Marketing

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1% Donation to Habitat for Humanity Listing Program

If you bought a car, you could purchase a given model with selected features from any dealer.  Since the car comes from one assembly plant, it’s going to be the same whether purchased from dealer Smith or dealer Jones.  Homes are different.  Each is unique, the marketplace is always in flux, interest rates constantly change and new buyers search for homes each day as their needs change and life events direct them.  With such fluidity, it requires an experienced Broker to craft marketing plans specifically for individual homes and market conditions.

Selling can entail a variety of marketing strategies.  Once listed the home will be quickly entered into the RMLS (Multiple Listing Service) and placed on websites such as REALTOR.com, Homegain.com, Homes.com among hundreds of others.  At 2Portlandhomes.com we routinely market by mail with new-listing announcements and regular newsletters (although most recently we are trying to go paperless).  We also do Open houses, and give other Brokers access to the home via the use of a lock box.   Most importantly we  network with both local and out-of-town brokers to find a buyer suitable for your home.

Much of our work will be quiet and unseen, yet important.  The telephone calls, the work preparing contracts, the follow-ups with open-house visitors and web inquiries, conversations with ad respondents, the web postings and other outreach efforts are all part of the process required to sell a home.

At URBAN VUE we base our marketing efforts on previous transactions and ongoing research.  For instance, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), most people begin their home-buying process on the Internet.   So we dump a lot of time and expense into the internet.  NAR numbers also show that most households move within 10 miles of their current location while 20 percent move at least 50 miles.  Thus we focus on local networking and advertising most heavily, not forgetting to chase that 20 percent.

How to Market Your Home

If you look at a typical transaction you can see that there are five general areas where we can assist in the home-selling process.  And all of them are heavily based on our experience and knowledge.

• Preparation:  Before being placed on the market, homes must be in “show” condition.  We can explain what repairs and upgrades are required for individual homes which are most likely to produce the best results.

• Pricing:  We do more than price homes for sale, they also construct sale terms designed to speed the selling process.  It may be, for example, that a home priced at $150,000 with a 2 percent seller credit to the buyer at closing will be far more attractive to purchasers than a home priced at $147,000.  Why? That 2 percent credit is worth $3,000 to the purchaser at closing, the time when buyers are most likely strapped for cash.

• Marketing: We will execute strategies and programs to get the home sold.  Typically this includes placement on the local MLS and Realtor.com as well as related marketing, advertising and networking.

• Negotiation: We assist owners in the bargaining process, offering advice and counsel as offers are received and by working closely with legal counsel, tax specialists and inspectors as required.

• Closing:  Once a contract for the purchase of a home has been accepted, a series of inspections and checks are typically required to satisfy buyers and lenders.  We can help owners complete the transaction process by assisting with the many requirements found in a typical sale agreement.

How does your home show online? The Internet is the new Open House

The Internet is now one of the most important factors in real estate marketing.  The Internet has two important roles in the real estate selling process.  First, it is a “place” to view real estate.  The current consumer searches the internet trying to find home home listings and yours better stand out among the crowd.   At URBAN VUE we use professional photography and virtual tours to make your listing stand out.  Open house attendance is down as virtual tours allow consumers to pick through the competition and schedule showings based on what they see on the internet.

Equally important, the Internet offers new communication media.  E-mail and instant messaging give Brokers and consumers more opportunities to keep in touch.  You’ll want a broker who uses every cutting edge technology available to make sure that no lead slips through the cracks.  As the Internet evolves, more technologies and techniques will be introduced and will change how homes are marketed.   At URBAN VUE we will stay at the cutting edge of this technology.

For a complete Marketing Package please request an appointment.  We look forward to meeting with you!

Ask us about our :

1% Donation to Habitat for Humanity Listing Program