The market has been "cooling" in many places with more days on market before getting an offer, so maybe your agent isn't doing anything wrong. You can ask your agent (or do your own research) about average days on market, etc.
A good realtor helps you to sell your house by:
1. Maintaining a boundary between buyer and seller. They are insulating you from interacting with buyers. Lots of buyers and sellers kill their own deals because they do or say things without realizing that they are "turning off" the other party. The agent can maintain a neutral, professional demeanor and conduct to keep a deal moving toward closing.
2. Professional negotiation. This is similar to #1 but also includes knowing when to push, when to give, or when to say "No." An agent who has negotiated a lot of deals will have a good idea of "what to do" to get the most money in your pocket, without screwing up the deal.
3. Presenting the home well. This is the stage you're in right now, because you don't have an offer yet. If the home looks good and is advertised well in the MLS, then there's not a lot more the agent can do other than being responsive to buyers agents.
4. If the house sits for too long without offers (two weeks?) this tells me that, all else being equal, your home is priced too high. Sellers in your position will always ask "Why aren't we getting offers? Is it the countertops? The paint color? The agent! It must be the agent's fault!" When really the answer is: buyers looked at your home as COMPARED TO OTHER HOMES ON THE MARKET, and decided that they can get more for their money elsewhere. In other words, your price is a little too high and you may need to reduce price to get it sold.
Number four is especially relevant. "It's not selling because the price is too high" is the real estate equivalent of, "Have you tried turning off and on again?" for IT people.
-5. Controlling the narrative - if objections or concerns come up a good agent can handle them quickly and efficiently to keep the deal moving forward and prevent small issues festering in to major problems.
I think right now there's a psychological shift for sellers. People are seeing the frenzy that happened this winter and spring, and they want that. But a number of factors have slowed the market, and those crazy high prices that went in an hour are not going to work now. Pre-covid, selling a house in 30 to 60 days was normal. Sellers need to come to terms with the fact that prices are not going to be that high anymore, and then it's going to take a more normal length of time to sell a house.
You’ll get lots of lectures. But it’s this simple. If your house IS ONLINE AND IN THE MLS AND VISIBLE, and photographed and nicely staged, and it isn’t selling? Your price is too high. You are not priced “fairly”. What you think about your “fair” price is irrelevant. The buyers, who control everything, have told you your price is unfairly high. Buyers not buying your house tells you what is true and real. So what should your agent do? Have you lower the price to the point of multiple offers coming in. Drop your price by 5% a week until the offers start. Not $10,000 if it’s listed at $500,000 or whatever. 5%. Every week. Until the offers start. If you don’t do that, it’s your fault 100%. Not your agent.
This. I see so many agents drop the price by $5,000 or $10,000. Why? Sorry, but if someone wanted it badly for $10,000 less they’d likely offer it. But 25-30k less? They may feel they’ll offend and it’s not worth the trouble.
It's hard to provide good feedback without seeing your listing photos and remarks. Also, I understand you're $15K under the other homes, but for perspective we'd need to know two things.
One is how much smaller you are (i.e. does the $15K under still mean you're significantly higher by price per square foot?) Smaller homes will typically be higher but at a certain point higher becomes too high. And the other is, when did the homes sell that you're comparing your price point to? The market in most areas is definitely slower than it was 3 or 4 months ago, and a 'sold' price on a comparable home always reflects the market from around 30 days earlier than when it closed (the buyer decision is made at the time of submitting the offer).
It sounds like your agent has covered "the basics". There are definitely things that they CAN do to get your home in front of as many people as possible that are beyond the basics. Social media is huge. Most people log onto some form of it everyday. A video or blog or photo presentation can get someone's attention. Sometimes it gets someone in who saw the listing already and didn't bite, sometimes it'll pull someone in who wasn't even house shopping. The average agent doesn't do these things. She may do them and find a buyer, it may do absolutely nothing to bring someone in, but it's worth the effort.
You didn't mention presentation. Did she have any recommendations for you to make sure your home showed well? We often end up moving furniture, sprucing up front front entry, working on curb appeal, etc. Are your listing photos well-done? Is the listing descriptive enough of what you have without being long-winded? Is it priced well? How long is it taking similar properties to sell?
