Once you’ve decided to sell your home or property, choosing the right Realtor is the second most important decision you will have to make.
Do you choose a relative that just got in the business so as not to make a family stink? Should you consider the lady down the street who’s only an agent part time, but who does invite you to her annual Christmas party? Or my favorite, do you choose to go with whatever agent has the most signs in your neighborhood, as they seem a popular choice? All joking aside, I’ve actually heard sellers give these as reasons they chose the Realtor who listed their home! And, considering the fact you are entrusting this Realtor with marketing what is probably the single most valuable asset you own, much more serious consideration should be given the choice. So, what should be the criteria for the choice? Simply answered, YOU and your home deserve an experienced full-time Realtor that will “bring to the table” all the knowledge, expertise, and sources they have to get your property sold quickly, and at the best possible price the current market will bare.
So, how do you begin? INTERVIEW. INTERVIEW. INTERVIEW! Before making this important decision, make an appointment with several Realtors to have them give a Listing Presentation in your home, explaining how they intend to market your property. What a perfect opportunity for you to not only ask questions and pose concerns, but to be on your “own turf” while getting to know this person. These Listing Presentations should include such things as a marketing strategy, a CMA (market value of your home), and suggestions and pointers specific to the marketing of your home.
Listen closely to all the data you will be offered, but as well, be in tune to how you feel about the Realtor’s commitment to representing you and your family’s best interest in this endeavor. After all, you are considering delving into a fairly long-term business relationship with them. All the education, experience, and web savvy in the world is of little value if a client’s best interest is not at the core of the business!
And, of course, when you decide to interview Realtors for the job, I would be happy to be included among them. Representation of clients and a commitment to excellent service has always been a part of my "mission statement"!
Go to my Free In-Home Presentation page in this section For Sellers, where I’ve listed all the things I cover in an in-home interview.
And, to get you started with knowing how I market homes for my sellers, I’ve listed some of the marketing and networking tools I use to expose my home listings to the widest market possible:
Local Real Estate Magazine: Either as my own full page or amid the Re/Max First pages in this publication, I list my homes and properties with a detailed description and color photo. This form of marketing reaches a wide range of buyers who can readily pick up this free publication in grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and other businesses. I’ve found this to be one of the best local advertising sources available.
My Personal Website: All my home listings go on the My Feature Homes page of this award-winning site! Many websites are just “out there in space” if not properly hosted and promoted. Once listed on my site, per my host company, all my listings in turn are posted to over 50 other links and sites on the internet, giving each property maximum exposure to the local, national and international markets. And, because of this, people all over the world visit my site. Just in the past couple of years alone I've closed sales for people transferred from all over the U.S., as well as Canada, France, and South America. Take a minute to go to My Feature Homes to see the vast information and photos posted for each property. Bar none, my web site is the best marketing tool I've ever had! I know of no other way to put it than - IT IS KICKING!! Hundreds of people a month visit www.susanlanglois.com, with about 75% of these registering for home listings or more information on a property. I am proud to say that BATON ROUGE REAL ESTATE ONLINE WITH SUSAN LANGLOIS is one of the leading sites in the state!
Multiple Listing Service: Of course all listings go into the local Board of Realtor’s MLS database for all 2,000+ agents to have access to the information and photos. As well, through MLS, the home listings are also available online (in limited form) to the public and are pulled to other sites such as Realtor.com. I maximize the presentation of my listings in MLS by including 15 to 20 photos of the inside and outside of each home listing.
Re/Max Exposure – a marketing tool in itself: From a simple thing like the sign in your yard, to the Re/Max First and Re/Max International websites where all my listings are also posted, to the vast television spots promoting the company, tremendous marketing exposure begins by just being associated with the leading real estate company in the world!
My Office and Staff: I consider my access to three local offices and the staff that keeps our agents “up and running” to be a great marketing asset! Re/Max First has locations in Baton Rouge on Sherwood Common Blvd, in Zachary, and in Prairieville. I maintain a full office at the Baton Rouge location, but I’m also able to use the other two locations when necessary. And, having a full office in my home, I’m pretty much able to conduct business any time, day or night - literally, just ask my family!
** Staff: We have a great staff behind us at the Re/Max First office, where the phones are manned seven days a week to ensure calls about property listings and appointments by other agents for my listings are being handled.
** As an agent, there is nothing more annoying than trying to make an appointment on a weekend to show the listing of another company and all you get is a message over and over!
Networking and Indirect Marketing: I am constantly networking my listings in what I call "indirect marketing". From mass mailings to billboards, I’m always marketing my properties. “Talking shop” and networking is just second nature for me, and during meetings and gatherings, I’m constantly promoting my listings via my membership and service on local boards, Chambers, and other organizations. Basically, I am always "at work” for you and your property!
LET'S PUT YOUR HOME ON MY SOLD LIST! Contact me for an interview, or just to ask questions about marketing your home - there's no commitment or pressure! Not my style!
- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
