Q+A: Rob Jenson, The Jenson Group

A few weeks ago, I listed a few novel ways that people were using podcasts (which you can read here). Among them? Selling real estate.

Rob Jenson of The Jenson Group has been podcasting home tours for some time now, and he took some time to share why he's doing it, the results he's getting, and what he's expecting for future years.

How did you come up with the idea of home tours via podcast, and how long have you been doing this?

It's been about 8 months. There was an agent out of California using tours produced with still photos as a podcast. I quickly realized that high definition video was the future. With stills, you are not able to see the motion of a waterfall, fireplace, candle, etc. Video really gives people the most convenient way possible to get a good feel for the home. Buyers are shopping online more than ever, and the internet appeals to a worldwide market, so it's critical to make the most of it.

What has the response been so far?

For some of the properties, we have had about 500 video tour views in about 6 months. I've had out-of-state buyers write offers without even being to the property. It is a pretty new technology and we really need to get behind it and promote it to buyers and other agents. We're working on that. For agents it is a great tool for them to conveniently show their clients our properties.

Are other people doing this or thinking about doing this, as far as you know?

I know of nobody doing this in Las Vegas. I'm the only one paying a company from California to come to Vegas to shoot the tours. Most of the agents in Las Vegas doing business in the high end rely on having multiple magazine pages of advertisements to help them procure listings. Unfortunately for the seller, this does little to help market their home.

What sort of advantage does this give you over more traditional methods of showcasing a home?

This is truly a 24/7 open house. The traditional panoramic, spin-around-in-a-circle open house is boring. Plus, for those that are subscribed to the podcast, they will get all our new listings as they come on line and can conveniently show them to friends and family. This presents a great opportunity for viral marketing.

Is there anything you think people should know about this that I didn't think to ask?

The internet will continue to be the future for real estate. By summer, I plan on doing interviews with home owners, architects, builders, etc., to discuss the individual properties I'm marketing. This will also give the potential buyer many unique prospectives as to why the seller loves the home, what is unique about the architecture, etc. People should know that you can't track iTune subscriptions (apparently) so you need a counter on your “subscribe” button from your home page. My tour company can count the downloads, but it's important to monitor your subscription efforts, too.