Presented By:
714-883-2943 mgerard@gerardteam.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Mike Gerard
Have you ever wondered why two nearly identical homes sold for different prices?
Similar homes sell for varying prices all the time. So, how do you ensure that your home sells for top dollar?
Getting the most for your home depends on careful planning, excellent presentation, and the right marketing plan.
Technology has changed the way home buyers look for and buy homes. Today, buyers have access to thousands of properties online through sites like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and more.
However, buyers still shop for homes the old-fashioned way by driving through neighborhoods.
A successful home-selling campaign uses both traditional and modern strategies to target all potential buyers for your home—locally, nationally, and even internationally. When you list your home with me, you will get the full spectrum of marketing solutions to make your home stand out and sell for more.
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Getting to Know You…
Marketing the Home
Exclusive Sites to Feature Your Home
…and Your Home
Creating a Social Presence
What is Your Home Truly Worth?
Direct to Buyers
Creating a Show-Ready Home
Make a Great First Impression: Curb Appeal
Open Houses & Lock Boxes
Steps in Selling Your Home
Staging with a Purpose
You’re Under Contract!
Benefits of Professional Photos
2023 Seller Guide
To get you the best price for your home, I need to get to know you and your goals. During our appointment, I’ll ask you some questions to learn more about your needs and expectations.
We’ll discuss:
Why are you selling Your timeline for selling your home What is more important to you — time or money
Whether the property is unencumbered What initially drew you to this home
As a REALTOR®, my goal is to help you price your home competitively enough to sell, while still getting you top dollar. One of the tools I will use is a comparative market analysis (CMA). This customized report helps determine the value of your home based on recent sales of similar homes in the same market. By looking at what other houses sold for, I can help you determine an appropriate listing price for your home.
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First impressions matter when you're presenting your home to prospective buyers. You want to show your home in its best light and wow potential buyers right away. No matter your budget, there are improvements you can make that will impress buyers and help your home look its very best. As your REALTOR®, I can help you decide which upgrades will be the most beneficial in selling your home and give you the biggest return on your investment.
Low cost DIY upgrades:
Deep Clean—Carpets, vents, baseboards, walls, windows and trim. Paint—Perk up rooms with a fresh coat in a neutral color. Plants—Colorful flowers, shrubs, and native plants boost your home’s curb appeal.
Spend a Little:
Lighting—Upgrade light fixtures and ceiling fans to brighten and modernize rooms. Floors—Replace worn carpeting and cracked tiles with updated new flooring. Doors—Repair or replace old garage doors and damaged screen or storm doors.
Invest In:
Appliances—If yours are old or outdated, upgrade to new Energy Star-rated models. Kitchens—Granite or quartz countertops, custom cabinets and stainless steel appliances are the gold standard in modern kitchens. If that’s not in your budget, resurface cabinets and replace hardware for an affordable revamp. Baths—Fix leaky taps and toilets, recaulk tub, and install a new fan and modern vanity.
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The best indicator of what the market will bear for a particular property is the market itself. As your REALTOR®, I will do a comparative market analysis to help determine the value of your home. A comparative market analysis (CMA) looks at the price of similar homes in your area that have been recently listed, sold, expired, or have sales pending. These are called “comps.” A CMA also factors in your home’s previous listing and selling price and the price other homes sold for that are similar to yours.
Square footage (within 300 square feet) Lot size Number of bedrooms & baths Neighborhoods School zones Amenities Information used to compare homes will include:
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When potential buyers come to see your home, they need to visualize it as their home, not yours. One of the best ways to help them do that is to remove clutter and depersonalize your home. You want buyers to see a spacious, sparkling clean blank canvas that they can make their own. Store personal items, photos, and collectibles, in plastic bins and stack them neatly in your closet or garage—or better yet—in temporary off-site storage. Keep empty bins handy for quick pick-ups. Declutter kitchen and bath countertops, and clean out your refrigerator. Floors and fixtures should be sparkling. Declutter and organize closets. Buyers want to see storage space, not your winter wardrobe. Neutralize odors, but don’t overwhelm with artificial scents. Use natural citrus or clean linen- scented cleaning products or air fresheners. Empty your garage of everything but vehicles. Organize and clean anything that remains.
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You only have seconds to make a great first impression. A well-maintained exterior invites potential buyers in and gives the impression a home has been well cared for. A tidy yard can make your home stand out from the competition. Declutter your yard. Remove toys, tools, and garden ornaments. Think neat, organized, clean. Tame your hedges. Mow and rake your lawn, lay fresh mulch, trim shrubs, edge walkways. Fix your fixtures. Repair or replace damaged or worn lighting, gutters, trim, mailboxes. Sparkle and shine. Power wash porches, decks, patios, driveway, doors, trim, windows. Make a grand entrance: Create a welcoming entry with a new door and flowering plants.
