Eco Friendly Real Estate Blog

Asheville Real Estate Journal

 Previously on this blog...
Part 1 - 150 Services Your REALTOR® Does For You (Part 1) (Introduction)
Part 2 - 150 Services Your REALTOR® Does For You (Part 2) (1-10)
Part 3-  150 Services Performed by REALTORS® /Questions to Ask Before You Hire One(Part 3) (11-33)
Part 4-  150 Services Performed by REALTORS® /Questions to Ask Before You Hire One(Part 4) (35-72)
Part 5-  150 REALTOR® Services: MLS, The Network & Local REALTOR®Data Interpretation (Part 5- 73-95) 

Part 6-   150+ Services...with a special focus MARKETING A LISTING.(95-125)
 Before hiring a REALTOR®, ASK GOOD QUESTIONS...such as...

Asheville Land Broker Interviews Seller on Site

DO YOU...

96. Listen to Sellers' Features and Benefits and Keep these in mind as you Review and/or Create   and  Print and/or Internet ads?
97. Listen to Sellers' Features and Benefits and Keep these in mind as you educate/coordinate showings with other REALTORS®?
98. Provide an electronic lock box  and keep track of showings/showing times?
99. Prepare mailing and contact lists based on target audiences for the property?
100. Keep in close email contact with Sellers?
101. Keep abreast of relevant local reports and material facts and provide a residential/land disclosure form?
102. Provide copies of and/ or prepare flyers and feedback forms and personally call to invite broker/colleagues to broker open house events?
103. Review comparable MLS listings regularly?and- ensure property remains competitive in price, terms, conditions and availability?
104 Prepare excellent brochures for client's ?
105 Arrange for a supply of marketing brochures and/or flyers at the property?
106. Distribute marketing brochures to colleagues and potential buyers?
107 Review web information about the Listing with Sellers and ask for feedback?
108 Keep in good contact with neighborhoods and residents?
109 Provide marketing data to clients?
110. Utilize the Referral Groups and your Blog at Active Rain and your web-based referral network?
111 Utilize advanced/specialized education in your outreach?
112 Interpret web data from the local perspective?
113 Review and/ or make Price changes or other changes?
114 Review and/or Submit Virtual Tours?
115 Review loan information?
116 Discuss feedback after showings? And keep in regular contact with updates and attentive listening for a Win-Win-Win?
117 Review market studies?
118 Offer a personal web site with featured listings?
119 Utilize social network marketing opportunities? And how?
120 Utilize You Tube videos and outreach?And how?
121 Utiize specific blogging strategy? And how?
122 Create "Honest-Eye" photography-with well-thou8ght-out color shotsto the full complement allowed on MLS?
123 Emphhasize  outreach based on Seller's "things I like most about this property" assessment?
124.Provide home-selling resources/ and referrals such as Staging?etc.
125.Link listings to various consumer-facing web portals via the MLS?. And what are they? 

Feel free to add/suggest  many, many more items here...

UP NEXT: Part 7- THE OFFER AND CONTRACT- Services Performed (stay tuned)
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(*)/'(*)   ________Asheville NC Real Estate Journal. " On the Road HOME, CONTACT ME 

NOTE:: A recent McGraw Hill study revealed that  81% of homebuyers would prefer to buy a eco-friendly home rather than a standard ... I have the following real estate green designations: NAR GREEN®, EcoBroker®, Eco Certified ®Real Estate Consultant. ASHEVILLE MOUNTAIN LAND:  When buying mountain real estate do your homework.  Slope stability can only be determined by state licensed engineers and geologists: Buyers, Sellers and REALTORS® are not qualified to make these assessments.

Unauthorized reproduction of any information including photos  on this site is a violation of existing copyright laws. All rights reserved. Eco-Friendly Mountain Homes and Land Legacies- 150 REALTOR® Services: MARKETING THE LISTING (Part 6- # 96-125)  - Asheville NC Real Estate  © 2011.
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Take a look at this if you want a sneak peek at a
green-friendly space in Asheville.
And let me know if you smile.

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(*)/'(*)   _______________________ " Asheville real estate professionals on the roll  for  sustainable  innovation."  Unauthorized reproduction of any information including photos  on this site is a violation of existing copyright laws. All rights reserved. Green-Friendly Mountain Homes and Land Legacies-Asheville NC Real Estate  © 2010. _____________________________________________________________________________________

In Part 1 of my series I discuss how there are quite a few expired listings out there that are gorgeous!  Unfortunately, it appears that many features of the home went UnNoticed.  Forgotten. These features are those the right now, in our Financial climate and increased awareness of what it takes to OWN a home are often times the MOST important to Home Buyers.

