30-DAY MARKETING PLAN

PRELIMINARY

 Assist you with pricing your home just right

 Discuss marketing plan

 Discuss showing procedures

 Discuss possible financing methods

 Estimate closing costs and net profits

 Prepare MLS information

WEEK ONE

 Place your property info into the MLS**

 Place your property on multiple websites**

 Install “For Sale” sign on your property

 Write ads that emphasize the outstanding features and benefits of your home

 Suggest improvements to the property, if necessary

 Provide showing suggestions

 Provide finance information & options for buyers

WEEK TWO

 Provide Highlight Sheet for your home

 Plan open house (public or brokers) if deemed necessary

 Implement “Prospect Matching” and contact matching clients

CONTINUOUS MARKETING PLAN

 Provide you with continuous updates on current marketing status

 Compile feedback fromshowing agents and share results

 Review and discuss advertising

 Pre-qualify buyers and assist them with financing if required

 Discuss reactions of perspective buyers

MORE BUYERS ARE CREATED BY ME WITH…

 Internet exposure

 Relocation programs

 Expanded resources to qualify potential buyers

 Awaremess of client needs and long term professinal dedication

**The National Association of Realtors® reports that 86% of all prospective buyers shop on the internet.

PRICING THE HOME JUST RIGHT

I would like to share a TRUE story that happened to me the day before

writing this letter.  I am sure that you will find it useful, and my hope is

that you do not make the same mistake that this homeowner made.

I have been working with a buyer who happens to be a close friend of

mine. We have been looking at properties for about six weeks now.

Yesterday his wife called me and asked me to check the value of a

home that is “For Sale by Owner.” 

I did a Comparative Market Analysis (the same as I would when listing

a property). What I found was that the subject property was priced

about $33,000 under market value! This unfortunate homeowner,

trying to save about $7,500 in commissions, just cost herself $25,500.

I advised my friend and his wife to buy the property.

Needless to say, my friends are ecstatic because on the day they move

in, they will immediately have $33,000 in equity!

_________________________________

Let’s play ‘real estate.’ After meeting with an agent, you decide that

your home should list for $205,000.00. The agent has provided you with

a Market Analysis that shows that $200,000.00 is fair market value for

your home. You have already decided that you will accept an offer for $200,000.00, but feel that marketing it a bit higher will protect you from “lowball” offers.

The danger here is that buyers-more often than not-need financing. If

the ONLY prospective buyers for your homehave been prequalified for $200,000.00,  they will never see your home, because they are searching

in a lower price range. I recommend pricing the home correctly and

being  firm rather than gambling with an overpriced listing.

10 “MUST-DO’S” BEFORE YOU SELL YOUR HOME

Getting a leg up on the competition may require some extra effort, but it should pay off on settlement day.

1. Repair sagging Repair screen doors and other entry red flags.-The entrance to your home is the key to first impressions. Make sure everything at the entrance is in working order. If the screen door is sagging, you'll probably have to install a new one, as aging aluminum parts often become too bent or broken to repair. But first, try replacing any missing or corroded hinge screws and tightening the rest. A fresh coast of paint on the front door goes miles toward establishing a great first impression. Patrol the perimeter of your home, inspecting it with the critical eye of a stranger.

2. Spiff up the roof.-Missing shingles and hanging gutters broadcast a loud, scary signal to potential buyers. Get a roofer to replace any missing or broken shingles or roofing tiles. Moss growing on the roof signals neglect, so it's important to get it cleaned off. Ask a roofing expert to remove moss or to recommend someone who can. Roofing professionals may suggest treating the surface of your roof with a chemical to kill moss or they may recommend installing zinc strips on the roof ridge. Water running over the zinc washes minute amounts of zinc carbonate over the roof, killing algae and moss, according to Z-Stop, which manufactures the strips. When hiring someone to work on your roof, it's crucial to check their recommendations. Amateurs can damage your roof with the careless use of a high-pressure power washer.

3. Clear and caulk gutters. -On a dry day, climb up on a ladder and clear all the debris out of the gutters so water can flow freely. While you're up there, re-caulk the gutter end caps. Seamless gutters are finished at the ends with a cap that's crimped and caulked. Aging caulk allows leaks to drain water down your home's siding..

4. Patch nail holes and repaint. -Moving inside the house, you'll want to patch up nail holes in the walls. Ask at a hardware store for lightweight putty. Apply it with a putty knife and fill in each hole, scraping the excess off the wall. Following directions on the package, wait for it to dry. Then sand the putty until it's smooth and flush with the wall. Paint the repaired spots with primer.

