A tech-savvy Melbourne homeowner used social media to go all out in selling his home and was rewarded with $135,000 above his asking price. Not bad for a little extra work around the house. Real Estate agents, neighbors and most everyone in general is impressed with the 33% increase Kurt Opray received above median home sales for his Northcote neighborhood.

Does this mean Real Estate prices are on the rise? Not necessarily. What it does show is that when a seller includes social media in the process of marketing their home, the extra effort is proving to be very fiscally rewarding and well worth it. The Real Estate agent, Rob Elsom of Hocking Stuart Northcote, hired by this homeowner was blown away when 80 people (30% more than expected) showed up for the auction.

So what did Kurt do to get so much for his home? In tandem with his Real Estate firm and a website, he employed the use of free, easy to use online tools available to everyone. He set up a Twitter account and used it to promote his auction and feed traffic to his blog about the property. He created his blog in WordPress, posted his photos on Picasa and hosted videos on YouTube.

Homeowners know their properties better than anyone and can share the interesting, emotional stories and details through social media to engage and excite potential buyers. This added value can help turn a property into a home and take the seller all the way to the bank.