The SAHometraders Newsletter
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Dear Subscriber

Welcome to the latest SA Hometraders Newsletter.  Where did January disappear to?  If this is an indication of how time flies, then we’re in for an action-packed year ahead. 

Our newsletter provides valuable information on current activity, information on our exciting new features, and gives insight and advice on technical issues that you might have on the site.  We have a fantastic, cutting-edge service to share with you, so click here for more information.

If you have any queries or would simply like more information about a service or feature then please feel free to email us at support@sahometraders.co.za.  Here’s wishing you all a brilliant 2008 and a mutually beneficial work relationship.

Yours in Online Marketing
The SAHometraders Team
Contents
1. Subscriber Updates
2. New Website Features
3. Technical Issues


Click here to find out more about our Marketing Services....

Visit our Regional Sites
Subscriber Update

Property Genie
This is Mortgage SA’s property portal and is currently free of charge.  In terms of generating maximum marketing exposure, it’s important that your properties are listed on this site.  Your Group IT department or a portal such as SA Hometraders can do the listing.  If you have yet to list your properties on the Property Genie site, we will be happy to enable this for you.

 Property Genie - www.propertygenie.co.za
Rentals
Everyone is well aware of the tight sales market currently affecting the country.  The hike in interest rates has resulted in an escalation in rental applications.  Our rentals portal has recently experienced a dramatic increase in activity, so if you haven’t yet listed your rental properties with SA Hometraders then it would benefit your agency immensely to do so immediately.
 Sa Rentals - www.sarentals.co.za

Property Forum

The property forum was introduced to provide information and feedback for potential buyers and sellers who use the SA Hometraders site.  It receives high traffic so there is an increased visibility value and it has become a useful resource for buyers, sellers and agents alike.  The forum provides excellent additional marketing exposure, so please be encouraged to take part and respond to any postings, as you’ll be marketing yourself and your product in the process.  You’ll have to register if you’re a first time user so check out http://propertyforum.saht.co.za for more details.


 Sahometraders Property Forum

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New Website Features for the National Site

Email A Brochure
There is an excellent new feature on the site that allows you to send an HTML version of the property being viewed to a friend or contact.  Not only users can take advantage of this productive marketing tool, agents are also able to send featured properties to their prospective clients.      
Email Property Brouchre

Technical Issues

How long does it take for properties to appear on the Property Genie website?

The update engine runs once a day so your listings should appear within 48 hours.  You should also know that the PG website keeps listings for a full year and then they are automatically removed.

 How long does it take for properties to appear on the Property Genie website?
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What about listings on the SAHometraders database?
Be advised that from the 15th of March 2008 any properties that have been listed for more than a year will be deleted from the database.  It’s important that you update your listings on a regular basis.  We will be sending out an email prompt in due course to remind you to do so.
 What about listings on the SAHometraders database?

Do I reply to the Notify-Me emails?
Notify-Me emails are sent out automatically by the system so there is no need to reply, as we are unable to track buyer or tenant details this way.  The function runs on an anonymous basis so if you would like to attract the attention of a buyer or tenant then it acts as a reminder to load any new property that fits their requirements onto the site.  This way the user will be able to view the property and contact your agency directly.  If your listings are always 100% up-to-date, we can remove you from the system.
 Do I reply to the Notify-Me emails?

What must I do when uploading images?
What must I do when uploading images?
We are still experiencing problems with the uploading of images onto the site.  When photos are not resized before they are loaded, it can take a lot of time to transfer the pictures to the server.  It’s important that you resize your photos first.  There are tools available to do this, such as Windows, Photoshop or any other image resizing software. 

Tip: Resizing pictures is made so much simpler using a free Windows XP download called the Image Resizer.  If you are using any other Windows package, you can also download the Fast Image Resizer for free.  Alternatively, use the Internet to find software that will suit your particular system.  There is a link for free image resizing software (IrfanView) on the SA Hometraders site.

Also, there have been queries about the replacement of images.

 If this does happen, try refreshing the page using CTRL F5 and the new image should appear.
Sometimes, when subscribers replace an image they find the old image
still displayed on the site.  If this does happen, try refreshing the page
using CTRL F5 and the new image should appear

How do I change my agency profile?
If you’d like to change something on your profile then all you need to do is forward us the updated information, such as the principle’s name, address and telephone numbers.  When agents leave the company, there is no need to advise us of this unless you are unsure how to move listings to another agent.
 How do I change my agency profile?
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Marketing Services Now Available


Formed some 7 years ago, SAHometraders now has over 600 subscribers, the site listing 23 000 properties for sale, 4 000 rentals and a diverse selection of farms and commercial developments.  At SA Hometraders, we realise that real estate agencies are increasingly choosing to invest in alternative forms of advertising.  Our goal is to meet that demand with progressive online marketing ideas and state of the art design features. 

There is also a heightened awareness of the importance of having a database of contacts that is up-to-date.  This database should consist of a list of contacts, including past and potential buyers with whom you wish to remain in regular contact.  Ideally, this list would be developed and expanded on an ongoing basis.

 Marketing Services Now Available

SA Hometraders has developed a range of innovative products to ensure maximum reach:

  1. List Management
  2. Monthly/Quarterly Newsletter
  3. Electronic Signatures
  4. Newsflashes
  5. Various SMS Options

We would be happy to design an appropriate package to suit your particular needs.  Please feel free to call us on 086 110 2379 or email sales@sahometraders should you require our services or any other information.

Should you be in the process of setting up a similar arrangement elsewhere, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a competitive option.
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Agency website design and hosting


In addition to the national site, SA Hometraders has designed over 180 agency sites.  These sites are template based, but are personalized in terms of look, feel, branding and any additional information that may be required.

A major benefit of investing in this option is that properties listed on the agency website will automatically be listed on www.sahometraders.co.za.  This gives you the unique prospect of having four sites working for you simultaneously.  This is extremely beneficial in terms of obtaining maximum reach and exposure of your product without the burden of having to list each property more than once.

It makes no difference whether the agency is independent or a branch/franchise of a larger brand - the benefits of the agency site remain the same.  Agencies have the opportunity to showcase their own portfolio of properties, provide information on the area in which they operate, and identify their particular strengths and marketing strategy for prospective clients.

This option provides the agency with a distinct advantage, particularly when compared to corporate sites.  The corporate site process is often slow as it takes the browser time to sort through and find specific properties in an area.  There is also little opportunity for agencies to display their properties as they would ideally like to do.


Agency website design and hosting

SAHometraders designs agency sites at a once-off cost of R3300 and a charge of R114 is levied for domain registration.  Thereafter, there is a monthly stipend of R171 for website hosting, plus the applicable monthly subscription payments.  Agencies have two options when it comes to monthly subscription: either R228 p/m for up to 10 listings, or R399 p/m for unlimited listings.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this option, have a look at some of the sites that we have designed:

Agency website design and hosting

We look forward to hearing from you and are more than happy to discuss further detail telephonically, or where practical, it can be arranged for us to call on you.  You can email us at sales@sahometraders.co.za
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