5. Make it smell “fresh.”-The thing is, smells are a serious deal killer. When strangers enter a home, the first thing they notice is the smell. Don't even try hiding behind scented candles, potpourri and plug-in room fragrances. Buyers, ever suspicious to problems, catch a whiff of those and conclude that you're hiding something. In the kitchen and bathrooms, deep clean with bleach, then re-grout tiles and re-caulk cracks between sinks, tubs, toilets, counters and floors to seal out the moisture that encourages the growth of smelly mold, mildew and bacteria. If you've had smokers in the house, you've got extra work to do. To rid walls of smoke and nicotine film, some experts suggest washing the walls with cleaners using an alkaline builder, such as ammonia, and a glycol solvent (found at paint stores). It is recommended that you paint an undercoat of Kilz primer onto clean, dry walls to seal in nicotine smells. Finish the job with a fresh coat of paint and change the furnace filter to further freshen the air in the house.  If possible, board your cat off-premises while you're showing your home; at minimum, clean the litter box daily.

6. Replace damaged vinyl flooring. -Inspect the vinyl flooring in your bathrooms. If it has discolored spots or is loose, moisture may be damaging the floor. You'll probably want a professional to lay the actual flooring, which could cost you. But you can save as much as half of the cost by preparing the floor yourself. Remove the baseboards by pulling them away from the walls with a small pry bar. Next, pull up the flooring using a larger pry bar -- it will be glued and nailed or stapled. Also remove the next layer, called the underlayment, made of particleboard or layered plywood.  While your new floor is being installed, you can sand and repaint the baseboards so the whole job will look terrific when it's finished. Another good choice for flooring material is linoleum, a green product made from linseed oil, pine resin, sawdust and other natural binders. It can add 30% or 40% to the cost of a $400 job.

7. Reseal the toilet.-Not all flooring installers will remove and reinstall the toilet, something that must be done to replace the floor. Pulling the toilet yourself can save you money. With plumbers' fees running about $85 an hour (with a minimum hour and a half charge for a house call), you could save yourself $200 or more (for two trips) by pulling the toilet yourself. Don't move the toilet alone. Get a friend to help, because toilets are heavy and cumbersome, and the tanks are easily cracked. Even if you aren't replacing flooring, the seals may need replacing. How to tell? If the toilet rocks when someone sits down, or if the floor at the base is moist or discolored, the seal could be broken. Corroded nuts that hold the toilet to the floor are another sign that the toilet needs to be reinstalled. Before you begin, shut off the water supply at the faucet behind the toilet. Flush the toilet, holding down the handle to drain as much water as possible. Use a wrench to unscrew the bolts holding the toilet to the floor.

8. Stop faucet drips.-A dripping faucet calls attention to itself, and it's not hard to fix. Shut off the water supply to the faucets by turning the valves under the sink to the right. Then, test the faucet to make sure you've shut the water off completely. While you're looking under the sink, check for moisture on the wall around the valves and on the floor of the sink cabinet. Also check the supply lines leading to the dishwasher and disposal. If those areas are wet, get a plumber.  If you've got a newer, rotating, single-arm faucet (through which both hot and cold water run), note the brand and purchase a faucet rebuild kit (roughly $50) at the hardware store. Inside the faucet arm is a metal ball on a stem that lets the handle swivel while allowing water to flow in any direction. The kit contains the six to 12 parts most likely to fail, including that metal ball, O rings, springs and gaskets. The idea is to replace them all rather than trying to diagnose the exact source of the problem. Dismantle the faucet, laying the parts out in order on a paper towel. Snap a photo or draw a sketch to help you with reassembly. Replace the old parts, put the faucet back together and turn the water back on.  For older faucets with independent hot and cold water faucets, shut off the water under the sink as before then dismantle each of the sink's faucets separately. Remove the washers (rings made of rubber, plastic or brass), put them in a plastic sandwich bag and bring them to the hardware store to find replacements. Reassemble the faucets and turn the water back on. If this seems like more trouble than you're willing to tackle, call a plumber.

9. Renew dinged baseboards.-Beat-up baseboards detract greatly from the appearance of your home, and they're easy to spiff up.  First, clean them to remove scrapes and smudges left by clawing pets and toddlers on wheels. A Mister Clean Magic Eraser Sponge works great on painted surfaces. Fill in dents with spackle, sand the baseboards smooth and repaint them. If you've lost the name of the original paint color, chip off a coin-sized bit, slip it into an envelope and bring it to the paint store where you can have the color computer matched. Use primer before painting. Don't just retouch small areas; paint the entire piece of baseboard, from one end to the other. Choose a washable eggshell finish. White is a great choice for making baseboards and trim look crisp and clean.

10. Repair cabinet scratches.-You can quickly improve the look of unpainted woodwork and worn cabinets with an application of products that even out the surface color.  Finally, polish wood cabinets to a glow with lemon oil.

I hope that you find these ideas useful. If you ever have any real estate related  questions or needs, please feel free to call me.

John Reber- Realtor®