Showing posts with label how to sell a home. Show all posts

Friday, February 1, 2013

I Have a BS in Marketing (and I will use it to Sell YOUR Home!)

I have always found it amusing to have a B.S. in Marketing. On my resume, I work hard to avoid the humor by extending to a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Marketing from but for short is a BS in Marketing.

However, marketing is not BS…especially when selling a home. Marketing IS the key to a fast sale at the best price.

What can good marketing do?

Bring in Buyers
Create Interest
Generate Offers

A strong marketing plan is more than listing a home in the MLS and putting a for sale sign in the yard. When I market a home, I analyze the property to discover its unique selling features. What is IT that sets this home apart from the rest? Sometimes these features are obvious but not always. But one thing is for certain, every home has an angle that will make it desirable to buyers. Once that angle is discovered and positively exploited to a home sellers advantage, the buyers (and offers) come in.

The unique selling feature will be different for every home so it would be impossible to list every example here. A lakeshore home will focus on the lake, fishing and wildlife while an acreage home may be marketed for its privacy, wildlife and gardens. Of course each home will have some features, whether it is a new remodel or well-priced fixer upper. It is an art to find that special feature to sell a home. And, that is my very favorite part of marketing single family homes. Working with a seller to define what makes their home special and together we design a plan to market their home.

Keep in mind there are some things that even good marketing cannot do.

Marketing cannot sell an overpriced home. Getting the price right is still imperative.
Marketing cannot save a hot-mess. Whether your home needs paint, repairs or just a good old fashioned cleaning, you don’t spiff up the house a bit, homebuyers won’t see the potential.

Home sellers are responsible for preparing the home to obtain the best possible outcome. If you want to sell as-is without additional work, that’s okay. But then agree to price the home appropriately making PRICE is the unique selling feature. Yes, even a fixer-upper deserves to be marketed.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

How Invested are YOU in Selling Your Home?

When a home owners contact a REALTOR® for a market analysis, they often have a myriad of questions to ask me as their potential agent about what I can do to get their home sold. They want a person with a good, solid track record of getting a home sold quickly and for the best price possible. This is what I want too and it does take a good strong marketing plan. One key to the process is when I work with a motivated home seller who is on the same page with me and who asks, “What can I do to make my home appealing to a buyer?” And even if the home seller doesn't ask, I will work the topic into the conversation. There is nothing worse than trying to represent an apathetic or reluctant home seller.

If a homeowner doesn’t want to do the work and partner with me to get there home sold, it will be an uphill battle to the closing table. It is imperative for a home seller to be totally invested in the home selling process. And this starts even before the home is listed on the market.

Steps to being an INVESTED Home Seller!

Preparation—Having the home freshly painted, cleaned and staged are essential before the home is listed. Special touches really do add a welcoming touch like a seasonal wreath on the front door. Dust free vents, spotless floors, cobweb-free ceilings and light fixtures do make a difference.
Pricing—Listen to the advice of experts when it comes to setting the price. Don’t go by an old appraised value or what your dad said he would ask for your home. Unless Pops is a real estate professional, it is best to stick to the market statistics to come up with your list price.
Presentation—Interior and exterior appeal should be optimized for each and every showing. Beyond clean and staged, light a fire in the fireplace, place a plate of warm cookies on the counter and make a potential homebuyer feel welcome!
Availability—Allow buyers in! Don’t say no to a showing unless it is absolutely necessary. Sometimes relocation homebuyers are just in town for a limited time and make their decision based on the homes they see that day. If you refuse a showing, you might miss out.

A potential home seller really wants and needs for their listing agent to be invested in getting their home sold quickly. But all the marketing in the world cannot get a home sold if the homeowner isn’t invested in getting the home sold too!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Selling a GEM in a pack of Diamonds in the Rough—PRICE isn’t the ONLY way to Sell an Anoka County Home!

Selling an Anoka County Home

You have a beautiful Anoka County home you need to sell. It is not a short sale but you know you will be competing with them, as lender mediated and bank owned properties are scattered from Blaine to East Bethel and back again. Selling an Anoka County Home shouldn't be difficult but it can seem like very real estate website you visit, the agent is a short sale expert. But you want a REALTOR® that can market your home to stand out from the pack because YOUR home is not a diamond in the rough…It is a shimmering gem that should attract buyers who are buying the dream, not the price.

Such is the dilemma of the traditional seller in today’s market; How do you find a REALTOR® to make your home stand out from the pack?

That’s my job.

See when my colleagues were learning about selling homes short and negotiating with banks, I took the classes too. But also realized the regular guy, who didn’t have a hardship that will qualify him to sell at a discounted rate or didn’t need to jeopardize his stellar credit score, might NEED to move. Relocation; Marriage; New Baby; Retirement and other life changing events bring traditional sellers into the real estate market. These sellers need to move but in order for the home to sell it needs MARKETING.

When I was in college studying for my business administration degree in marketing, the 4 P’s of the marketing mix were drilled into my head: Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. These aspects work together as a part of a successful marketing plan. However many short sale and foreclosure focused agents have started to care only about PRICE. Their PRODUCT is distressed and frankly, PLACE is location so there is little that can be changed about that for any part of the real estate sale. So in order for the traditional seller’s home listing to stand out and get sold, you must find an agent who can focus on PROMOTION.

That’s where I come in…I have been in sales and marketing for nearly 30 years and successfully selling homes for over a decade. In this changed real estate market, I continue to get homes sold for traditional sellers and help them move on to their next stage in life. Sure we still need to PRICE the home correctly, but I do not ignore the marketing dimension.

And you don’t have to just take my word for it, take the word of my sellers. Here is just a sample of the thank you notes and testimonials I have received from happy clients.

“After a period of internet research, I was impressed by the type of feedback you were giving everyone on selling their home.

You were straightforward, honest, down to earth and extremely hard-working. The fact that you were able to sell our townhome in the worst market in decades speaks volumes about the way it was marketed.

Teri, we couldn’t have chosen a better person to work with us. We were very pleased with the attention and effort you put into selling our townhome. Thank you. Thank you. Thank You!” Brian and Dawn O. of Chaska, MN

“Thanks again for your excellent work to sell our lake home despite the difficult economic situation!” Maggy and Robert Z. of Tarpon Springs, FL

“Teri—We really appreciate all you have done to make our dream a reality! We will give all of your friends & family our highest recommendation to use you in the future!” Sherry and Adam M. of Oak Grove, MN

"Teri had previously sold one of our homes and was our first choice when we were looking to find a new home.Teri was able to help us navigate the current unstable real estate market and went out of her way to help us.” Cheri and Denny L. of Apple Valley MN

If you need to sell your home in this changed real estate market, consider working with a REALTOR® that understands all aspects of the marketing plan. I will work hard to get your home SOLD so you can move on to your next step in life.