| You've
heard of talk radio. Now there's Hawk radio
In more than one development in Vero Beach, Real Estate Agents are letting homes sell themselves by talking to potential customers in the street via car radio. The device is called Talking House and though the concept has been around since the 1980s, recent technological changes have made some Real Estate Agents take a closer look at the tool as a means of making a sale. "It could eliminate the time you need to advertise a home, because a home should sell quicker," said Robert Lowe, broker at Century 21 Lowe Realty, "It's like having a radio commercial on 24 hours a day is exactly what it is." Lowe's office has invested in seven of the devices, including one that is hooked up at the Century 21 office on Club Drive in Vero Beach. Last week, Lowe installed three transmitter devices in homes on Oyster Bay Drive, Waltons Court and 21st Avenue in Vero Beach. Talking House is like turning a home into a mini radio station. A recorded message is broadcast through a tiny transmitter no bigger than a telephone answering machine. Potential buyers need only to pull their car up in front of the house and tune in their radio to 1610 AM to hear the Real Estate Agent's voice give a 90-second or three-minute description of the property. "It's excitement for the seller of the home because he sees these cars slowing down and stopping outside to listen," Lowe said. But Real Estate Agents see a number of advantages to the Talking House over the conventional method of sticking a sign with a telephone number in a front yard. First, it's a novel approach, so a Talking House is likely to pique the curiosity of potential buyers more than just a sign. It might even attract customers who normally wouldn't have stopped to look at the house, Lowe said. Secondly, Talking Houses help weed out the serious seekers from those who might not be interested in a particular home once finding out its features. Conversely, by giving a lively description of the interior, a Talking House might also attract some buyers, who would have otherwise passed it up because of a bland exterior. A Talking House recording usually gives information about square footage, number of rooms, price, age of the home, special features and whatever additional data the Real Estate Agent deems appropriate. |