MARKETING EXCELLENCE
A PREVIEW OF VS
Real Estate
An Introduction to Listing
Our listing approach is to create a great working relationship with our sellers to form a productive “Sales Team." It’s imperative we work together well so that we can best guide you throughout this extensive process in order to help you sell your home in the quickest time possible and at the highest price.
Any agent can make big promises and bold statements. We take it a step further and are able to back up and substantiate our service and success for our clients. Through client testimonials, personal statistics, prior accomplishments, market data, and real estate knowledge, we will SHOW you and provide evidence of how we will be your resourceful guide while serving you through one of the most important financial processes of your life.
The highest level of service is the cornerstone of our unprecedented success and is our continued promise to you. Professionalism, knowledge, integrity, and commitment are all aspects of offering the absolute best as real estate professionals. As your helpful guide throughout every step of every real estate transaction, we pride ourselves on focusing on to your personal attention and complete satisfaction. Our experienced team works together to ensure that you always receive the excellent service you expect and deserve.
We want you to know WHAT we are doing for you, WHEN, and WHY.
The Villalobos & Solo Team
Marcos Villalobos
Accredited Buyer & Seller Representative
• Full-time Real Estate Professional since 2001
• Member San Diego Board of REALTORS ® since 2002
• National Mortgage License Certified
• Born and Raised in San Diego, CA
• Poway Resident for over 41 years
• Loves Soccer, Outdoors, Camping, Fishing, and Snowboarding
• Masters in Education Grand Canyon University- 2001
• Bachelor’s Degree in CommunicationUniversity of CA, Santa Barbara 1996
• *Top 3% Agent Nationwide in Volume
• *Presidents Circle 2008 - Present
• *Top Producer 2003 - VS Real Estate
• *Top 1% Team Nationwide per Reviews on Yelp, Google, Realtor.com, Zillow, and Facebook
• *5-Star Zillow Realtor ®
Marcos Villalobos and Rick Solo were both born and raised in San Diego County. They have been childhood friends since 1988. After graduating from Poway High School, they both pursued their Bachelors at the University of Santa Barbara, CA. After graduation, they ended up pursuing careers as teachers in the Poway Unified School District.
After much consideration, they made the choice to leave teaching and start their own real estate and loan business in 2002. The VS Home Team was born, and the business has continued to grow year after year since inception, including the addition of dedicated support staff and additional top-notch licensed Realtors.
The VS Real Estate and Lending business has been cultivated and organically grown nearly 100% through friends, family, and there social sphere. All potential clients interested in working with Rick, Marcos, and Team Members are always invited to “call or contact any former clients to discuss their experience."
The VS Team is a family that supports one another. Whether you are working with Rick, Marcos, or another one of our competent Realtors, you can rest easily knowing “The Team” will take great care of your needs.
As much as their business, Marcos and Rick also pride themselves on the fact they are dedicated to giving back to the community they have called “home” their entire lives. Between the two of them, they have coached over 15 local youth soccer and baseball teams, created and instructed an elementary school fishing program, and donated thousands of dollars to local schools in the way of Ipads, playground improvements, sponsorships, and cash donations. Their business has given them the opportunity to give back to local schools, youth sports groups, VA support charities, and other local private organizations.
The bottom line is, there is great joy that comes from helping someone find their dream home or sell their current home to make new dreams possible. Equally important to them is helping a borrower structure their financing or helping lower their payments through a refinance. Marcos and Rick are local Southern California experts, able to give their clients a tailored buying and/or selling experience from both a real estate and financial perspective. In today’s fast-paced world, Marcos and Rick make it their mission to give every client the most professional experience where everyone is treated as a friend.
It’s always great to be a part of the Home Team; especially when you have the advantage of the VS HOME TEAM!
Rick Solo
Accredited Buyer & Seller Broker
• Full-time Real Estate Professional since 2001
• Member of San Diego Association of REALTORS ® since 2002
• National Mortgage License Certified
• Originally from Poway, California
• Poway Resident for over 40 years
• Loves Snowboarding, Surfing, Fishing, Hiking, Golf, and the SD Padres
• Bachelor’s Degree in Law & Society with Emphasis on Mediation & Negotiation - University of CA, Santa Barbara 1998
• *Top 3% Agent Nationwide in Volume
• *Presidents Circle 2008 - Present
• *Top Producer 2003 - VS Real Estate
• *Top 1% Team Nationwide per Reviews on Yelp, Google, Realtor.com, Zillow, and Facebook
• *5 Star Zillow Realtor ®
The Villalobos & Solo Team
Shalyn Thomson
Marketing Director & Office Manager
Shalyn Thomson was born and raised in San Diego. After graduating from Poway High School she received her Bachelor degree from San Diego State University. She is proud to have settled back in Poway with her husband and two children. Shalyn has worked in the real estate industry for eleven years. She has been a key part of our team for the past nine years and has helped grow our business more than 25%. Shalyn helps with a variety of business services, along with managing the day to day office needs. She specializes in marketing on social media, affiliate sites, and home spotlighting flyers. She assists us in listing data entry, staging homes, and market prep.