Part 2 of the Series is Location.  It's not just about the Proximity to shopping, hike and bike trails, work and other things that are often mentioned.  Location goes WAY beyond that.

For the sake of this Series I am using The Woodlands as an example.  Home Buyers that are looking in The Woodlands are extremely savvy.  They know that Grogans Mill is the closest to I-45, however, it is also the Oldest Village.  As we work our way back, we have Cochran's Crossing, Indian Springs, Alden Bridge, Sterling Ridge....

The distance towards the front of the Community gets further and further.  That is no Secret.  Neither is the fact that as we work our way further and further to the back, the homes get newer and newer.

So, let's take for example Grogans Mill or Cochrans Crossing.  These locations sometimes tell potential Home Buyers what they may see in a home.

Actually it is not necessarily what they may see in a home, it is the FEAR of what they MIGHT see in a home:

• Wood Rot
• Foundation Problems
• Water Damage
• Overall luster of a home diminishing with age
• Single Pane Windows
• Higher Electric Bills
• Higher Maintenance Costs incurred throughout the time of owning the home

Now, again, none of this is a secret.  Obviously as a home gets older there is more work to do to the home.  Kind of like owning a car.  You pass the certain mileage and you have to replace the Timing Belt, Brakes..sometimes the Transmission and other things that just really cost a lot of money.

In today's Financial Climate, folks do not want to mess with all of that.  They need their money. 

From an Affordability Ranking,  how does YOUR home rate versus the ones around you? 

Often times an 'Updated' home means that Cosmetically it looks nice.  It does not have the Laminate Countertops, the paint is updated..in other words the appearance is TRENDY.

But when we look at it a little more closely, the Fascia Board on the home looks like it could be replaced.  The roof is only a few years from being replaced, the HVAC system looks like it might be on its last leg.

The cost of all of this can TRIPLE the cost of personalizing the Home INSIDE.

So, back to Location.  Where your home is located, how does your Home Rank in Affordability? 

• How much MAINTENANCE has been done on your home?
• Was your BUILDER ahead of the pack in products being used to make the home more AFFORDABLE?
• Are your UTILITY bills less than the AVERAGE home in your Community?

THAT is where Location often comes in to play with Today's Home Buyers.  This could also be termed 'Myth Busters'

What does YOUR home have that could be known as a 'Myth Buster'?  Let's think outside the Box.

Next in the series:  Fluff.  The 'fluff' in advertising.  "Updated Appliances!  Granite Countertops and Hardwood Floors!"

While that is all well and good, forget about some of it.  I'll tell you why.

As I was searching through some Expired Listings in The Woodlands today I was absolutely amazed at some of the Gorgeous homes that were on the list.  Beautiful!  Updated Older Homes that glistened, Newer homes that appeared to be clean as a whistle...

But what shocked me the most, was the fact that at first glance, they did not appear to be incredibly Over Priced.  Now, I did not run comps on any of the homes as it would not be accurate anyhow without stepping inside of them and seeing for myself but here is what caught my eye:

• Custom Hardwood Floors
• Central Vacuum Systems
• Granite or other updated Countertops
• Incredible Landscaping
• Some had amazing Pools
• A few had unique floorplans that are somewhat difficult to find

Since this post is not about how the homes were listed, I'll stop there.  I often wish I knew how much traffic these homes had while they were on the market, but I don't.

Now, when I filter through listings for potential clients I try to look at everything that is NOT mentioned in the descriptions.  For Example, the pictures (especially the ones that we would typically think are bad), Builder name and year built can tell you A LOT:

• Those pictures of the side of the home that show the Compressor for the HVAC system- Wow, That looks like it could be a 15 or 16 SEER!
• The appliances in the kitchen that are only noted as Stainless Steel or Upgraded appear to be a brand that is likely ENERGY STAR
• One home was built by Ryland in 2000:  Ryland was one of the few builders that was actively using Double Pane windows and sometimes Radiant Barrier BEFORE it was required by Code.
• Another was built in 2006 by David Weekley who happened to use an extremely Energy Efficient Building program before the other builders hopped on in late '07 and mid-'08

All of these features are ones that I consider to be the Sustainable, Greener or otherwise...more Affordable ones.

These are all of the features that often times go UN Noticed by potential, QUALIFIED Homebuyers.

