This is the first article in a series about marketing a home for sale in Barre and Montpelier. This is such an important element of effectively selling a home that I wanted to split it into a few different parts.
The Real World
One critical component of any marketing campaign is the "real world" element. You hear so much about the importance of the internet, and I'm not going to discount that at all. I will add that a house is a durable, tangible good. You need to work in the real world as well.
Here are some of the best techniques for getting buyers to see, view, and make offers on your home for sale in Montpelier and Barre:
Yard sign--Most companies do this. Just make sure that it's the right phone number. I once tried to buy a duplex and the agent had the wrong phone number on the sign.
Lockbox/Keypad--Make it easy for Realtors to show your house. A lockbox is a mechanism in which a key is kept. Each Realtor has a keypad and a unique PIN. When the key is accessed, there's a record of who showed the house, and when. It's useful for getting feedback, and also makes it more convenient for Realtors to show your house. There are some companies that don't use lockboxes and keypads. That can work out ok, but it can also greatly complicate showings...which can mean far fewer showings.
Office Caravan--You want a Realtor and a company that gets all of its agents to look at the new listings. Calls are going to come in, and it's critical that everyone in the office knows what they're talking about when they're talking about your home. You'd be surprised at the number of companies that have only one person working there or don't muster the troops to go and look at their own listings.
Agent Caravan--For the Montpelier real estate market and the Barre real estate market (as well as the Moretown/Valley real estate market), there's a monthly "Agent Caravan". There are over 60 agents in Washington County, and they're all invited to tour all the new listings. Typically, anywhere from 8-15 agents make a caravan. Caravan is helpful for knowing the competing homes, refining market analyses, and getting as many agents through your home as possible. It seems like a no brainer to have a house on the caravan, but, again, some local agencies don't bother. I just hope their sellers know what an opportunity is being missed.
Become an expert in the Montpelier and Barre real estate market. Remember Ray.