Getting a Home Sold in Today’s Market

Homebuyers are out and looking!!! With the interest rates hovering around 5% in December, our appointment activity in our Blue Bell office was up 25% over last December 2007! The increase in buyer activity is expected to pick up even more just after the holidays due qualified buyers searching for a great deal. Anyone who has any money to invest in real estate should consider doing so now! If the cycle repeats itself, as real estate seems to do every 5-8 years, those who buy now will get a great return on their investment. Homes will once again appreciate in value, and while we may not be at the lowest point yet, with the rates where they are, the time is ripe to do your picking of the best homes because they are starting to go faster than they have in recent months.

 

Most sellers who are selling now either really want to-or really need to- make a move. Maybe it is because of a job transfer, or simply the desire to make a move to a larger home that is now more affordable than ever. So, if you have a home to sell, what is it that you need to do to attract the buyers in today’s marketplace? In my professional opinion, there are three crucial things that you need to pay close attention to if you are selling your property now. First and foremost are the pictures of your home online, the second is the listing price and the third is your Real Estate agent. I am going to focus on the last two points first, as they are tied together.

 

Your agent is key to getting your home sold because they have their fingers on the pulse of the current market in your area. Real Estate is local when it comes to values, not national. A well-trained REALTOR knows what to do to attract buyers in this market The first thing they will tell you is where your home should be priced to get it sold in the next 30 days. If you haven’t already, be sure you ask them for your “30 day pricing”. If you doubt what they are saying, get a neutral third party to appraise the home. But chances are the appraiser will come in very close to your agent’s price because they all use the same Multiple Listing data. First American Mortgage Company has a new program where they will pre-appraise a home that is on the market for just $275.00. This will make the home more marketable to a buyer who may be questioning the value. It can save everyone time and money and is a great marketing tool for a seller to have right now. First American Mortgage can be reached at 1-866-744-1776.

 

The first crucial point that I mentioned earlier was the photos of your home online. Sometimes agents seem to get all caught up in being sure that they have as many photos online as possible. While we know that buyers want to see photos and tours of properties, we all know that some homes look much better in person. So I highly recommend that you only post those photos which peak the interest of the buyer AND the buyer agents. There is NO REASON to shoot 4 photos of the same room. Choose the highlighted feature of that room and post one photo of it online. If your family room has outdated wood paneling, PLEASE do not post that photo at all. Let the buyer decide what they can do to enhance that room while they are standing in it themselves. I believe many buyers AND real estate agents disregard making appointments on homes they see online because the photos show outdated rooms and give the connotation of needing “too much work”. An outdated kitchen or bathroom should NOT be posted. Again, let the buyer walk in to the kitchen and see the potential of what could be.

 

How many of you know someone who bought a home with an old kitchen or outdated bathroom? Why did they buy it? Like you, REALTORS know that buyers will buy a home with an outdated kitchen or bathroom, if the rest of the home is a great value. Maybe the home has a great backyard and an awesome finished basement, and the family loves to entertain. Taking down some paneling and getting new cabinets at Home Depot or Lowes may sound like fun projects to the handy buyer. Let the buyer decide the possibilities when they get to the home.

 

REALTORS: If you don’t know how to use your camera or photo software to enhance a photo, then take a class to learn how to do it. There are many good photo cropping software programs that show you the before and after cropping shots of a room. Please use them and you will be surprised how much larger you can help a room to look, and make it appear more realistic than it did before.

 

The marketing of a home should attract a buyer who says “Ohhh, ahhh” when they see the photos, or read the description of the property online or in an ad. If your photos are not doing that, then do what you can to make them attract buyers. If the home has no chance of looking attractive online, then you must be priced accordingly AND your remarks should reflect this home to be a true “Diamond in the Rough”.

 

So, once again in closing, getting your home sold is no real secret if you pay attention to the three details: your professional and well-trained REALTOR, your photos online and your price. Ultimately there is a buyer for every home, but the value has to be there. Buyers will pay more for value, but you have to show them it is there! That is the job of every professional REALTOR and while it is more difficult in times like these, it is possible.

Homes sell in every market and if you have a ready, willing and able Seller, you need to attract every ready, willing and able Buyer because they are out there searching for a home like yours right now on line. How does your property look online? Is the buyer saying “ohhh, ahhh!”? If not, what do you have to do to make it look or sound better? Ask a friend to look at your photos or remarks… ask your REALTOR what you can do to enhance your property, they will know.

If you would like my professional opinion, email a link to your property to Kathy@CENTURY21.com. I will be happy to give you, or your REALTOR some suggestions, with no intention of soliciting your home for sale. My goal is to help everyone MOVE THAT INVENTORY so we can get this market moving in the right direction!

Can you grow your business with Social Media?

As an assistant Sales and Marketing Trainer for CENTURY 21 Alliance in southeastern Pennsylvania, I will be teaching our company’s agents the newest and hottest personal marketing techniques for Realtors this winter. Social Media is the newest buzz topic. I have plugged into all the buzz to quickly learn what exactly is “Social Media”. I have learned it is nothing more than connecting with people on the internet. Old friends, close friends, family, people with similar interests, people you lost track of and people you may talk to everyday!

For years I have trained agents on staying in touch with your “Sphere of Influence”, and guess what agents hate to do the most-just that!  “I don’t know what to say….it takes so much time….they never answer their phone….I don’t want to leave a message…” So now, it is easier than ever before  because of  the opening up of  Facebook.com (my personal favorite social network) to the entire world-much to dismay of  the college kids of today! I can hear my niece saying,  “What is Aunt Kathy doing on Facebook!”. Every parent should be on Facebook- that is all I am going to say on that for now.

But anyway, the reality became clear to me when I realized this new Social Media held an unending source of future business. As a matter of fact, one of my agents said that she was able to locate potential clients on Facebook who have not responded to her emails, and within 24 hours of joining, they are reconnecting as they chat and share away online. Not only that, but now she knows alot more about them than she did before. Their likes, interests, favorite movies, books, family photos, quotes, and so much more is now available to their new “friend”-who is no longer the real estate agent who “just wants to sell me something”.

I, too, have even learned more about my own sales associates and colleagues, than I ever knew before. I see Social Media as the easiest way to begin building client and coworker relationships for life. I walked into a meeting the other day and gave my condolences to one of my partners whose dog passed away the previous evening. Everyone looked at me wondering how I knew and I just answered: “You have to get on Facebook guys!” He was touched that I knew and I was able to share in his sorrow on a different level because I knew a little bit more about him  and his beloved doggie than I ever would have before Facebook sharing.

I hear people bragging about how many “friends” they have on Facebook. Heck, I have only been on there for 3 weeks and I have almost as many friends as my college graduate, with my 132 vs her 136! 

But its not just about that, it is more about staying connected with people and sharing things about yourself. You must be consistent as to your goal. Is it to let people know of your ongoing success… your daily efforts to serve others…your humanitarianism…your all-around great personality that can and will shine through on your posts? I think you need to share whatever it is that will help people to know more about you so they want to: work with you in your business, spend more time with you because you sound like fun, or just share bits and pieces of your life in exchange for the same. Social Media is fun and it is here to stay and in my professional opinion, it is an excellent resource for business growth if used properly!

In an effort to teach about Blogging, I have started here with this as my first blog so I can learn more and share with our agents. I believe that in giving we receive, so my goal is to learn as much as I can. In this way I can give to others- who are too busy out there selling homes= the knowledge they need to get moving into the next generation of self-promotion with Social Media. YES we are selling homes in my office-even in this market!