Realtors hit ad efforts hard to try to sell homes

0 Comments | USA TODAY, March, 2008 | by Theresa Howard and Laura Petrecca

As housing prices continue to fall, real estate agencies are responding with a marketing onslaught to try to entice reluctant shoppers to get off the fence and buy.

As the spring buying and selling season opens with a backlog of unsold homes, national franchisers RE/Max, Coldwell Banker and Century 21 and the industry's trade association have mounted TV ads, local messages and Web marketing.

"The theme now is that's it's a great time to buy," says David Rea, chief creative officer for RE/Max, who directs its advertising.

It's not such a great time to be in his business, however.

"We had an incredible run for the past five years," Rea says. "A lot of it had to do with lower interest rates and probably the subprime. It was one of the most...