Unique Homes Blog

When facing unfavorable market conditions, maintaining a unique, competitive image is crucial to expanding a viable brand within the niche market of luxury real estate.

On January 22, Donna Lee Laue, founder of Unique Global Estates, spoke with Rick Goodwin to discuss the presentation, environment, and sustainability of high-end listings and the implementation of cutting-edge trends throughout the luxury real estate market.

As publisher of Unique Homes and a partner of Unique Global Estates, Goodwin is well versed in luxury home sales and has been involved with the marketing of luxury real estate for more than 25 years. Considered by Laue as “one of the most trusted professionals in our industry and the heart of Unique Homes magazine,” Goodwin spoke to Luxury Ambassadors at Unique Global Estates on the factors and business trends surrounding current market conditions.

“The high-end is all about niche marketing. You want to promote your properties in an environment that is going to reach the people that can afford them, is going to reach the people that you want to have as your clients down the road, and in an environment that complements the property,” says Goodwin. He continues, “If you’re working with listings and sales are down, you still have to maintain a presence. You still have to keep your clients satisfied, and at the same time, you’ve got to keep yourself out there in front of the marketplace.”

In an industry constantly in a state of flux, businesses must maintain visibility, and in an era of Internet revolution, Goodwin proves his brand will stay the course. With a recent purchase of a video camera, green screen, and studio-quality equipment, Goodwin has started the process of creating promotional videos and real estate segments to reach clients while maintaining a strong online presence in the realm of luxury real estate.

“People like to look at a story rather than read a story—it’s visual…it’s a more interesting way to present properties and for agents to present themselves,” says Goodwin. “One of the reasons that pictures are so predominant on business cards is because it helps put a face and a personality to a Realtor—a video can actually do even more than that. It can really allow you to show who you are, and talk about who you are and what you’ve done, so that you really get to make your case to the consumer as to why you are someone that they should consider working with.”

Along with new video features, UniqueHomes.com offers a section called “Specialists,” dedicated to luxury agents, an updated Blog with RSS feed and links for readers to add articles of interest via del.icio.us, Digg, Facebook, and StumbleUpon—all related to social networking and bookmarking that ultimately provide an environment that reaches out to clients—and utilizes search engine optimization while working on a host of new services to promote and build brand recognition in a slow market.

Cutting-edge marketing tools and innovative practices are benchmarks of today’s luxury market, and Goodwin says, “The exciting part of a down market is that you get the opportunity to be creative.”

—Holly Marie Busacca

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