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Elizabeth Weintraub
Marketing Bloopers, Home Selling Mistakes
Marketing bloopers, home selling mistakes. A great title, love it. I was on MLS today and I found a listing just like the one Elizabeth is referencing below. I laughed out loud. Thinking about this post below was deja vu. Do agents really write dumb things like below in the MLS? Do they publish horrible photos? Answers to both I’m sad to say are yes, they absolutely do. It is frankly so embarrassing. Clients send me things on the MLS all of the time in disbelief. You have to keep your humor and just laugh out loud sometimes or you might feel like crawling under a rock. This is a previous post for another website by Elizabeth. Enjoy the read.
–JaCi Wallace
Looking through MLS today, I came upon a listing that was just reduced, so it must have been on the market at least 30 days or more; I don’t recall. But what struck me odd about the listing was the marketing comments in MLS. The marketing section in the Sacramento MLS gives agents the opportunity to write glowing reviews and stunning ad copy.
This listing contained one line in the comments: “This home has many unique things.” That’s it. The agent isn’t going to tell us, apparently, just what those unique things are. In fact, I’m betting if you were to ask that agent why there was no description of this home’s uniqueness, he would say in earnest something silly like, “I want buyers to be curious enough to come to look at it.” What this agent doesn’t realize is buyers are going to say, “Next.” They will tour homes with multiple photographs and an enticing description. Which is not this listing.
Read more about Home Selling Marketing Mistakes.
If you want to avoid marketing bloopers on your listings then hire Elizabeth Weintraub, Broker #00697006 and JaCi Wallace #00773532 with Weintraub & Wallace Realtors at RE/MAX Gold. Call us today at 916-233-6759.
Elizabeth Weintraub
How Do Home Sellers Get The Money at Closing?
A client asked yesterday how do home sellers get the money at closing? This couple often prefaces their questions with an apology for not knowing protocol for selling a home. They tend to over-explain about why they ask certain questions, despite my assurances that there are no dumb questions. Because I believe that statement. There are no dumb questions in real estate.
Part of my services to sellers is to be available to answer questions. Regardless of many questions or even how often. If a client has a question, I will answer it. I do know most of the answers. After 40+ years in this business I should, right? Also, I would never think less of a client if they asked a question.
As for how do home sellers get the money at closing, the answer is basically how do you want to get it? When the sellers asked me where does the money go at closing, I told them it all goes to me. Yup, they put it in my money market account. There was silence on the phone for a minute and then I realized they did not get my joke. Uh, oh. My bad.
No, the money doesn’t go to me. How do home sellers get the money? In this case, they will give the routing number and account number of their bank account to escrow. These sellers do not have a checking account, only a savings account, and no deposit slips.
It’s OK, I assured them. They do not need a deposit slip. Just write down the bank account number and routing number, and the mobile signer will send it to escrow for disbursement. At closing, escrow will wire the money to their bank. Of course, you can always do things the old fashioned way and go to escrow to pick up the check. Or have escrow mail the check to you. But most people wire funds today.
Call Elizabeth Weintraub, Sacramento Broker, #00697006 with JaCi Wallace at RE/MAX #00773532, at 916.233.6759.
The Kiss of Death for a Sacramento MLS Listing
Almost everybody makes fun of bad MLS photos, but no photos at all is the kiss of death for a Sacramento MLS listing. You know, some people experience reoccurring nightmares of appearing naked as a jay bird in public. My idea of a nightmare is having a listing go live in MLS without any photographs. It’s happened once to me for all of 3 seconds but it happens for other agents a lot more.
It makes me cringe. Do you know why it is the kiss of death for a Sacramento MLS listing? Because without photos, buyers won’t even bother to read all of your fancy schmancy marketing comments. They will just skip to the next property. Which means the listing agent just blew her sellers’ biggest chance to make a favorable impression.
We have one chance to download our information from MLS for distribution. Sure, we can make updates to MLS, and those updates will update some other websites, BUT NOT ALL WEBSITES. Once that initial information is out there, it’s pretty much final on a static website.
When I signed on to MLS yesterday morning, the first listing I saw had no photographs. It mentions being a rental, so there are probably photos in Zillow but not in MLS. It is possible the listing agent does not want a buyer’s agent to bring a buyer, too. Just because it’s listed with a cooperating broker commission does not always mean the agent wants to pay it. It could be a way to encourage buyers to call the listing agent directly. Yes, some agents are that slimy.
I go so much further than most agents with my listings. Because I do not want to encounter the kiss of death for a Sacramento MLS listing. I am constantly scrutinizing how my listings are viewed and received by the public.
For example, one of the listing perks I give my sellers is a separate website for their property listing. That particular layout screen showcases two large photos, side-by-side, and then the rest of the photos in a smaller format below. Once a person clicks on the photos, they can view them all in large format, but it is the initial impression that I focus on. What do buyers see when they first click on that link?
The two large photos are pulled from MLS as the first and second uploaded photos. This is why I often will move them around, especially if the second photo is a close-up of the door because that’s not always visually appealing on this particular page. For example, on a recent pending listing with plenty of curb appeal, I may showcase the front of the home and the gorgeous back-yard pool.
Another trick I often employ is to make sure the first 6 photos are the most enticing photographs. Why? Because the layout in MLS after opening the listing shows a preview of photographs below the larger main photo. A quick glance at the listing needs to entice the viewer to click through all of the photographs.
