The Listing Agent & Marketing Your
Home
The "Real" Role of a Listing Agent
- When you bought your home, you
probably used the services of a real estate agent. You
found that agent through a referral from a friend or
family member, or through some sort of advertising or
marketing. The agent helped you in many ways and
eventually you found the house of your dreams, made an
offer, closed the deal, and moved in.
- For whatever reason, now it is time
to sell your home and you need a real estate agent
again. Many home sellers, especially those selling their
first home, tend to think all agents are similar to the
one that helped them buy their home.
- Although real estate agents can (and
do) work with both buyers and sellers, most tend to
concentrate more on one than the other. They specialize.
When you bought your home, you probably worked with a
"selling agent" – an agent that works mostly with
buyers. Because of the nature of real estate advertising
and marketing, the public’s main image of the real
estate profession is that of the selling agent.
- As a result, many homeowners expect
their listing agent to do the same things that a selling
agent does – find someone to buy their home. After all,
they do the things you would expect if they were
searching for buyers. A sign goes up in the front yard.
Ads are placed in the local newspaper and real estate
magazines. Your agent holds an open house on the
weekend. Your house is proudly displayed on the
Internet.
- But this is only "surface" marketing.
More important activity occurs behind the scenes. After
the "for sale" sign goes up and flyers are printed, your
agent’s main job is to market your home to other agents,
not to homebuyers.
The "For Sale" Sign
- It seems fairly obvious that when you
put your house up for sale that your agent will put a
"for sale" sign in the front yard. The sign will
identify the agent’s company, the agent, and have a
phone number so prospective buyers can call and get
information.
- Signs are great at generating phone
calls, even if very few actually purchase the home they
call about. However, you might be one of the lucky ones.
For that reason, you should determine what happens when
someone calls the number on the sign. Does a live person
answer the phone or does the call go to a voicemail or
recorder?
- You want someone to answer the phone
while the caller is "hot." When buyers call the number
on the sign, the call should go to a live person who can
answer questions immediately. A potential buyer may be
on the street outside your home, placing the call using
a cell phone.
Flyers and a Brochure Box
- Your agent should prepare a flyer
that displays a photo and provides details about your
house. There should also be a phone number so buyers can
contact your agent to get additional information. The
flyers should be displayed in a prominent location in
your home and also in a brochure box attached to the
"for sale" sign.
- The brochure box is convenient for
those buyers who drive by and just happen to see the
"for sale" sign in front of your house. It provides
enough information so they can determine if they want to
follow up with a phone call or inform their own agent
they are interested in your house.
