Selling a home seems to be a common occurrence that takes place at least once in most individual's lives. This exciting transaction is also a very stressful one where you as a seller, are faced with many tough decisions. This is where you need to rely on the knowledge and experience of a licensed professional, your Agent. Let me just say, not all real estate agents are created equal. Now this is not where I break out into a huge "good agent vs bad agent" rant because I believe that different clients have different needs and there is an agent for everyone. What this blog post is about is asking the right questions for your needs as a client and not just choosing someone because they are your friend or family member. Below you will find things to consider when choosing your next Agent.
In this era of digital marketing and social media, agents literally have free advertising at their fingertips. Putting a listing in MLS, popping a sign in the front yard, and relying on your brokerage's website to promote your client's listing is the minimum your agent should be doing to market your home sale. When interviewing an agent during a listing presentation you should consider whether they will provide "out of the box" ways to gain your listing that increased exposure and secure a speedy sale at fair market value.
Open houses and a broker's open house to introduce the property to the local agents is always a great place to start. Broker open houses can be a little standard, so having an agent who might come up with a great theme to better represent the features of a particular property would definitely make the listing stand out. This could also result in keeping it top of mind for those agents to present to potential buyers. People do not forget a great event!
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Youtube are a fabulous ways to gain engagement from your buying audience. An agent should have their own active pages as well as have a brokerage that has an active social media presence. This allows for a much larger audience beyond just one group of page "likes". Static images, 360 videos, live videos are such an extra special way to capture attention to your listing. Live videos specifically offer the ability for viewers to feel like that they are touring the property without leaving the comfort of their home. They can even ask questions during the live feed. This is particularly important in a vacation home market like Port Aransas, because most of our buyers are at a distance.
Professional photo and videography; this is super important! Is your agent using a professional photographer that has the ability to make your space look it's best or are they using their Iphone? Professionally filmed videos with voice over content talking about all the features of the property and it's location will really allow a potential buyer to know that this is a property of interest to them by watching a video that is under 60 seconds in length. Pretty phenomenal approach if you ask me!
In summery, make sure the agent you select is going to go above and beyond for you and your property. It's great that they have been an agent for 30 years and have incredible knowledge of homes in the area however if potential buyers aren't seeing the listing, how will this equate to a quick offer or even multiple offers? Times are changing and so is this real estate industry. Go with an agent that checks all the boxes and can provide you the best support, incredible marketing, and will bring home a sale that you are thrilled about!
