In doing market research it’s astounding to see the number of homes that were for sale and are later taken off the market unsold. The purpose of this blog post is to let you know that just by looking at these listings, I can tell you exactly why these homes didn’t sell.
If you’ve had your home sale expire on the market or if you’re thinking of selling and want to avoid this fate, this post is for you! In a market like ours, where home inventory is low and buyer demand is strong, there’s no reason why your home shouldn’t have a successful and timely sale. It often comes down to how well your agent prepared you and your home for a successful sale. Often for expired listings, they don’t. This is why having a good agent matters!
Successful Sales Come Down to Three Factors
I always tell my clients that selling a home ultimately comes down to three factors: pricing, condition, and marketing. You as the seller determine the first two factors and your agent controls the third. But it’s really your agent’s job to advise you on all three to make your home marketable and attractive to buyers. Looking at previously expired listings, I can tell you exactly which of these factors could have been improved yand what should have been done these sellers.
Making Your Home Marketable is Key
Essentially, it’s all in the name of marketability. What kind of condition was your home in when it was presented on the market? Did you have photos that highlighted your home’s best features? Was it competitively priced with comparable homes in the area? Did you have cutting-edge marketing to work for you 24/7?
The National Association of Realtors reports that 92% of buyers begin their search on the Internet. Recent statistics also indicate that a whopping 24% of buyers actually find their home online. Buyers today want access to everything about a property—photos, nearby schools, neighborhood details, floor plans, area amenities—and they want to view it on their computers and phones at any hour of the day. So think about it, you want to have stunningly beautiful photographs that highlight the best features of your home so that when buyers are viewing them on their tiny device screens, your home still stands out! If you don’t have nice photos and useful information a buyer would want to know, forget it! You’ve already lost the buyer’s attention and they’re looking at another house.
Choose An Agent You Trust
I meet so many people who pick the first agent they get connected with, or the agent who says they can get them the highest price for their home, and they’re often disappointed with their experience. So when it comes to choosing the person to help you negotiate the complexities of one of the biggest financial transactions of your lifetime, the best advice I can give homesellers is choose an agent you trust.
As an Associate Broker with Keller Williams Capital Properties, I’ve been helping homeowners successfully sell their homes in Bethesda for years. My team specializes in helping owners of expired and withdrawn listings get the real estate experience they deserve. We firmly believe that sellers who tried to sell previously can have success in this market when paired with an agent who is looking out for their best interest and uses all the right tools to get the job done. As local market experts, my team knows how to fix marketability issues with a home to get it sold in a quick time frame.
That’s why we give our clients our best. I consider my past clients and years of experience as testimony to the value I provide homesellers and my integrity as an agent. It’s our mission to give our clients our best. And when it comes to generating a profitable and successful home sale, we have the experience, expertise, and communication skills to make that happen.
Be Where the Buyers Are!
Since the lion’s share of home buyers start their search on the internet, our marketing plan maximizes the exposure of your home online to drive excitement and interest. That’s why our Premium Marketing Plan maximizes exposure of your home 24/7—online, in print, and in person.
We leverage technology to get the best possible price when listing homes for our clients. We provide buyers access to everything about where they want to view it so that your home gets maximum online exposure to attract the right buyer.
When you list your home with us, we manage your home from start to finish. As your listing agents, we provide you with:
- Insight into current market trends—local and national;
- Pre-market exposure to top agents with serious buyers looking to settle on a home;
- Trusted vendors to help you clean, repair and stage your home with a modern look and feel;
- Expert advice—we connect you with trusted financial experts who give you the best advice for your situation;
- Professional photography to highlight the best features of your home;
- Cutting-edge technology and systems to attract and follow up with buyers;
- Targeted Online Marketing—We give your home top placement and syndication on hundreds of high-trafficked websites to immediately target the right buyer;
- Accessibility—We create an accessible, information-rich website for your property that buyers love;
- Fortune 500-level contract negotiating skills; and
- A communication guarantee to keep you informed at every step.
- Example of Success—See an example of what we do for our listings here. More information on our marketing and pricing plans is available here.
Of course, to get the best possible price for your home we don’t rely on technology alone. We give everything a personal touch—and that makes all the difference.
Gaining the Advantage in the Market
As one of the top 10% of agents in the local market, I have access to the Top Agent Network, an exclusive network of the area’s best real estate professionals to share pre-market listings and information. Through this network I can share your listing with other agents who have highly motivated clients looking to buy even before your home hits the market. This greatly expands the number of agents who will learn about your listing in the “pre-marketing” phase and provides us a powerful way to find the perfect price point for your home before it goes “live” on the MLS. These advantages are crucial to your ability to get top dollar as a seller. When you list your home with us, these are just a few of the critical advantages we provide to you as our client.
As your Realtor, it’s our job to put your home in front of buyers and get you the best offer. In addition to posting your listing on hundreds of high-trafficked websites, our systems actively target hundreds of buyer leads every month. We prominently feature our listings on our home buyer search site www.BethesdaBuzz.com. We have over 600 customers signed up for daily listing alerts, so when your home is listed with us all our buyers will get an alert—and text message—letting them know about the newest home on the market.
With this site we can also target specific areas at the neighborhood level in Montgomery County and track the search patterns of each buyer. We have the local advantage. I’ve been living and working in Bethesda for years, so I know the ins and outs of Montgomery County real estate. We consistently follow up with buyers during their search to make sure we’re finding people who are motivated and looking for exactly what your home offers. So if your listing matches a buyer’s criteria, we make sure they see it as quickly as possible. No more playing catch and waiting for them to come to us.
Other agents just put signs in the ground…. We produce buyers.
What Kind of Support Do You Want for Your Sale?
Was this done for you last time? If you thought you could sell your home today for the price you wanted, would that be of interest to you? I can quickly help you with pricing and set a plan in motion to help you get where you want to be.
Take a look at a few of our transactions last year:
- 6008 Woodacres Drive – listed for $799,000 and sold for $845,000 – one weekend
- 5410 Christy Drive – listed for $860,000 and sold for $875,000 – one weekend
- 2703 Unicorn Drive – listed for $1,150,000 and sold for $1,250,000 – one weekend
- 909 Northwest Drive – listed for $415,000 and sold for $415,000 – 23 hours
This is just a small sampling of the success we’ve seen in a strengthening market… and yet there were still sellers who didn’t sell their homes when they listed with other agents! There are really only three reasons that determine whether a property sells: condition, price, and marketing. The agent you choose to help with all three makes all the difference! With the average agent only processing 4 transactions a year, you’ll want to make sure you have a trusted and experienced agent on your side. And when you list your home with us, we can guarantee you’ll be taken care of.
As your agents, we leave nothing to chance. Our marketing and technology strategy attracts buyers to our listings and gets them sold. From beginning to end, we negotiate every detail to ensure your best interests are met. We believe we owe our clients our best and we make sure to deliver it every day.
And the results speak volumes… Our Listings Sell.
Our sales history and portfolio of success will show you what we do for our clients. And if you call me today at (301) 385-9213 we can discuss a plan to get your home sold. With a strong market and a team of experts working to fulfill your needs, we know we can get you to where you want to be!
So if you want your home sold right the first time, get in touch!
P.S. We know staying up to date with the latest statistics on home sales and prices in the Bethesda area is important to you. When you sign up for our newsletter, we’ll make sure to keep you informed!
About Josette
