What do Realtors DO, anyway?

When it comes to marketing your home, the following is an outline of my plan.

• Visit seller’s property, learn expectations, take notes, take photos, ask questions, and provide disclosure forms. Selling your property is a team effort. It’s helpful for me to know how much or how little personal involvement you want to have during the process.
• Prepare a “Comparative Market Analysis” to help price the property properly. This can also reveal possible market resistance that may be encountered during the marketing process. The CMA will compare the seller’s property to:

SOLDS – Similar properties recently sold in the neighborhood

ACTIVES – Properties currently on the market (your competition!)

EXPIREDS – Properties that didn’t sell during their active listing contract.

• Provide a wealth of insight in helping prepare the home and its contents for the marketing process. This includes suggestions for repairs, cosmetic improvements, and staging to show the home in its best possible light to minimize days on the market.
• Enter the property specifications into the Toledo Board of Realtors and Monroe County Multiple Listing Service Databases. This data is accessed regularly by more than 2-thousand REALTORS in this area—all of them potentially working to help sell your property.
• Install yard and corner signs at the end of the street where appropriate. My signs feature my name, web address, and cell number to field calls for you 24-7.
• Post yard brochure box with property descriptions and replenish as necessary.
• Pay for all your advertising expenses including, but not limited to The Toledo Blade Newspaper and the bi-weekly Harmon Homes Magazine and their websites. Signs, flyers, mailings, virtual tours and photos for the internet are all at my expense. Through broker reciprocity, your home will be listed on Realtor.com giving you national exposure. (By the way, more than 85 percent of buyers find their home using the internet.) I’ll make certain all those buyers can easily find yours!
• Highlight your home to our company’s staff of top agents . Our team is constantly discussing local real estate trends! Our gathering could be held at your property, potentially giving you even more professional advice and more exposure for your home. The REALTOR network is one of the greatest values to you.
• Create a detailed, professional brochure highlighting your homes special features with interior and exterior photographs.
• Schedule appointments for showings and provide you with feedback and communication you deserve and expect in a timely manner.
• Screen potential buyers for lender pre-approval and motivation.
• Depending on the specific property involved, I will undergo targeted marketing efforts. For example, I can focus toward a logical trade-up neighborhood and/or certain professionals such as university faculty to whom your property may appeal.
• Present all offers. I will explain the price and terms of each offer and how it affects you and the bottom line.
• Stay on top of contract deadlines.
• Coordinate closing with the title company. Services include providing a guaranteed certificate of title on behalf of the seller, title insurance for the lender and owner, preparation of all necessary closing documents for lender, buyer, and seller, prorating various items, paying off required balances and recording necessary documents.
• Remove signage, follow up as necessary.
• Receive lifetime membership of Jody’s “circle of premium clients.”