How to list your home with a Virtual Agent and get it sold in Brookfield Wisconsin
Listing your home has become a 95% virtual process. What does that mean? That is good news, and as a virtual agent, that has always been the case. While this is a learning curve for many people, in the real estate industry working virtually has been expected of me and a necessity as many of my client's careers demanded that they have everything presented to them and organized on the front end. According to the National Association of Realtors, The reality is that "Real estate related searches on Google.com have grown 253% over the past 4 years". We have always been online. This way of doing business allows for key benefits to my clients.
#1- Clarity- the information that is received is in a format that is a presentation. Everything is organized so there is a progression from question to answer concisely.
#2- Comfort or Necessity- My clients are result-focused and required to be making decisions about a multitude of things that work better when they are scheduled. It takes a little getting used to but time blocking and focusing on a specific decision creates clarity as opposed to emotion. In this present time, because of COVID, our clients are in the comfort of their own homes. That has proven to bring a lot of benefits as we are multitasking with children as well.
#3- Convenience- After we designate the most efficient way to communicate that is easy for everyone in our transaction we are connected. For the next 30 -60 days we roll our sleeves up and get to the task at hand. Regardless of the size of the project, my clients can reach me on a moments notice so once our data is dealt with, executing documents and the process becomes quite quick.
"According to the National Association for Realtors: 93% of people visit websites when searching for homes.
(National Association of Realtors)
Visiting a website and looking for the most lucrative offers available seems to be the best option for nearly all age groups. The older millennials (29-38) seem to be leading the pack again with a staggering 98% of internet-relying home buyers.
When we list a home virtually we go through three steps"
#1- Virtual Consult- Answers to questions:
- Are you ready to list your home?
- Current market conditions
- Pricing your home
- Virtual home tour with me on the other end.
#2- Virtual Staging and contracts
#3- Virtual Closing and occupancy
When we look at the trends of the past two years we get a sense of what is coming. While we know that life is different from COVID, remember that real estate never sleeps. The industry may change the way we communicate but the market is still moving. We will still see our peaks, our market is still holding strong just as predicted. This is not a crash, this is a shift.
Before listing your home virtually, let's get your home ready: My clients have always appreciated information as they have moving parts and can mentally prepare and be in the driver's seat to decide what they are ready to tackle next. By the time we talk, they are ready for the conversation about what is currently on the market, what has recently sold year to date, and where they fit in that equation to get where they want to go.
As your real estate resource in Brookfield, Wisconsin, we are here for the long haul, this is our forever home. We prepare our clients with the information that they can visit and take their time to acclimate with the facts and then participate in the market when they are ready.
When we are working virtually, I am still on site before the listing going live to walk through the interior and exterior of the home. When I list a home I must be speaking from a place of certainty with agents and prospective clients. When we are listing the home it is important that the staging and presentation of the home is as pristine as it would be when we are showing the home in person. The expectations of virtual showings are different.
Whether we are conducting a showing on a taped video or live stream certain details are picked up and important to tend to... When we are virtual, we are telling the story of the property and work as the eyes and hands of the buyer. Let's start from the beginning-
- When you are getting your home ready to list- be sure that your home allows for the sunshine to come in. Make sure that your windows dressings can be opened and present well.
- Lighter, Brighter, Bigger, Better.
- All lights working
- All shades open
- All paths clear
- Eliminate artificial flowers and candles of any kind.
- Lawn cut- flower beds trimmed
- Touch up paint
- If you have outdoor lighting make sure that you have that on - best if it's on a timer.
- Take the time to add the seasonal flowers, it makes a difference.
- Does it feel dark in here?
- Is there "stuff" on the floor in my way?
- Are your floors clean?
- Remove any rugs - The home will feel larger without the rugs on the floor and the viewer needs to see the floor as it is. Transparency is the main priority.
- Is it clean? Nothing on the counters
- Do your towels match- Go to Wal-mart (you don't need expensive things to present a home beautifully) and buy 2 sets of white towels for each bathroom. You need a bath towel, a hand towel, and a washcloth. Fold them in thirds and hang them. Cleanliness is next to godliness regardless of the price point.
- If there is a tub, please make sure that it is glistening, when you show a home "virtually" every single thing is showcased- every closet, bathtub, a closed-door is opened.
- Eliminate all floor mats
- If there is a shower curtain, invest in a new one if it isn't clean and it's best to iron it. For purposes of the virtual showing, it will be opened.
- Throw pillows on the couch: 2 at most. Make sure that they match, they are clean and accent the couch. No blankets, candles, no magazines organized in a fan shape. This may feel bare to you but the presentation is important through the lens.
- Careful with artwork on the walls, less is more.
- All rugs removed
- If you have any "pet" stuff- remove it
- Counters immaculate.
- Make sure that all beds are made and the bedding matches
- eliminate extra pillows and blankets
- clean all of the counters, desks, etc.
- windows: White sheers, anything neutral, clean and let the light in. It the window treatments are too heave it drags the ceiling down so keep things light and bright. Valances tend to date a property and visually overwhelm people so you can take them down.
- Make sure that all of the lights work
- Make sure your mechanical room is accessible and tidy
- Make sure that if you have a crawl space it is accessible and able to be seen with a flashlight.
- Make sure that all of your home mechanics can be seen on the virtual tour, this is an important part of the tour for the buyers.
- Make sure that everything is organized
- Sweep the floor
- If you have shelving be sure that it is organized
** if we are filming the showing then we will pull the cars out of the garage for the taping. If we are doing a live stream then we will go with what is in the garage at that time. Either way, the garages are being seen as a room of the home instead of an afterthought so please tend to them.
One of the best ways to ensure that your property tour is a success is to make sure that the process of de-cluttering is complete- Less is more. This purging stage is critical, many clients have had dumpsters and goodwill deliveries to help the process along. The mindset of selling is different than the mindset of having company over... We are preparing a home to sell as a product in comparison to the rest of the products on the market.
Do you have projects in your home that you know you should address but are unsure about how much they will cost or who to call? Let me know, we have a list of providers that we work with that will be happy to give you a quote. It's always best to be ahead of the projects you know will come up either in conversation or in questions. All of the contingencies and inspections will still be accounted for in the contracts and scheduled in the process once an offer is accepted. It is always better for our sellers to have the quotes, answers, or invoices in their files so that there are no concerns that could snowball into an issue.
Do you need to have your roof or siding looked at?
Do you need your gutters cleaned?
How about a dumpster to do some de-cluttering- this is one of the best ways to ensure the less is more goal! If you have a two-story home, this project is especially fun when you have the company place the dumpster on the driveway under one of the windows - we call it "dumpster therapy" if you need one, call Alex - 414-286-7404. He will have a dumpster delivered to your home. There is a flat fee for drop off, pick up and you can keep it up to 10 days. Laugh now, you will love your decision when you are packing and when you see your offer. We are all here to work together to help you.
Even though our market is fast-paced and competitive with multiple offers please be aware that just because there are qualified buyers if the property or details become questioned your expectation of being "sought after" can change in an instant. Things move seamlessly when we lead with transparency and earn the trust of our buyers. They will be earning our trust as well with their timeliness, earnest money, pre-qual letter and loan approval. All of us show up and bring what we need to the transaction to have a win-win.
