I pinched the idea for this post from the Phoenix Real Estate Guy (who has a great blog about Phoenix real estate) because it echoes my thoughts exactly on real estate agents who for unexplainable reasons do a crap job of listing homes on the MLS. Let me point out that pretty much every home buyer/seller I’ve come across for a while now knows their home is (should be) all over the Internet. So if you don’t already know that you should. Numerous home search sites pull their data directly from the MLS listing service, so whatever your agent inputs in that including photos, will show up on these sites and it’s what potential home buyers will see when they get a notion to surf the web at 2 a.m. looking for a home to buy.
Therefore, your agent needs to make your MLS listing absolutely stellar. This includes a comprehensive description of your home’s best attributes (side note: space here is very limited, so your agent can only write so much – kind of like a tweet – and this is why your home should have a personal website, as well as a custom made sign that allows the agent to go into depth regarding your home’s description) PLUS photos.
Buyers like to see lots and lots of photos. I’ve sold mobile homes where the buyers wanted tons of photos so don’t think that just because your house may not be in the high value range that you don’t need lots of photos.
What you need to do as a home seller, who is paying an agent to sell your home, is ask to see the MLS listing or look for it on realtor.com or zillow.com or any of the other popular sites that pull from the MLS feed and see what it looks like.
You need to demand good pictures and lots of them – the DAY it goes on the market. Not the next day, not in 3 days, not next week. Today. Put yourself in your buyer’s shoes – would YOU buy your house if you saw it on the Internet?
You also need to make sure the description of your home reads well. Again, there is very limited space so you need to make the most of it. Make sure it highlights the best assets of your home and describes attributes that will make buyers want to check out your house further.
Make sure it includes as many details as the MLS will allow – in the metro Denver area we are allowed to include a listing of what the HOA fees include, room dimensions, model of home, roof material, type of heating, and details such as whether or not the home is pet and/or smoke free, has air conditioning or a dishwasher and so on. Demand that your agent fill ALL of these things out. I love it when sellers actually write down a list of things for me to include that way I don’t have to keep going back and asking.
When home sellers start demanding outstanding customer service from their agents, that’s when their agents will start to deliver it. You’re paying good money to have your home sold, you should get the very best service possible.
And yes, I’m proud to say that I’m one of those agents. I take my contractual responsibilities to my sellers and buyers very seriously and work hard to ensure that I give them the best work possible. When I list your home you get my honest opinion as to whether or not you should even be selling your home at this time or wait until the market improves, what you’ll need to do to make sure your house sells as quickly as possible and for as much money as possible, a personal website for your home (including pictures galore, video, a map to your house, area attractions and so on), and a custom made sign for your yard. I also return any calls and emails from potential buyers immediately. If you have a home in the north metro Denver area that you are thinking about selling give me a call at 303.887.1883 and let’s talk about it.
