5 hours beforehand. And I remember being strangely calm while doing so.

But I was reduced to a shivering, terrified mess recently in Bali. I was climbing the set of stairs, to go on a water-slide that most 12 years around me weren’t thinking twice about. This water-slide absolutely terrified me. I did go on it, after my initial almost tamper-tantrum stating that I wasn’t going to! But the prospect of jumping out of a plane from 15,000 feet was significantly less scary, for me anyway.

We all have have our ‘things’ and all have our levels of what we as individuals are comfortable with. We’re a diverse group, us human beings.

How about you? What are some things you can do within your business to scare yourselves?

Is it joining Snapchat like us? (Eek, we are so terrified!) Let us know on Instagram or Facebook!

Business, Tips

Tips for refreshing your work space in 2016

January 12, 2016 No Comments

Who else is still struggling with the phrase “last year” when referring to 2015?

We welcomed 2016 with enthusiasm, cheer and a dedication to those kinds of goals that you just want to stay on track with. But it’s still a little hard to get our heads around it being 2016 just yet. We are giving ourselves until the end of January to not fumble over the phrase.

Even so, the New Year is HERE and we are thrilled when we look back on all that we achieved in 2015. One of our ‘resolutions’ is to be protective over our time, both work and leisure, this year.

More than ever we (and we know our clients are too) are feeling pulled in different directions when it comes to where we allocate our 24 hours. Everyone gets 24 hours a day, we know.

But with overwhelming, saturated inboxes with emails from every single product/service/company/brand you’ve ever shopped with, utilised or even glanced at, even sifting through emails can be a task that demands hours.

As well as the usual commitments to work/family/children/friends/exercise, people are feeling a little more frayed than ever.

And no one wants to start this year already feeling burnt out. A good remedy for not feeling overwhelmed could be as simple as a tidy-up of the space you spend most of your time in.

So, some ideas for maintaining a time-friendly office space, in no particular order:

Be rid of old technology:

Whether you work from home, on the go or in an external office, it’s important not to feel weighed down by technology. But with more and more devices and gadgets available to us, we know we are guilty of having a little build-up of things we no longer use or require. And these can add time, even if it is only minutes, to your daily life. Whether it’s having to sort through a jungle of cables that you no longer need, just to find the one charger you do require, or having to switch hard-drives, phones or tablets to access just one photo or file that you require, a build up of gadgets is draining.

So PURGE yourself of those no longer used devices and you will feel all the calmer for it.

For phones, how about helping the gorillas and recycle your no-longer-used mobile phone? Details are here: For computer technology, give this link a go for information.

Upgrade your work screen:

Another hot tip for the maximising time in the office (if you haven’t already done so) is considering adding a monitor to your desk, to plug your laptop into. Thereby, more than doubling your screen size and allowing you to expand your windows and horizons! We know, we know, this is a contradiction of the above advice to be rid of extra technology.

But consider this: Particularly when working in any industry which requires you to work with multiple programs at once, be it for bookkeeping, graphic design or our own familiar field of marketing, you spend so much time opening and closing windows and sliding across to review content. We know we do.

I picked up a second-hand monitor and cable from Gumtree (bless you, Gumtree) and now couldn’t be without it. It allows me to use my MacBook, yet also have mega-screen to keep open my work inbox, floor plan and property photos, relevant links and word processing open. ALL.AT.ONCE. Winning!

Be the boss of your snail mail:

Dedicate just one day a week to being the absolutely-must-ensure-on-top-of-mail-day. Simple, but effective. You hear me? Piles of unopened envelopes not only cause physical clutter, but emotional clutter too.

You could allow yourself to sidestep and dance around the mail six days a week, if you are the ultimate procrastinator. But at least one day a week, go through it, file it, pay it, shred it, do whatever you must, but be rid of it from your space. You will feel total satisfaction once that last envelope is lifted. Make it a rule and give it a go.

Get the inspiration you need to create the space you want:

Ok, maybe it’s an excuse for a smidgen of retail therapy, but consider this. If your work space is a bit cluttered or lacklustre, there’s nothing like getting out of it and going and visiting glossy, clean, fresh home office displays. Whether they shame you into tidying yours out, or inspire you to go for a new look, it could be the best excursion you take all month!

A tidy office, with fresh, personal touches can make for a wonderful space in which you’ll be itching to get into and get productive in. Why not take advantage of all those fabulous back-to-school stationary sales that are on right now? Who said watermelon-shaped pens are just for school kids?

Or, of course, get thrifty and spend some time in opportunity-shops, or search online swap/second-hand sites. You know what they say about someone else’s trash…

Our own office rehauls have made us feel pretty fabulous. If you can’t half tell from our images above, we LOVE trawling through houzz.com.au for inspiration We hope you enjoy making yours happen.

*Note, this is NOT a sponsored post, but just contains our own ideas and recommended online spaces.