Brendan Gail
Team Member - Realtor ®
Raised in Poway, Brendan is a native San Diegan passionate about the transformative power of home-ownership. Genuinely interested in understanding your unique home buying and selling needs, his goal is to seamlessly guide you through this important decision and process with dedicated, personal attention. Brendan brings his authenticity, empathy, and sense of humor to the established expertise and flexibility offered by Team VS. Brendan graduated with a Master’s Degree from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo. He is proud to have ‘married up’ to his wife, Shelby, and grateful to be a father to his sons, Benson, twins Brady and Brixton, and daughter, Eleanor. Brendan and his family currently reside in Rancho Bernardo.
Rachael
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Rachael Omalley moved to Ramona, CA, in 2017 with her husband and two dogs. She joined the VS Real Estate Team just shortly after the birth of her son in 2020. She loves camping, taking her son to animal parks, and spending time with family on their quiet country property. Like everything she has done in her life, Rachael jumped into the real estate world eager to learn and highly motivated for new challenges and a new experience. She has since welcomed every challenge as an opportunity with open arms, learning very quickly and taking on increased responsibilities year after year. Today, Rachael exemplifies the skillset of a Real Estate Professional beyond her years. She is a licensed Realtor and also spearheads transaction coordination for our team, analyzing offers and facilitating transactional documentation throughout the escrow process. Rachael attributes her real estate success to her organization, thoroughness, and communication skills and prides herself on continued professional growth through every professional transaction.
Rae Omalley
Team Member - Realtor ®/ VS Transaction Coordinator
Full Service Real Estate
When you hire the Villalobos and Solo Real Estate Team, we will become your home’s premier specialists:
Marketing Managers
• Showcasing your property with the finest marketing
• Developing and implementing a customized marketing plan
• Researching and developing an appropriate pricing strategy that meet your goals
• Communicating regularly, so you stay informed
Negotiators
• Presenting and negotiating with potential buyers or their agents on your behalf
• Advising you on the merits of each offer
• Keeping your best interests as first priority
Closing Managers
• Providing information to the buyer in a timely manner
• Managing third party services such as title, escrow, and mortgage lenders
• Liaising with your lawyer/notary and delivering the necessary documentation
• Facilitating answers, resolving any issues during the closing process, and ensuring the process is completed seamlessly
Concierges
• Providing you with access to experts, including legal advisors, insurance experts, builders, landscapers, interior designers, rental experts, home stagers, painters, handymen, home inspectors, and moving services
Dedication & Commitment
Referrals and testimonials are invaluable! Who you hire makes a huge difference when selling your home. In our combined 45+ years, we have worked with over 1,000 happy clients and we will gladly put you in touch with any of them!
We Guarantee You Top Dollar & Unparalleled Service!
"Marcos and Rick have helped my family with multiple purchases and sales over the last 15 years or so, including helping us with our financing. From my first condo to our beautiful "forever home," I can't tell you how refreshing and helpful it is knowing they take care of all it from A-Z. They are beyond professional compared to other agents who have tried to get my business whom I have encountered when buying and selling. They put their clients first and give you the honest, straightforward truth in every situation. It is like having your own personal real estate advisor! Also, beyond the help with these listed financial endeavors, they have always been a resource for my entire family to reach out to with regards to home improvement references, home financing advice, and general tips. They have quality referrals for everything, given their relationships and years in the business. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better Team to help you purchase your dream home." -Pascual
"We heard about Rick and Marcos through a family friend. From the first meeting, it was a great experience. We started looking at houses with them, then based on the market and an in-depth analysis of our personal situation, we decided to sell our home first. They went above and beyond helping us get our home ready for market. Their suggestions, marketing, and market preparation of our home brought us top dollar! With our home in escrow, we found our next home in the neighborhood we wanted, and they made sure that we got that home! Between the two of them, they were always available and very thorough in everything they did. They gave us great advice and answered all our questions with professionalism and patience. We also did our mortgage through them since they beat the rate of all the banks we had looked at. They made the process seamless, from home buying and selling to the loan, it was a great experience. This was a great relief as our first home-buying experience was less than desired. With Rick and Marcos, the experience was a breeze! I would highly recommend their services."
