St. Augustine Real Estate Blog: Marketing Your Home For Sale

Marketing a house for sale is one of the most important jobs your real estate professional will do. Gone are the days where marketing consists of listing the property in the MLS system and putting a sign in the yard. However, we are not in a time where internet marketing alone will suffice. In order for an agent to be successful they must have a multi-level approach to marketing. This article contains marketing ideas that should be performed on your house in order to get your home sold for top dollar in as short a time as possible.

Photography. Most people in society are visual people. They have to see it. That is why all decent marketing should have photos. The photos must be good quality with great lighting. Some agents have the equipment and the skills to take their own photography. Most, however, do not. In those cases your home should be photographed by a professional photographer. Photography the home is the first step but photography should not stop there. If you live in a community that has amenities those should be included in the marketing.

Signage. Although this is not the only step, a sign should be put in the yard the day the property is placed in the MLS system. This gets the word out to neighbors that your home is on the market. This also makes it easier for buyers and buyer’s agents to find your home when they are looking for it. The only exception is if you live in a neighborhood that does not allow signs.

Websites. A property listed for sale should have many opportunities to be found online. One way is for the property have its own website. The website features should include information about the home for sale, along with high quality digital photos, map to the property, and a pdf download listing flyer, and information on the schools and city. The property website should also be optimized to show up in search engine keyword searches.

QR Codes. If you or your agent are going to be successful in marketing your home you must understand how to marketing to different generations. The younger generations, as a whole, are not likely to pick up a flyer. However, if you use features like QR Codes. Using a smart phone, you scan the code and it directs you to an area that provides more information on the property.

Print Advertising. Just as there are certain people in society that will not pick up a flyer, there are some that won’t know what to do with QR Codes and look for flyers. You must market to these people as well. Informational brochure boxes with flyers still have a purpose. At a minimum the flyers should include pictures and verbiage about the house. If the property has a website that could also be listed on the property. The agent should also make sure the box constantly stays full. Many agents put the box out and forget about it. An empty box markets to no one.

Another print advertising example are just listed cards. Many agents mail cards out to the surrounding neighbors to get the word out about your home being for sale. Many times neighbors will tell friends or family about homes for sale in their area so that they can “choose their neighbors”

Finally, there are plenty of publications that advertise homes for sale. In the Saint Augustine area these include but are not limited to Homes & Land Magazine, The Real Estate Book, and The St. Augustine Record. There are still a large number of people that grab these magazines or newspapers to look for homes. Good marketing should utilize these resources.

Virtual Tours. Virtual tours are not new. They used to be reserved for the million-dollar homes. This is not the case any more. Some virtual tour platforms are better than others. We recommend that your virtual tours contain high-resolution photography, a 360◦ degree view, music, and written information about the property.

Video Tours. Video tours are one of the new marketing techniques. YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine out there and for a long time it was not being utilized to sell real estate.

Syndication to Real Estate Websites. It's all about EXPOSURE!!! Since 82% of home buyers begin their search online make sure your property is syndicated to many of the major real estate searchable websites. Examples of this include but are not limited to REALTOR.com, Trulia, Zillow, etc. The property profile should include all the information included in the property website-many large photos, details and features, video tours, etc.

Broker Caravan. It is important to get your home in the minds of the real estate professionals in your area. A great way of doing this is for your agent to host a Broker’s caravan, breakfast, luncheon, etc. If an agent has seen the property, they are more likely to show it to their buyers. The best way to get agents to linger in the house is to offer food.

Open Houses. Not every home is suitable for an open house due to its location or other factors. If it is located near a high traffic area; however, the agent should host an open house. This will usually get the property advertised again. Also the agent should invite the neighbors.

Like with any business transaction, you want to know what to expect before you get started. If you are interviewing agents ask them how they plan to market your home. To go one step further, ask them for a written marketing plan. Team Johnson of Watson Realty Corp does more to marketing its properties than anyone else in our area. We provide written marketing plans that contain all of the activities mentioned above and include a timeline. More marketing means more exposure. More exposure can mean better deals, higher prices, and quicker closings. It also means back-ups when deals go south at the 11th hour. We hope you see this value and allow us to sell your property. For more information please contact us at 904-495-0146 or email us at teamjohnson@watsonrealtycorp.com