Giving a good real estate listing presentation is one of the vital skills for an agent. It’s a powerful way to work with seller leads but many realtors find this part of the job daunting. If you strive to give engaging and convincing listing presentations and stop putting off the clients with a hard sell, these insights will be invaluable.
If you work with a brokerage, that makes things a little easier. Your broker has probably already supplied you with some templates and tips on how to make an impressive listing presentation. But even the most advanced tools can fail you if you don’t commit yourself to some serious prep work.
Let’s skip the advice like being on time for your appointment or wearing proper outfits as important, and focus on the harder parts instead.
Successful real estate listing presentation
Research comes first
One of the best ways to impress clients is to show them you did your research. First of all, search for the property online – maybe it’s already listed in the MLS. It could have been sold before, in which case write down the price to compile a pricing trend.
Next thing you can do is go see the property on your own. This should give you a better idea of the neighborhood and nearby amenities. You can then craft a more compelling listing. Apart from that, you can:
- snap a couple of pictures that you can use for your presentation;
- make a list of suggested home improvements. Go for things that are simple but produce immediate results, e.g. painting, cleaning or rearranging the furniture;
- check out the neighbours houses, nearby landscape and any things your seller might not be telling you so you won’t get caught off guard.
[Related post: How to Write Compelling Real Estate Listings That Evoke Trust]
Showcase your expertise with CMA
Your seller already thinks you might be the right agent to sell their property but hasn’t made their mind yet. This means you need to reinforce that assumption. According to a survey made by RISMedia, CMA (comparative market analysis) is the second most interesting part of your presentation. (The most interesting one is your marketing strategy but more on mechanics of that below)
Make your CMA short but concise. The best info to include is:
- other homes for sale in the neighborhood;
- distinctive features of the neighborhood – both positive and negative as they will affect the price;
- estimated home value and its comparison with the national market;
- pricing methodology and home prices as per the square footage;
- charts showcasing current market trends, buyers and sellers pricing expectations, average number of showings per week, estimated number of buyers willing to consider the property at a given price, etc.
At this stage, focus on the numbers and stats so the seller grasps the market conditions better and you both speak the same language.
Outline your marketing strategy
Like we mentioned, your marketing strategy is the seller’s No.1 priority. They want to sell their property as soon as possible for the highest price. Naturally, they want to know how you can deliver on this promise. There are a few things you can stress upon at this stage. Here’s a recap of the digital marketing techniques you should mention.
1) MLS
Tell your clients you’re going to publish their listing in the regional MLS. And not just a short copy, but a properly optimized, professional and compelling listing that can actually generate inquiries.
2) Your own real estate website and portal
Create a unique listing with your seller’s property and publish it onto your own website or portal. Optimize it for SEO, add a great description and beautiful photos (plus videos if you’ve got any).
3) Social media
Explain how you get more eyes on the property by promoting it across your fans and followers and via relevant social media groups.
4) Mobile marketing
If you have your own mobile app, explain how you can deliver the latest info about a listing. Engagement via mobile apps– calls, emails, downloads, referrals – is huge and maximizes your accessibility as an agent.
5) Property portals feeds
Another great way to impress your clients is to tell them their property will be published on global or national property portals that get thousands of visitors each day. Let your sellers know that this kind of promotion is powerful and cost-effective and might not be offered by your competition.
6) Embrace retargeting
Retargeting is a form of advertising that redirects people back to your site. Sometimes, it’s even more effective that property portals. Your customized ads intelligently follow prospective buyers across the Web and gently remind them of the opportunity you have to offer. Imagine telling your clients their home is going to be advertised on The Washington Post or the Associated Press! This is an advertising reach few of your competition can boast.
[Related post: Retargeting for Real Estate: a Complete Guide to Bringing People Back to Your Site]
7) Offer a dedicated website
You can even offer your clients a dedicated single property website, if you can find a scalable solution to do this. In other words, no other properties to distract a potential buyer and a whole site promoting a particular property.
8) Say you will take care of professional photography
Nothing makes a better impression for a home than its twilight photo so promise your clients to take some beautiful shots. Same goes with videos. This is a good time to slip in some photos you have taken for other sold homes.
Explain how exactly you will help at every stage
Of course, selling a house is a complete pain. You clients will be relieved if you tell them you can:
- stage the home;
- get it ready for showings;
- give handy advice on quick and inexpensive home renovations;
- get a company to do the necessary improvements so no need to search for one;
- deal with the paperwork.
The more inclusive your services are, the better. Most agents offer these things anyway so you need to keep up with the standards.
Give proof of your professionalism
If you’ve got the achievements your clients should know about, this is the best time to put them forward. Mention your sold listings, testimonials, experience with the local market, awards, community involvement, etc. People naturally doubt about an agents capabilities so these things are perfect to reassure them.
Lastly, don’t forget to mention any offline marketing strategies you offer like printed ads and flyers, open houses, etc.
Final piece of advice
- Decide how you’re going to present this information. If you want to use print outlets, prepare them in advance. Likewise, get your laptop ready if you want to keep everything digital.
- Avoid real estate jargon. FSBO, CMA… Don’t try to impress clients with abbreviations. Rather, explain everything in plain words as it tells much more about your professionalism.
- Be straightforward about pricing. If you think the client is overpriced, better tell them straight away while it can be peacefully discussed.
- Tell them what the next steps are. Give your clients an agenda so the selling process feels more predictable and secure to them, and they can track the progress.
Of course, it takes some trial and error to refine your real estate listing presentation skills. As always, the more you practice, the better you’ll get. Good luck with presenting!
