Monday, October 7, 2024

Sell Faster

    Think back to 2006. You may remember hearing about the launch of a new social media platform, Twitter. However, you most likely didn’t because it came with little fanfare.

    Posts to the social media platform were dubbed “tweets,” and tweeters were limited to only 140 characters at that time.

    Does that remind you of anything?

    As you know, each MLS has a limit on how many words (or characters) agents can use in the public-facing listing description. We attempted to determine the average word count restriction, but couldn’t. 

    Unless you write professionally, listing descriptions can be challenging to craft. But they don’t have to be if you follow a few simple rules.

    The anatomy of a listing description from a buyer’s point of view

    It’s common knowledge now that most house hunters turn to the internet for their initial search. 

    It’s also well known that these buyers won’t look at a listing that doesn’t include photos (2011 ocular tracking study E.V. Williams Center for Real Estate, Old Dominion University).

    That study showed us that homebuyers overwhelmingly scan the listing photo first and spend the most time doing so. They check out the property description next.

    The agent’s listing description was the last item they were interested in perusing, and 20 percent of the homebuyers studied didn’t bother reading them.

    Because of this, the researchers claim that listing descriptions are unimportant. 

    Did they miss the fact that 80 percent DID read the agent’s listing description?

    This is an important statistic for listing agents to concentrate on when writing the listing description.

    Use your words . . . strategically

    When asked by Shakespeare’s Polonius what he was reading, Hamlet replied, “Words, words, words.” 

    What he was reading, obviously, was meaningless. Words with meaning, on the other hand, are powerful and can actually help sell a home.

    We don’t advocate outright lying in a listing description, but Spencer Rascoff and Stan Humphries beg to differ:

    “Bottom-tier homes described as luxurious tend to beat their expected sale price by a whopping 8.2 percent.”

    They go on to claim that if your listing’s value is “$110,000, but your listing includes the keyword ‘luxurious,’ you could pocket an extra $8,965.”

    Additional money-making words from their study include:

    • Captivating
    • Impeccable (listings in the lower price ranges that include this word sold for nearly 6 percent more than the list price)
    • Stainless (a 5 percent bonus if your low-priced listing has stainless steel appliances and you incorporate that info in the listing description)
    • Landscaped
    • Granite (no surprise here, right?)
    • Remodeled
    • Beautiful
    • Spotless

    Check out the rest of the list at Zillow.com. Be aware that the list is a bit old, but some of these trends still exist, such as granite (or quartz) countertops. Research is your friend.

    Sure, brilliant listing descriptions aren’t that critical in the current market. But, markets change and often do so on a dime. Keep the aforementioned information in your back pocket and pull it out when homes aren’t selling as soon as listed. And, remember,  adjectives, apparently, are money-makers.

    Sprinkle liberally for a brilliant listing description.


    PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

    1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

    Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here

    2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

    The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

    3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

    The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

    4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here


    Work smarter instead of harder

    Working hard to get a listing is the first step toward a commission check. In some markets, you may work just as hard to get the listing sold. (By the way, if you’re in need of more listings, send out postcards from our Get More Listings Series they’re great at driving new listings).

    In reference to getting your current listings sold, did you know you have 8 seconds to make a great first impression on a potential buyer who has just stepped foot into your listing? This is according to Barbara Corcoran.

    Counseling your clients on how to prepare the home for the market is a given. But we all know that many homes need more than a good cleaning and thorough decluttering.

    This is when the home stager is worth his or her weight in gold. Taking a home from ho-hum to drop-dead appealing is the magic that sells homes for the most money the market will bear.

    Notify Them The Time is NOW (Available in “Get More Listings” postcard section)

    Read on to learn how to find this magician and the important questions to ask before recommending a stager to your listing clients. 

    Where to find stagers

    Seems like a no-brainer, right? Just enter “home stagers in [your city] into your favorite search engine’s search box.

    But there’s more to it than that. Just as you hope your real estate clients will interview more than one agent, you should have at least three stagers (more is better) to compare. And, the best place to look for them is right there in your office – your colleagues.

    Find out which agents in your office use stagers in their real estate business and then make note of who they use. The beauty of this type of referral is that your colleagues did the heavy lifting when vetting the stagers.

    All that’s left for you to do is a bit of sleuthing and then interview them to determine if they’re a good fit for your business.

    Stalk that stager

    Visit each stager’s website to find their portfolios. Remember, if they’ve posted something on their site for all the world to see, they are most likely presenting what they consider their best work.

    Try to determine if each stager has a preferred niche. For instance, some specialize in staging vacant homes or condos. Others may have a preferred part of town.

    Then, check each candidate’s ranking at Yelp.com and their information at the Better Business Bureau.

    Get Them Calling YOU (Available in “Get More Listings” postcard section)

    Interview time

    When you’ve come up with a list of promising prospects, give each one a call to set up an interview. Here are some ideas of what to ask during the interview:

    1. Ask about rates, especially whether or not the stager requires a consultation fee.
    2. Ask for the address of one or two of their currently staged properties so that you can visit before the interview.
    3. Get a list of the names of other agents they’ve worked with.
    4. Does the stager have a niche? If you, as an agent, practice in a niche, this question is quite important. Luxury agents, for instance, should look for luxury home stagers.
    5. Ask the stagers which areas of town they primarily work in. This is important information since knowledge of the neighborhood’s target audience is critical.
    6. Does the stager use the homeowner’s existing furniture or does he or she have a warehouse with everything needed?
    7. How long does the average staging job take?
    8. What is required of the homeowner pre-staging?
    9. What is the average DOM for the stager’s clients? Is this over or under the average for the market? And, the average list-to-sales price ratio of the company’s staged homes?
    10. Ask if the stager is insured and if you decide to hire him or her, get a copy of the insurance certificate.

    Regardless of the incredible customer service you provide your clients, regardless of your impeccable reputation, it takes only one lazy, shoddy, or dishonest vendor to ruin it. Not only is it important to take your time when interviewing vendors, but to consistently follow up on their work.

    Call your clients to find out how the job is going. Follow up after completion to get an idea of how it was working with your vendor. Never remain loyal to a vendor after receiving negative feedback.

    It’s your reputation on the line.

    Let Them Know You’re the Area Expert Agent (Available in “Get More Listings” postcard section)

    Send at least 100 Activity in Your Neighborhood postcards from our Get More Listings Series to an area where you want more listings.
    Then get your stager lined up and ready for the flow of new listings coming your way.

    Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

    PLUS: When you have time…here are 4 free ways we can help you have an INVINCIBLE 2019!

    1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here 

     

    2. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

    Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan  – Click Here

     

    3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

    The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

     

    4. The Free Online ROI Calculator

     Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

    Also…check out these game-changing tools!

     Three Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

    MLSmailings.com – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

    Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand & achieve 20% market share

    Want to Refer a friend or colleague? Refer them, Here. THEY get a Free $25 Gift Card and YOU become their hero. BTW, you also get a $25 Gift Card too (now that’s what I’m talking about)!

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