After Your Listing Agreement is Completed
Section 2
Getting Your Home Market Ready
Your home does NOT have to be perfect. It is not my intent to scare anyone, or make you nervous. I just never know who I am talking to, and I need to stress, it cannot be dirty if you want top dollar!
In today’s market, lower priced homes seem to be okay even if there are some repairs that need to be done.
Please click on all the buttons and watch the videos and open the forms. This will help you get a better understanding.
Cleaning People
Lisa Ward: (615) 971-1245
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Darren & Donna Edwards
Express Clean Janitorial
Mobile (615) 663-5281
Mobile (615) 663-5285 Windows – Floors – Offices
Licensed and Bonded
7 Things Buyers Notice as Soon as they Walk In
- Light – A bright home is inviting. Make sure you fill your home with lots of natural light or a soft evening glow.
- Smell – Nothing is less inviting than a strong odor. Even candles and air fresheners can be overwhelming. Less is more and make sure nothing unpleasant is lingering.
- Space – Remove any unneeded furniture and offer a spacious home which flows.
- Ceilings – Of course you can’t make your ceilings higher, but make sure they are free from water stains because buyers will look up.
- Pictures and Personal Items – Remove personalization as much as possible so the buyers can imagine their family in the home.
- Outdated Furnishings and Fixtures – If your home is filled with hand-me-downs, consider a professional stager. Old wall paper or outdated paint colors should be replaced as well.
- Dirty, Grimy Rooms – Most important, clean everything thoroughly. Nothing is less appealing than a dirty home.
Keys and Lock Boxes
If you don’t have 3 keys, don’t worry about it. I will go get keys made.
Professional Photos
About a week before we are ready to list your home, I will call and schedule a time for professional photos and/or videos to be taken. Once they are taken, there is usually a 2 -3 day turn around.
I do not place any home on the market until we have PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS. There is NOTHING more important in the initial market phase than the photos, nothing.
Once the photo hits the MLS/Realtracs, cookies are placed on the listing photo. The initial photo is the photo that STAYS with the listing. So, if it is not a good photo, people may not want to click on the listing.
I only have pictures taken when it is sunny. If it is gloomy outside, or if it is raining, I will re-schedule the photo shoot. (I always check the weather before I schedule.) You should also know that I will ride by the home several times before the photos are actually taken so I know what time of day the sun is facing the front of the house. That will be the time I schedule the photos.
You will get an email from me letting you know what day the photos are being taken so you will know what is going on in your home. PLEASE do not be at home while photos and video are being done. We are constantly having to ask people to move and get out of the shots while we are filming. 🙂
Open Houses
You might be surprised to learn that most homes do NOT sell at an Open House! For years this is what every agent did who took a listing. Why? Because it was effective! Effective for whom? The Realtor, that’s right, the Realtor. “Back in the day”, Realtors did not have internet, email, websites, video, professional photos, etc. We had to hold open houses because this was essentially the only way a buyer could see your home and one of few ways Realtors could get in front of people to get new business!
Things have changed a lot. Contrary to what a lot of people think, buyers are not just out driving around on a Saturday or Sunday and think, “I see I sign, I am going to drive over here, look at this house and buy it.” It just doesn’t happen that way. Now if people are actually “in the market to buy”, that’s another story.
The biggest audience at an open house are your neighbors who are just curious!
Those who are “in the market to buy” have been looking online for weeks and months, they know where to find homes and have looked online a dozen times. This is one of many reasons that I use professional photos. I know this is where homes are sold; online. Yes, when you have beautiful photos, the right price range, and compelling terms, those who are “in the market to buy” will come to your home. It doesn’t matter what day it is advertised as “open”.
I don’t want to give the impression that open houses don’t work. It is a great way for people to see your home, my only point is, people see your home online everyday. If they like what they see, they ARE going to come look at your home without an open house. Years ago, people were not able to see homes online.
Does this mean that I don’t do open houses, no it doesn’t. I do open houses all the time when I feel like a home needs extra attention. When I do an open house, I usually bring someone with me. Open Houses are not always safe. We are inviting strangers to come into homes and we don’t know who these people are. Vacant homes are REALLY unsafe for this. I try my best to get your home sold either online, networking with other Realtors, or doing Broker Open Houses; (Realtors previewing for their buyers).
Where is My Home Shown Online?
Before I actually answer that question I would like to explain a little about how this works.
When a Realtor takes a listing, they place your home on the market, through the MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE using a local service company called Realtracs. When this listing is placed in the MLS, the MLS automatically syndicates this listing to several HUNDRED websites NATIONWIDE.
It doesn’t matter the local Real Estate Company that lists your home as far as that, they are ALL done the same way. What does matter is the AGENT who has your listing. Why?, because with some agents, this is ALL they do. They put the home on the MLS, sit back and hope it sells. You want a pro-active agent. The real estate COMPANY does not promote your home, the AGENT does. The company regulates the agent and keeps them compliant with all the Real Estate Rules. The AGENT pushes your home in every place they know possible!
This is why I don’t work with a franchise company. Agents spend their commissions paying franchise companies for name recognition. I take the extra money and use it on tools that actually help buyers and sellers. Yes, I have worked with franchise companies, they don’t offer one single thing directly to the buyer or seller. They charge Realtors money to promote their franchise name. Their franchise name does NOT get your house sold.
Okay, lesson over…. To answer your question, some of the listing sites include: Zillow, Hotpads, Homes.com, Redfin, Yoodle, Homefinder, The Tennessean, The Daily News Journal, The Leaf-Chronicle, Realtor.com, Homesnap, ListHub, Realtors Property Resource, Real Estate Delivered.com. Below are some of the additional places.
For Sale Sign in Your Yard
I will place my For Sale Sign in your yard when we place the home on the market, UNLESS you tell me differently.
If you are cutting grass and need to move it, please put it back up where people can see it.
If grass gets blown on it while wet, please take a paper towel and clean the grass off where the numbers can be seen.
If it gets blown over by strong winds, please straighten it up.
If your home is vacant, I will come by your home once a week just to check on the sign. I usually do this on Fridays or around 6:00 am on Saturday morning.
Seller Repairs
I have 2 schools of thought on Seller Repairs in TODAY’S market.
- Under $250,000 a seller can get a way with a lot.
- Over $250,000 your home needs to look like it belongs on the cover of Southern Living Magazine.
There is a scarcity of homes under $250,00.00. Buyers are accepting a lot of things right now, only because they have to. For the moment, if your home is under this price, don’t go crazy making your home “perfect”.
If your home is over $250,000, you have a lot of competition with new construction right now. Your home needs to look awesome, offer great terms and EASY showing ability.
Think about it, you want to date the guy or girl, who looks good, smells good, is charming, and dresses awesome compared to the “cute” one!
Click the button below to see what Home Inspectors are looking for.