According to numerous media outlets, the real estate market in St. Louis, Missouri is already in a slump. On the outskirts of the city, underwater mortgages exceed 16% in some areas. Prices are also dropping like a rock. And, with a nationwide recession intensifying, the real estate community should be in something of a panic, if it hasn’t already. And what that means for buyers and sellers should be demonstrably simple. I’ll cut to the chase here. Clients are going to have to find the best St. Louis agents to buy or sell in the coming months. The boom is over, and now the winners and the dropouts will become apparent. Here’s a list for St. Louis, most of which will likely end up surviving what could be the biggest economic downturn in over a decade.
Garcia Properties has near-perfect reviews on Google and Zillow. The St. Louis agency founded by Jenifer Garcia has incredible engagement on Facebook approaching 10,000 followers.
An important note should also be made regarding over 300 4.9 level reviews on this Facebook page. This is, I must say, unheard of among the agencies we reviewed. That said, other aspects of Garcia’s efforts are less stunning. Instagram? Same. Over 5,000 engaged subscribers and an amazing sharing program.
The Garcia Properties website has one of the lowest SEO scores of any agent website I have reviewed so far. A score of 61/100 means there is a score of errors, improvements, and other fixes needed for the site to rank anywhere near the top for St. Louis. Aesthetically and functionally, the site is beautiful except for the obvious back-end issues. It’s a bit of a shame, considering this agent is going so much in the right direction. Mainstream media outreach and other aspects of branding seem to be Garcia’s short suit. It’s also unfortunate because she would be in our top 10% in the United States. Really, his efforts on Facebook and Instagram are so good.
Matt Delhougne’s real estate business has what can only be described as an epic reputation on Google. To be honest, I never thought it possible for a real estate professional to get 875 perfect reviews, especially not on Google. But here Delhougne Realty Group is with another 1,890 5 for 5 reviews on Zillow. I would minimize this if I did not admit my astonishment. It just doesn’t happen. What is the reason?
The reputation of the Delhougne brand is not due to its website. It’s mediocre at best, with only an SEO score of 72/100 and horrible aesthetics. Her Instagram has a picture of her dog and nothing more. The only evidence I can find of digital marketing prowess seems to be LinkedIn, where Delhougne has a ton of connections.
The company’s last blog post was two years ago. I hunted like Sherlock Holmes and discovered DRG’s presence on Facebook. It’s been a year since anything has been posted. So how does this St. Louis agent superstar do? He was a policeman, maybe he arrests people and jails them until they buy? For once, I have no answers. No mention in mainstream media. A symbolic effort on Twitter for a few months in 2012.
Stunned, I nearly ended his review prematurely. But something was eating at me. Could real estate agents pound the bricks hard enough to win without marketing? Delhougne is really a smart biscuit, I discovered. He shortened the entire online marketing effort by buying Google ads targeting major search terms. So ! I feel vindicated in a way. Nice job, Matt. It can work. The only issue I have is the misleading title and the direct right to your ads on your site. It’s misleading, which is an indicator. I was even more giddy when I found a “how to” on Youtube from this agent explaining how digital marketing is the key to selling homes. I won’t share it. Delhougne’s image is a screen of this video. There are not many images of him on the internet, therefore.
Second only to Matt Delhougne is Dan Brassil, a St. Louis real estate professional who uses all the tools. It’s all there on his company’s website, which is how you do digital marketing. Agreed, there are elements missing, otherwise he would be in first position for this report. A dead link on the site, poor following on Instagram and a pitiful SEO score of 69/100 on the company’s billboard (the site) hurt a lot. It seems to me that this agent did it for a while and then something happened. Maybe the pandemic?
He has a blog that is half up to date. With all the five-star awards from Zillow, Yelp, Google, Expertise.com, and more, the agent should hammer it home. But 32 sales in the last 12 months tell me that’s not the case. Maybe my perception is wrong, but anyone with that kind of know-how should butcher the competition. I tell you, analyzing his rare shares on Twitter and Instagram, the guy is brilliant at making people understand the fundamental value of a property. Something is happening. His Facebook profile shows an outdoorsman and kind of adventurer. I would be interested to know what he did. For now, however, he doesn’t compete with Garcia in any area that matters – except potential.
Mary Krummenacher does not burn social networks. His company’s Facebook effort is there, even if it’s barely visible to the world. The same goes for Instagram. Digital marketing doesn’t seem to be part of his sales funnel at all. She does, however, have rave reviews for her professionalism. His website is also terrible, at least from an SEO perspective (58/100). She spent the dough to become a featured Zillow agent.
Krummenacher makes this St. Louis agent list because of 64 sales in the last 12 months and because everyone who submits a review there has loved his efforts. Interestingly, she joined Twitter very early in the evolution of this platform. She started tweeting in 2008 and quit last year. Just 7 really bad reviews from Google might have kept it off this list, but St. Louis is another US city that isn’t very rich in conscious or marketing-savvy real estate professionals.
Phil Butler is a former engineer, entrepreneur and telecommunications professional who is the editor of several influential online media outlets, including co-owner of Pamil Visions with his wife Mihaela. Phil began his digital ramblings through several of the world’s most renowned tech blogs, when blogging came to be as a form of journalistic licensing. Phil is currently the top interviewer and reporter at Realty Biz News.
