Real estate sales tips – What the most successful Realtors do to sell quickly and for top dollar.
Real Estate Sales Tips from the Pros: How the Best Agents Sell Quickly for Top Dollar
If you’re a realtor, your most pressing goal is always to sell a property quickly and to get the most money possible for that sale. The most successful Realtors have a system and a process in place to make this happen. There are a lot of little details involved in making a sale, but there are four areas that stand out above the rest. In this series of real estate sales tips, we take a look at the process that the most successful realtors use to sell their homes quickly and for top dollar.
Get the best professional pictures
One of the most effective sales strategies and the top of the list of our real estate sales tips of course has to do with real estate photography. Don’t be tempted to do it yourself on photography. You may have a great semi-pro camera or an iPhone with incredible editing software, but that could be the single biggest mistake you make in trying to sell a home. Pictures make the first impression of your property, so if your pictures don’t wow the viewer in the first 8 seconds that they land on your page or ad, they won’t keep looking. They simply move on to the next listing. Having a poorly lit image or one that looks anything less than professional tells potential buyers that you do not put the most effort into marketing your listings and maybe cut corners in other areas.
When a highly successful realtor decides on who to use for professional photographs they do not settle for mediocre. The best realtors use only the best real estate photographers. Your photographer should have an impressive portfolio with images of properties that could easily be magazine images from a modern home and garden magazine. A photographer with such a portfolio will also have several years of experience working in the real estate industry. Experience is important because not only do they know exactly how to take images that highlight the best features of a home, but they also know and understand the language and needs of a real estate agent.
Katie Dorr, Realtor from Northern Virginia, shares: “While most of us have a phone with a camera, we are not professional photographers! Knowledge of angles, lighting, and camera equipment are hallmarks of a true professional photographer, and these things allow them to make your home really ‘pop’ in photos. Given that the average attention span of a person is eight seconds (a goldfish is nine seconds), great photos to capture the attention of potential buyers is a must! Even an amazing photographer cannot hide, nor should they, what a house really looks like.”
Another benefit of using an experienced and notable real estate photographer is that you may end up with a photographer that is also able to load your photos directly onto your listings. Some may even be able to set up a website for the property you’re selling, which is a marketing practice that tends to distinguish the seasoned pros in real estate, from the struggling agents. A highly-experienced real estate photographer can also provide extra services, such as drone photography, virtual tours, floor plans, and video walk-throughs. These extras elevate your listing above the numerous other listings that you are competing against.
Price it right
Exceptional realtors know the importance of pricing the property right. Studying comps and doing a market analysis of the area is the first step to coming up with the right sales price. Price it too low, and you’ll lose money right off the bat, price it too high and it could sit on the market, making it harder to sell as time passes.
“It needs to be priced right,” says Katie Dorr. “With so much information available online, buyers are well-informed. Having a realtor conduct a comprehensive market analysis is imperative to pricing your home where buyers will be motivated to come take a look and make an offer.”
If you’re pricing your properties right, they will sell quickly, which will, in turn, lead to more clients contacting you to list properties.
Spend money on marketing
Gone are the days of putting a listing in the local newspaper and calling it a day on your marketing efforts.
“With effective marketing, there will be more potential buyers who see the home. Effective marketing starts with attractive, professional photographs,” says Katie Dorr.
Marketing now involves ensuring you have a website, a strong social media presence, networking with other businesses, and direct mail marketing. The internet is where 93% of home buyers begin their search for a new home. What kind of image do you present online? How does your social media profile look? You should have active accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at a minimum. You want your images and taglines to be shareable and attention-getting, but not too always aggressively selling. Getting friends and colleagues to share your social media posts will boost the number of people that see your listing and who potentially come to see the property.
Boost curb appeal
Katie Dorr shares, “A house that presents as neat, clean, attractive, well-maintained, and inviting is sure to pique buyers’ interest more than one which lacks curb appeal and is in need of repair. Homes with curb appeal also tend to sell more quickly — and for more money — than those that don’t.”
It’s well worth the buyer’s interest to spend a little money to spruce up the front landscaping and overall appearance. Just like looking online, if a potential buyer pulls up to a property and sees something that looks run down or uninviting, they’re likely not going to step through the door and look any further. Don’t forget the little details. Be sure if they have a mailbox it’s attractive and well kept. Garage doors should be free of dings and scratches. The front door can be a deal breaker, as well. Be sure to jot down your impressions, as a realtor, of your impression of a home when you visit it for the first time. The things that stand out to you as missing or in need of attention are what will stick with your potential buyers.
These four real estate sales tips are keys to the strategies that top realtors use to move their homes quickly and stay successful. If you put these above all else, you will be ahead of the curve when you list your properties.
Katie Dorr is an award-winning Realtor in Northern Virginia, with Move4Free Realty. You can contact her directly via email for your real estate needs.
Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography
571-207-7282 757-348-3402
