Many have asked me how I would alter my narrative moving forward so that I clearly message exactly what I do. Here is a thought. In the 'old days' I may have sent out a message to the world - either via social media, a mailing, a newsletter, etc - boldly claiming: "SOLD IN 3 DAYS!" I showed an image of the property, maybe the price, and not much else. As of today, I plan to modify this message to convey what it took to make the sale happen and provide more context and detail.
This Home Sold In 3 Days. WHY?
1. I met and spoke with the owners multiple times many months before listing their home to fully evaluate markets, valuation and timing considerations
2. I spent many weeks preparing the property to show it at its very peak, including repairs, painting, staging.
3. Prior to listing the property I photographed, did videography, and floor plans. I gathered all the disclosures, wrote the description, cross-checked all the data.
4. I ran an inspection of the property to ascertain any major repairs required.
5. I ran a 'coming soon' campaign to allow some early exposure and also help evaluate our pricing aspirations.
6. I advertised via digital, print and social in a carefully structured marketing and advertising campaign.
7. I distributed the listing globally via multiple aggregators and the MLS systems.
6. I did extensive market research, evaluating which properties we were competing with and exactly how ours compared.
7. I priced strategically to attract the most qualified, real buyers and bidders. The price was designed to encourage bidding and see value, knowing others would probably bid too, thereby fueling urgency.
8. I held an open house on Sunday to make the perfect first impression by highlighting something specific to this property
9. I evaluated multiple bids, ran a 'best and final' and helped the sellers navigate which offer was in their best interests.
10. Post contract signing, I scheduled inspections, appraisals, etc.
11. One outstanding permit required the assistance of an expeditor who we have worked with for years, pre-screened and reliably efficient.
12. The inspection revealed some moisture issues that required us to negotiate a dollar value via bidding as a closing credit.
13. The property closed 7 weeks after the contract had been signed.
14. The entire process took about 4 months of work, yes even though it was on the market for just 3 days...
15. Now closed, my work continues, being available to all involved for all real estate related matters 365 days of the year.
While everyone is captivated by a headline, people equally love a story. Each marketing effort has a story to tell. We know these stories are often long and complicated, much more so than the headline. Maybe it's time to tell the full story, or most of it, to inform the world exactly what we do, not that glammed-up stuff that has tarnished our reputations unnecessarily and only benefited a handful of agents?
Maybe this is the dawn of a new era where substance and context enter our over-messaged world whereby headline volume is replaced with real substance of real value to the recipient.
