In response to Bob's Challenge "What do you do for each client?", I present to you my outline for getting a home sold.
It starts before the listing appointment by staying on top of the stats for sales. What's the marketing doing? Going up...going down...running flat? Then, of course, research is done to determine the perfect listing price. Homes that have sold, are pending and currently listed are all taken into consideration.
Once the listing contract is signed the work begins. None of my listings will be entered into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) until photos and videos are taken and optimized. Cannot burn daylight with a listing sitting on the MLS without photos. Photos include not only photos of the home, but of the community since aren't we really selling a lifestyle in many cases? AND, not just photos...PHOTOS. Magazine quality photos that really pop are key.
The sign goes up and the listing is loaded into MLS with photos and videos attached and the listing is sent out to my database as well as every agent in my office.
Exposure is the key in today's real estate market where home buyers have more tools than ever to find a home. Listing websites like Realestate.com, Realtor.com, Homes.com...and the list goes on. My goal is to have my listings show up on every single home search website and then some. Weekly submissions to Craigslist and Backpage is also on the list of 'to do's.
The listing is put on my website and all of my blogs and it's entered into Realbird.com for extra exposure.
I also create a home search website for my sellers which allows them to receive their every new listing in their neighborhood, every new pending and newly sold as well as all price changes of those homes that are competing against them. The real estate market is ever evolving and the key to success is staying on top of what is happening in the seller's neighborhood. A price that was good a month ago may be too high today.
After every showing the agent who showed the home is contacted for feedback and that feedback is relayed to the seller. There is no such thing as too much knowledge.
Once I receive a purchase contract on the home, dialogue begins with the other agent. A warm fuzzy approach is always best as we are all trying to accomplish the same goal.
I go over the contract with the seller making sure all the terms and conditions are explained and all questions are answered. I watch closely for sneaky items that could be missed and negatively impact the seller at closing.
I will counsel the sellers as to the best negotiation strategy with the ultimate goal a win/win for buyer and seller. This helps the whole transaction to flow smoothly.
I provide data to the appraiser when he calls me to schedule the appraisal. I always want to make sure he knows my validation for our pricing.
I keep the seller informed every step of the way, but honestly, most of what I do the seller's never know. To my sellers it's smooth sailing while I fight for higher value when a low appraisal comes in, scrounging for sales statistics and market reports to justify our sales price. Or when the buyer's lender is not performing. I am the buffer when a buyer is being unrealistic about repairs. My seller never knows if I can help it.
I coordinate all docs with the title company to make sure everything is ready to go at closing. I check over the final HUD1 to ensure it is correct based on the contract.
The best day of all is the call I make to the seller to tell them the home has recorded. It's all done and your check is ready!
There are actually 75 items on my marketing plan that I do to ensure a smooth sale, but just like Clark Kent...no one ever actually sees me put on my cape.
Comments(3)