Marketing Your Property For All It's Worth Oct. 2013 | Page 10

Step #3 Cooperation With Other Agents Target agents in your marketplace to increase the flow of buyers to your property. “70% of properties are sold by co-op agents. We have a plan to reach them.” There are 3 types of buyers in any market. The first group are “Local buyers” searching neighborhoods, the internet, and local magazines. Next, there are “out of town buyers” that typically search the internet for properties. Finally, there are “buyers under the influence of other agents”. To reach these buyers, you must have a system for attracting other agents. We know the importance of working with other agents in our marketplace and we have a plan that leverages the largest amount of cooperating agents to sell your property. There’s a common misconception among property sellers that you need to work with a local or neighborhood specific agent in order to get your property sold. The fact of the matter is that 70% of properties are sold by co-op agents. This means that you have a less than 30% chance that your agent is going to attract the buyer for your property. To increase showings from co-op agents, we target buyer specialists in our market. This leads to increased showings from them, a higher profile for your listing among all buyer specialists and an expanded reach and exposure for your property. We also make certain that co-op agents are paid a fair portion of the commission that is negotiated. This not only gets buyer specialists excited about your property, but also gets them to “talk up” your property to potential buyers. This positions your property in front of the stronger agents in our marketplace. Lastly, we occasionally offer monetary and other incentives to both co-op agents and prospective buyers when appropriate. This can increase the excitement about your property by both parties. When inventory levels are high, additional incentives may be needed to gain maximum exposure. Comment by a co-op agent: “I enjoy working with KJ’s team. They handle nearly all the paperwork and help the sale go smooth.” Marketing directly to the population of buyers in the marketplace, without focusing on the buyer specialists who work with these qualified buyers, can cost you thousands in equity, and weeks or even months, on the market. We have the right plan in place to attract the highest amount of cooperating agents to view your property. Century 21 The Harrelson Group 10