BY CHRIS ARROWSMITH
This is probably going to be a short one because there’s really not a lot to say about the topic, but it bears saying none the less. And it’s one that I still consistently hear agents miss the point on over and over.
There are a lot of things that can affect the way a listing is received by the market.
Everything from which update the sellers did or didn’t do, to whether the listing agent used professional photos, or had a video tour, to whether or not a vacant home has been staged or if the seller decluttered enough knick-knacks can all have an incremental impact on the how big of a splash any given home makes when it goes live. And when you aggregate the data, any one of those things can be argued to increase the seller’s bottom line by as much as a few points. But let’s be real, the biggest factors that influence activity are still appropriate pricing and simple preparation. When a home is well prepared for market and priced well, in most cases it is likely to sell when the market is doing its thing. I’ve seen homes that were well priced sell quickly at list in a strong market – even with the dreaded cell phone pictures.
“OK so if it’s all about the price and the prep I can save a few buck and not hire you, Chris. Thanks for the tip!”
Well you just hold your horses there, imaginary conversation partner. This is supposed to be about what the quality of your listing’s photographs and other media implies about your value proposition as a listing agent. Potential clients who see the homes you list for sale will make assumptions based upon how those homes are presented, assumptions about how you may market their home for sale. Before you ever talk to them. And nobody wants to see their prospective agent phone it in when it comes to marketing. Strong presentation implies that you go the extra mile to get it done for your clients. Lackluster media says that you don’t care to every person who sees every home you list.
And those incremental gains in the number of days on market or end sale price that can be made through the extra sets of eyes that higher quality media attracts may not impact your commission much, but they may be all that separates you from the other agents you’re competing against in the mind of your next client – because all listing appointments are competitive, most agents just get knocked out of the running before they ever get to sit at the sellers’ kitchen table. And that extra percent or two can mean a lot of real dollars to a seller. Plus you’ve got to have something. Your steadfast commitment to service in a professional service industry just isn’t that unique, and your litigious wording of inspection responses isn’t very sexy. To potential clients I mean. Obviously I think it’s great.
Using quality photos, 3D, and especially video is a win, win… win.
The client wins, you win, and honestly I win too, right? The client gets the benefit of you marketing their home with the best of what’s out there, you get to attract more clients (the type of higher end clients that research their agents a bit more before listing and have higher expectations), and I get to keep the doors open at this cool company. And if you subscribe to my window display philosophy of marketing, then you probably already have lots of places in mind where you can drop those cool property videos, especially since video receives 10x more interaction than text, 53x better SEO (no that’s not a typo), and 300% better CTR, just to name a few of its benefits. And yes those benefits remain the same whether the subject of the video is a listing that’s $100,000 or $1,000,000 so break yourself of the useless paradigm of indexing your per property marketing spend to the price of the home and look at every new house you bring to market as your chance to shine, and a valuable opportunity to get out there and build brand.
The bottom line is that better media helps you get more clients, better listings, and it provides an aggregate benefit to your sellers when deployed at scale. And the good news is that as of time of this article was initially published, I could count on one hand the number of agents in the South Bend market really using the heavyweight champ of all media – video – effectively in their marketing. So it’s anyone’s game.
About the Author
In his 14 year career Chris has worn a plethora of hats within the field of real estate – working as a licensed agent, acquisition specialist, in brokerage operations, as an architectural photographer, videographer, marketing director, and currently as the owner/operator of realmedia.sb. Drawing on that broad experience within the field to inform his approach, Chris is regarded by many as South Bend’s preeminent voice in real estate marketing. His track record of driving explosive sales growth and building brand through innovative content strategies and quality media production has made him sought-after as a marketer, content creator, and consultant.
Sign up for periodic emails with information on how to grow your real estate business through proven marketing strategies, quality media, and the systems to tie them together.
©2022 REALMEDIA.SB, LLC
101 E Mishawaka Ave
Mishawaka, IN 46545
drop us a line with your inquiry
Text messaging is our preferred method of contact. For inquiries requiring a prompt response we can be reached by text or phone at (574) 387-3799. For inquiries that do not require prompt response we can be reached by email at chris@realmedia.sb.
