LISTING AND MARKETING YOUR HOME

The second responsibility of your Listing Agent for getting your property sold is to Promote your Property Far and Wide.

Your listing agent’s commission includes the marketing budget. Be sure your agent uses the resources well to get your property exposed to both Realtors® and the public.

Realtors® are hand-in-hand with most of the prospective buyers in the marketplace. It is important to have a strategy to get your property at the fingertips of every agent in the nation. Ask what Multiple Listing Services your agent belongs to. Ask about IDX (Internet Data Exchange) to get your listing on thousands of agent websites. The buyers agent commission is strategic here. We want to make it worth the effort of the best Realtors® with the best buyers to show your property and then to negotiate in good faith. If we do not reward them well, we might lose the best opportunities. Will your broker put the property on a Realtor® property tour for professional viewing? Will they provide extra information in the agent private remarks section of the listing so the showing agent is better informed when showing the property? Is your agent immediately accessible by cell phone to set-up showings and assist a busy buyer’s agent? Does your Realtor® have a good reputation in the local community for working well with other agents? Your agent will have several strategies to accomplish these most basic points.

Promoting your property far and wide to the public is essential to insuring that no potential buyer is missed. Today, most of the best places to advertise are online. Review your agent’s advertising plan in detail. You will then be able to hold your broker accountable, and you will know that everything reasonable is being done to help you succeed in achieving your goal. Review the listing itself for completeness and accuracy, flyers, print advertising (magazines, newspapers, local publications), and websites. Will your agent hold open houses? Will there be follow-up calls or emails to get feedback for showings, and more importantly, to learn about obstacles to buying your home? There are many strategies to getting your property noticed. Just ask your Realtor® for their plan.