Would this kind of stuff actually bring the attention to people in the market for a home?  They should!  And they DO to many of the Buyers that I personally work with.

While explaining it all right here and right now would take a long time, this is the start of a new series of Blog Posts.  ~The Affordability Ranking~

• How much maintenace will be required on this home?
• How much will it cost me to LIVE in this home?
• How Comfortable will it be to LIVE in this home?
• Why is this home different than all of the others besides the paint, countertops and flooring?
• Overall, how will it affect my pocket book at the end of every Month?

While any home that goes on the market would Benefit from using this, I am aiming it towards Expired Listings as we are entering the 'Selling Season' with a higher inventory than recent years with longer time on the market.

Let's take a look through this Series on how to Maximize Affordability in your home to give it a selling advantage. 

Next part of the Series?  Location.  It's not just about where the home is located, it's where the home is located in comparison to the Affordability of the home.  No, it's not about location to work, school, shopping...Location goes much deeper than that.  The simple location of a home can tell Home Buyers A LOT about the potential Condition of every home they see.  It's important to show how YOUR home may be different.  Stay Tuned.

Let's pretend that the picture to the right is a snapshot of the homes for sale in your Community.  There are a handful of homes available, but there are only 5 Buyers lurking around.  It is a race for curb appeal, staging, and upgrades.  A battle of advertising wits to get the most showings with Photos on MLS, Videos on YouTube and Virtual Tours online.

But most of these all have Granite Countertops, Stainless Steel Appliances and Plasma TV's staying with the home.  There are some with upgraded carpet, extra crown moulding and pools or heavenly back yards.

Ok, back to the picture.  Is there one that catches your eye, one that stands out more than the others? Why does green make it different?

I really am getting somewhere, just bear with me another minute.  Here are a few things that I have NEVER heard from a client while showing homes:

• "I am buying a home 45 miles from work and it would make me SO happy to find the home in this Community with the highest electric bill."
• "Living in Houston for a long time, I have bad allergies/asthma and I enjoy it. Find me the home that will aggravate my allergies/asthma the most."

and last but not least:

• "I absolutely LOVE home maintenance.  I want a home with rotted wood, single pane windows and appliances that will need to be changed out next year."

I personally believe that these items are overlooked in separating homes while they are For Sale.  All of the three points above are getting in to what Green Homes are about. Yes, what most would consider 'Environmentally Friendly Homes'.  It is all over the News, every magazine, Reality TV Show, it doesn't end.  Even if your home is NOT Green, let's look at what really could make it the Green one in the middle that sticks out.

Energy Efficiency- 

So, you have always been ahead of the curve in making a comfortable home with LOW Utility Bills.  You chose Radiant Barrier when you replaced your roof, changed out your Windows to Double Pane to keep your Living Room or Master Bedroom cooler, upgraded to Energy Star Appliances AND put in a brand spankin' new 15 SEER A/C System last year.  All of that made your bill 40-50% less than the Blue homes around you.  Let's Frame it!  Take that last Electric Bill and show it to the world!  Loud and Proud!

Water Efficiency-

Do you live in an area with high Water Bills or a Water Shortage?  What changes have you or can you make to your home that would appeal to a Potential Homebuyer?  How about Sprinkler System with Rain Gauge, Low Flow faucets or toilets, or a landscaped yard that requires minimal watering and/or maintenance.

Indoor Air Quality-

This topic would appeal to that large group of homebuyers that need less dust or allergens in a home, a group that is growing in numbers every year.  Did you opt for the Whole House HEPA Filter in your A/C System?  How about very little or NO carpet, Low or No VOC Paints and adhesives when you put in Hardwood floors and remodeled?  Home Buyers looking for these options REALLY do know that it will benefit them.

Home Maintenance-

Ahhh, the one item that really hits home.  The Cost vs. Value report is put out once a year to show what upgrades and changes recuperate the most money within 12 months. Did you know that Double Pane windows in Houston on this report show that you can get over 80% of your money back within one year?  New siding on the home is OVER 90%!!  This also goes back to move in condition and Convenience, two topics that Potential Homebuyers LOVE to hear about.  What makes your home different?

These four topics can really draw a crowd and statistics show that Home Buyers are willing to pay a Premium.  Whether your home already has these items or you just know that changes are needed to sell, these are items to consider.  What is IN your home can help your Listing Agent make it the one that Stands Out From The Crowd!  Which Home Is Yours?