Five [5] Ways To Increase The Success Of Your Marketing Efforts

by Maria Morton
The ultimate GOAL of marketing any property is to get it SOLD, right? If you are only interested in getting your name up on the yard sign for the free advertising, just overprice the home and ignore the following suggestions.

1. Put the home on Centralized Showing Service (CSS). This makes it EASY TO SHOW any house to Qualified Buyers. Around 90% of homes sold will have an agent representing the Buyer. The Cooperating Agents need to be able to show the home. If the Buyers can't see it, they won't make an offer to purchase. Sure, I know that it costs more money annually to keep up your membership in CSS but this is the 21st Century; it's how Real Estate has evolved. Even if you're a part time agent, do this to maintain the appearance of professionalism.

2. PHOTOS ON MLS & other Websites. Yes, it takes time to take photos. It takes more time to upload them to MLS and all the other websites on which you advertise the property but it's important to do so. Either spend the time to take the photos yourself or hire a professional photographer to take the photos for you. There are several companies that will take the photos/videos and upload them to your MLS for you. Remember that the #1 thing BUYERS LOOK FOR ON REAL ESTATE WEBSITES ARE PHOTOS.

3. Return Phone Calls in a Timely Manner. Are you kidding me? THREE DAYS to return my phone call? The first day, the Buyer is waiting anxiously. The second day, the Buyer is telling me how unprofessional you are and asking if the Seller knows what kind of agent they hired. (I'm trying to be diplomatic but you're making yourself look bad.) The third day, the Buyer is telling me 'Forget that house; the Sellers must not want to sell it or they would have hired someone else. Let's look at that other home we liked.'

4. Upload Documents to MLS. The general public doesn't see this part of our MLS but it's where we can upload documents like the Seller's Disclosure, Agency Disclosure, LB Paint Disclosure Addendum and Franchise/Company Disclosures. The Cooperating Agents are going to need these when they make an offer to purchase so why not make it easy? When I see these documents loaded, I know that I'm dealing with a professional.

5. Stage The Home. If the property is listed for more than $200,000, it's worth staging. Show the Seller the statistics for staged properties vs. un-staged properties. Show them how much faster they sell and how much more money they get. Sellers want the house sold NOW for as much as the market will bear. Refer them to a great stager. The cost of paying a stager per month is much less than the carrying costs incurred by the Seller every month the property sits there unsold. When you have a home listed for sale in a desirable neighborhood and all the other homes are staged, your Seller is at a disadvantage. The competition will sell and your poor Seller's house will just sit there as an example of how much LESS the Buyers can get for the same price.