Real Estate section benefits buyer, Realtors
Joint project of newspaper and Coastal Association results in new product
LISA CAPITELLI n Staff Writer
Ocean City Today and the Coastal Association of REALTORS have partnered to produce a monthly Real Estate section in the newspaper. Pictured at the publication launch party last Friday at Jive on 82nd Street are, from left, Sharyn O'Hare (Prudential), Chris Jett (Re/Max, CAR board member), Linda Moran (Prudential), Sharon Curtiss (Hileman, CAR board member), Marcy Abbott (Prudential), Ocean City T oday Publisher Stewart Dobson, Terry Daly (Delmarva Auction & Asset Management, CAR board member), Gregg Holland (Coldwell Banker, CAR board member), Jennifer Cropper-Rines (Coldwell Banker, CAR board member) and CAR Executive Vice President, Sheila Dodson. (July 31, 2009) Ocean City Today has formed an exclusive partnership with the Coastal Association of Realtors (CAR) to produce a monthly real estate section in the newspaper.
Working with CAR for the last five weeks, Ocean City Today has published "This Week's Settled Property Report," to let buyers know that properties are selling and that "now is the time to buy," said Hope Thomas, sales manager for the newspaper.
"Every week, we show every single property in Ocean City, Ocean Pines, Berlin and West Ocean City that settled the week before," she added. "We have had a really good response from readers."
Thomas recently met with several CAR board members to discuss how to branch out further and build a marketplace for buyers and Realtors.
The result: a monthly, full-color real estate section that aims to draw attention to potential buyers by highlighting what the area has to offer.
The cover, Thomas said, was created to "pull you in with emotion." The news content of the section will pertain to buyers and agents. It will be used to promote the real estate industry and educate buyers, sellers and agents on what is happening, added CAR Executive Vice President Sheila Dodson.
"We're sharing knowledge and Ocean City Today is helping us get that knowledge to the consumer," Dodson said.
The goal, Thomas said, is to "deliver an aboveindustry standard real estate section that gets buyers to the real estate office, gets buyers to Realtors' Web sites and in the end, to end up at the settlement table."
"We want it to be a clean, crisp publication with pertinent content for the buyer and seller," Thomas said.
Ocean City Today and CAR hosted a launch party at Jive on 82nd Street last Friday to introduce brokers and managers to the new product.
The team developed packages that are affordable and allow agents to showcase themselves, their company or a property. Because it is an exclusive partnership with CAR, only members of the organization are permitted to advertise.
CAR is a trade organization for real estate professionals in Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset counties. There are approximately 1,100 members of the organization, which has been in existence since 1957.
Those interested in advertising in the section can contact Thomas at 410-723- 6397 ext. 107.
Thomas and Dodson agreed that the section will benefit everyone.
"I want this to work because it is important that Realtors, brokers and managers see a return on their investment," Thomas said.
"The consumer wins because they have another tool to use about the industry and Realtors have another way to reach the consumer and promote the product they have," Dodson added.
The first edition is scheduled for publication in August. It will be inserted into the Ocean City Today. There will also be bulk drop-off of the individual section to real estate offices around the area. It will be available online as well, at www.oceancitytoday.net.