Buyers today tend to find more reasons not to want to see a house than to view it. They rely on photographs for an impression, and they often make fast judgments when clicking through listings. Listing agents need to give buyers a reason to click through ALL of the photographs. You can bet I study the numbers in my virtual tours too. I get a report that shows me how many photos a viewer looks at, and which photos get the most hits. My goal is the same number of views for all 36 photographs, which is the maximum MLS can show.
Do all Sacramento Realtors analyze their listings like this? Well, you already know the answer to that one. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759 when you’re ready to work with a listing agent who truly cares.
Just Because You Called Me By Mistake Doesn’t Mean We Will Work Together
Just because you called me by mistake doesn’t mean we will work together, but then again, we might work together. Sure, every so often, we, as real estate agents, have the distinct non-pleasure of engaging in a phone conversation with a person of dubious nature. But, for the most part, that sort of thing is rare. My niece is convinced that she can’t go into real estate because it would mean having to work with people she can’t stand. She steadfastly refuses to compromise her ethics in that manner. For the life of me, I don’t know where she gets that sentiment. I don’t mean that in a joking manner. I can’t seem to get her to understand the profession is filled with wonderful people. It’s a sheer delight to work with my clients in Sacramento.
Sure, every so often we as real estate agents have the distinct non-pleasure of engaging in a phone conversation with a person of dubious nature. For the most part, that sort of thing is rare. Just because you called me by mistake doesn’t mean we will work together, but then again we might work together.
It’s even rarer to be in a transaction or otherwise working with an obnoxious or rude or, worse, crazy person. OK, it happens from time to time, but not often enough to paint everybody in our path with such a broad brush. And when it does, well, it makes for great humor, is the way I look at it.
You can read more about this type of situation in my personal blog today at this link: https://www.elizabethweintraub.com/a-blessing-in-disguise-is-rarely-a-mistake/
If you are looking for a Realtor to discuss your real goals or just want to discuss a real estate topic, please call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors. We can be reached at (916)-233-6759. Elizabeth Weintraub, Broker 00697006, and JaCi Wallace with RE/MAX Gold 00773532.
Don’t Be That Desperate Homebuyer!
Don’t Be That Desperate Homebuyer
Don’t be that desperate homeowner! This is a fabulous blog from our premiere mortgage partner, Dan Tharp. Enjoy, —JaCi. When the governor announced the shelter-in-place order in March of 2020, my business came to a screeching halt. My buyers that were in contract feared the worst; that values would plummet, they could lose their jobs or, worse, get sick. Maybe they shouldn’t move forward with the biggest purchase of their life. My agent partners were scared too – Not just about this imposing pandemic, but also their livelihoods – these were dark days as consumer sentiment plummeted to all-time lows.
ADVICE – Before jumping into the homebuying fray – YOU NEED A TEAM and A PLAN!
During this time, a few of my buyers backed out of their purchase contracts. But one, in particular, seemed to present psychic ability to see events in the future, as he and his agent negotiated a huge seller concession in price and closed the deal. He is now sitting pretty and probably feeling like the Warren Buffett of the Real Estate world. He had a plan and a team of professionals to help him navigate the process.
This was the beginning of a massive wave of market activity as 2020 progressed, and with it, the hope of “normalizing” back to pre-pandemic life grew. People started to look at their current living situation honestly, and working from home all of a sudden became a “thing.” Then mortgage rates started going down and more positive consumer sentiment fueled a sudden interest in home buying.
ADVICE – Before jumping into the homebuying fray – YOU NEED A TEAM and A PLAN!
So Where Are We Now?
The Perfect Storm – higher demand with low inventory equals an unprecedented surge in housing prices. According to Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com, the housing supply has dropped an incredible 53 percent compared to last year – this is getting very Thunderdome-like, with folks paying upwards of 5% to 10% over asking to beat out multiple offers.
The number one mistake most new home buyers make is to go shopping even think about shopping for a home first before getting the financing approved and consulting with a trustworthy mortgage advisor, not a lender who will just throw you a rate and payment and tell you that you are approved for a loan and to go shopping. You want someone who will guide you through the process and the financial planning aspects of owning a home. Please do not look at any homes until you have taken the time to get fully approved and have an understanding of your true financial picture, your max comfort zone in terms of price and payment, and a strategy for getting your offer accepted!
Trust me; I know that shopping for a home is the sexy part of this process and that the lending portion is about as exciting as getting a flat tire when you are late for work. I promise you, get your finances handled first; then, you will be a confident borrower because you know what to expect. After all, you will know your numbers backward and forwards, and you will have been coached by your team (lender and agent) to prepare for any hurdles that may appear and do so having no fear!
ADVICE – Before jumping into the homebuying fray – YOU NEED A TEAM and A PLAN!
There is no secret the housing market is on fire right now. While some are talking about a 2007 type crash, the fundamentals present today are very different – low supply combined with growing demand and low-interest rates suggest that the overheating we are seeing is not based on bad mortgages and appraisals, but instead an unfortunate series of market conditions – Hello COVID.
Simply put, don’t be a desperate home buyer. The question you should be asking yourself is not, “is this the right time to buy?” You should be asking yourself, “are you ready to buy?” Step outside of the fact it’s fun to look at homes and imagine yourself as a homeowner, and instead, pay attention to why YOU are buying. Remember, you can’t control the market, or where rates are going, or any of this craziness that is real estate today. Buying a home is a huge deal so take the time to be thorough and have peace of mind when you decide to move forward.
And most importantly, if you haven’t gotten the hint by now – please make sure you have a good team and a plan before jumping in
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Dan Tharp – Branch Manager – 916-257-1470
2250 Del Paso Rd. #A, Sac. CA 95834
NMLS# 280913 NMLS # 3274
Equal Housing Lender
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