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Staging your home can help buyers see the full potential of the space and envision its possibilities. Staging simply means preparing your home for sale by temporarily furnishing and decorating rooms to make them more attractive to buyers. Too many personal items can be distracting to buyers and get in the way of them envisioning your home as their future home. On the other hand, empty rooms appear smaller than they are, and rooms without any decor come across as cold and impersonal. Home staging strikes a balance and can help your home stand out online. Staging your home can increase the offers you receive and help your home sell more quickly. According to a 2021 survey by National Association of Realtors®: 82% of buyers agents said a staged home made it easier for buyers to visualize the property as their future home. 31% of agents said that staging a home greatly decreased the amount of time it spent on the market. 23% of agents said staging a home can increase the dollar value offered by as much as 10%.
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BEFORE
AFTER
Professionally shot interior, exterior, and aerial photos and videos of your home can show your home in the best light and help it sell faster. Don’t underestimate the power of professional photos. 98% of home buyers search online for a home. Catch their eye with professional photos that show off your home’s best features. 139% increase in clicks was reported when photos of a home were visually attractive.
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Having the right written copy to market your home is critical. A catchy listing that describes your home’s best features will draw readers in and build interest in your home. Knowing what keywords to use for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will drive traffic to your listing and get more eyes on your home and help it sell faster. Keyword search is the biggest driver of traffic to content sites, beating social media by more than 300%.
SEO leads are also known to have a nearly 15% close rate, which is extremely effective.
The following statistics demonstrate why great marketing copy can help your home stand out online:
of all homebuyers used the internet in their home search. 97% of homebuyers used a mobile device or tablet to search for their new home. 76% of Millenials and nearly 80% 80% of GenXers used a mobile device 68% of Boomers. to search for their home compared to
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Your home will be featured on the MLS (multiple listing service), which is available only to licensed real estate brokers. As your REALTOR®, I will also list your home on sites like Zillow, Trulia, Homes.com and Realtor.com, which receive millions of visitors per day. With online listings, your home can be viewed from anywhere in the world. The goal is to get your home in front of as many potential buyers as possible.
According to the National Association of Realtors®:
9 out of 10 home buyers use the internet to search for properties using syndicated realty websites. 36% of home buyers first found the home they bought on the internet.
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Social media is a vast marketplace that reaches billions of people daily. With so many people using social media (and spending an average of 2+ hours a day on it), social media channels are a great place to market your home. A good social media presence for your home can reach millions of potential buyers with just a single click. When you list your home with me, I will feature your home on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, where people can easily share your listing. A listing with an appealing narrative, unique description separate from the MLS, along with high-quality photos and video can increase interest in your home and help it sell faster. According to NAR: 83% of buyers’ agents said having photos for listings is more important since the beginning of the pandemic. According to NAR: 74% of buyers’ agents said the same about videos. According to NAR: 70% said virtual tours are more important in the wake of COVID-19. According to Business Insider: There are more than 8 billion daily video views on Facebook. According to Social Media Week: Consumers spend an average of 75% longer on websites with a video. According to Yahoo! Finance: Watching 1 minute of video is the equivalent to reading 1.8 million words. According to NAR: More than 7 in 10 agents said photos, videos and virtual tours are more important since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In addition to marketing your home online, I will also use more traditional methods to help get the most eyes on your home. I’ll create beautiful flyers that showcase your home and detail all its unique features, along with direct mail postcards and magazines to market your home locally and to nearby communities to help you land the perfect buyer.
Magazines
Postcards
Listing Flyers
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Open houses can help bring more potential buyers into your home and give them the opportunity to see it in person right away. The more people who see your home, the greater your chances of finding a buyer. However, the Covid-19 pandemic changed the way home buyers shopped for homes. More home buyers bought homes they only saw online, and in-person open houses became less popular. Lockboxes are a secure way to show your home to potential buyers who want to view your home in person. Lockboxes help weed out open house tourists. Plus it gives potential buyers one-on-one time to chat with your listing agent.
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Start Here
STEP 1:
STEP 2:
Get it ready Thoroughly clean, make repairs & update your home for a great first impression.
Set the price I will put together a CMA and set a price you are comfortable with.
STEP 4: Showings
STEP 3: Snapshots I will hire professional photographers that capture your home’s best features!
Be prepared for last- minute showings by keeping a neat & organized home.
STEP 5: Review offers I will present all offers and negotiate on your behalf to ensure you are satisfied with the sale price.
STEP 6: Closing day You made it! At the closing, it’s time to hand over the keys and collect the check!
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714-883-2943 mgerard@gerardteam.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Mike Gerard
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