Resource Library

Acing a listing presentation requires deliberate planning and execution. Have your agents try this exercise to hone their skills.

Here’s an idea for future sales meetings: Ask your team to take out their tablets or a pen and paper and thoughtfully record their answers to the following questions. Cover two or three questions in consecutive meetings to help agents carefully analyze their listing presentation approach, and provide time for a healthy group discussion.

1. What do you typically include in your listing presentations to home sellers? Write out a detailed outline.

2. How does your listing presentation highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the seller’s home? (For example: It’s located in a good school district but has unusually high HOA fees.)

3. How does your listing presentation highlight the opportunities and threats in today’s market? (Such as when a Fortune 500 company relocates within miles of a home, making the neighborhood more popular but also pushing up property taxes.)

4. Why do your sellers typically need to sell? How can you speak to and meet those needs in your presentation?

Tip: Although your agents should find out why each individual seller is selling (as this determines price flexibility, dates, and so on), they should also have an understanding of the general reasons why their particular sellers sell. With this information, they can develop pricing and marketing strategies that provide solutions for their sellers. By knowing this in advance, agents will increase their preparedness and the likelihood of winning their next listing.

5. What surprises sellers the most once they have listed their homes for sale? (Think about what you hear from other agents as well.)

6. How can you prepare sellers for these surprises during your listing presentation?

7. What objections do sellers typically have when listing their home for sale (such as commission rates, pricing, or other factors)?

Tip: Create a boilerplate template that agents can use to help answer and overcome such objections.

8. What references can you include in your listing presentation?

Tip: Agents could include video testimonials from other satisfied sellers, but at the minimum, they should include written client testimonials with names and contact numbers.

9. How do you promote or advertise your listings (including brokerage resources)? 

Tip: For an additional exercise, have agents create a visual map or collage of these marketing channels and syndication points, which they can add to their presentation.

10. In what format is your typical listing presentation (handouts, on-screen presentations, PDF, or other formats)?

11. How does your presentation format suit your ideal client? (Think about whom you desire to work with, not just whom you normally work with.)

Tip: Help your agents get inside the head of their ideal client and determine what type of presentation would make them say, “Wow!”

These questions should help your agents be more intentional about their listing presentations by incorporating tips from group discussion and feedback. These questions were excerpted from my Plan to Win guide, which offers more thought-provoking exercises to get your brain wheels turning and your real estate sales thriving.

Topics Include: 

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Building Area Descriptions

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Comparables

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Custom Comparables

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Custom Comparables Results

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Data Currency

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Foreclosure Report

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Foreclosure Search Results

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Foreclosure Search

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Loan Type Descriptions

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Map View and Layers

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Profile & Settings

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Property Report

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Purchasing Credits

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Sample Form Letters

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Search Results

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Simple Property Search

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Prospecting

All real estate licensees are not the same. Consider these important points:

• Only real estate licensees who are members of the National Association of REALTORS® are properly called REALTORS®.
• They proudly display the REALTOR® logo on their business card or other marketing and sales literature.
• REALTORS® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly.
• REALTORS® subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate.
• An independent survey reports that 84% of home buyers would use the same REALTOR® again.

Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney? Considering the small upside cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of a REALTOR®.

But if you’re still not convinced of the value of a REALTOR®, here are a dozen more reasons to use one:

1. Your REALTOR® can help you determine your buying power — that is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give a REALTOR® some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt, he or she can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you. Most lenders — banks and mortgage companies — offer limited choices.
2. Your REALTOR® has many resources to assist you in your home search. Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your agent to find all available properties.
3. Your REALTOR® can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property. Agents who are REALTORS® have access to a variety of informational resources. REALTORS® can provide local community information on utilities, zoning. schools, etc. There are two things you’ll want to know. First, will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?
4. Your REALTOR® can help you negotiate. There are myriad negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your agent can advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.
5. Your REALTOR® provides due diligence during the evaluation of the property. Depending on the area and property, this could include inspections for termites, dry rot, asbestos, faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. Your REALTOR® can assist you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and can be mired in confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limitations; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Your REALTOR®, title company or attorney can help you resolve issues that might cause problems at a later date.
6. Your REALTOR® can help you in understanding different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.
7. Your REALTOR® can guide you through the closing process and make sure everything flows together smoothly.
8. When selling your home, your REALTOR® can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.
9. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. Often, your REALTOR® can recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the salability of your property. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. In many markets across the country, over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. Your REALTOR® acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service or other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics requires REALTORS® to utilize these cooperative relationships when they benefit their clients.
10. Your REALTOR® will know when, where and how to advertise your property. There is a misconception that advertising sells real estate. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts. When a property is marketed with the help of your REALTOR®, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR® will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.
11. Your REALTOR® can help you objectively evaluate every buyer’s proposal without compromising your marketing position. This initial agreement is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections and financing — a lot of possible pitfalls. Your REALTOR® can help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will be more likely to make it through the process.
12. Your REALTOR® can help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. For example, unexpected repairs are required to obtain financing or a cloud in the title is discovered. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Your REALTOR® is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).

REALTORS^® aren’t just real estate agents. They’re members of the National Association of REALTORS^® and subscribe to its strict Code of Ethics. When you're selling a home, here's what an agent who's a REALTOR® can do for you.

1. Act as an expert guide. Selling a home typically requires a variety of forms, reports, disclosures, and other legal and financial documents. A knowledgeable real estate agent will know what's required in your market, helping you avoid delays and costly mistakes. Also, there’s a lot of jargon involved in a real estate transaction; you want to work with a professional who can speak the language.
2. Offer objective information and opinions. A great real estate agent will look at your home with an unbiased eye, providing you with the information you need to enhance marketability and maximize price. Agents are also a great source for potential buyers who have questions about local utilities, zoning, schools, contractors, and more. 
3. Deliver property marketing power. Property rarely sells because of advertising alone. A large share of real estate sales come as the result of the listing agent's contacts with other industry professionals, previous clients, and others in their sphere.
4. Give you a sense of security. Risk is a fact of life. To minimize it, real estate agents follow protocols to ensure their own safety, as well as the safety and security of you and your property. A professional agent will prescreen prospects and accompany qualified prospects through the property. They'll also help educate parties about how to prevent fraudulent dealings, such as wire fraud, that can put sales at risk.
5. Stand in your corner during negotiations. There are many factors up for discussion in any real estate transaction. A real estate professional will look at offers from your perspective, helping you navigate the fine points to ensure you're meeting your objectives.
6. Ensure up-to-date experience. Most people sell only a few homes in a lifetime, usually with quite a few years in between each sale. Even if you’ve sold a home before, laws and regulations change. Real estate practitioners may handle hundreds or thousands of transactions over the course of their career.
7. Be your rock during emotional moments. A home is so much more than four walls and a roof. For many owners, selling a home means saying goodbye to the place where cherished family memories were made. Having a concerned but objective third party helps you stay focused on the issues most important to you when emotions threaten to sink an otherwise sound transaction. 
8. Provide fair and ethical treatment. When you're interviewing agents, ask if they're a REALTOR®, a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. Every member must adhere to the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, which is based on professionalism, serving the interests of clients, and protecting the public. When you work with a REALTOR®, you can expect honest and ethical treatment in all transaction-related matters.

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Interview with Chief Williams of the Wilmington Police Department

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