Get the Abbitt Advantage!
Marketing and Listing Consultation
Our Marketing Advantage!
Targeted Market: • •
Public Realtor Community
Abbitt Realtors: • • •
Property Tours MLS Area Tours Calls from Signs
Advertising: • • • • • • • •
MLS AbbittRealty.com Zillow Trulia Realtor.com Partner network websites & competitor sites Yard signs Professional advertisements
Our Marketing Advantage!
The Abbitt Listing Marketing Plan At Abbitt Realty we partner with you to formulate the strongest possible marketing plan for you home! Our objective is to try to meet your goals and integrate them with current market conditions to provide the most effective strategy at the time of your listing. • All of our listing partnerships begin with a detailed market analysis of your home so that we can best determine the current value and list your home at a competitive price. • We will work together to set goals for the condition of your home to ensure when your home is shown to prospective buyers, it looks its best! Examples include cleaning, staging, and organization of personal belongings. • Interior and exterior photos will be planned and scheduled. With so many searches beginning on the internet, we want to be sure we present your home with the best photos we can in an effort to generate showings! • Your marketing plan will be put into motion, with both you as the seller and our team as your Realtor executing our respective responsibilities as outlined in our plan. • Your Realtor will review the marketing on a regular basis to ensure maximum exposure is being provided and that the marketing is working! We will rely on things like web traffic results and showing feedback to see how it is going.
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Getting ready for your listing! How do you get the best price for your home? When you get ready to sell your home, make sure it looks attractive both inside and out. First impressions really do matter and buyers will respond first to your curb appeal, which can be the single most critical element for generating traffic. Here are some tips for the appearance:
• Outside: Spruce up the landscaping. This can yield a big return on investment. Make sure there are lots of seasonal flowers, no weeds, and plenty of dark mulch. Well-trimmed hedges and lawns look crisp and fresh to buyers. Replace rotted wood; inspect the roof for missing shingles or failed flashing. • Make the approach attractive. Buyers are particularly impressed by a newly sealed driveway, freshly painted trim, squeaky-clean windows and cleared gutters. Power wash the home’s exterior and walkways if needed. Polish brass door handles and lampposts. By paying attention to these details you send the message to buyers that your home has been well cared for.
• Inside: Cleanliness counts! Scrub bathrooms, kitchens and all woodwork and trim. Touch up paint where necessary. Clean the carpeting. Tidy the pantry. Scrub and polish floors. Check the water heater for rust or corrosion. Replace dingy tub and tile caulking, fix leaky faucets and pipes. Make sure doors open and close smoothly. Replace old toilet seats and corroded stovetop burner pans. • Above all, remove clutter. What may be prized possessions to you can look messy to buyers, and distracts them from imagining their own furniture in the rooms. Kitchen counter tops should be cleared of small appliances, spice bottles and prescriptions. Make closets appear larger by storing off-season clothes elsewhere. Lots of family photos on the walls? It might be a good time to clear away some of these and repair nail holes.
• Garage, attic or storage area: Hang tools on garage walls and put as much as you can on shelves. Organize the attic for easy access. If there’s just too much stuff, get rid of it or send it all to a temporary storage facility. These can be relatively inexpensive and can make your home sell faster or your moving job easier too. If you do of all these things, when your house sells you will have the comfort of knowing that you did everything possible to sell it for the best price. *Article courtesy of the Virginia Association of Realtors
Showing & Open House
CHECKLIST
Dust and sweep quickly
Sweep the kitchen, bathrooms and entryway. If needed, use a cleaning towel or sponge to clean any spots or debris. Give the baseboards and window sills a quick once over, and quickly wiping down the furniture, TV screens and computer monitors can help make each room shine.
Make sure the countertops sparkle
All counters in the kitchen and bath should be clean and clear. Remove clutter as well. This includes: small appliances, knick-knacks and odds and ends that should be stored. Setting out some fresh towels is a nice touch, too!
Make the beds and fluff those throw pillows
All the beds in the home should be made. If your bedspreads have seen better days, consider updating with something fresh and neutral. Same for throw pillows — if they are looking a little tired, some new ones will go a long way.
Remove garbage and pet supplies
All garbage cans need to be empty. Also, wash them out once a week, and give them a quick spray of disinfectant to cut down odors. Have a special area designated for your kitty or puppy food, litter box, toys, etc.
Vacuum the carpets
Run the vacuum over carpets and rugs to fluff them up. Focus your efforts on the entryway and living room.
