Marketing Your Home
You may have noticed that most of our website is geared toward home buyers rather than home sellers. This is intentional: statistics show that over 70% of home buyers are finding homes on the internet. The best service that we can provide to a listing client is to bring buyers to the table.
When you list your home with Terry Ross, your home will be marketed according to a deliberate and comprehensive marketing plan. We direct our marketing efforts toward those tools that maximize results for you.
Our Role in Marketing Your Home
Your home’s comprehensive marketing plan will start with the following elements:
- Internet, internet, internet. This is the number one way that home buyers are finding homes now. Therefore, our marketing efforts are geared toward getting your home where the buyers are–and that’s the internet. Putting your home on the Multiple Listing Service with high-quality photos is of vital importance. That listing will translate into your home appearing on any MLS-sharing website with Middle Tennessee listings. How do we know photos are important? We’ve had buyers tell us that’s what sold our listing–the photos on the internet.
- More internet. We don’t just put your home on the MLS. We highlight your home on our own website, where we direct traffic through a number of means. We regularly post your home on internet classifieds like Craigslist, Trulia, Yahoo! classifieds, and others. As a result of our internet efforts, we have several hundred active home buyers seeking out our listings and our website each month.
- Direct mail. We make a point to include seller listings in our general direct mail pieces, and have invested in the equipment necessary to print high-quality mailings that can highlight our clients’ homes. For an example of our direct mail, click on the Ross Report link to your right.
- Home brochures. The same equipment that allows us to have high-quality full-color direct mail pieces also allows us to customize some of the most eye-catching home brochures you’ve ever seen.
- Open houses. An open house means that you’ve got to vacate the premises, but it’s an important enough tool that we encourage our clients to schedule open houses. During the busy time of the season, an open house can generate “buzz” about your home in a way that other forms of marketing cannot. Combined with an appealing home brochure, you’ve got a traveling message regarding your home once you’ve had guests to your open house.
- Yard and directional signage. Ask any real estate agent what is the most effective way to get buyers to call, and nearly all will tell you that the yard sign is the powerhouse. Our bright orange yard signs are eye-catching and attractive. You can’t miss it!
- Marketing to other agents. Oftentimes other agents find your home through the MLS listing. However, the MLS is not the only sales tool that a real estate agent should be using! Direct emails and person-to-person communication are key tools we use to market your home to other agents.
- Marketing to out-of-state investors. One “niche” market in Middle Tennessee are out-of-state investors looking to capitalize on our booming real estate market. We have experience working these deals and have marketing campaigns in place to reach this demographic of buyers. How does this niche help you? Investors frequently can close more quickly on properties because they are more financially prepared for the transaction.
- Inter-office marketing. One of the advantages of listing with the one of the most experienced independent brokerages in Rutherford County is the opportunity for inter-office marketing. Weekly staff meetings and brochure posting generates buzz within the office, which leads to even more buzz outside the office.
Our mission in marketing your home for sale is to put your home where the buyers are!
Your Role as #1 Team Member
You are our #1 Team Member in the marketing of your home. We’ll need you to commit to an aggressive home-selling plan of action in order to achieve the highest price in the shortest amount of time. Here’s what you can do to make sure that your home will sell for top dollar:
- You will help to maintain the property in the best condition possible. We’ll let you know what it means to have a “Show Ready” property. This responsibility continues all the way until close of escrow.
- You will make the property available for showing at all reasonably requested times. A lock box generally increases showings.
- You should always provide easy access to the property. (Action Homes will always have keys, tenant names if applicable, and contact telephone numbers.)
- For best results, you will remove all four-legged pets from the premises during the listing period in order to sell your home for the most money in the shortest time frame. If this is not an option, we will discuss the limitations on showings and safety measures that must be taken to protect your pet.
- You will make sure to get business cards from all cooperative agents that show the property and return them to our office.
- You should notify our office immediately if any sales material becomes depleted or damaged.
- If your property does not sell within 40 days, and our marketing efforts have been fulfilled, then we need to discuss staged price reductions thereafter.
- You agree to speak with Terry the moment a concern arises.
- You will take steps to market the property to all friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and acquaintances. If any interest is developed through these contacts, you will notify Terry Ross immediately.
- You will notify the agent immediately if any circumstances such as liens, lawsuits, refinances or changes in marital status have occurred since the ratification of the listing.
- You will contact Terry Ross if another agent solicits the listing at anytime.
- You will contact Terry Ross if a change in your motivation to sell occurs.
- You agree to inform the agent of any violations in city, county, state, building, fire or health codes.
- You will inform the agent of any building permit inadequacies.
- You will keep the agent informed of your itinerary when traveling.
- You will not rent the property unless the tenant is aware of all showing and sale procedures, and has agreed to same.
- You agree to promptly provide any operating, utility or loan statements upon request.
- You will not discuss the property with the buyer.
- You will not negotiate the property without the agent present.
- You will return phone calls immediately.
- You will keep the agent informed of any adverse financial problems that effect the property.
- You will keep the agent aware of all physical changes to the property during the listing.
- You will pay for a termite report prior to the sale of the property.
- You will not remove real property from the premises. (Ask if you do not understand the difference between real property and personal property.)
- You will notify agent of any other owners that have any interest in the property.
- You will leave a Power of Attorney with a trusted representative upon leaving town.
- You will vacate the premises on the agreed upon time.
- You will have a voice-recording answering machine/voice mail to take messages.
Our goal is to make this a profitable experience for you!
How to get started? Call Terry at 500-8250 and request a listing appointment. You’ll sit down and go over the local market pricing and help decide upon a strategy for pricing and marketing your home. This is a great time for you to ask any questions you may have about the listing and selling process. If you’re looking to buy another home, feel free to share your criteria and we’ll assist you with that as well.
