A good marketing plan is an important component of selling a home and will help drive your home's value. Your agent's marketing plan should be tech savvy and have a time-frame for implementing the various components.
Photographs, Virtual Tours and Videos
Your real estate agent's marketing plan should start with professional quality photographs. These photos will be included in almost every aspect of the plan. Some agents have high-quality cameras with wide lenses, and are trained to take photos of your home. Others find it best to hire a professional real estate photographer. Tech savvy agents also include drone photo shots or videos of your home. Video tour demand is exploding. One can set your listing apart from other listings as they have a real life feel and are more personal. Make sure yours includes narration.
The Multiple Listing Service & Website Presence
Be sure that your real estate agent is a member of his local multiple listing service (MLS.) The MLS is an online service where agents from most local companies search for properties for their buyers. When your home is listed in the MLS it is also posted to Realtor.com and other top real estate websites. They include Zillow.com, Trulia.com and Homes.com among others. Your agent should post your listing on their company website and personal website as well. Your agent should be sure to include many photos, the virtual tour and the video in the MLS and on websites. The MLS and websites are the first place your home's listing should be marketed.
Virtual Open Houses
According to Realtor.com, more than 95% of buyers search for a home online before they hire a real estate agent to show them homes in person. The first weekend that your home is on the market, your real estate agent should host a live, virtual open house on an online platform such as Facebook. They should save and post the video to the MLS and other websites.
Email Drip Campaigns
An email drip campaign can be a very effective marketing tool. Your agent should create a flyer with photos and information about your home and email it to their "sphere of influence", in other words, their pool of potential clients. Their "sphere" should also include other agents in their office, agents from other companies in the area, local attorneys, mortgage brokers, title company personnel, home inspectors and other people in the real estate industry.
Electronic Contracts and Signatures
Technology can also make the "sale & closing" of the transaction easier for all parties involved. Your real estate agent should have the contract and disclosures in the MLS for agents to easily fill out electronically and submit to them. Electronic signature programs, such as Docusign, are also a convenient way to get the buyer's and seller's signatures on all of the documents.
Tech savvy marketing programs are an important part of the home sale process. Marketing homes in their best light can lead to keeping you home value and price high.
