marketing presentation ja ke st o ut e n b ur g h
ABOUT JAKE STOUTENBURGH Real Estate Jake’s approach is simple. His clients come FIRST. Jake’s commitment to every client is a custom plan and individual approach based on each client’s real estate needs. For over 10 years, he has successfully represented buyers and sellers with their homes and vacation properties, as well as the seasoned real estate investor adding to their portfolio. With his experience and knowledge of the real estate market, Jake handles every transaction as an interview for the next one. Jake grew up working on the family farm in northern Minnesota. Family tradition lead him to join the United States Air Force where he served in a Combat Search and Rescue Helicopter Squadron. During his six years of service, he traveled extensively throughout Europe and Africa. Learning to speak German at age 16 came in handy when he met and married Mareike, who grew up in Berlin, Germany. When Jake is not selling Real Estate, he spends his time flying helicopters and enjoying the beach with Mareike and their two dogs, Louie and Rosa. If you are thinking about Real Estate- call Real Estate Jake.
Jake Stoutenburgh 239.745.5333 jake@onthegulfhomes.com www.onthegulfhomes.com
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OUR SELLING EXPERIENCE You have decided to sell your home. You’re anxious to start the process, but you really want to make sure you have the right person working to sell your home for all it’s worth. Before anything else, it is a good idea to sit down with an experienced agent and clarify your motivations and draw up a basic time frame and detailed outline of the selling process. But first, there are a few questions you may need to ask yourself before listing your home. WHY SELL? Why do you want to sell your property? Do you plan on simply moving to a larger home or property, or do you plan on moving to another neighborhood, school district, city or province? You might think your reasons are obvious, but it would be helpful for you to consider the implications of each option for your lifestyle, opportunities, and finances. Being clear about your intentions for selling will make it easier for the agent to determine the most appropriate option for your specified financial, lifestyle, and real estate goals.
SELLING TIPS WHEN SHOULD WE SELL? You should immediately establish your time frame for selling. For many sellers, it is an urgent matter, and for others, not so much. Obviously, serious sellers would like to sell as quickly as possible and for the most amount possible, however, it is good to know what the most effective plan of action is before listing your home. If you need to sell quickly, we can speed up the process by giving you a complete market analysis and action plan to obtain all of your goals. If there is no pressing need to sell immediately, you can sit down with us to thoroughly review the current market conditions and find the most favorable time to for you to sell.
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MARKETING THE RIGHT WAY THE REAL FACTS When you’re ready to take the next step toward selling your home, we are here to help. Our comprehensive marketing plan will get your home seen by thousands of motivated buyers. Ultimately, our goal is to get your home the most exposure necessary to highlight the best qualities of the home. THE RIGHT PRICE We quickly put together a custom marketing plan with an effective price. A well priced home often generates competing offers and drives up the final sale value. Our market analysis takes into account the most actively searched prices and home values throughout your area, including expired listings and properties still on the market. THE RIGHT EXPOSURE In marketing your home, we also develop a listing that emphasizes its unique and sellable aspects. We put your home in front of buyers, establishing it on the local MLS as well as broader ones, new listings sheets, and real estate publications. Our nation-wide network of professional real estate contacts and buyers will also have the opportunity to check out your listing. EFFECTIVE INTERNET MARKETING In addition, we will use the Internet and our innovative website to make your listing highly visible. With most buyers checking the web first when looking for a home, this is a part of your marketing strategy that you can’t afford to miss. THE BEST DEAL When we list your home, we will do so at no additional cost. When you start to get offers, we represent you during the emotionally charged negotiating process and ensure that you get the best price, and favorable closing terms that are clearly spelled out. As your professional aides, we also oversee all paperwork related to the sale.
II TRUSTED ADVICE II SELL YOUR HOME WITH A PROFESSIONAL Our proven and successful marketing plan is designed to create results and get your home SOLD - fast! A vast understanding of the real estate market and years of experience in innovative marketing accelerates the selling process through our marketing plan. 07
MARKETING PRODUCTS Advertising is important. Exposure is key. Having the right products not only helps define your home, but also helps highlight the great qualities of your home. However, great qualities cannot be highlighted in poor products. They go hand-in-hand. Our premium marketing products meet and exceed the expectations of a luxury property for sale in the SWFL real estate market. These products include: YARD SIGNS: A great way to advertise the availability of your home to people with an interest in your neighborhood or those who are becoming acquainted with your community. A yard sign is the #1 way to show your home is for sale. A Cornerstone Coastal Properties yard sign is recognized as a trusted brand in our local market. Agents at Cornerstone are known for their professionalism and commitment to going above and beyond for their clients.�
MARKETING PRODUCTS BROKER TOURS & OPEN HOUSES: The broker tour opens up your home to agents from other various firms. It is a great, effective and most convenient way to expose the great qualities of your home that may be otherwise missed and for other agents to bring their buyers in to see your property. We help show off your home by bringing the best out of your home. SALES BROCHURES & FACT SHEETS: We are committed to marketing your home with high quality materials that represents the time and effort you have taken in obtaining and maintaining your home.
