The chorus of Arlo Guthrie’s most widely recognized hit states, “You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant.”  Had Arlo waited a few decades to pen that tune, he may have altered it to, “You can get anything you want on the Internet…including real estate!”   Not so long ago, a realtor’s best tool for promoting his or her clients’ properties was the local MLS (Multiple Listing Service).  With access confined solely to licensed realtors, the MLS restricted opportunities to market and sell properties.  Now, the Internet is populated with websites that enable worldwide advertising for available properties.  These include and are not limited to Craigslist, Zillow, Oodle, and WriteOnNewJersey.

For higher impact, some real estate professionals convert photographs of their clients’ properties into videos, through use of software such as Pinnacle Studio, Sony Vegas, and iMovie, or websites such as Animoto.  They then upload (install) the videos onto sites such as YouTube, Viddler, and Yahoo Video that attract broad, general audiences.

While the process of marketing a property in this manner is more time consuming than the traditional approach, younger, savvier real estate firms use such tactics to act outside the box in earning their sales commissions in a tightened economy.  In addition to distributing their listings to multiple websites, newer realty companies create virtual tours of their clients’ properties via key online video directories.  The more tenacious of realtors maximize visibility through research and use of keywords that elevate their submissions to the top of the Internet food chain in terms of search engine ranking.

In addition to capitalizing on technological advances, wise realtors are revising their commission structure to attract more clients.  Some now offer plans structured to meet clients’ individual financial requirements.

If you are selling your home or contemplating doing so, know that despite a rough economy, you are in the driver’s seat.  If your realtor will not accommodate you with the options cited above, shop around until you find one who will.  Odds are, your search won’t take very long.