The Strength of VS Real Estate
Since 2001, our brokerage has specialized in high-quality real estate services on a local level and exceeding client expectations. We have accomplished this by embracing the private and personal approach to real estate service, steering clear of the “big brokerage” mentality. We learned early on that standing behind a large corporate name doesn’t equate to being cutting edge real estate industry experts or leaders. We are also very proud of our brokerage and its continued effort to support, enrich, and give back to the community that has supported the success of our business over the years!
We’ve found that residential real estate sales is a business best built on a combination of 4 key components
1
Solid personal relationships founded on earned trust and mutual respect
2
Professional knowledge and continued professional growth
3
Client satisfaction and happiness
4
Consistently successful results and repeated “client victories”
Our brokerage model allows us the opportunity to remain flexible and fluid at all times, evolving based on the individual needs of each client without the inconveniences and inefficiencies of “red tape.”
In our office, broker approval is a very simple process…. If it’s in the best interest of the client, then “YES!”, we can do it.
The Villalobos & Solo Advantage
1. A Real Estate Team with a combined 45+ years of experience working full time for you, available 7 days a week
2. Hassle-Free “Market Prep”: we front the expenses AND manage any needed improvement projects.
3. Over 98% of listings converted to closings at an average of 30% less market time
4. No Ball & Chain - No listing obligation
5. Flex Commission Guarantee Advantage
6. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
7. Rick and Marcos have been Poway Residents since childhood, with deep community ties throughout San Diego County and an unparalleled network of contacts and potential buyers
8. Cutting Edge Real Estate Marketing & Technology
The VS Home Team Sells FASTER
Average, VS Real Estate Sells Homes 3x Faster than the Competition*
VS REAL ESTATE AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET Other Agents Days on Market
On Average, VS Real Estate Earns Their Clients $31,317 More than Other Agents** PERCENT OF ORIGINAL LIST PRICE RECEIVED + $31,317
Our Objective
Our objective is to sell your home:
› For the highest possible price
› In the shortest amount of time
› With the most favorable terms
Prior to implementing any marketing strategies, it is critical to go through a process of discovery — determine the fair market value, survey the current market conditions, and review the variety of factors that will help us prepare your home for sale.
Selling luxury homes requires a different level of expertise, strategy, and exceptional marketing to target the right buyers, which is the key to maximizing the true value of your home.
Influences on Your Home's Value
With any marketing strategy, it is important to research the market conditions that are currently influencing home values. “Market value” is the highest price at which a property will sell on the open market, given a reasonable time period to find a qualified buyer.
What a property is truly worth (whether that is higher or lower than list price) and what prospective buyers are willing to pay for it is known as the “Fair Market Value” — as buyers are influenced by the following criteria:
• Location of the property
• Condition of the property
• Buyer demand and seller supply
• Prices of similar properties on the market
• Recent sales of competitive properties
• Availability of financing
Maximizing Fair Market Value
Typically, market conditions are not in your control, but choosing to use an agent with extensive experience in the local market, a respected reputation, and who implements a proven, comprehensive marketing strategy could make all the difference in maximizing the true value of your home.
These key factors affect the sale of your home and are, for the most part, in your control:
Market Factors:
• Price
• Terms
• Condition
• Marketing Programs
• Value
Controlled By:
• Seller
• Seller/VS Home Team
• Seller/ VS Home Team
• VS Home Team
• Buyer/Market Conditions
DISCOVER A NEW LEVEL OF
Luxury Marketing
Marketing for Maximum Exposure
Selling your home can be a very exciting experience, but it can also be an emotional one. As luxury real estate professionals, we have found the best way to sell a home is through partnership and teamwork — combining the understanding of your requirements and goals with our knowledge, expertise, effective marketing strategies, and extensive resources.
Together we will:
• Prepare for the “Window of Opportunity”
• Leverage the attributes of your location
• Prepare and present your home ready for sale
• Highlight your home’s features through professional photography
• Showcase your home to the market through professional and strategic marketing
• Maximize the exposure of your home through our extensive network
• Leverage the brokerage’s strong local reputation and recognition
• Cooperate and communicate to maintain your home’s perception of value
• Promote your home locally, nationally, and internationally
• Maximize your home’s web exposure
• Prepare your home so that it is always ready to be shown to potential buyers
• Discuss and review the market’s analysis of your home — feedback is essential to knowing the perceived value and potential for negotiation
• Finalize your sale
• Find your next dream home
The Window of Opportunity
The “Window of Opportunity” is the period in which your home will receive its maximum exposure — typically when it is new on the market. In order to capitalize on this window, it is crucial that your home is ready for sale: priced at Fair Market Value, prepared to showcase its features and attributes, and a marketing strategy implemented to further increase exposure.