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OUR SELLING TIPS TIP ONE: ARE YOU DEALING WITH AN EXPERT? Did you know that the average agent sells or helps their client buy only 8 homes per year? Did you know that 45% of real estate agents spend less than $500 per year on training and professional development. These are the facts, so how do you know if your agent is an expert when it comes to helping you buy a home? TIP TWO: THE DETAILS MEAN ALL THE DIFFERENCE Doing the little things in order to prepare your home for sale could be the difference between quickly selling your home and having to wait longer than expected. We understand what little things truly matter and that the difference is in the details.
SELLING TIPS TIP THREE: SEE WHAT’S ON THE MARKET For most of us, our home is our biggest investment. When it’s time to sell, get the value you deserve with the help of a professional real estate agent, we have the experience, expertise and innovative marketing plan to help you successfully sell your home. TIP FOUR: ASK FOR A FREE HOME EVALUATION A well-priced home will generate lots of interest and sell quicker. There’s even a chance of receiving multiple offers resulting in a higher final sale price. Our free market analysis takes into account the most actively searched prices and comparable homes in your community so that you have a detailed evaluation of what your home is worth in today’s real estate market.
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OUR SALES APPROACH Our approach is simple — we do what it takes to sell your home in a timely manner. COMPREHENSIVE: Our sales approach is comprehensive and communication is the vital component to our success. We are committed to involving you in every step of the process. Whether it is establishing a sales price, holding open houses, accepting offers, or closing the deal, we will communicate with you on a regular basis. SALES INFO - DAYS ON MARKET: Lowering the number of days on the market is an essential asset to helping you move on with you life efficiently, financially and responsibly. It could be the difference between 10’s of 1000’s of dollars and can give you the piece of mind and comfort needed while making the next step in your life. SALES INFO - LIST TO SALE PRICE: It’s one thing to close quickly, but most agents who have quick closings usually end up costing you more money and are typically below the market average. However, it takes a dedicated, well organized, well informed team to close quickly for above average list to sale price. The difference can be thousands of dollars in your pocket.
II TRUSTED ADVICE II WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY Sellers often make the mistake of wanting to price their homes high at the start, with the assumption that they can always reduce the price to a more realistic level later on. However, interest peaks when your home is fresh to the market and often declines as time goes on.
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HOME EVALUATION One of the most important question most people looking to sell their home have is: “What will my house sell for in today’s market?” We have a very dynamic real estate market. Prices can change due to local, regional, national and international economic conditions, net migration to the city, political sentiment and of course inventory levels determined by supply and demand. You need to have a professional real estate team like us provide you with a comprehensive analysis of properties that have recently sold in your neighborhood in order to position yourself properly when it comes to price. This is critical! There are many factors that determine what your home is worth in today’s market including: - total number of bedrooms - recent renovations, upgrades and/or updating - number of parking stalls - location in the community: quiet or busy street, cul-de-sac, across from a park, etc.
OPINION OF VALUE Another important factor is the opinion of value. Properties priced too high will sit on the market and become “stale�. Ideally, the property should be priced at Comparable Market Value. Studies continue to show that a property listed at 15% over market value has a 20% probability of sale; 10% over market value has a 30% probability of sale; 5% over market value has a 50% probability of sale. Properties priced at market value have a 95% probability of sale. The method most often used in evaluating single family homes is the Comparable Method. A property is worth what the buyer is willing to pay for it and this is determined by the basic laws of supply and demand. These two factors are evaluated by comparing the home with similar homes that have sold within the market area, with appropriate consideration given to location, amenities lot size, condition, and financing terms.
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preparing your
HOME TO SELL
HOME EXTERIOR • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
House number should be easy to read Lights on timers to ensure house is lit up after sunset Eaves troughs, and down spouts in good repair Garage/car port clean and tidy Litter picked up Cracked or broken window panes replaced Doorbell and door hardware in good repair Touch up trim paint on doors, window frames, fascia, etc. Mow, edge and weed the lawn frequently until the home is sold Cut back overgrown shrubs to show as much of the exterior as possible An investment in seasonal flowers or ground cover will add a personal touch Inspect the roof for necessary repairs and any visible broken shingles or tiles Stucco water stains can be repaired using a mild bleaching agent Fences should be mended and painted Wash all windows inside and outside
HOME INTERIOR • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Lights should be on and drapes left open during daylight hours Fresh flowers/plants in various rooms Chipped plaster and paint touched up and repaired Doors and cupboards properly closed Leaky taps and toilets repaired Burned out light bulbs replaced Squeaky doors oiled Mirrors, fixtures, and taps cleaned and polished Seals around tubs and basins in good repair Floors cleaned, garbage containers emptied Inside of closets and cupboards neat and tidy Valuable property, out of reach, out of sight, or locked away Pets absent, where possible, or contained during showings All torn screens should be repaired or replaced Avoid repainting the entire house unless completely necessary Fireplace lit in cooler weather, air conditioner turned on in warm weather Countertops neat and polished and Appliances cleaned
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PRICING YOUR HOME There are many factors involved that lead to the successful sale of your home. However, there are three very key components that stand out from the rest. These components are an essential part of the process.
