Selling with Jennifer
The marketing of a home is a very specific thing which has to be done well, very well, in order to have a successful offer and a successful sale.
The MLS is littered with photos and virtual tours which do very little to enhance the salability of a property. In fact, most of them hurt a property--either in property perception, or eventual sales price. Most of the marketing I see is absolutely terrible. And it is no wonder that properties sit unsold for long periods of time or have to undergo numerous price reductions when all of the statistical data points that a property should have theoretically sold quicker & for a lot more.
Many Sellers ask me how I do things differently from other Realtors. I won't go into all of them, but I will give you my perspective on a few key issues:
First of all, my educational background at both the undergraduate & graduate level is in psychology. Understanding people and how they perceive things is essential in knowing how to effectively market a property. I listen closely to what my Buyers say when they visit a home and make mental notes from a Selling standpoint of what has & hasn't worked from a Buyer's perspective. In this way I capitalize on the errors of others.
Second is the scope my experience: Having been from a real estate family I've been inside countless homes in 3 different states, understand 3 vastly different markets, and have dealt with Buyers looking for homes ranging from the $100,000's all the way up above $1 million. I've seen marketing done well and then I've seen marketing done GREAT. And I've implemented those GREAT ideas from other states into my marketing package here in Houston giving it a fresh look, a solid presentation, and a "wow" factor that other agents don't have.
Third is MY attention to detail in ALL aspects of the SELLING PROCESS. I take on a highly active role in every aspect of getting my homes sold.
A. I listen to the Seller and aggressively advocate what they want to accomplish in the sale of their home. I like to push the envelope in getting the maximum sales price and nothing makes me happier when I am successful in being able to do just that. Furthermore, I have enough experience in handling transactions--getting them from beginning to end--that even when my Seller is out of the country (in remote places such as Malaysia, India & East Germany) my Seller feels completely at ease at having me represent through all aspects of the sale: from negotiating the sales price, negotiating repairs, to making it to closing. Sellers know they are in good hands with me & that even in their absence I am effectively doing my job along with keeping them well informed.
B. I stage each & every listing of mine even the ones that are already 90% of the way there. Because something can always look BETTER.
C. I take "trial run" photographs to see how a property is actually looking on paper before I pay my professional photographer to come out because how we see things with our eye (given peripheral vision) can be vastly different from how it appears two dimensionally.
D. I am present when MY photographer & MY videographer arrive so they get the shots I want, in the places I want them to be taken from. Often times these are different people as the videographers who are part of my team work other Texas cities (Dallas, Austin) as well. I use the individuals I do because of the excellent work they produce & because I don't want to compromise quality. Both professionals are experts in expressing the best quality & style, but the content--knowing how to market YOUR home is entirely MY responsibility -- and I don't leave that to anyone else. Unlike others I don't hire just any real estate photographer or videographer, have them arrive on their own, take some photos and then have them post whatever they took that they like online. I actively choose the best way to present your home.
F. Open House Participation. Initially I always hold my own houses open. My intent on holding an open house is to showcase your home. Because no other agent is going to know your home as well as I do. Furthermore I want to hear first hand what people like and what people don't like and to see what can be done to reduce those comments. Open Houses are a great source of feedback. They are also a great opportunity to understand exactly what type of Buyer pool is currently out and about canvassing the area�is everyone just looking for the future or is the market currently holding Buyers who really are "ready, willing and able" to buy?
G. All the other little things...such as property booklets, specialized property signs, custom websites, plus verifying Buyer qualifications, having my hand "in the pot" sort of speak with all parties to the transaction to make certain the ball is not dropped anywhere along the way, etc in addition to other things which I could go on & list... but if I did, this introduction of "Selling With Jennifer" would be way too long for anyone to read!
Additionally, I need to reinforce the importance of effective marketing. 80% of properties are initially found online by the Buyer. The Buyer is playing a HUGE role in the sale of homes these days. Not only will they initially see the property online, but as they are waiting to see the property they'll go back to seeing it and reading about it online over and over again. And if they like the property, they'll return even more. Therefore the online marketing of a home has to look absolutely fantastic.
Potential Buyers have to form the opinion of "this is the home I want to live in" even before they arrive at the front door. Having them fall in love with the home before they even arrive will result in half the battle being won in getting them to write a very good offer for the Seller. Because no one is going to write a crappy offer for a home they are already so emotionally invested in. A home that they have already become excited about, shared the link with to family & friends. No one is backing out after they've started doing those things and as a Seller you now have the advantage.
By knowing all of these things and being meticulous when marketing my listings I take full advantage of everything we have to work with.
In conclusion, nothing that I do is unintentional. There is a reason behind everything I do. And I work hard on all of my listings and greatly value the relationship that is formed with each of my Sellers. I can say with confidence to any of my Sellers that everything really is being done that can be done to get your home sold!