Making the Most of Initial Interest
Marketing Your Location
According to real estate convention, the three most important criteria to consider when buying a property are
Location, Location, Location
In fact, buyers are often attracted to a general location, a neighborhood, or even a certain street well before settling on a specific home.
Understanding your location’s positives and negatives is important when determining the price and in marketing your home. Misconceptions, preconceptions, and knowing the nuances of your home can make a significant difference in how a home is marketed, when it’s shown, and how it is positioned—one person’s displeasure can be another’s delight!
Preparing Your Home
First impressions are lasting. Preparing your home is one of the most difficult, emotional, and critical steps to maximize its value. Together, we will review, recommend, prepare, and create an environment that is appropriate for the type of buyer looking to purchase your home. No matter how stunning, loved, or well-maintained your home, it is important that you view it with critical objectivity, and whether it needs simple changes or major repairs, these should be addressed before the home is listed.
De-Clutter & Deep Cleaning
If it is not needed, remove it and put it in storage. Remove photographs and memorabilia; remember, this is going to be a fresh start for someone else, and you want them to be able to visualize making their own memories here. Clean the home inside and outside!
Painting & Repairs
Think neutral colors to help the buyer visualize a clean state. For repairs, you can start small, like squeaky doors, holes in the walls, leaks, and anything else that could deter or distract buyers. With extensive repairs, it is important to understand that any work you put into the home should add value to the final sale price — if not, it's not worth it.
Renovations
Renovations, upgrades, and repairs can be expensive, time-consuming, and overwhelming for many sellers. However, they can also lead to a significantly higher seller profit. Allow us to analyze your home and prepare a management plan for you. Not only will we typically "front" the costs so you are not out of pocket, but we will manage these projects for you at no extra cost to you. We only recommend renovations in confidence if we believe the financial reward will yield at least 3x your renovation investment. We can show you many successful examples!
Professional and Strategic Marketing
Sophisticated and professionally prepared marketing is essential to maximizing your home’s exposure and requires more than just listing the property for sale on the internet and multiple listing service. It needs to be a carefully prepared, strategically implemented plan. Your home must become a highly prized item — launched on the market with maximum impact to create the right exposure and reach the right buyers.
Staging
According to the National Association of REALTORS ®
• 58% of buyers’ agents cited that home staging had an effect on most buyers’ view of the home most of the time
• 81% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.
• When staging a home, 44% of sellers’ agents reported an increase in the dollar value offered by buyers in comparison to similar homes.
Professional Photography
Whether in print or on the web, listing photos are often the first impression that a potential buyer will receive. Professional photographers understand how to use lighting and composition to highlight the best features of your home.
Signage
The yard sign is one way to show your home is for sale. It is fast, effective, and easy to spot. When the general public notices you are being represented by the VS Home Team, agents and your neighbors will know you are in great hands!
Digital Tools
By using the most current technology, we showcase the true essence of your property and its environment, especially for potential buyers who live outside the area. We provide realistic depictions of your home as well as virtual tours and highend photo shoots to enhance all that your home has to offer. If a buyer is not in the area, we perform live "in person" virtual showings through FaceTime or Google Duo.
Showings
Open houses are provided per your request. Your home is available 7 days a week for all buyers and agents to view (of course, you set your showing availability and what works for you). This is why preparing the home is so important, as well as making the home accessible to as many buyers and agents as possible. We track all showings, have electronic cloud-based software that provides us all details of showings, as well as our proprietary lockboxes, which ensure only licensed agents have access to your home. We will contact every agent/buyer who views the home and provide you with candid and honest feedback for each showing.
Social Media
Marketing your home across various social media platforms is a powerful way to instantly expose your home to an extremely large pool of potential buyers. We have, among our staff, our own marketing expert who ensures your home is being showcased among a multitude of platforms.
Web Exposure
95% of buyers look at homes online as their first step in the home buying process. Listing your home online allows the home to be seen locally, nationally, and internationally, whether it is on a computer, tablet, or cell phone. Your home will be marketed not only locally and nationally but internationally as well on more than 70 real estate websites, including Google, Yahoo, Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Homes.com, and many, many more
Your home is unique and deserves the best. Our flyers/marketing brochures are custom-designed by a professional third-party marketing team. We spare no expense to ensure your home's unique and desirable characteristics are incorporated into the entirety of our print advertising.
