We're going for unique next weekend in Montclair, NJ and the surrounding towns of Bloomfield, Glen Ridge and Verona, by holding the first ever Condo Crawl. In just a week, more than 30 agents signed on to represent their current condo listings at opens next Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1-4.
Okay, it was my idea. After so many months, it seemed, of just putting one foot in front of the other, I dared this idea out into the open. Seemed cute and manageable when I sent out that first email to colleagues around town. A few responded right away and I thought, great, we'll call it a success if a couple more sign on and, knowing others were out there too, it will make the lonely job of sitting watch on a Sunday afternoon in a highrise or tucked-away garden condo a bit more fun.
And then it was 20, then 30, then more. It's been a tough year for condos. I don't know who once said that at the end of a housing slump, condos slump even more, but it sure feels like that right now. The FHA's promise to scrutinize condo developments even more will likely slow that market further. So we know Mr. and Ms. Condo Owner are happy for the attention. Sarah Damaskos, my marketing guru, may not have gotten up Monday morning knowing she'd spend the week designing the logo and ads, sorting and sifting copy, and then, at the end, just keeping track of all the participants, but she jumped right in, thank heaven.
We've gotten the popular local editorial blog, Baristanet.com, to sponsor the event. They've put up a banner ad and a PDF listing addresses and descriptions of all the opens (check it out at baristanet.com/crawl) and local papers, including the Star Ledger are also featuring the event. Our cute crawl signs will be staked in front of every participating unit.
It's kind of like speed dating for condos -- efficient shopping and comparison with a blast of availability. Anyone who's been saying it's time to downsize or perhaps to make that first move into the market will be able to compare and contrast withough stretching out the activity.
Will the people come? That's the idea, but we Realtors have got to make it happen. Agents committed to participating I hope are blogging their brains out right now to each of their circles of influence. We're personally Twittering, schmoozing on Facebook, spreading the word. Who knows, maybe it will end up being a mondo condo crawl.
Comments