Insertion in the MLS can be good, but how its done can either work for your or against. An optimal outcome is the goal, not plug n play all of your information to the magazine sites to do with as they will. I work for your best interest, NOT theirs.

Many offer simply the relatively passive marketing approach of using MLS like a ‘shotgun’, blast everything you have all at once and see if you hit a target. I see MLS as a tool, used as a stepping stone en-route to bringing interest directed at your and only your property, else we may be missing opportunities. How do I do this? I’m glad to show you my approach. Supporting roles by the following create a ‘reverse shotgun approach’ if you will, of all marketing pieces directing interest at, and only at, your property.

• Dedicated social media page,
• posting of ads,
• mailings to your neighborhood and my client list,
• dedicated URL page just for your property and yours alone,
• YouTube,
• These and other tools used correctly and at the right time have produced the type of results seen in this one example listing. Below is a glimpse of the URL page and what example days of syndication look like using a ‘formula’ to drive traffic. My approach you might call a ‘controlled exposure’.

Conclusion: Often our listings have up to 3x the views per day as competing listings.

More:

• Selling (33)
• Staging/Improvements (12)

• The Best Time Of Year To Sell A Home

• Selling a house: Sellers do you hurt the process?

• https://www.pinterest.com/realtynetworth/
• https://www.pinterest.com/realtynetworth/selling-property/

General:  SEARCHES  Map| Detailed | Lake

A buyer passively considers a move for about 6 months. Then, actively shops on average 30-45 days for a home. What does this mean? You’ll get lots of looks from that 1st group asap but they’ll never set appointments. Then, you’ll get a lot of appointments in the first few days – these are the folks that have been looking 30-45 days. After that, they will trickle in only with about 1/30th to 1/45th of the same interest as you had those first few days.

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“Wow, I got lots of showings but no offers!” Possible reasons: You are the ‘early house’ on a 3 home tour. The best is usually the last shown.

“Wow, I had a lot of looks online, but no showings!” Read on my friend…….

1. How long should property be on market?
   • You’re agent give you this info with the CMA report. It will differ based on season and how unique your property is. If you don’t give the agent a good amount of time to ‘develop’ the marketing, testing various approaches against each other, don’t expect their best in return.
2. How many ‘looks’ should I get?
   • Once the listing goes out to the public, its not just looks, but ‘lingers’ that you want. The back end stats will give your marketing expert details not seen out front. The magazine sites that purchase listing databases…they’ll show so some of this, but you won’t know who looked, motive, where they initially saw the offering, or why they are looking.
3. When should I be getting showings?
   • Online looks are a type of showing. Based on where they see your property and how/ where (online) they came to ‘look deeper’, they may or may not become physical showings. If you have a good number of looks from active marketing efforts – not just ‘lookey looks’ – you should have in person shows w/in 10% of the total marketing time being allowed (see #1).
4. When should I get offers?
   • After 7-10 showings or 25% of total marketing time being allowed.
5. What to do to expedite the process?
   • The more a listing MLS data  is changed, the more you’ll look desperate. Carefully consider whether quick sell or highest price is of more importance – from the outset – lest those ‘days on market’ and ‘price change’ details start to scream out. Bad: rushing to market w/o preparing the staging looks all over the inside/ decorative highlights on on the porches/ decks, etc outside/ and honestly setting a price … that you would pay to buy it back from the lookers that won’t place an offer.
6. When to reassess:
   • Depending on how highest goal: quick sell vs high price, usually reassessments are made at the intervals noted below:
     • If no showings: w/in 10% of the total marketing time being allowed. (eg: 180 days listing = 18 days)
     • If no offers: after 7-10 showings or 25% of total marketing time being allowed. (eg: 180 day listing = 45 days)
     • At each 1/3 of marketing time being allowed or every 30 days. See ‘More’ articles for ideas, but look at cleanliness, decor IN & OUT, pricing against comps. (eg: 180 day listing = 60 days)
7. More advertising will only hurt a listing making it stale and stigmatized if its not priced right and shows well … the first time.

MY HOUSE SOLD IN A DAY ~ IT MUST HAVE BEEN TOO CHEAP!

Seriously? One day one you had 6 months worth of lookers, 30-45 days of shoppers. If you 1. did your part to stage it, 2. the agent did their part to expose it with ‘a full deck of cards‘ on day one, and 3. you worked honestly together to nail down a price that is competitive, then this is your best expectation come to fruition.

OLD LISTINGS GET STALE AND SELL FOR LESS!

More:

• Selling (33)
• Staging/Improvements (12)

• The Best Time Of Year To Sell A Home

• Selling a house: Sellers do you hurt the process?