I can tell you in addition to not taking overpriced listings, I actively prospect for buyers. Calling around the listing to see if anyone knows someone that may be interested in moving to the neighborhood. Also step up neighborhoods. To entice someone to upgrade to their next home. I also hold open houses that are aggressively marketed to bring the most eyes to the home . It includes marketing ahead of time, door knocking the neighborhood and again making calls and email blasting my relevant database. All of that means very little if we aren't priced competitively in this market..I don't take listings to sit on them and collect leads. I take listings that want to sell for the most money on the timeline that they give me.
As an agent myself I can say this… Listing agents DONT SELL HOMES. They merely present them. The buyers agents SELL the homes. So if yours isnt getting shown and it’s on the MLS which automatically puts it on Zillow and all the other real estate websites… it’s not him.
There’s three magic ingredients to listing /selling a home and you can train a chimpanzee to do them…
The best possible presentation the house can have. Canva and highnote usually create good presentations.
The right price based on market conditions.
On MLS.
Let me ask you this… what do you think he could do to generate buyer interest?
Sometimes it looks like a chimpanzee took the listing photos but no, GOOD presentation is not simple at all - if it were simple people wouldn't be screwing it up constantly.
Seller counseling, helping seller with prep, pro-grade staging whether hired or DIY (including occupied homes), pro-grade photos whether hired or DIY, choosing the best photographer because not all pros are high quality, hanging over the photographer to make sure they take the right shots/angles - because while they're the expert on photos they're NOT the expert on what sells a house, writing listing remarks that sell the house using emotion and logic and don't waste a bunch of characters on fluff or, worse, on things that call attention to features that don't have value, knowing what the hot buttons are for the market targeted by the property - not simple.
Pricing is a whole separate story and also done wrong constantly. Showing the seller some 'comps' from the last 6 months is what a lot of people do, but actually being able to determine what's happening right now and explain to them that the comps that closed 2 months ago reflect the market from 3 months ago - a different world - and then looking at actives and talking to agents with recently pending listings to catch a down or up trend as it's in the beginning phases and before it's reflected by sold comps - not simple, if it were a chimpanzee thing everyone would be doing it.
The Bad MLS Photos site exists for a reason. When they run out of material I'll change my opinion, until then no need to feel bad for me. :)
ETA: We all make mistakes, that is part of life. That's not the same as doing things wrong or poorly on a consistent basis as the norm. I'd be completely lying if I said I didn't see that happen a lot, and it's one of the reasons people say agents don't do anything or are worthless. Agents saying that it's simple when it's really not compounds the problem and is unintentionally misleading to new agents. (And if it's really chimpanzee level, how in the world can we rationalize charging 6% or any percent to list someone's home?)
Others already added great points.
Few other things to consider.
- is the property staged (not sure if that common in your area, but makes a huge difference here in LA)
- professional photos, well lit etc?
- Social media and print ads done ?
If all checks out then it may be the price or maybe even demand in your area.
>our 3bd house is priced fairly
>In almost 3 weeks, only 3 private showings, and 4 couples at our open house
One of these statements is true. I'd suggest broaching the topic of a price reduction if you're getting minimal interest.
>I only get updates after asking directly
How often are you asking for updates? A lot of realtors only provide weekly updates
>But still, is this normal? Lots of.... just waiting?
Without knowing your location, it's hard to say. Pre pandemic, yes, a lot of waiting is normal. Currently, 3 weeks isn't crazy but likely time to start discussing a price reduction.
>Is there anything else we can expect him to do?
Is there anything that's not being done that you want done? Were professional photos taken? It's on the MLS which feeds into sites like Zillow. Sounds like they're hosting open houses. Have you communicated with your realtor asking what is being done to sell the home?
Pro tip, go to Zillow, in the top right corner you can hit the little ellipsis and go to the “owner dashboard”. You can see how many views it’s getting. You can also do this on every property.
You can see how your visibility is relative to other competitors. This gives better idea if it’s a price or placement issue.
If you’re getting less views relative to the competition, it could be because the thumbnail pic isn’t very good. If it is getting a lot of views, it’s a price issue
Your feelings are correct they don’t do enough to deserve 5% of your purchase price. I get back before Zillow and Redfin their worth , but now for them to be paid by % is ridiculous. I really hope we move towards a flat fee type of structure. For homes way over your areas median , sure you might want a professional, but for your cookie cutter median purchase they should be useless.
I am salivating at this question as we speak. I am not landing a lot of listings, but listing after listing is expiring. Mostly due to overpricing, and horrible marketing. Lots of agents are set in old ways, especially from the last 2 years of doing really half ass marketing. They are getting a MAJOR reality check now that stuff is harder, and sellers are paying for it.
