Listing and Marketing Your Home

Until this point, your REALTOR® has been researching, preparing, and compiling information and documentation to ensure that selling your home is a successful project that delivers a maximum return. Now it's time to take the process of selling your home furtherand actually place your home on the market and list it on the Multiple Listing Service.

This is where working with a REALTOR® really pays off. Your REALTOR® Even before your home is listed on the MLS, your REALTOR® and their team have already performed dozens of actions to prepare your listing to this point. These actions reflect the level of skill, knowledge, and attention to detail required for successfully selling your home and underscore the importance of having help and guidance from someone who completely understands the entire process.

In this selling your home post, we will take a look at the specific steps required for selling your home.From entering your home in the MLS Database to how your realtor will design a marketing strategy to build interest in your property, drive traffic to your online presence,and generate serious offers for your home.

Selling Your Home:Listing on the MLS Database

Once your REALTOR® has taken care of all the previous steps and tasks and gathered the proper documentation for the property file and property listing file, they will review everything with you. This includes their Curb Appeal Assessment and Interior Decor Assessment. They will provide you with their recommendations for selling your home, including preparing and staging your house. They will then list your home in the Multiple Listing Service Database. This process includes:

• Preparing the MLS Profile Sheet – your Agent is responsible for "quality control" and the accuracy of the listing data.
• They will then enter the property data from the Profile Sheet into the MLS database and proofread the listing for accuracy, including ensuring your property is properly placed in the mapping function.
• They will arrange to take any additional photos for upload into the MLS,or to use in flyers and other marketing materials. They will use this opportunity to discuss the efficacy of panoramic photography and video listings.
• Finally, they will add your property to the company's Active Listings and provide you with signed copies of the Listing Agreement and MLS Profile Sheet Data Form within 48 hours of listing your home.

Selling Your Home: Marketing Your Property

Once your home is listed on the MLS database, this is when the real work begins. Your REALTOR® is a marketing expert when it comes to selling property. A well-planned and executed marketing strategy is the key to attracting attention and interest for your listing. A poorly executed marketing plan can result in your home languishing on the market with little interest, little traffic, and no offers.

Your REALTOR® understands the market and has proven marketing strategies and processes that they will customize for your home. They will have already performed a detailed market analysis to determine the proper price for your home, and they will now prepare marketing materials to get the word out. Your marketing plan will include both digital and traditional components, and your REALTOR® will take the following steps:

• They will create print and Internet ads with your input.
• Prepare a property marketing brochure for your review.
• Prepare mailing and contact lists
• Prepare flyers and feedback faxes
• Generate mail-merge letters to the contact list.
• Mail out a "Just Listed" notice to all neighborhood residents.
• Arrange for printing or copying a supply of marketing brochures or flyers and delivering them directly to agent mailboxes.
• Reprint / Supply brochures promptly as needed.

Once they have prepared your home's marketing materials, they will next begin to distribute them through their company's networks, social media platforms, and company website and notify other agents. Your REALTOR® will take steps that include:

• Your REALTOR® will upload your listing to the company and agent's Internet site, if applicable
• Advise Network Referral Program of the listing.
• Submit Ads to the company's participating Internet Real Estate sites.
• Provide "Special-Feature" cards for marketing.
• They will provide marketing data to buyers coming through international relocation networks.
• They will also provide marketing data to buyers coming from referral networks.

Along with preparing and distributing materials, your REALTOR will place ads and maintain your home's Internet marketing strategy. As your property generates interest, they will continuously manage the marketing plan and monitor the results. Managing your campaign includes:

• Coordinating showings with owners, tenants, and other REALTORS®. They will return all calls and emails – weekends included.
• They will install an electronic lockbox with your approval and program it with agreed-upon showing times.
• They will regularly monitor and review comparable MLS listings to ensure your property remains competitive in price, terms, conditions, and availability.
• Your agent will convey price changes to all Internet groups and promptly enter any price adjustments into the MLS database.
• Review and update loan information in the MLS as required.
• Your team will also review the weekly Market Study to stay abreast of any broader market changes.
• They will maintain contact with buyer's agents sending feedback emails/faxes to them after showings.

Your REALTOR will keep you abreast of any and all developments. They will place regular weekly calls to you to discuss marketing and pricing. They will discuss feedback from showing agents to determine if changes will accelerate the process of selling your home.

Ultimately, your home's marketing plan will drive traffic, increase showings and spark interest in your property. All of this effort will generally lead to an offer, or in this current market, multiple offers which your REALTOR® will present to you.

In our next selling your home blog post, we're going to look at the steps your REALTOR® will take when offers are submitted and your home is placed under contract.