How I Can Help You Sell Your Home
If you are thinking about selling, know that homes are still going under contract quickly and Arlington remains a strong seller’s market despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Why should you sell your home with me? Because my proven Get It Sold SystemTM sells homes 3-1/2 times faster and for top dollar! On average, the homes I list sell in 6 days, while the average for other agents in Northern Virginia is 22 days1. And, the longer your home sits on the market, the lower the sales price.
I won’t just put up a For Sale sign in your yard and enter your home in the local multiple listing service, I will work closely with you to craft a custom sales and marketing strategy that is uniquely suited to your home. To do this I focus on five critical factors:
- Safe Selling
- Strategic Pricing
- Staging To Sell
- Superior Marketing
- Savvy Negotiation
1. Selling Your Home Safely During The Coronavirus Pandemic
First, and most importantly, we will work together to sell your home as safely as possible. I am adapting my home selling process in many ways, including using:
- Virtual meetings
- Live video walkthroughs
- Remote or drive-through closings
Here’s an outline of the process to sell your home that includes strategies for dealing with COVID-19.
Virtual Listing Presentations
Before I can sell your home, I need to sell myself to you. Instead of an in-person meeting, we can conference call or connect via services like Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp or Zoom teleconference. I will also send my presentation and other relevant information via email prior to our virtual “meeting.”
2. Strategic Pricing
The most important factor when selling your home is the price. We’ll use my sophisticated pricing approach to decide on an accurate price together that puts your home in the most competitive market position possible. A well-priced home often generates competing offers and may drive up the final sales value. It will also prevent you from being one of the 28% of sellers who end up reducing their price and selling for less2.
3. Staging To Sell
A great first impression – both in person and online – is the key to selling your home quickly. That’s why I include a professional staging consultation at no cost to you with one of the best stagers in the business. My stager is recognized nationally and was named one of the “Top 10 Stagers in the United States” by the Real Estate Staging Association. She will help transform your home into a showplace that looks like a model home.
Staged homes sell 53 percent faster, are more likely to end up on buyers’ “must see” lists and generate 1 to 5 percent more than the asking price3.
Staging also helps to ensure your home looks great in photos. Great looking photos will give your home the visual edge needed to attract buyers.
It takes a team of dedicated professionals to prepare your home to look its best. I will provide access to my network of preferred providers – from contractors to handyman to painters and more – to help you streamline any needed upgrades or repairs.
Remember: You never get a second chance to make a great first impression.
4. Superior Marketing
Once you have set your home’s price and made it look it’s best, it’s time for me to put my cutting-edge marketing strategies to work to get the maximum exposure for your home. No two homes are alike, and the marketing mix of activities will vary based on what’s best for your property, but here’s a look at many of the tactics I will employ:
Gorgeous Professional Photography
When you look at listings online you’d think that many other agents feel that basic photography is all you need to sell a house. But I believe that gorgeous, eye-catching professional photos are absolutely vital to getting your home sold quickly. In fact, high-quality photography can sell a listing 50% faster and generate 118% more online views4. That’s why my experienced professional photographers and videographers use the most advanced digital camera systems available to deliver unparalleled quality images of your home. See samples here.
Immersive 3D Virtual Tour Experience
To create a genuine ‘wow factor’ online, I will continue to use an amazing technology that provides the most realistic, immersive way to tour a property online. This full-scale, 360-degree, 3D model places a potential buyer right inside your home and lets them move through any room and see it from any angle. It feels so real, it’s like being there. You can see examples of the 3D virtual tour here and here (scroll down).
Unique Property Website
To give your home maximum online exposure and provide a rich source of high-quality photos, 3D tours, and information for potential buyers, I will create a unique website just for your home. This website is designed to be highly visible on search engines such as Google. Plus, the site features easy share buttons for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and email. See unique property websites I’ve developed for clients here and here.
Effective Digital Marketing
I will also promote your home on social media, with posts and paid promotions on Facebook and Instagram, along with all the top housing search web sites including Zillow®, Trulia®, Realtor.com®, and most importantly, the Metropolitan Regional Information System, which is used by 46,000 real estate agents in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Custom Video Tours
For some homes, I will have a custom High Definition video produced (like this one above 👆)using MoVI, a professional hand-held electronically stabilized camera system which can simulate a dazzling variety of cinematic movements to captivate potential buyers.
For other homes, I can do a pre-recorded video tour or live video walk through of your home to share with buyers and their Realtors®.
Distinctive ‘Take-One’ Brochure
I will create a beautiful, visually compelling full-color brochure printed on thick, high-gloss card stock for potential buyers. The brochure can help buyers remember all of the details about your home and walk away with a lasting impression.
Real Estate Agent Action Plan
With 95% of buyers using a real estate agent to purchase a home, reaching REALTORS® is a vital part of the home search process. I will target thousands of agents who are working with qualified buyers looking for a home, including those who have participated in the most recent sales in your area, with special notices to let them know that your home is for sale.
In Person Showings Of Your Home
Many buyers will want to see your home in person before making an offer. And deciding whether you want potential buyers in your home may now be the most difficult decision you will make when putting your home on the market.
Here are some of the extra steps that we can take to protect you during in-person showings:
- In-person showings will be limited only to serious potential buyers with loan pre-approval letters. We’ll also set up a schedule so that only one set of buyers visits your home at a time.
- I will instruct agents that all buyers should leave their shoes outside, bring their own hand sanitizer, face coverings and gloves. I will place booties in your home for buyers and their agents to wear as they tour.
- Before a home showing, you should clean high-touch areas like doorknobs, turn all of the lights on, and open closet and cabinet doors to limit what needs to be touched.
- After home showings you should clean and disinfect your home.
5. Savvy Negotiation
I am a skilled and experienced negotiator and will help you negotiate a sales contract in your best interests and explain the process along the way. I’ll ensure that you get the best price and favorable closing terms.
However, the process is not over once we have a ratified sales contract. There are still several hurdles to cross before we reach the settlement table. In any given real estate transaction, there are more than 50 documents, 100 signatures and at least a dozen parties involved, from the buyer and seller to realtors, home inspectors, lenders, title companies and more. I will oversee all of the transactional details for you, manage deadlines and coordinate everything for you to ensure a successful and stress-free sale.
Inspections And Appraisals
You may have to allow the buyer’s inspectors and appraisers into your home. Some buyers are comfortable having the home inspector visit by himself and live chat to review the report. Other buyers do want to attend. In these cases, the same rules we use for showings would apply. For appraisals, some lenders are allowing appraisers to simply drive by your home and look at photos without having to enter in-person.
Closing The Deal Remotely
You may be able to sign all of your closing documents electronically with the help of an online or mobile notary, limiting in-person contact.
If a remote closing is not possible, many settlement companies are doing “drive-through” closings or doing in-office closings with only one party to the sale at a time, among other precautions.
For appraisals, some lenders are allowing appraisers to simply drive by your home and look at photos without having to enter in-person.
Learn more about how I can help you
The list above outlines the broad range of tactics I’ll employ to get your property sold safely and in the least amount of time for the highest final sales price.
For a free consultation and professional opinion of your home’s value and marketability, email or text/call me at 703-447-0970.
Also need to buy? See how I can help you buy a home you’ll love.
1Metropolitan Regional Information Systems
2National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
3Real Estate Staging Association
4IMOTO photo
