About Noble

The following  is the content of an interview that took place regarding this award..........

Noble Turner is the type of client who you really wish you could interview in person. His Realty business is nestled in the fertile mountains of Hawaii, caressed by ocean breezes and copious sun. Unfortunately, phone service has been invented and no amount of finagling could convince my manager that a trip to Hawaii to speak with our September Client of the Month was in order.

Nonetheless, Noble was generous enough to share with us his experience in not only surviving, but downright thriving, in Hawaii's cut-throat luxury real estate market.

Z57: What are the unique challenges you face selling real estate in the Hawaii area, and how have you utilized your website to help meet these challenges?

Noble: There is one licensed real estate broker for every 7 people in our city of one million people. There are approximately 5500 brokers for 1,000,000 people. Everybody has an aunt, uncle, cousin, mom or dad, daughter or son who sells real estate. Competition is fierce.

Fortunately, many of our buyers come from the mainland or other foreign countries. Many buyers speak Japanese and Korean, and require agents who speak these languages. Many of my relocation clients are from the mainland and Canada, and require a different kind of interaction than ones who live in Honolulu.

I have designed my website to offer more ways to search for Homes or condos than many of my competitors. Most agents with websites send their potential clients out to a company home search system. I retain my clients by having my own IDX system, and an easy way to search in the areas that are my farming communities.

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Z57: You utilize imagery often on your website, both on the homepage and on the listings page. Have you found your clients respond positively to images rather than text information?

Noble: They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words. I use lots of photos. I think a unique video tour, with music, is worth 10,000 words, or more. Traditional virtual tours are static and boring.

Z57: Your video tours are amazing. Can you describe briefly how that came about and how/if they impact your sales?

Noble: The brilliant video tours were created by RealEstateShows.com. The shows definitely impact my sales by giving clients an appealing look at the inside of a home and different angles of the outside. It creates the sense that you are moving in and out of the setting, rather than the traditional virtual tour where you are sitting in one place and the image is moving up, down, right, and left. And, a one year contract for unlimited usage is only $99.00

Z57: What types of online marketing do you do, and what are the results you typically see as a result of them?

Noble: I have stopped buying hits from major search engine companies like Yahoo, and Google, through a process called BuyerLink^. They cost an average of $1.50 per hit. Some were bogus surfers who were not in the homebuyer market, but I found that 4 or 6 of every 100 hits became real clients of mine. I have also stopped buying new leads from www.RealtyNow.com, where leads from buyers cost $29.95 and leads from sellers cost $49.95. When I used that system, I was careful about the leads I chose, and Realty Now was good about crediting my account if I chose a bogus or phony clients. I send email to all past clients, at least every three months. I am often in touch by email and phone with all my current active clients, which at this time number close to 175 buyers and sellers.

Z57: What do you consider the most valuable form of online marketing for you?

Noble: I have moved my website to the 1st or 2nd page of the major search engines. I believe this is my greatest source for future clients. I no longer need to buy hits or leads from outside sources, since my  www.AlohaLuxuryHomes.com is on the 1st or 2nd page of the major engines. (key words: Honolulu Hi Homes) In fact, I may need to begin selling leads to others, or add more assistants. I am convinced that the internet is the future for real estate business.

Z57: How has your website benefited your business? Any unusual clients obtained because of it?

Noble: I have had several mainland clients who came to me by my website. Through phone conversations and email interaction, I developed a trusting relationship with them. I have actually sold four homes to buyers who never saw their home until they arrived in Honolulu, sometime after the closing. I simply did the search for them, took many digital photos, emailed those to the clients and told them I thought this was their best choice. In all four cases, each client was thrilled with the choice. I have a California investor couple who often ask me to go see a home, and, if I think it is right, to write up the offer. I have made offers on seven properties for this wonderful couple.

One 78-year-old client from the swamps of Louisiana visited a relative with a computer and stumbled onto my website. He left his phone number, by email,  and went back to his cottage in the swamps. I stay in touch with him by phone, and send listings that fit his criteria by U.S. snail mail. He swears he will make it to Oahu, and I swear I plan to help him attain that dream. He is one of my favorite clients.

Z57: Do you follow your website statistics closely, and if so, how do you use this information to improve your website?

Noble: I am excited, daily, to look at my website statistics. I see a spike in activity after I have done a major mailing, or after the release of a full-page ad. August has been a record breaking month for me, topping 3000  hits. Also, I have just added color picture self-promotional ads in our local newspapers, The Honolulu Advertiser, and the Star Bulletin. I am constantly driving people to my website through U.S. postal mailings, mass emailing, magazine and newspaper ads, and handing people cards and saying, "Please check out my home search on this website".

Z57: How do you distinguish yourself from other real estate agents on the island?

Noble: I am branding the name Noble Turner.  I am branding the image (photo) of myself. I am positioning myself to be a future leader in the high end, luxury market in Honolulu. I spend more advertising money and focus on my image than I do on houses. Houses will sell themselves.

I find that constantly sending, "Just listed," "Just sold," "In escrow," cards  have high impact. I say things like, "Another waterfront home listed by, Noble Turner." On each postcard, I place the name WWW.ALOHALUXURYHOMES.COM in very large letters, for the sole purpose of driving potential clients to my website. I offer them a Home Search and unique home videos. Once they see what Z57 has done, many will become my clients.

Z57: Have to ask - what is your favorite aspect of living in Hawaii? I think most of us are jealous!

Noble: Honolulu is a place where I love coming home, no matter where on this earth I have visited. When getting off the plane, the gentle trade winds are always blowing at around 15 MPH. Tropical flowers are always blooming and the smell of fresh Plumeria is in the air. Volcanic mountains rise above an aqua blue, gorgeous, crashing ocean. I have traveled the world and I know there is no place on the planet that is more beautiful than these Islands.

Z57: Thanks Noble! We're coming to visit!