Highest Potential
Lost Potential Multiple Offers
Dangerous Risk Gamble
Activity (Amount of Interest)
FIRST: Pricing your home correctly is so important. An overpriced home can be detrimental in the end, while an undervalued property certainly doesn’t always generate the buzz it needs. Pricing your home properly takes an experienced team that understands the market and has a track record of success. The last thing you want is for your home to stay on the market longer than expected. At that time, interest starts to diminish and perception of the home could go from positive to negative. Below shows the best time to sell and your window of opportunity. By taking advantage of these models, you can price your home properly, create a buzz and gain traffic to your home.
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Time on Market (Weeks) Your Asking Price
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ATTRACT BUYERS NOW! SECOND: Attract buyers immediately. Sellers and agents tend to experiment with price by starting high and dropping it over time. This rationale is not the best approach.
99.5%
VISITS TO LISTING BY DAYS ON MARKET
99.0%
List to Sale Ratio
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Online Visits
A listing gets the most attention on its debut. As the reports today, the week that a listing goes on the market, we estimate that it gets nearly four times more visits on real estate websites than it does a month later, which is when most sellers will initiate a price reduction.
98.5%
THE DAYS ON MARKET EFFECT ON BUYING PRICE
98.0% 97.5% 97.0% 96.5% 96.0% 95.5%
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 Days Since Debut or Update
1-9 10-18 19-27 28-36 37-45 46-54 55-63 64-72 73-81 82-90 91-99 100-108 109-117 118-126 127-135 135+
Number of Days on Market
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ACCEPTING THE OFFER THE PRICE IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT “The higher the price, the better the offer.” Do not let yourself be fooled by this popular misconception. Price is not always the determining factor when accepting an offer for several important reasons: the initial offer is usually not final, and there are a number of terms and conditions that may influence the final outcome of a price. You can trust us to help you thoroughly evaluate every proposal without compromising your marketing position. NEGOTIATING THE RIGHT WAY We take the ethical responsibility of fairly negotiating contractual terms very seriously. It is our job to find a win-win agreement that is beneficial to all parties involved. You may even have to deal with multiple offers before ratifying the one you judge to be the most suitable for you – and as your team we will guarantee a thorough and objective assessment of each offer to help you make the right choice. THE INITIAL AGREEMENT AND DEPOSIT An effective agreement is a legal arrangement between a potential purchaser and the property’s seller. Laws vary but in order to be a legally binding agreement, the agreement may require consideration. This consideration (initial and additional deposit) is to be held in trust pending the fulfilment of conditions or contingencies in the effective agreement. KEEP WRITTEN RECORDS OF EVERYTHING For the sake of clarity, it will be extremely useful to transcribe all verbal agreements including counter-offers and addendums, and convert them to written agreements to be signed by both parties. we will assist you in drafting all the paperwork for your sale and make sure that you have copies of everything. STICK TO THE SCHEDULE Now that you have chosen your offer, you and the buyer will be given a timeline to mark every stage in the process of closing the real estate contract. Meeting the requirements on time ensures a smoother flow of negotiations and also ensures that each party involved is not in breach of their agreements. During the process we will keep you constantly updated so you will always be prepared for the next step.
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ONLINE PRESENCE We use the Internet and all online tools to help sell your home. With more than 90% of buyers checking the web, getting online is the most effective and efficient way to connect with potential buyers. Our web presence and online network will help us show your home to thousands of buyers. 99% of people search for a home using three main search engines. We make sure to connect with as many potential buyers and agents with buyers as possible on these platforms.
81%
WEB SYNDICATION More than half of all homebuyers search online first when looking to purchase a home. It is vitally important that your home receives the exposure it needs in order to sell. We ensure our web syndications allow your home to be shown on high-traffic websites as well as our own.