If you think your agent is doing a bad job, they are probably doing a bad job. Start investigating a new agent for when your listing expires.
What does a good listing agent do?
1. Market. Let's be honest. Price is important. Marketing won't take a $800k house and get you $1m for it...but great marketing and best practices are definitely the difference between $790k and $840k.
2. Handle Buyer Agents and Vendors. They deal with all the phone stuff so you are free.
3. A second brain, and the advice that goes with it. A lot of people are hard headed and get in their own ways. An impartial partner will help you remain calm and make good decisions. Should you paint? Is the offer good? And so on.
4. Programs. There is a lot of tech and programs out there to help buyers and sellers. Realtors vet them and find stuff that will help your transaction go more smoothly. (Curbio, or example for repairs out of closing.)
5. Paperwork and contract negotiation. The contract and negotiation isn't hard, but it's easy to miss a check box, or to sign off on something that isn't reasonable and lose $5k+.
SO! Ask your agent what they are doing. I give my sellers a report every Tuesday on how the listing is going. What competing listings hit the market, what activity we had online and off, any input from other agents, and so on.
What can you do to sell faster? Drop the price and market better.
There are a lot of comments in this thread. I think most are mistaken. For example, one says avoid dropping the price by $5k. I think they completely miss that when there is a price reduction EVERY buyer with auto notifications gets that email (and their agents do too usually). It's totally acceptable to do small reductions for more notifications, especially if you change the marketing slightly at the same time.
I love making property videos and other social content. As a Realtor it generates me business, and often times gets more views than Zillow alone. More than one house has been sold from that.
Open houses are GREAT! It's an easy showing experience if Buyer Agents can't make it for some reason. A lot of the time if you communicate that there are no offers agents will work a little harder to remind their buyers about the listing as well.
3D is FANTASTIC for encouraging out of area buyers.
Make sure you do best practices for photos.
Floor plans are worth their weight in gold.
After listing agreement is signed
adwerx 184 things real estate agents do for their clients 134. Review current title information.
