An ultimate pet peeve of mine in Real Estate is lazy listing agents. Beyond the legally required minimum standards, there is a slew of things your Realtor should be doing for you to set you up for success when listing your property for sale. The best Realtors take pride in their work, are invested in their clients, and know what it takes to get a deal done. Below are just a couple key points that will help you make sure you have found the best Real Estate agent to list your property:
Importance of Pictures
prioritizing listing photos
The best realtors know your first showing is online.
This is where it all begins! People are visual! The best realtors know that your first showing begins online, where buyers see your property on websites and apps they most frequent while searching. A good agent will make sure your property looks its BEST when advertised. Professional photography is a MUST. Smartphones or novice photographers cannot get the quality that a professional can. Your agent should make the small investment of a couple of hundred bucks, including staging and virtual staging for empty properties or investors. Great agents know that the better your home looks, the more showings you have, the more buyers you get through your door, the better the chance for offers and a done deal!
Advertising is Key
Advertising is key!
In advertising, it’s important to let the images do the visual talking while agents supplement it with information that cannot be shown by pictures.
The best Realtors know how to properly position a property in the market and advertise it to potential buyers. In advertising, it's important to let the images do the visual talking while agents supplement it with information that cannot be shown by pictures. Buyers can already see that there are granite counter tops, so a great agent will let the pictures do their job while they add in selling points such as top-rated school districts, proximities to highways, or other features that cannot be seen through a camera lens. In addition to this, the best Realtors will know who your intended buyer is, and market to them! Are millenials taking over your neighborhood? Then your agent should be focusing most of their advertising on social media. Is everyone moving in and having kids on your block? A great agent will make sure to focus on how great the local parks are in your property's advertisement.
Extra Steps to Get It Done
There are extra steps in a Realtor's practice that can help clients better achieve their Real Estate goals when selling. The best Realtors know these tricks of the trade and work hard to go the extra mile. Prompt and regular communication is key as updates about market activity, feedback, and potential interest need to be timely. Attending the appraisal is also a habit that great real estate agents have to help appraisers do their homework and assure the home valuation will meet your lender's requirements. In addition, the best listing agents will filter and evaluate all of the offers and buyers for your property, making sure all are qualified and have solid contracts. Great agents know that these and other extra steps make or break deals.
It's Their Career
Great realtors have full careers in real estate. They are not part-time, it's not a side job, and they aren't just showing up to earn a paycheck. Just like any other career or professional, the best agents take their experiences, training, and skills to achieve long term goals. When listing a property, client satisfaction and successful transactions are an absolutely integral part of their career. The best Real Estate agents are fully vested in their Real Estate practice.