Today, digital technology allows us to do this online through the Internet Data Exchange (IDX).  Now, we all have access to the same data – even you – but make sure that your real estate agent inputs the data correctly.  And even when this is done correctly, not all real estate platforms pull in the correct or all the information of your listing.  For example, you may have 3.5 bathrooms and the listing shows that it has 2, that could make a difference for a family like mine where I have six kids!  This needs to be monitored by your real estate broker to verify accuracy.

Website. Because of syndication, your home will come up on hundreds of websites but that’s cookie cutter.  Make sure that your real estate agent will also provide you a personalized writeup of your home on their website.  There are two ways to write the description.  One for Print and one for SEO – search engine optimization.  The one with the SEO should be used in your agent’s platforms and the one for print is used for everything else, Zillow, Trulia, etc.  

Be sure your realtor secures a URL for your home. For example, if your address is 9 Somerset Ave – make sure your agent will secures www.9somersetave.com and either uses this domain as a website or forwards this domain to a landing page that will also display the property address in the URL.  This will help with the SEO.  There’s an entire science behind SEO but that’s just a couple of nifty tricks.

Online Ads. You see these every day when you’re on Facebook, Google, or any other place where you hang out online. Make sure your agent understands how to do online ads effectively to get your home in front of the right buyers.

Re Targeting. Do you ever wonder why when you search for something online and you click on that product it seems to follow you wherever you go.  It pops up in your Facebook feed, banner ads, Google ads? Make sure that your real estate agent is using this effective marketing technique so you don’t lose potential buyers for your type of home.

Video. In today’s digital world, video is key.  Ask your agent what kind of video they will produce to showcase your home. Will it be some still photos that are slapped together with a smartphone app or will they hire a professional videographer and video producer that will capture the essence of the home? Buyers want to see the flow of the home not just some still shots that could have been altered. The video has to be short, high quality, entertaining and professionally edited to keep the attention of the buyer.  

Social Media.  How many social media platforms will your agent market your home on and are they appropriate ones? Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, Twitter these all have specific strategies to promotion and all cater to different audiences. Make sure that the real estate agent you choose not only will promote on social media but also knows where and how to do this.

Direct Mail. Buyers often come right from your neighborhood or someone there knows of a person who wants to buy in that neighborhood.  Make sure that your agent is willing to spend the time, money and effort on high quality, well designed direct mailers. You would be surprised how often a person’s dream home is for sale right within their neighborhood.

Digital Open House.  Open house – Before I go into how to hold a successful open house in today’s digital world, let me start by telling you open houses are the best kept secret in our industry but it’s not what you think.  Open houses by a realtor’s definition are not intended to sell the actual house – if that happens then great but experienced brokers know the chances of this happening are slim to none.  When a realtor comes into the business, they are trained to do a lot of open houses which helps them to build up their customer base, practice their scripts on real people, market themselves and their company and flush out new potential sellers in the neighborhood that are walking through the home to check out their competition.  Most buyers that come to an open house are not yet represented by a realtor because they are not ready to buy – this is a great opportunity, not so much for the seller, but for the realtor, especially a new or inexperienced realtor to hook a new buyer or even better, a new buyer with a house to sell.  

Besides the purpose of open houses being the industries best kept secret, today, many sellers just don’t want a bunch of unscreened, unqualified strangers walking through their home.  

So, is there a way to do an effective open house?  Yes there is.  Digital open houses. Today, buyers have access to everything at their fingertips so there is no need for a buyer to waste 6 hours on a Sunday trying to view 4-5 open houses.  Besides, serious qualified buyers don’t do this.  Serious buyers are weeding out listings with technology and if you don’t give them digital access, they may move on to the next home.  Digital open houses do three things. First, it allows people, who may not be local, the ability to take a tour of your home (perhaps their dream home) from the comfort of where they are – which could be 1000s of miles away. Second, it weeds out the snoopers because they can’t really snoop.  Finally, it is more convenient for you.  You don’t necessarily need to be kicked out of your home – you can just run into the “other room” while the tour is being given and even see what types of questions buyers are asking in real time.  

So be sure your realtor understands how to do an effective open house to attract the right buyers in today’s digital world.