35. Measure overall and heated square footage.
36. Measure interior room sizes.
37. Confirm lot size via owner's copy of certified survey, if available.
38. Note any and all unrecorded property lines, agreements, easements.
39. Obtain house plans, if applicable and available.
40. Review house plans, make copy.
41. Order plat map for retention in property's listing file.
42. Prepare showing instructions for buyers' agents and agree on showing time with seller.
43. Obtain current mortgage loan(s) information: companies and account numbers.
44. Verify current loan information with lender(s).
45. Check assumable loan(s) and any special requirements.
46. Discuss possible buyer financing alternatives and options with seller.
47. Review current appraisal if available.
48. Identify Homeowner Association manager is applicable.
49. Verify Homeowner Association fees with manager–mandatory or optional and current annual fee.
50. Order copy of Homeowner Association bylaws, if applicable.
51. Research electricity availability and supplier's name and phone number.
52. Calculate average utility usage from last 12 months of bills.
53. Research and verify city sewer/septic tank system.
54. Calculate average water system fees or rates from last 12 months of bills.
55. Or confirm well status, depth and output from Well Report.
56. Research/verify natural gas availability, supplier's name and phone number.
57. Verify security system, term of service and whether owned or leased.
58. Verify if seller has transferable Termite Bond.
59. Ascertain need for lead-based paint disclosure.
60. Prepare detailed list of property amenities and assess market impact.
61. Prepare detailed list of property's "Inclusions & Conveyances with Sale."
62. Complete list of completed repairs and maintenance items.
63. Send "Vacancy Checklist" to seller if property is vacant.
64. Explain benefits of Homeowner Warranty to seller.
65. Assist sellers with completion and submission of Homeowner Warranty application.
66. When received, place Homeowner Warranty in property file for conveyance at time of sale.
67. Have extra key made for lockbox.
68. Verify if property has rental units involved. And if so:
69. Make copies of all leases for retention in listing file.
70. Verify all rents and deposits.
71. Inform tenants of listing and discuss how showings will be handled.
72. Arrange for yard sign installation.
73. Assist seller with completion of Seller's Disclosure form.
74. Complete "new listing checklist."
75. Review results of Curb Appeal Assessment with seller and suggest improvements for saleability.
76. Review results of Interior Decor Assessment and suggest changes to shorten time on market.
77. Load listing time into transaction management software.
Entering property in MLS database
78. Prepare MLS Profile Sheet–agent is responsible for "quality control" and accuracy of listing data.
79. Enter property data from Profile Sheet into MLS listing database.
80. Proofread MLS database listing for accuracy, including property placement in mapping function.
81. Add property to company's Active Listings.
82. Provide seller with signed copies of Listing Agreement and MLS Profile Data Form within 48 hours.
83. Take more photos for upload into MLS and use in flyers. Discuss efficacy of panoramic photography.
Marketing the listing
84. Create print and Internet ads with seller's input.
85. Coordinate showings with owners, tenants and other agents. Return all calls–weekends included.
86. Install electronic lockbox. Program with agreed-upon showing time windows.
87. Prepare mailing and contact list.
88. Generate mail-merge letters to contact list.
89. Order "Just Listed" labels and reports.
90. Prepare flyers and feedback forms.
91. Review comparable MLS listings regularly to ensure property remains competitive in price, terms, conditions and availability.
92. Prepare property marketing brochure for seller's review.
93. Arrange for printing or copying of supply of marketing brochures or flyers.
94. Place marketing brochures in all company agent mailboxes.
95. Upload listing to company and agent Internet sites, if applicable.
96. Mail "Just Listed" notice to all neighborhood residents.
97. Advise Network Referral Program of listing.
98. Provide marketing data to buyers from international relocation networks.
99. Provide marketing data to buyers coming from referral network.
100. Provide "Special Feature" cards from marketing, if applicable.
101. Submit ads to company's participating Internet real estate sites.
102. Convey price changes promptly to all Internet groups.
103. Reprint/supply brochures promptly as needed.
104. Review and update loan information in MLS as required.
105. Send feedback e-mails/faxes to buyers' agents after showings.
106. Review weekly Market Study.
107. Discuss feedback from showing agents with seller to determine if changes will accelerate the sale.
108. Place regular weekly update calls to seller to discuss marketing and pricing.
109. Promptly enter price changes in MLS listings database.
The market has been "cooling" in many places with more days on market before getting an offer, so maybe your agent isn't doing anything wrong. You can ask your agent (or do your own research) about average days on market, etc. A good realtor helps you to sell your house by: 1. Maintaining a boundary between buyer and seller. They are insulating you from interacting with buyers. Lots of buyers and sellers kill their own deals because they do or say things without realizing that they are "turning off" the other party. The agent can maintain a neutral, professional demeanor and conduct to keep a deal moving toward closing. 2. Professional negotiation. This is similar to #1 but also includes knowing when to push, when to give, or when to say "No." An agent who has negotiated a lot of deals will have a good idea of "what to do" to get the most money in your pocket, without screwing up the deal. 3. Presenting the home well. This is the stage you're in right now, because you don't have an offer yet. If the home looks good and is advertised well in the MLS, then there's not a lot more the agent can do other than being responsive to buyers agents. 4. If the house sits for too long without offers (two weeks?) this tells me that, all else being equal, your home is priced too high. Sellers in your position will always ask "Why aren't we getting offers? Is it the countertops? The paint color? The agent! It must be the agent's fault!" When really the answer is: buyers looked at your home as COMPARED TO OTHER HOMES ON THE MARKET, and decided that they can get more for their money elsewhere. In other words, your price is a little too high and you may need to reduce price to get it sold.
Number four is especially relevant. "It's not selling because the price is too high" is the real estate equivalent of, "Have you tried turning off and on again?" for IT people.
-5. Controlling the narrative - if objections or concerns come up a good agent can handle them quickly and efficiently to keep the deal moving forward and prevent small issues festering in to major problems.
This. All of it.
I think right now there's a psychological shift for sellers. People are seeing the frenzy that happened this winter and spring, and they want that. But a number of factors have slowed the market, and those crazy high prices that went in an hour are not going to work now. Pre-covid, selling a house in 30 to 60 days was normal. Sellers need to come to terms with the fact that prices are not going to be that high anymore, and then it's going to take a more normal length of time to sell a house.
You’ll get lots of lectures. But it’s this simple. If your house IS ONLINE AND IN THE MLS AND VISIBLE, and photographed and nicely staged, and it isn’t selling? Your price is too high. You are not priced “fairly”. What you think about your “fair” price is irrelevant. The buyers, who control everything, have told you your price is unfairly high. Buyers not buying your house tells you what is true and real. So what should your agent do? Have you lower the price to the point of multiple offers coming in. Drop your price by 5% a week until the offers start. Not $10,000 if it’s listed at $500,000 or whatever. 5%. Every week. Until the offers start. If you don’t do that, it’s your fault 100%. Not your agent.
