Selling a house? vs. Online dating.
Selling a house ? Its about 1 buyer, not ‘# of hits’, not ‘# of showings’.
35 yrs as a Realtor/ Broker, always as an independent, not a franchise. Why?
Those ‘online dating’ sites make you wonder what you are getting.
- Wow, lots of lookers! Are they potential/ qualified buyers or just ‘photo surfers’?
- Ya, lots of dates – aka: showings. But again ready to act buyers … or just neighbors getting decorating ideas or agents using your house to compare against the one they plan on showing after yours?
Franchises are fine. They have a place. But my clients find when they ask for “Mr/Ms Top Producer”, they really get a group of less experienced ‘specialists’ & ‘processors’, etc. lacking a global vision. Marketing ? Those producers do have their systems, yet are they customized enough to make you feel you are getting:
- All the data you need to make a big decision?
- ‘Drill down’ marketing that will bring out the ones that really truly want your place (and will pay for it)?
- ‘Property Specific’ (not plug-n-play/ off the shelf):
- Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that takes more than a few minutes. Most
are very over-simplified in methods AND accuracy? See my Zillow reviews.
- Pre-listing ‘to do’ list?
- Custom made mailers?
- Website that shows your property ONLY without distracting ‘click-aways’?
- Web advertising using specific demographics & interests unique to your offering?
- Videos of not only your property but also the area leading to your home?
- ‘Adwords’ on different search and social platforms?
- Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that takes more than a few minutes. Most
- Your very own portal space – feedback and doc’s area to enjoy (or ignore) 24/7.
Summary: Make sure your selling agent/ broker can get past the ‘plug into’ format. Quick-n-easy tools are great for the new agent – often simplistic/ standardized. Are they best for you? Remember what you need. A buyer – 1 buyer to be exact.
Are the 1000 hits and 25 showings qualified and interested? or curiosity seekers? It is the ‘drilling down’ on that 1 unique buyer to get the best price with the least interference, at least in my approach!