An important question to ask and the answer is vital, is "how will people know my home or land is for sale?" That question in and of itself should be answered with a confident and extended answer by the agent. Lets address, exposure. Exposing and marketing real estate can be done in a number of ways... the internet, local advertising in newspapers, radio ads, national advertising in magazines and other prints, email blast, direct mail plans, social media and the list goes on. That said, any medium used must be used strategically and effectively in order to get the most exposure for your commission dollar. A website must have the ability to be found by the masses of potential buyers otherwise, it is like an ad in the middle of a 1000 page book... you know the ad is in there, just not sure where.. you may stumble on it or you may not. A website that is not optimized is nothing more than a business card floating in orbit. Make sure when you interview potential agents that you ask, "how can someone find my property on the internet?". A truly effective website is designed to be found in queries and to attract viewers. Additionally, the use of multiple websites and portals are necessary in order to reach deep into the internet and attract potential buyers for your property. In my company, we employ nearly 200 sources of internet advertising. We are fortunate to also have access to an internet specialist "in house" who continually fine tunes our web strategies, tweaking the sites to garner the most specific results needed to attract traffic and potential buyers. Our site gets thousands of visits weekly.. not hits, visitors who spend an average of nearly 20 minutes per visit. Now on to print advertising. Local advertising is important, especially to find a local buyer. However, after exhausting the exposure locally, whats next? That's why local, regional, and national print advertising is a major component of any real estate marketing plan. True, you may find a buyer quick among the immediate population with an ad in the local newspaper. Yet, in order to expand your reach, it is necessary to advertise in other media sources, such as major newspapers and targeted magazines. This tool opens your property exposure up to millions. Instead of fishing in a population of say 10,000 people, you fishing in the millions. Our affiliation with United Country Real Estate gives us the ability to advertise in publications such as Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Mother Earth News, and hundreds of other strategically chosen publications.. plus we advertise in United Country's own colorful, award winning, national and internationally distributed magazines. While interviewing an agent, ask them specifically where they intend to advertise your property so you'll know the amount of exposure you can expect. The combination of internet and print advertising, if used correctly, should generate interest in property, now the all important, how does an agent handle the lead from there? As a result of the internet and national advertising, its not uncommon to have a buyer from across country. Our company has completed transactions with buyers from across the globe, so knowing how to conduct a transaction is equally important. Ask the agent, "how many real estate transactions have you handled?" As an affiliate of United Country Real Estate, we have access to a tool titled "Confidential Buyers List", in that database is 300,000 potential buyers who have contacted United Country and indicated what type of property they're looking for, how much they would like to spend, what area they are searching in and other specifics. We are able to take our listings at Michael & Associates and search for a match. This is a very unique and results driven tool that none of my competitors are able to offer. Which leads me to my next point. Direct mail. It is important to ask, during an agent interview, "what do you do to attract people to the area?" If they can't provide an answer, then you know that you have limited your exposure population down to the immediate region. Yes, agents can "piggy back" off of other agents marketing, but why chance what is probably your most valuable asset to chance? I can't stress the importance of getting answers to key questions while interviewing agents. Yes, personalities are important in business relationships.. your best friend may be a real estate agent, but when it comes to selling your property, are you looking for personalities or are you looking for results? While many agents offer a sign, a newspaper ad, and a prayer..we offer a well blended buffet of advertising tools, effective marketing, experienced agents who have handled hundreds of transactions and who know the logistics of real estate. We have placed our marketing strategy on our website so you can see what we have to offer, visit www.gounitedcountry.com, click the "attention sellers" button and review our extensive listing presentation. Compare it to other agents listing plans and at the end, compare "apples to apples". It should be an easy decision of whom to entrust your property. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, I hope you find it educating and that it brings clarity to your decision process. I am happy to answer any real estate questions you may have, feel free to contact me at my office at (843) 537-0286 or on mobile at (843) 910-0929 or email me at tonyamichael@gounitedcountry.com, or visit me at Michael & Associates United Country Real Estate at 165 Market Street, Cheraw, South Carolina.. across from town hall.Visit these links for additional information:
Thinking Of Selling
How To Choose An Agent
Media About Lifestyle Seekers-Why To Advertise Nationally
Reasons Why United Country Is Effective