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where do buyers
COME FROM?
first steps
buyers take when looking for a home 51% Internet (home searches & research) 34% REALTORÂŽ 4% Call on yard sign 4% Friend/relative/neighbor 4% Open House 2% New Builder 1% Local newspaper & magazines
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CLOSING THE DEAL Ready to close the deal? Maybe not. Sometimes unforeseeable issues arise just prior to closing the sale. Hopefully, with negotiation, most of these have a workable solution. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. But don’t panic. Another buyer might still be found who is willing to accept the house as is. Imagine that your prospective buyers are a couple with young children. They envision your unused attic as the perfect playroom for the kids but, before closing the deal, they request an inspection to see if it’s safe and also if they will be able to install a skylight to provide natural light to the new space. This inspection reveals that under the shingles that are in good condition is a roof that will only last another year or two. The prospective buyers immediately balk, not wanting to incur the time and cost of replacing the roof. Their plans were to move in and only have to spend time and money renovating the attic. The additional cost of the new roof, they say, is just too much. At this point, we sit down with the prospective buyers and calmly discuss the situation and how it can be solved to the benefit of all. First, you agree to get another professional opinion on what really needs to be done. Inspectors are only human, and are not infallible. Once the extent of the damage is agreed upon, you can jointly decide what to do about it. While the buyers hadn’t planned on that expense, you show them that instead of a limited roof life that they would get with most existing homes, they’ll have a new worry-free roof that won’t cost them in repairs for the next decade or so. Since the roof wasn’t in as good shape as you had thought, you agree to lower the purchase price to help offset the cost of the new roof. By negotiating calmly and looking at all possibilities, what could have been a “deal breaker” can be turned into a win-win situation for both the buying and selling parties. In other cases, the most workable agreement for both parties might be for the deal to be called off. The seller can always find another buyer and the buyer can always find another home. To protect yourself against last minute “buyer’s remorse,” make sure the purchase contract anticipates and closes as many loopholes as possible after all known defects have been fully disclosed.
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TESTIMONIALS “I have worked with Jake to sell two homes and purchase one Home (which was a very complicated bank owned property). I have found him and his team to be knowledgeable, honest, creative and incredibly responsive. I recommend him to anyone looking to deal with a professional who knows the market inside and out and wants to work with someone with a sense of urgency and a personalized selling style. He understands contracts and the law incredibly well, paying attention to details, which as a buyer or a seller mitigates the risk with real estate transactions. He is the best realtor I have ever worked with and I recommend him highly.” — Christine Solanzo “We want to plug the fantastic job that Jake did for us. We had our property listed with another agent for four months and the property went nowhere. And she was a top producer at her agency. We talked to Jake and he told us that our previous agent wasn’t marketing our property properly. We told him the price we needed to get and he brought us two offers in two weeks. His marketing is spot on: Our rankings went from the bottom of Zillow — to the upper 25-30% Jake is the real deal; save yourself the aggravation of using a lesser qualified agent—especially if all they have to offer you is price cutting. Give him a call! You’ll be glad you did.” — Bob Marr, Managing Member Pennington Hill LLC “Jake and Mareike are consummate professionals with thorough knowledge of the local real estate market. Their personal touch, accessibility and consideration of our needs during the listing and sale of our home were superb. We were very impressed by Jake’s assessment of the saleability and customer base for the listing price we started at and he was right on target. Our listing was posted on targeted websites for foreign buyers in addition to the traditional sites, and open houses produced several interested buyers who Jake and Mareike followed up with promptly to have necessary feedback. During the contract process, Jake’s negotiating skills were extremely helpful and after ratification he and Mareike were still closely involved thru our closing. Without hesitation, we highly recommend them professionally and personally…..they are the best in their business!” — Gary and Kathy Bernardo
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TESTIMONIALS “Jake has been quite the trooper! He got immediate results as far as lots of foot traffic goes, then we had 2 offers, both fell through at the last minute due to buyer’s personal issues, and finally in no time at all, he had overseas folks offer on the house. He was there every step of the way, keeping us informed and comfortable. He even arranged to have some personal items Fedexed to us. Don’t hesitate to hire this man…Just do it!” — Lila Reed “Jake is the consummate professional – highly skilled in terms of the market both locally and nationally, conversant with proper building practices/codes and assesses properties with a critical eye to identify any potential problems and is adept at understanding his clients’ needs. I worked with Jake over a year to find the right home for me and he checked in regularly to see if my priorities had changed, if I was happy with the properties he had identified for me and he was quick to adjust his searches to hone in on the perfect home.” — Meg Macy “Jake provided excellent advice and guidance in the hunt and purchase of our home. No concern is too small for him to advise on. He is extremely knowledgeable of the industry and his vibrant personality opens doors. His vast experience has provided him with many contacts with whom he can rely on to ensure all your questions are answered and desires fulfilled. I highly recommend his services and feel confident you will find the home of your dreams given his guidance.” — Ellie Zehr
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239.745.5333 jake@onthegulfhomes.com | www.onthegulfhomes.com