Today in part four of my series on the home-selling process, I’m discussing marketing. Once your real estate agent has had photos and videos taken of your house, it’s time to begin marketing the home. This is when your agent will install a lockbox on the outside of your house so other agents can get in for showings, they’ll put a sign out front, and sometimes they’ll have fliers, depending on what works best in your community.
Then your agent will put your information into the multiple listing service (MLS), which is a home-sharing platform where all Realtors place their listings and search for other listings. It’s crucial that your agent inputs your information accurately; most send their clients an MLS input sheet so you can review it, so make sure to verify all that information is correct. Sometimes there can be a simple human error. For example, if your home has four bedrooms, the agent might accidentally put three.
“Find out how an agent markets properties as part of your interview process.”
Every little thing matters when a buyer is looking for a home; if a family is looking for a four-bedroom house with 2.5-bathrooms and your listing says yours is a three-bedroom, two-bath, your home won’t pop up when they search. It’s critical to hire a Realtor who’s meticulous and will take the time to enter as much information as possible. It’s also your MLS information that feeds other sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, Homesnap, and more.
The MLS is a tool that all Realtors have, but there are other ways to advertise your house, such as newspaper ads, Facebook and Instagram ads, and Waze. Find out how an agent markets properties as part of your interview process. Ask what they’ll do to get your home sold and how they’ll make your home as showable as possible.
Stay tuned for part five in my home-selling process series! Please reach out to me via phone or my website with further questions you have about selling or any other real estate matter. I would love to be your real estate resource.
