A Professional Can Balance all the Details
There are many things to juggle when
marketing a home. These include:
Preparing your Home for Sale
The typical buyer looks at several homes before deciding upon the perfect place. The "first
impression" is critical. Your Realtor® can
provide you with some tips that you may
not have considered and that may make a
big difference in, not only that first
impression, but ultimately the price you
receive for your home.
  Digital Photography
Keeping up with technology is a must in today's market. Buyers have come to expect quality brochures, virtual tours, outstanding advertisements and great internet exposure. Digital photography has become somewhat of a necessity and so I carry my camera with me at all times.
 Custom Color Brochures
After a full day of looking at homes, a buyer will
appreciate having something to refer
back to that is attractive, colorful, has captured all the home's best
features and includes pertinent
information about the community. A good
Realtor will create brochures, flyers
and/or other creative marketing
materials be displayed in your home,
inviting the Buyer to "Take One."
 Virtual Tours
This relatively new development in real estate marketing is one factor that separates those who are keeping with the times from those who are not. In today's market, where competition is fierce…it's a no-brainer.
Buyers love to see great photos; not just wordy descriptions. Photos expanded
into virtual tours are even more attractive and this added touch lets the buyer (and buyer's agent) know that this is a property worth seeing! If shown two similar homes on the internet, one featuring a virtual tour and extra photos and the other not, which of these homes would appear more interesting and "important" to you?
Multiple Listing Service
 Your
ticket to the 'Worldwide Web" is
purchased here. When you list your home
with a Realtor® you hire one person, but you also gain
several others who actively work to sell
your home. Our local Multiple Listing
Service/Realtor Association has over
3,400 members and growing…How many of
them may be working with a buyer looking
for a home like yours? And that's just
the beginning! Your listing will also be
automatically uploaded to Realtor.com® the national network. Talk about exposure!
The Internet
According to the National Association of Realtors®(NAR), over one-third of all home buyers
begin by checking the internet. That is
why I have spent, and continue to spend,
much time and energy on the creation and
enhancement of a custom,
user-friendly website for our real
estate area with
real time MLS
searches,
online portfolios for your favorite listings/a>, and
daily
email updates on new listings that match your search criteria. My intent is to keep this
site fresh, enjoyable and up-to-date so
that I may proudly promote it locally,
nationally and even internationally,
through traditional advertising and word
of mouth, and by linking real estate
powerhouses like "Realtor.com®" and to internet search
engines.
Sign and Brochure Box
A yard sign and brochure box are instant identifiers for drive-by shoppers and others. The bright Sellstate sign stands out and lets buyers know the seller is dealing with a reputable company.
Key Safe
Allowing your home to be accessible for showings by other agents provides you with greater opportunity for selling
your home. Serious buyers are more apt to call for a private showing than they are to wait for the possibility of an
Open House. The Supra electronic key safe, leased by Realtors®, provides security and makes private showings possible.
 Newspaper, Magazine and Cable TV advertising
As your Realtor®, I will use my established accounts and desktop publishing skills to deal with these advertising needs.
Additional marketing through networking
In addition to getting the word out to other real estate agents via the MLS, an efficient Realtor may distribute e-postcards to other agents and/or host 'Broker Opens" (where real estate agents preview your home for prospective buyers). Also, after being in business a while, Realtors begin to network with each other and may be aware that "Realtor so-and-so" has a buyer looking for a home such as yours.
Open House
Statistically speaking, the "Open House" is not as
effective a method of selling your home
as the MLS or other media. This is
because the MLS and other media are
widely visible 24 hours a day, versus
driving by a property and happening upon
an "Open House." But on days when buyers
are out driving around looking for Open
Houses, they are certainly worth the time and effort. There are several tips for making the most of this marketing opportunity.
Status Reports
Finally, status
reports keep you informed of daily
activity regarding the sale of your
home. Included are such things as:
scheduled showings, feedback on
showings, inspection report information
and other important dates and tasks to
remember as we prepare for closing. A
new feature is being added to my website
whereby, once your home information and
virtual tour is uploaded to the "My
Listings" page of "Home Searches", you
will have access to your personal status
report on-line, by logging in with your
password. If your computer is down, you
can always receive this information by
phone or fax.
 Successful marketing will lead to great
offers,
followed by careful negotiations and
meticulous closing preparations. Only after
all parties have left the closing table with
cash or keys in hand, and hopefully a big
smile on their face…, only then can the
juggler put away the last few pins. The
applause? Well, that comes in the form of
referrals to family, friends and
acquaintances and perhaps even a request for
an encore performance somewhere down the
road! |
