This service is only available to real estate agents through their brokerage. The MLS® or Multiple Listing Service, is a database of all the homes for sale through licensed agents. Details about your home will be available to other agents and the public searching for homes in your area, in the range of your asking price. After the contracts needed to register your home on the MLS® are completed, I as your agent can move on to other important tasks. All of these are part of my extensive marketing plan andwill be discussed when we meet.
Schedule Showings
In order to sell quickly and for the most money possible, prospective buyers will need the most flexible access to your home so they can view the home when they have time. In a Seller's market that is not the most crucial item, but in a Buyers market, this is it. Access. Individual showings are the best way to let people see how great your home really is. However, in a fast Sellers market, open houses are the best way to go.
As the market changes constantly, there are a lot of nuances that an experienced and alert agent like mystelf recognizes quickly to make the neccessary adjustments in marketing your home to keep your home competitive and at the top of the minds of all agents.
In preparation for showings, it is customary for the Listing Agent to provide an information sheet. This is a one page synopsis of your home that highlights lot size, room dimensions, features and upgrades as well as other MLS® information. Prospective buyers receive these sheets at Open Houses or showings and often refer to it while viewing your home. When it comes to creating a memorable information sheet, not all agent sheets are created equal. I really like to wow my clients and start by creating a full Property Book that features your home, the Title, PDS, strata documentation and anything else a potential buyer may inquire about. This book is made available at all showings and open houses, and is a very useful tool when it comes time for offers--everything is already right there! I also scan in all the information so that I can e-mail this information to prospective buyers immediately.
About Open Houses: There are many opinions on Open Houses, but in my years of experince, I find they often lead to a sale especially in a Seller's market and in a shifting market. Sometimes it can be tracked directly, other times its is not so obvious. For example, looky-loos stop by and tell their friends, who tell their agents who come back for a second viewing and then make an offer. Sometimes it's neighbours who stop in out of curiosity, and a few weeks later a buyer appears having heard about the property through the 'grapevine'. Its a numbers game and my job is to get your home as much positive exposure as possible. Open houses are great way to reach a wide audience while your home is a HOT property.
About Showings: When a Buyer Agent has a client who is interested in your home, they will call your agent to make an appointment. If you are lucky, you will have time for any last-minute tidying, but since quite a few showings come up last minute, be prepared to accomodate such inconveniences and keep the home looking its best. At a showing, I will tour the prospective buyer(s) through the home and complex (if strata). As I mentioned before, I create a Property Book and this will be made available to the Buyer Agent and his or her clients at the showing. This book will answer many questiosn the buyers may have about the property or complex.
Warning - If anyone ever contacts you directly for a showing, ALWAYS take their name, number and find out how they heard about the property being for sale. Do not engage in conversation as you could be giving them valuable information that could work against you without realizing it. Just call me with the information and I will be happy to follow up. There are many strange people out there, please, never let anyone into your home without a pre-arranged appointmnet. It is a standard industry practice that all lead calls come through your agent. The public knows it, and we know it. So, if someone contacts you directly, be polite but on guard.
Under The Microscope?
It's all about first impressions from now on. Is your condominium suite or house clean and organized? Is there an odour? Stale cooking? Garbage? Pets? This is the time to wear the Buyer's shoes. It is not easy to be objective. Talk to me in the early stages, when you are just starting to think about the idea of moving. There are a lot of things I can suggest that might save you a few steps and a bunch of money to get you there. I have the expertise, the connections to get your home ready to shine.
The Marketing Program
Now that we have covered the MLS® contracts, showings, open houses and prepared the home for sale, it is time to let me go to work. In the next few days after listing, I will be very busy processing the paperwork, gathering relevant listing documents and launching the marketing plan. We will have already worked out a convenient communication schedule and you should hear from me shortly with an update on what has been completed so far. Again, my "What I do to get your home sold" information sheet becomes a great tracker for my clients at the this stage. From here on out, we will be in touch quite regularly to discuss the progress of your property's resale. When I have generated an offer, things will really heat up, so hang on and get ready!
Negotiations
Negotiating offers will be handled with the utmost care and always will be my first priority. My client's bottom line and best terms are the main criteria for me when approaching an offer. Although other agents may come to present us with an offer, I will make sure that we have plenty of private time to openly discuss the situation, the terms and conditions as well as the various options and consequences that will present themselves. Each offer and situation is very different and my many years of experience will really pay off for you during this crucial time frame. I always take the time to make sure you understand all aspects of the offer so that you can make the best decisions possible. These few hours are the most improtant times spent during the entire listing and sales period and should not be hurried.
