There is a saying in real estate: "you can't sell a secret". It may seem a bit like justification for the money agents suggest vendors pay to advertise, but when you think about that, it makes a lot of sense. No one will know what you have to sell unless you tell them about it.

The Real Estate Institute of Victoria reported that Melbourne median property prices over the last quarter have increased by 4.9% to $451,000. Combined with recent interest rate hikes, for many home buyers – particularly first home buyers – it’s a step further away from home affordability.

Web 2.0 internet and other technologies are quickly changing the way in which individuals interact with business. In real estate, the web is heavily influencing the entire marketing mix and is revolutionising the entire industry.

For many people, the family home represents the single largest asset in their investment portfolio and is therefore the most important profit centre when it comes time to sell.

With so much on the line, it amazes me that many home owners lessen their chances of securing a high sale price by failing to promote their property adequately!

Surveys carried out by industry leaders (EG: REA Group and http://blogs.realestate.com.au/newsandviews/) concluded that property seekers were more likely to view or enquire about a property based upon the initial real estate advertisement.

If this is true, why do most ads placed on popular Australian real estate advertising websites (EG: Realestate.com.au and Domain.com.au) all look the same?!?!