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Estate agents have introduced new working practices to ensure they’re sticking to new government guidelines, so we spoke to two agents to find out how they’re keeping home-movers safe.

If your home is currently on the market, or you’re planning to sell soon, we hope this article addresses any concerns you may have about prospective buyers viewing your property.

It may also help you if you want to know how to make sure an agent knows you are a serious buyer or renter, to give you the best chance of getting the property that you want.

Lisa Tyler, a managing director at Willowgreen Estate Agents in North Yorkshire, said that only serious buyers are being given the green light to go on a viewing. Here’s what she told us…

Serious applicants

We’re being extra cautious and diligent, so we’re not entertaining buyers who aren’t already on the market, and sellers are absolutely on board with that.

We’re in a touristy market town so we usually get a lot of day trippers wanting to view properties but we’re not getting any of that at the moment, which is great as we can focus on the serious applicants.

We can be far more effective with our time. Sellers are happy for us to reject non-serious buyers, and it also means we’re minimising contact and reducing the risk of spreading the virus.

Precautions

Most people bring their own masks and gloves to a viewing, but we have our own PPE to hand out should anyone need it, and of course we take hand sanitizer everywhere we go.

We only have one member of the team doing house viewings, again to minimise the risk of spreading the virus. We’re checking that people don’t have any symptoms when they book in for a viewing, so we can put sellers’ minds at ease as best we can.

We ask sellers to stand in the garden whilst we show people around.It’s the same with valuations, too; we ask homeowners to wait outside whilst we look around and take notes.

The buyers and sellers that we’ve been dealing with are all motivated to move and understand that we have do to things slightly differently now. No-one has kicked up a fuss at all.

At the office we keep the front door closed and people can knock if they want to come in. Then we greet them at a distance.

Emerging trends

We’ve seen a real stampede of London buyers driving up here to view homes. We’re obviously far less densely populated than London and only 20 minutes from the beach and it seems people are really starting to value that and think differently about what they want.

I’ve never seen so many people from down south come to view homes up here, but it just goes to show that perhaps rural areas are becoming more popular now.

We also spoke with Claire Kendall, who is director at Richard Kendall Estate Agents in Wakefield. She explained that managing expectations is hugely important. This is what she had to say about…

Speaking to sellers

Communication is key and we’re really just making sure that all parties are fully aware of the requirements and how we need to operate.

Ahead of every appointment we’ll ask vendors what specific measures they need in place or what they need us to do to help things go as smoothly as possible.

It’s all about asking the right questions, checking no-one has any symptoms, or is isolating, or shielding. We want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable and reassured that we are doing everything we can to keep people safe.

We’re following the government guidelines; we’ve been sending digital leaflets to viewers and vendors which explains all about the measures we’re taking.

Specific measures

We arrive half an hour before the appointment, open all the windows and doors, and then stand outside while people look around the house.

There’s also no more than two adults from the same household allowed on a viewing.

A lot of our new ways of working rely on people being sensible and using common sense. The virtual tours that we’ve been doing have definitely helped highlight the serious applicants.

Since the market reopened

It’s been really hectic since the government said people could start moving again; enquiries have been coming in thick and fast.

We’ve seen lots of people who are in a position to proceed and are very motivated to move.

The sellers we’ve been working with have been very understanding. They’re keen to move and appreciate that the quickest way to crack on is to be accommodating.

We employ a health and safety consultant and she has checked all our new measures and given them the green light.

The post What are agents doing to help home-movers stay safe? first appeared on Housing Market Marketing by Housing Market Group.

My beachfront condo in Florida was listed for 15 months with enough showings but no offers. After a while, I contacted some of the buyers’ real estate agents and inquired about [information given to buyers]. Most of them said the buyers were given the condominium documents, but most agents did not educate the condo buyer about this information.

Also, my building recently replaced all the cast-iron pipes to prevent leaks, but I feel this improvement was not discussed with the buyers because agents were afraid of scaring them. Meanwhile, by not bringing it up, they were even more frightened.

Will you provide input on these issues?

A: Your first question relates to the type of information real estate agents give to potential buyers about condominium associations and the second is how these agents should educate buyers about this information.

Both topics can be tricky for real estate agents to navigate. Real estate agents are not attorneys, real estate inspectors, financial advisers or building experts, and asking them to take on these roles makes them uneasy.

Your listing agent might be great at showing your property and telling the buyer about all the wonderful things you have done to your condominium. Your agent may also be great at showing off the common amenities of your building and letting buyers know what your building and home have to offer.

However, once you start discussing condominium documentation and the particulars of what a condominium association has (or has not) done to a building, or the amount or lack of reserves a condominium building has, the broker may become uncomfortable decoding what the documents mean and may prefer to hand that information to buyers to digest themselves.

Your issue is differentiation: How do you market your building’s improvements to your prospective buyers and show off the work that has been done when it is behind the building’s walls? Just as you market the new kitchen, bathrooms, paint job and flooring, you might want to put together a list of improvements your building has undertaken over the past several years, for example, the replacement of old pipes with new copper pipes.

