To Market We Will Go: How I Will Market Your Home.
My objective is to produce maximum exposure for your property, bringing in as many qualified buyers as possible so that you
obtain the highest dollar for your property with the least amount of disruption or difficulty to you.
Here are four very special things I will do that most agents won’t:
- Have your home professionally photographed. I will be spending a great deal of money to present your home in the most
visually appealing way possible. Not only will beautiful photos be posted on the web and in your advertising, but I will have
a virtual tour produced which can be viewed online, and will also pay to have photo CDs produced as take-aways for agents
and their clients.
- Prepare beautifully written, full-color Property Statements for distribution at open houses. This is one of my strong suits,
and I can promise I will make your home look better in print than anyone else you might choose. I believe it is vitally
important that the printed presentation of your home reflect its unique style and essence. (You’d be surprised at the typo-
laden, poorly written statements some agents produce!)
- With your permission, I would like to host a “special event” open house for brokers, agents and their clients, such as a
5-7 p.m. wine reception. Few agents go to this expense, but I believe it sets your property apart and will help give it the
“cachet” it deserves. This is a great opportunity to let agents spend more time in your property than they would in a typical
two-minute broker’s tour, and people love having a chance to bring their clients to an event.
- I will be available! Many of the agents you may interview employ assistants who do much of the important work on your
property, including preparing marketing materials and holding open houses. I do everything myself, because, well, I am a
control freak with very high standards! You are paying a lot of money to have your house sold, and I believe that
compensation requires my personal attention to all the details, large and small. I will provide you with the best service, bar
none.
Marketing a home properly involves many steps. Here are a few of them:
- Input property data on MLS computer and submit to the real estate board. (Office “exclusives” limit exposure and do not test
upper limits of the markets. Whoever you choose, be sure they put your property in the MLS immediately!) Information
about your property will be included in the Multiple Listing Service database. Over 97% of sales in our S.F. market occur
through the cooperation of the brokerage community. I maintain excellent relations with other agents in the Bay Area and
my reputation as a top agent lends credibility to my listings.
- Internet exposure is key! We find that many buyers in today’s market do much of their research on the internet. At www.
paragon-re.com your property will have its own separate and personalized web page with color photos and a description.
Your property will also be linked to www.Realtor.com, the most searched real estate website in the country. The public also
will have direct access to the San Francisco Association of Realtors MLS website at www.sfarmls.com. The MLS will give a
description of your property and will feature numerous photos.
- Deliver property statements and advertisements to the mailboxes of all of the agents in San Francisco’s major real estate
offices. This is another way to notify and continually remind the brokerage community that your property is available.
- Place a “For Sale” sign on the property. Signs are one of the most effective tools in marketing your property. People driving
in a particular area and looking for a home will respond to a sign. A buyer immediately knows two important things about
your property: where it is, and what it looks like.
- Mail information to immediate neighbors. Often your neighbors have friends and relatives who have asked to be kept
informed about property available in the area. These contacts could very well provide good prospects for selling your
property. With your approval, I will also send personalized open house invitations to neighbors.
- Conduct “Broker’s Open House” tours which are held each Tuesday. This gives agents the opportunity to preview your
property in order to describe it with authority to their clients. On occasion brokers will bring clients with them. Repeat broker
tours also serve as a reminder to the brokerage community that the property is still available.
- Seek buyers through my personal referral and buyer networks, i.e. ongoing “badgering” of Realtors I see regularly and on
tour as well as clients and friends. Many of my best qualified buyers are families and individuals I have dealt with before or
people they have referred to me who are ready to make a purchase for any number of reasons.
- Mail publications with property advertisements to prospective buyers.
- Provide classified advertising support for every open house. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Sunday Open House guide
serves as the foremost guide to buyers in our marketplace. Again, I will spend far more than most agents in advertising.
- Advertise in local real estate home buyers’ publications. We find that agents, as well as the public, read local magazines
for recent listings. These include:
- Real Estate San Francisco. A widely distributed full color magazine with distribution points throughout the Bay Area
via drops to freestanding news boxes, real estate offices, grocery stores, public transit stations, and hotels. 1,000
reprints are also provided to me to disseminate as handouts and/or direct mail pieces.
- Real Estate Times. A similar full color publication with slightly different, equally thorough distribution. This
publication tends to be larger, with a focus on properties located south of California Street. 1,000 reprints are also
provided.
- I will personally call the agents known to do business in your neighborhood to notify them of your property’s availability if
they did not come to see it at the first broker tour.
- With your permission, pre-arranged weekend open houses will be scheduled. This will give maximum exposure of your
property to all purchasers.
- Conduct “by appointment” showings. These are the showings that will most frequently result in an eventual sale. These
buyers have generally been “pre-qualified” by their agent as to price, location and the special features of the home and are
coming specifically to see your property.
- Follow-up with all agents who have shown your home for their response and feedback their clients may have.
- Follow up with agents who are showing other available listings for whom your property may be a good candidate. Continual
phone calling of agents I know doing business in this neighborhood to remind them of your property’s availability. Doing a
large volume of business allows me the unique opportunity to “switch” buyers from one candidate to yours and to capitalize
on my knowledge of agents who have shown competing properties.
- Keep track of potential buyers and maintain an ongoing relationship with former clients. In addition, we are continually
calling on corporations and executive search firms. All of these activities produce an excellent source of prospects for your
property.
- Provide you with periodic status reports, including buyers’ reactions to your property. These reports will give us an
opportunity to continuously evaluate our marketing strategy and adjust it as may be appropriate.
- When offers are presented, I will be present to advise you, help you obtain the best possible price and terms, and develop a
clear and binding contract. I will also assist you in determining when it may be necessary to consult your attorney or tax
advisor.
- Make sure that buyers are qualified and knowledgeable about available financing alternatives. I am well trained in these
matters and will be able to answer any questions that may arise.
- Many details must be attended to before a sale becomes final, including inspections, loan papers, contingency removals,
and insurance and escrow details. I will carefully follow through on all of these matters to keep everything proceeding on
schedule.
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