Networking & Referrals
Real estate agents have a large database at their disposal, especially their networks with other agents. Referrals are especially important, as you want to work with a well-respected agent with an extensive network of contacts.
Printing and Direct Marketing
The power of showcasing your home and its unique features through professional photography and sophisticated marketing materials is crucial to setting your home apart from the competition. Promotional materials that feature your home and are mailed to your neighbors, potential buyers, and other Realtors are some of the most powerful ways to spread the message that your home is for sale. Your neighbors will be first to tell their friends and family about your home — they already love their community, so they are your biggest advocates. Also, knowing where the potential buyers are locally is powerful — after all, 78% of homeowners purchase within proximity to their present home.
A Platform for 24/7 Web Exposure
With 95% of home buyers beginning their search on the internet, we want to ensure that your home will receive maximum online exposure. As part of our marketing plan, your home will receive unparalleled exposure to consumers and real estate professionals across the globe through our extensive online partnerships.
Showing the Home
Your home needs to be “show ready” at all times, which can be difficult and stressful to balance if you are still living in the home... unless you've hired the VS Home Team! We ensure preparations are done up front — unnecessary items removed, space created, and a plan implemented for the best times to show the home, then the final prep and inviting touches are easy for us to add around your busy schedule. Let us take this weight off your shoulders. You focus on your busy daily life, and we focus on making sure your home is ready to show! You hired us to do this.... why should you have to worry about the job you've hired us to do? We take care of your listing, and that helps take care of you.
Once the home is ready to go, a licensed agent will be present to ensure that the features and nuances are showcased and explained to maximize the perception of value. If that agent is from an outside brokerage, each showing will be digitally logged through a cloud-based lockbox as the agent accesses the home. Agent and licensing information are logged in for security purposes, as well as optimizing feedback and follow-up opportunities.
The Final Steps
Real Time Marketing Management
The real estate climate is an ever-changing environment. Therefore, our real estate management of your listing must also be fluid, adjusting and pivoting as necessary to compensate for market adjustments.
There is no better meter of the market than the feedback of buyers and agents after they show your home. The VS Home Team follows up DIRECTLY with buyer's agents for personal firsthand feedback on EVERY showing. We do not send automated questionnaires or text messages for feedback like 90%+ of the other agents. We have old-school conversations with each agent, asking them specific questions and gauging their buyer's interest meter. Believe it or not, our most productive market management comes from those buyers who are not interested in your home. They are honest and candid and give us some of our most valuable nuggets of information so we can adjust and customize the sale of your home for the best result!
Finalizing The Sale
A myriad of details must be attended to before the sale becomes final, including offers, counter offers, inspections, disclosures, contingencies, loan documents, insurance, mortgage approval, and escrow items. This final step can be overwhelming with all of its moving parts.
Whatever the next step may be, know that we are here to guide you through this final process — to keep in constant communication, track the progression of the sale, and keep things on schedule.
Dream Home FINDING YOUR NEXT
Locating the Right Property
If you are looking to buy or sell another property, let our knowledge of your requirements, needs, likes, and dislikes be the foundation of a new search — from finding the perfect buyer to locating your next perfect dream home.
In the world of luxury, it takes more than just searching for a home on the Internet, so allow our extensive network of connections, strong marketing skills, and exceptional knowledge open the right doors.
Defining Your Goals and Options
In the search for your perfect home, we must define the goals and reassess your requirements so that we approach the search with complete insight. This will enable the creation of an appropriate action plan and expected timeline.
• Where are you thinking of moving — local or out of state?
• Do you have a budget?
• What do you and your family need from your next home?
• Are you looking for a turnkey or renovation property?
• What are your essential requirements during our search?
• Are there any financial considerations?
• When is the ideal time for you to move?
• Are you working with a trusted mortgage lender?
This information will enable a qualified search. Equally, it is important to ensure that we research the true value of homes and that their current selling price reflects an amount that the property is worth to you.
Our Commitment To You
When helping you look for a property, we will make recommendations based on our experience and local knowledge, in addition to having access to a variety of technology, a wide network of area agents, and homes not yet on the market. A comparison chart and thorough, objective inspection of each home, combined with such factors as market data and resale potential, will help in narrowing your search. By building a checklist, we can better evaluate each home and review together the important criteria of homes visited.
And when you find that perfect home, we will help negotiate the best offer based on the condition of the home, length of time it’s been on the market, activity, location, and urgency of the seller. Ultimately, we will protect and represent your best interests.
We promise to treat you with respect and compassion and to listen to you and your situation so that we customize the experience to you. We promise to always keep your best interests in the forefront of our mind and to apply our passion for this industry to see you succeed with your goals.