Most buyers do not focus on what’s behind the walls of a home or condominium building even though they should. You are right in thinking that the replacement of your corroded pipes may have cost you and the other owners in your condominium building quite a bit, and that expense is a paid-for improvement. But quantifying and describing that expense and improvement is tough.

Try putting together a list of improvements that have been completed in your building in the past couple of years to give to your prospects. You might even include this in the marketing information you hand out to brokers and agents. This list will at least give the buyers (and their agents) some idea that your building has been proactive and has updated and made improvements to the building.

Listing agents and real estate agents representing buyers are not in the business, generally, of educating buyers on the financials of buildings. They can deliver the information to the buyers, and they can tell them what they know about the building. We doubt, however, that real estate agents will go much further than that. If they do, the agents risk having buyers come back and accuse them of deceiving them if the reserves are not enough to cover unexpected expenses or say that the financials were not as good as the agents represented.

For this reason, real estate agents will stick with what they know: information about the physical characteristics of the property they are selling. If the financials of your homeowners association are strong, you can provide the potential buyers with this information along with the improvements your building has made.

The post Should real estate agents tell buyers about your building’s funds or improvements? first appeared on Housing Market Marketing by Housing Market Group.

Difficult clients are the worst. If you are like most real estate agents, your natural instinct is to assist them no matter what. That is easier said than done. Troublesome clients keep some property professionals awake at night as they try their hardest to make the best of a tough situation.

Here are a few steps you can take to try when working with a difficult client. They aren’t easy but may be the only way for you to get some peace of mind.

1) Be honest

Honesty is the best policy even if is not the easiest path to take. Difficult clients often make unreasonable demands or behave in inappropriate ways, such as calling you late at night or early in the morning. The easy thing to do is put up with it, but that only empowers them to do it again.

When a difficult client does something that crosses a line, say something. You don’t need to be angry or hostile about it. Simply be firm, let them know what they have done and why it upsets you. These conversations aren’t nice, but the results are often positive.

2) Get them to make concessions

Difficult clients often want the stars and the moon even when it is not possible. You are probably used to negotiating over price with sellers, but sometimes you will also need to haggle with your own clients when they make demands that aren’t realistic.

If they want a certain location but don’t have the budget for it, you are going to need to them to make a concession. Your best bet here is to get creative and find workable solutions that minimize whatever concession they have made.

3) Don’t be afraid to walk away

There are some clients that are just too difficult to help. Your time is valuable and investing it into a client that doesn’t want to be helped is a bad business decision. It is okay to dump a difficult client when you aren’t making progress on assisting them. Focus on those people who actually want your services and help them find the right property.

The post How real estate agents can deal with a difficult client first appeared on Housing Market Marketing by Housing Market Group.

These allow clients to see inside properties without needing to leave the comfort of their own home. You have probably heard about virtual viewings in the past. Many real estate agents believe it is too costly or complicated to successfully conduct virtual property viewings. However, that is not the case.

In fact, you may be surprised at just how easy it is. Here are five tips to successfully conduct virtual property viewings.

1) Use the tools at your disposal

Firstly, don’t fret about needing to invest in a top of the line camera and microphone. Most agents use their smartphone and a common messaging app. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Skype are just a few that work for virtual property viewings.

The quality of these is pretty good and the technology is already familiar. That means you don’t need to spend a bunch of time trying to figure out how something works or dealing with technical difficulties. Your clients will appreciate that.

2) Practice before you start

If you are going to successfully conduct virtual property viewings, you better make sure you practice. The technology is familiar and you’re skilled at hosting traditional viewings, but combining them both can lead to mixed results.

The solution here is to practice by conducting virtual property viewings with partners, friends or family. Not only will this help you feel comfortable, but practice client can offer valuable feedback on what you could do better.

3) Treat it like a traditional viewing

Just because you aren’t meeting with the client face-to-face doesn’t mean you should treat virtual property viewings any differently. Start with the basics such as getting to the property early and dressing like you would for any other meeting. Apart from that, just be yourself. There is no need to change the way you act just because the format used has changed.

4) Be sure to explain the lifestyle aspects of the property

To successfully conduct virtual property viewings, you need to give the client a sense of the lifestyle aspects the property offers. This can be a challenge since video doesn’t always do a good job of conveying the vibe and ambiance of a residence. That’s why you must be there setting the scene.

Don’t focus solely on the facts and figures of a residence, especially ones that will be used as a vacation property or second home. Make sure your client can feel what makes it special through the phone.

5) Allow the client to come prepared

Virtual property viewings aren’t perfect. One of the major shortcomings is that a camera can’t capture every square meter. However, by providing the client with information about the property a day or two before the scheduled virtual meeting, they will have a better understanding of what areas they want to see more of.

Photos are good for this, but having a short video tour of the property is better. Your client will be able to take a look around and come up with some questions. This is actually good for you as well since the viewing can focus on what the client wants to see, not what you think they may like.

The post Tips to successfully conduct virtual property viewings first appeared on Housing Market Marketing by Housing Market Group.

Are you a real estate agent who has taken on several listings and has been working for weeks or months to get them sold? After a long period with no results, your sellers are likely to start calling you. Why hasn’t their property sold? What are you doing to market it? What else are you planning to do to make the sale?