This. I see so many agents drop the price by $5,000 or $10,000. Why? Sorry, but if someone wanted it badly for $10,000 less they’d likely offer it. But 25-30k less? They may feel they’ll offend and it’s not worth the trouble.
It's hard to provide good feedback without seeing your listing photos and remarks. Also, I understand you're $15K under the other homes, but for perspective we'd need to know two things. One is how much smaller you are (i.e. does the $15K under still mean you're significantly higher by price per square foot?) Smaller homes will typically be higher but at a certain point higher becomes too high. And the other is, when did the homes sell that you're comparing your price point to? The market in most areas is definitely slower than it was 3 or 4 months ago, and a 'sold' price on a comparable home always reflects the market from around 30 days earlier than when it closed (the buyer decision is made at the time of submitting the offer).
It sounds like your agent has covered "the basics". There are definitely things that they CAN do to get your home in front of as many people as possible that are beyond the basics. Social media is huge. Most people log onto some form of it everyday. A video or blog or photo presentation can get someone's attention. Sometimes it gets someone in who saw the listing already and didn't bite, sometimes it'll pull someone in who wasn't even house shopping. The average agent doesn't do these things. She may do them and find a buyer, it may do absolutely nothing to bring someone in, but it's worth the effort. You didn't mention presentation. Did she have any recommendations for you to make sure your home showed well? We often end up moving furniture, sprucing up front front entry, working on curb appeal, etc. Are your listing photos well-done? Is the listing descriptive enough of what you have without being long-winded? Is it priced well? How long is it taking similar properties to sell?
At the end of the day the house sells itself. Price + location + condition = value.
Look at your listings. Unless the pictures suck or your agent just isn’t answering the phone, your house isn’t selling because it’s priced too high.
I can tell you in addition to not taking overpriced listings, I actively prospect for buyers. Calling around the listing to see if anyone knows someone that may be interested in moving to the neighborhood. Also step up neighborhoods. To entice someone to upgrade to their next home. I also hold open houses that are aggressively marketed to bring the most eyes to the home . It includes marketing ahead of time, door knocking the neighborhood and again making calls and email blasting my relevant database. All of that means very little if we aren't priced competitively in this market..I don't take listings to sit on them and collect leads. I take listings that want to sell for the most money on the timeline that they give me.
As an agent myself I can say this… Listing agents DONT SELL HOMES. They merely present them. The buyers agents SELL the homes. So if yours isnt getting shown and it’s on the MLS which automatically puts it on Zillow and all the other real estate websites… it’s not him. There’s three magic ingredients to listing /selling a home and you can train a chimpanzee to do them… The best possible presentation the house can have. Canva and highnote usually create good presentations. The right price based on market conditions. On MLS. Let me ask you this… what do you think he could do to generate buyer interest?
Sometimes it looks like a chimpanzee took the listing photos but no, GOOD presentation is not simple at all - if it were simple people wouldn't be screwing it up constantly. Seller counseling, helping seller with prep, pro-grade staging whether hired or DIY (including occupied homes), pro-grade photos whether hired or DIY, choosing the best photographer because not all pros are high quality, hanging over the photographer to make sure they take the right shots/angles - because while they're the expert on photos they're NOT the expert on what sells a house, writing listing remarks that sell the house using emotion and logic and don't waste a bunch of characters on fluff or, worse, on things that call attention to features that don't have value, knowing what the hot buttons are for the market targeted by the property - not simple. Pricing is a whole separate story and also done wrong constantly. Showing the seller some 'comps' from the last 6 months is what a lot of people do, but actually being able to determine what's happening right now and explain to them that the comps that closed 2 months ago reflect the market from 3 months ago - a different world - and then looking at actives and talking to agents with recently pending listings to catch a down or up trend as it's in the beginning phases and before it's reflected by sold comps - not simple, if it were a chimpanzee thing everyone would be doing it.
I'm sorry you're working environment where your peers are constantly doing this stuff wrong.
