Market News
Sarasota Realtors launch campaign to entice buyers
By Melissa Followell, Herald Tribune
The Sarasota Association of Realtors spending six figures in an attempt to lure leery buyers back into the market.
During a news conference Thursday January 13, 2006, the association revealed its Time 2 Buy campaign, which it hopes will spark new confidence in the real estate market. From signs at the airport to billboards to radio and television spots, the organization hopes to romance the public with facts and figures explaining the positive aspects of the soft market.
The campaign is a local one, not expanding beyond Sarasota County but the organization has committed to carrying it through at least until the third quarter of 2007.
One aspect of the campaign is a video that juxtaposes several high-profile local brokers discussing the market with scenery and comments from potential buyers. The video plays up the fact that more inventory means more choices as well as giving buyers more room to negotiate. The campaign begins at a time when the numbers of showings and sales are up for the first time in months.
Numbers released by the Florida Association of Realtors last month showed that the number of sales in November were up from 2005. The Bradenton-Sarasota market was one of only two in Florida that saw a growth in sales.
The Sarasota campaign also comes on the heels of a public service announcement campaign launched by the National Association of Realtors. Commercial spots telling consumers why it's easier to sell a house with a Realtor and why it's a good time to buy a home. It is the 10th year the National Association of Realtors has released commercials and other materials illustrating the benefits of working with a Realtor.
Both the national and local campaigns stress that real estate is still a good longterm investment and urge people to contact Realtors.