I would like to share with you a few effective practices and ideas that have helped my own company get our listings sold, and hopefully these tips can help you, too—whether you need to revive a stale listing, or you need to convince a new seller why they need to list with you.

1. Start marketing the moment you sign the listing agreement

Once you’ve got a contract and secured your position, it’s time to get to work.

Harness the power of social media

Share a short preview of your new listing “coming soon to the market” across all your social media channels.

I applied this strategy in one of our most recent property flips, posting periodic updates on the renovation and its progress on Instagram (an ideal platform to share property photos), being sure to always tag the location, the neighborhood, and a combination of other pertinent keywords, as well as using the hashtag #miamirealestate.

On the day I announced we were ready to list, I got a call from a young woman who had been following my updates closely. She was looking to move into the area and wanted to know when we were hosting our first open house. Amazingly, this first caller and her husband ended up buying the home—all through the power of Instagram.

Let your fellow agents know

If your brokerage offers an intranet for agents to communicate, post a sneak peek of your property listing with the address and price for your fellow realtors to see. They might be already working with buyers who are looking to move into the neighborhood.

Don’t dismiss the good old real estate sign

Install your real estate sales sign as you walk away from the listing consultation. Add a “coming soon” sign to it, and make sure your contact information is prominently displayed. Anyone driving through the neighborhood will be alerted that the property is coming to the market soon, and they’ll have a chance to contact you for more information.

You can also be creative with your signs to make them stand out, like the one I saw recently that read “For Sale … Honey, back up the car!” It worked on me—I made my husband back up so I could read it.

2. Stage your listing to make it stand out

In those days when properties are flying off the shelves, sellers might be reluctant to consider the option of staging their home for sale, as it can be significant up-front investment. However, when competition is fierce, can you really afford to not stage and let the empty property sit on the market for months?

From the moment a buyer discovers the home online to the time they walk it during the showing, home staging provides many benefits:

• It creates an impeccable first impression in professional photos.
• It highlights the best features of a property (and can help to hide its shortcomings).
• It allows the visiting buyer to connect with the home on an emotional level and imagine themselves living in it.
• On a completely practical level, the presence of furniture allows the agent and the buyer to sit down and have a conversation, and remain on the property longer.

We started staging our flips and it quickly proved to be an indispensable strategy. We have sold homes within as little as 6 days, at or over the asking price, while similar homes sat on the market for 90 days or more, forced to reduce their prices over and over.

Today we stage every one of our flips and I recommend staging to all my real estate clients. We started to offer our home staging services in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area last year and the results have been very positive. Our latest project scored a cash offer in just two weeks on the market.

3. Hire a professional photographer who understands architecture and interiors

Hiring a professional photographer to take photos of your property listing is essential. But beware: there are wannabe professionals and there are real professionals. The first is the kind who might take photos with the window blinds closed or at unflattering angles; the other is someone who knows how to make an interior shot look as good as possible.

Don’t just hire someone with a DSLR camera and who knows Photoshop; hire a photographer who understands interior design, layout, light, and composition.

What do I mean by that?

A true architectural photographer does not just come in and shoot photos of the space and its elements as they are. He or she moves, adjusts, and places pieces so that the pictures look just right.

The dining table decor as well as the mirror are typically not in the position you see in this picture, but a skilled photographer knows how to rearrange things in order to compose an interesting shot. Photography is both an art and a science—invest in someone who can capture a feeling in their photos.

4. Give your listing as much visibility as possible

Of course, don’t forget the basics: publish your listing on the MLS (multiple listing service), syndicate with major real estate platforms like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com, TerraInternationalRealty.com and claim those listings to follow statistics. However, there is more you can do to get more views on your listing.

List on Facebook Marketplace

If you’re targeting younger buyers, post the home for sale on Facebook Marketplace. You’ll be surprised how many enquiries you get from potential buyers!

Use email lists

In the United States, where collaboration between real estate agents is very common, do not underestimate the power of your email list. Make it a habit to send the property to your contact list on a regular basis. In the case of our local MLS, I’m able to pull realtor contact lists and add them to my email base. Make sure you keep the subject line interesting and relevant to increase your email open rate.

Change the featured photo regularly

This might not be obvious, so I will explain my reasoning. More than 90% of buyers use the internet to search for properties. They will use platforms like Zillow to do so, and they will only see the basic information of your listing and one main photo. Here’s the trick: change that cover photo periodically to attract new attention to your listing. The kitchen may appeal to one person, but the living room to another.

Host open houses

Open houses have always been and will always be essential when selling a property. They not only allow potential buyers to physically experience the space, but each time you hold one, it makes your listings pop on all online portals and gives your property renewed attention.

Broadcast on Facebook and Instagram Live

For those who can’t make it in person, offer a livestream tour of the home. Give your viewers a virtual view of the property and answer their questions in real time. It isn’t just a tour of the property, by the way—they are also getting to know you (and perhaps considering you for their future realtor).

The post 4 Effective Tactics To Sell Your Property Listing In A Buyer’s Market: Tips For Real Estate Agents first appeared on Housing Market Marketing by Housing Market Group.