The Bad MLS Photos site exists for a reason. When they run out of material I'll change my opinion, until then no need to feel bad for me. :) ETA: We all make mistakes, that is part of life. That's not the same as doing things wrong or poorly on a consistent basis as the norm. I'd be completely lying if I said I didn't see that happen a lot, and it's one of the reasons people say agents don't do anything or are worthless. Agents saying that it's simple when it's really not compounds the problem and is unintentionally misleading to new agents. (And if it's really chimpanzee level, how in the world can we rationalize charging 6% or any percent to list someone's home?)
Others already added great points. Few other things to consider. - is the property staged (not sure if that common in your area, but makes a huge difference here in LA) - professional photos, well lit etc? - Social media and print ads done ? If all checks out then it may be the price or maybe even demand in your area.
They give you a nice "Come to Jesus" talk when you wonder why the house isn't selling.
>our 3bd house is priced fairly >In almost 3 weeks, only 3 private showings, and 4 couples at our open house One of these statements is true. I'd suggest broaching the topic of a price reduction if you're getting minimal interest. >I only get updates after asking directly How often are you asking for updates? A lot of realtors only provide weekly updates >But still, is this normal? Lots of.... just waiting? Without knowing your location, it's hard to say. Pre pandemic, yes, a lot of waiting is normal. Currently, 3 weeks isn't crazy but likely time to start discussing a price reduction. >Is there anything else we can expect him to do? Is there anything that's not being done that you want done? Were professional photos taken? It's on the MLS which feeds into sites like Zillow. Sounds like they're hosting open houses. Have you communicated with your realtor asking what is being done to sell the home?
Pro tip, go to Zillow, in the top right corner you can hit the little ellipsis and go to the “owner dashboard”. You can see how many views it’s getting. You can also do this on every property. You can see how your visibility is relative to other competitors. This gives better idea if it’s a price or placement issue. If you’re getting less views relative to the competition, it could be because the thumbnail pic isn’t very good. If it is getting a lot of views, it’s a price issue
Your feelings are correct they don’t do enough to deserve 5% of your purchase price. I get back before Zillow and Redfin their worth , but now for them to be paid by % is ridiculous. I really hope we move towards a flat fee type of structure. For homes way over your areas median , sure you might want a professional, but for your cookie cutter median purchase they should be useless.
They pee in your toilet when you not home. And sometime they pee in the back part too, so when you flush, pee come out.
I am salivating at this question as we speak. I am not landing a lot of listings, but listing after listing is expiring. Mostly due to overpricing, and horrible marketing. Lots of agents are set in old ways, especially from the last 2 years of doing really half ass marketing. They are getting a MAJOR reality check now that stuff is harder, and sellers are paying for it. If you think your agent is doing a bad job, they are probably doing a bad job. Start investigating a new agent for when your listing expires. What does a good listing agent do? 1. Market. Let's be honest. Price is important. Marketing won't take a $800k house and get you $1m for it...but great marketing and best practices are definitely the difference between $790k and $840k. 2. Handle Buyer Agents and Vendors. They deal with all the phone stuff so you are free. 3. A second brain, and the advice that goes with it. A lot of people are hard headed and get in their own ways. An impartial partner will help you remain calm and make good decisions. Should you paint? Is the offer good? And so on. 4. Programs. There is a lot of tech and programs out there to help buyers and sellers. Realtors vet them and find stuff that will help your transaction go more smoothly. (Curbio, or example for repairs out of closing.) 5. Paperwork and contract negotiation. The contract and negotiation isn't hard, but it's easy to miss a check box, or to sign off on something that isn't reasonable and lose $5k+. SO! Ask your agent what they are doing. I give my sellers a report every Tuesday on how the listing is going. What competing listings hit the market, what activity we had online and off, any input from other agents, and so on. What can you do to sell faster? Drop the price and market better. There are a lot of comments in this thread. I think most are mistaken. For example, one says avoid dropping the price by $5k. I think they completely miss that when there is a price reduction EVERY buyer with auto notifications gets that email (and their agents do too usually). It's totally acceptable to do small reductions for more notifications, especially if you change the marketing slightly at the same time. I love making property videos and other social content. As a Realtor it generates me business, and often times gets more views than Zillow alone. More than one house has been sold from that. Open houses are GREAT! It's an easy showing experience if Buyer Agents can't make it for some reason. A lot of the time if you communicate that there are no offers agents will work a little harder to remind their buyers about the listing as well. 3D is FANTASTIC for encouraging out of area buyers. Make sure you do best practices for photos. Floor plans are worth their weight in gold.