• https://www.pinterest.com/realtynetworth/
• https://www.pinterest.com/realtynetworth/selling-property/

General:  SEARCHES  Map| Detailed | Lake

Selling a house ? Its about 1 buyer, not ‘hits’, not ‘showings’. Meet & Discuss

• Pricing too high:
  • The big reason I use an in-depth approach model to a pricing range is because I feel is THE Most important aspect of the selling experience. Buyers have had their search app set to send them updates. Overprice and you’ll show up in searches of properly priced homes. ‘Days on market‘ ? What does this mean to you? No other brokerage uses our valuation model OR our approach to prevent the ‘stale’ listing.
• Fist impression:
  • Flowers, lawn, edging, lights (if eve). If it doesn’t draw the eye away from the next house, buyers have already started to look for reasons they don’t like the inside once they step through the door.
• Making the place ‘sell – ready’:
  • Selling a house, car, or garage sale items … dirty, and non-functional aspects are over emphasized the potential buyers mind(s). Clean and fix as if you are looking to buy it! This includes emptying storage areas and staging…without clutter. You’re not selling a candy bar – do the work, glean the $’s.
• The inspection, do it before the offer(s):
  • Sellers that won’t take my word for it should get an inspection up front. Why? You can present it as part of the marketing material and avoid the offers that try and hustle the seller after tying up the house with ‘nit pick’ things that you should have attended to before. Fix it, or disclose it before they write – thank me later.
• Taking feedback as a personal attack:
  • Why are sellers shocked that buyers also want the best deal? Its numbers. Lets update the valuation spreadsheet, then as dad said ‘tell them what you WILL do, not what you won’t’…. the house is sold, if you want to buy it back, state your price.

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Do those home sites make you wonder what you are getting.

• Lots of ‘hits’! Are they qualified buyers or just ‘photo surfers’?
• Lots of showings. Ready to act buyers? … or agents using your house to compare against?

Get:

• The data you need to make a big decision.
• ‘Drill down’ marketing to bring ones that really want your place (and will pay for it).
• ‘Property Specific’ (not plug-n-play):
  • Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that takes more than a few minutes. Most are very over-simplified. Zillow reviews.
  • Pre-listing ‘to do’ list.
  • Website that showcases your property ONLY without distracting ‘click-aways’.
  • Marketing using specific demographics & interests unique to your offering.
  • Videos of your property and area.
  • Your own portal space – 24/7 access.

Selling a house ? Its about 1 buyer, not ‘# of hits’, not ‘# of showings’.

Meet & Discuss Further

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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?
• 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!

Are you one of Michigan’s thousands of ‘car persons’ ? I’ve brokered for 3 decades and owned many classics myself.

If you’re a local, you’ve seen my office just down the street from Boomers Shark Club, home of the famous huge weekly car cruise-ins, or the Dream Cruise in Flint, or the Fenton Dream Cruise ‘tune-up’, or even in Brighton MI (below). If you’re a dealer, you’ve seen me all over the country at dealer auctions searching out sweet unique rides for clients.

As a local 30+ year real estate broker with loyal clientele & lots of hands on construction & car experience, I’m also great source of hot rod & other car related referrals.

Let me walk you thru your Buy/Sell situation knowing the value of a Great Car Space !

Bonus: Here’s some exceptional adaptive use spaces for Great Car Caves, Showcase Garages, Wrencher Spaces, and Daily Driver Comfort Zones. How do you rate them ?

My dedicated webspace for car lovers ! Great Car Caves – custom garage spaces in MI and FL

Good article on selling the `ol family home. Other houses are selling, yours isn’t – but why ?

At this point I’ll switch to a quote from the MI Assoc of Realtors magazine article: “….“See, it’s like this,” he says. “The house looks as if the Brady Bunch still lives here.” What he means is, the house hasn’t been updated since you and your siblings have moved out….”

If you haven’t heard it a million times:

• Neutral colors
• NO personal items on the counters/tables/walls
• Front door has fresh paint and lockset
• Bath and kitchen are updated
• Any storage areas 60% occupied at max
• Mow lawn/ wack down the shrubs/ fresh mulch/ and flowers
• Clean clean clean clean

Option #2: Empty the house of all but a minimal amount of furniture and discount it by 30-40% and let the buyers make the upgrades. Caution, the house still needs to be clean and mostly empty so they can easily evaluate or prepare to discount even further.

You’ve heard about “disclosure”… well, I believe that a Guest at an Open House needs to disclose if:

• They are only being nosy – looking for decorating ideas
• They’re hungry and looking for a cookie
• They need to use the bathroom
• They’re casing the joint  for goodies
• They have ever been, or intend to be, rapists, murderers or other deviants

How does your broker attract well qualified serious buyers? How are they screened once in your home. Are your ‘smart house’ tools up to date and your valuables out of reach?

A good start: use ‘ID verification’ and get ‘proof of funds’.