Brokers who post their listings on Craigslist.org can now make their ads more colorful.
RealtyBaron.com, a Texas-based company, recently introduced a free tool that can add color, images and formatting to postings on Craigslist. The service is targeted to users who do not have experience with Web publishing.
“We like Craigslist.org as much as the next person, but the real estate ads can be a bit bland,” says an introduction to the new tool.
There is a catch, as the site is banking on the failure of those who are trying to sell or rent their home without an agent.
The site requires users to register, thus gathering lead information.
RealtyBaron.com explicitly states its sales goal. “If it doesn’t work out and you decide to use a realtor or agent, return to RealtyBaron.com and we’ll hook you up,” the site says.
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In other creative new ventures, the Kaufman Organization is taking a page out of the residential real estate playbook, having launched a “staging” service for commercial real estate last month.
Partnering with Cort Furniture Rental, a Warren Buffet company, Kaufman has created on-site furnished model office showrooms featuring desks, chairs and tables that are available for rent or purchase. The models allow potential tenants to visualize their businesses in the spaces available and make it easy for them to furnish their offices.
“Having a model in place can help a prospective tenant decide how to best utilize the floor plan, and also make smaller spaces more attractive,” said Kaufman leasing director Barbara Raskob. “It also affords us the opportunity to show how the space can be laid out.”