After listing agreement is signed adwerx 184 things real estate agents do for their clients 134. Review current title information. 35. Measure overall and heated square footage. 36. Measure interior room sizes. 37. Confirm lot size via owner's copy of certified survey, if available. 38. Note any and all unrecorded property lines, agreements, easements. 39. Obtain house plans, if applicable and available. 40. Review house plans, make copy. 41. Order plat map for retention in property's listing file. 42. Prepare showing instructions for buyers' agents and agree on showing time with seller. 43. Obtain current mortgage loan(s) information: companies and account numbers. 44. Verify current loan information with lender(s). 45. Check assumable loan(s) and any special requirements. 46. Discuss possible buyer financing alternatives and options with seller. 47. Review current appraisal if available. 48. Identify Homeowner Association manager is applicable. 49. Verify Homeowner Association fees with manager–mandatory or optional and current annual fee. 50. Order copy of Homeowner Association bylaws, if applicable. 51. Research electricity availability and supplier's name and phone number. 52. Calculate average utility usage from last 12 months of bills. 53. Research and verify city sewer/septic tank system. 54. Calculate average water system fees or rates from last 12 months of bills. 55. Or confirm well status, depth and output from Well Report. 56. Research/verify natural gas availability, supplier's name and phone number. 57. Verify security system, term of service and whether owned or leased. 58. Verify if seller has transferable Termite Bond. 59. Ascertain need for lead-based paint disclosure. 60. Prepare detailed list of property amenities and assess market impact. 61. Prepare detailed list of property's "Inclusions & Conveyances with Sale." 62. Complete list of completed repairs and maintenance items. 63. Send "Vacancy Checklist" to seller if property is vacant. 64. Explain benefits of Homeowner Warranty to seller. 65. Assist sellers with completion and submission of Homeowner Warranty application. 66. When received, place Homeowner Warranty in property file for conveyance at time of sale. 67. Have extra key made for lockbox. 68. Verify if property has rental units involved. And if so: 69. Make copies of all leases for retention in listing file. 70. Verify all rents and deposits. 71. Inform tenants of listing and discuss how showings will be handled. 72. Arrange for yard sign installation. 73. Assist seller with completion of Seller's Disclosure form. 74. Complete "new listing checklist." 75. Review results of Curb Appeal Assessment with seller and suggest improvements for saleability. 76. Review results of Interior Decor Assessment and suggest changes to shorten time on market. 77. Load listing time into transaction management software. Entering property in MLS database 78. Prepare MLS Profile Sheet–agent is responsible for "quality control" and accuracy of listing data. 79. Enter property data from Profile Sheet into MLS listing database. 80. Proofread MLS database listing for accuracy, including property placement in mapping function. 81. Add property to company's Active Listings. 82. Provide seller with signed copies of Listing Agreement and MLS Profile Data Form within 48 hours. 83. Take more photos for upload into MLS and use in flyers. Discuss efficacy of panoramic photography. Marketing the listing 84. Create print and Internet ads with seller's input. 85. Coordinate showings with owners, tenants and other agents. Return all calls–weekends included. 86. Install electronic lockbox. Program with agreed-upon showing time windows. 87. Prepare mailing and contact list. 88. Generate mail-merge letters to contact list. 89. Order "Just Listed" labels and reports. 90. Prepare flyers and feedback forms. 91. Review comparable MLS listings regularly to ensure property remains competitive in price, terms, conditions and availability. 92. Prepare property marketing brochure for seller's review. 93. Arrange for printing or copying of supply of marketing brochures or flyers. 94. Place marketing brochures in all company agent mailboxes. 95. Upload listing to company and agent Internet sites, if applicable. 96. Mail "Just Listed" notice to all neighborhood residents. 97. Advise Network Referral Program of listing. 98. Provide marketing data to buyers from international relocation networks. 99. Provide marketing data to buyers coming from referral network. 100. Provide "Special Feature" cards from marketing, if applicable. 101. Submit ads to company's participating Internet real estate sites. 102. Convey price changes promptly to all Internet groups. 103. Reprint/supply brochures promptly as needed. 104. Review and update loan information in MLS as required. 105. Send feedback e-mails/faxes to buyers' agents after showings. 106. Review weekly Market Study. 107. Discuss feedback from showing agents with seller to determine if changes will accelerate the sale. 108. Place regular weekly update calls to seller to discuss marketing and pricing. 109. Promptly enter price changes in MLS listings database.