Let the sunshine in
A dark home is gloomy. Turn on the lights (if you are home before the showing), open drapes and blinds to brighten the rooms, and be sure your windows are clean.
Load the dishwasher and washer and dryer
Clear the dishes off the counters and out of sinks by loading the dishwasher, but do not start the cycle if it will be running during the showing. Clothes should be picked up and either placed in a hamper or loaded into the washer and dryer.
Coming Home
Our Office
Address: 1312 Jamestown Road Williamsburg, VA 23185 Phone: 757-253-7600 Fax: 757-223-4369 Website: www.AbbittRealty.com Supervising Broker: Michael Gleason
Understanding Your Realtors® Role! Why use a Realtor®? A real estate agent’s job is to help guide you through the complexities of buying or selling a property. But not everyone with a real estate license is a Realtor®. A Realtor® is not just a real estate licensee, but is also a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. What is the difference? Realtors® must meet stricter education requirements than the law requires and they are bound not only by law but by the higher standard of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics. Your Realtor® is committed to protecting your interests throughout the entire transaction with integrity, honor, professionalism and expertise. Realtors® have access to more and more sophisticated tools to help sellers market their properties to the right audience and make the entire process run smoothly. When you are selling your REALTOR® can… ➢ Go over market conditions to help you set the right price for your home based on everything from size and condition to recent sales in your neighborhood. ➢ Find the best places to market your property, including the local Multiple Listing Service and many other web sites that may not be readily available to the general public. ➢ Suggest small improvements or changes that can enhance the appearance of your home to potential buyers. ➢ Take appealing photographs of your home to be used in advertising. ➢ Coordinate inspections, appraisals and other issues to ensure a smooth closing ➢ Provide negotiating expertise and help resolve any issues that arise with the buyer that could delay closing or void the contract. ➢ Work with you and the buyer’s agent to make the transaction as smooth as possible
Why use a real estate professional to help you sell your home?
There are many activities that have to happen before a home can be sold and many “for sale by owners” are eventually turned over to a professional once the seller learns what’s involved. Some of the Hazards you can encounter: ➢ Personal Security: Do you really want strangers coming into your home that
have not been pre-qualified and accompanied by a professional? ➢ Information vs. Knowledge: If you price your home for sale too low, you lose out. Too high and no one is interested. Comparing to nearby home to establish a selling price is tricky business- that home may have sold six months ago. The real estate market can change rapidly in six months and valuations can go up or down. ➢ Legal Issues: Are you ready to deal with the legal disclosures that are required by law when you put your house on the market? What would you do if you accepted a contract on your house and the buyers backed out? It’s a complicated process. ➢ Your Time: How many open houses do you want to host- how many weekends are you able to give out of your busy life? A professional puts in many, many hours marketing your house for you. How much is your time worth?
From the National Association of REALTORS® ➢ Only eight percent (down from nine percent) of recent home sales were FSBO sales. This is the lowest share recorded since this report started in 1981. ➢ FSBO’s typically sold for less than the selling price of agent assisted homes. FSBO homes sold at a median of $210,000. (up from $208,700. the year prior), yet lower than the median of all homes at $245,000.
Our Respective Marketing Duties
Agent • • • • • • • •
Input your listing into the local MLS Install Abbitt Realty for sale signage Provide information for sale flyers Provide pricing / market value analysis Coordinate advertising Upon request hold broker open houses Seek out feedback after showings Review contracts and represent you in contract negotiations
Client • • • • • • •
Complete agent suggested repairs and cleaning of home Prepare your home to be most appealing at all times Secure all valuables during the listing period Keep marketing information out for prospective buyers and showings Call agent if more flyers are needed Leave home during showings Refer any friends or acquaintances who might be interested in your home
The Abbitt Network
The Abbitt Realty Culture
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Local Team Players
NAR Home Buyer Information
Our Office
Address: 3786 George Washington Memorial Hwy Gloucester, VA 23061 Phone: 804-642-2300 Fax: 804-642-6950 URL/Website: www.AbbittRealty.com Supervising Broker: Carolyn Molly
Our Office
Address: 11835 Fishing Point Drive Newport News, VA 23606 Phone: 757-223-7478 Fax: 757-223-4369 URL/Website: www.AbbittRealty.com Supervising Broker: Wanda Stevens
Our Office
Address: 2114 Executive Dr. Hampton, VA 23666 Phone: 757-827-6995 Fax: 757-827-1183 URL/Website: www.AbbittRealty.com Supervising Broker: Sheila Dann