As a real estate professional, you can never expect that your day will go as planned. Even if it’s just one appointment, numerous things could happen to you which might change the course of events.
As an agent, you must prepare for any situation during your showing or appointment with your client. You should be aware of what you need to accomplish beforehand. This way, you can manage your time efficiently and effectively.
Remember that listing in real estate can be very competitive and getting one can mean the difference between the success and failure of an agent, especially in revenues. Knowing what to do and when to do it can help you win as many listings as possible.
A well-prepared listing appointment checklist can set you apart from your competitors and give you an edge in the stiff competition. In this article, you will learn several tried and tested steps that will guarantee your success in every listing appointment.
Get as Much Information About the Property as Possible
One of the first things you need to do is research the property. You can check out Zillow or go directly to the owner’s site.
It would be best if you could find reviews and feedback regarding their property posted online so that you will have an idea of what your client wants. This way, you’ll be able to save time because there won’t be any need for additional preparation during your listing appointment.
Visit the Area Where the Property Is Located
If possible, visit the area where your client’s property is located. This way, you won’t miss important landmarks and get lost along the way. In addition, this will help give you a better idea of what the area looks like. You might even find potential buyers during your visit!
Create a Tour for the Property
Once you’ve gathered all the necessary information about the property, it’s time to create a tour for it. This will include key landmarks, pictures of the inside and outside of the house, and videos of the exterior.
By showing the property itself, you can engage your clients with what they see. This is one of the most effective listing appointment checklists that you should do to impress your clients without having them ask for more.
Have a Detailed Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) Ready
To make an offer, your clients will need to know the value of their home first. This is where a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) comes in.
Your CMA should be detailed and include all the necessary information about the house, such as its age, size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and recent sales in the area.
It would also be helpful to provide a list of homes currently for sale in the area. This way, your clients will know how much their home is worth compared to other houses in their neighborhood.
After providing them with your CMA, you can proceed to an agent’s analysis. This will be where you can determine if the property is overpriced compared to its market value.
It would also be best to provide a list of recommended homes for your client, depending on their needs and budget.
Study Other Listings in the Neighborhood
You must be aware of the competition. This can be done by studying other listings in the neighborhood where your client’s property is located.
By doing this, you will know how much your clients should expect to get for their homes. In addition, you might even find potential buyers during your research.
Determine the Seller's Motivation
One of the most important things you need to do is determine the seller’s motivation.
Some sellers might be motivated by a quick sale, while others might get the best price for their home. It would be helpful to find out what your client’s needs are to better negotiate with the seller.
Come Up With a Realistic Goal for the Listing
Setting a realistic goal for the listing is one of the most important things you can do. This means that you should not set a too high or low price.
Your goal should be achievable, and it should also be something that will still give your clients a good return on their investment.
This will help convince your clients of the accuracy of your research and provide them with an idea of what they should expect from the sale.
Be Well-informed About the Current Market Conditions
As an agent, you must always be up-to-date with the current market conditions. You should know about interest rates, median prices, and even housing inventory.
This way, you’ll be able to provide valuable insights to your clients about their homes and the current market. You might even be able to help them come up with a better offer the seller can accept.
Discuss Financing Options With Your Clients
It would be best if you discussed financing options with your clients. This will include helping them get pre-approved for a mortgage and even finding the best interest rates.
This helps speed up the process of buying a home. In addition, you’ll also be able to help your clients find the right property for their needs and budget.
You need to understand that various financing options are available in the market today. This means that there is a financing option for everyone.
By understanding the most favorable option to your client, you will be in a position to know what works best for them.
Have Client Success Stories
To increase your chances of getting hired by a new client, you need success stories.
This means that you must show your clients what you can do for them. You can do this by providing them with a list of the properties you have successfully sold in the past.
By doing this, you will convince your clients that you are an experienced agent who knows how to get the best out of a property sale. In addition, it will also show them that you are someone they can trust.
Having client success stories will not only speed up the selling process and create trust between you and your potential clients, but it will also get you closer to your goal of landing more listings. This will guarantee your business continuation, meaning more revenues for your real estate business.
Get Views of Other Agents That Have Sold Within the Neighborhood
Asking other agents about the value of the property you want to sell is an excellent way of ensuring that you get it right during the presentation.
The last thing that any agent will ever want is to look confused and unsure of the property’s value, especially during the presentation to the client.
One way to be sure of the property’s valuation is by asking a couple of other agents within the area. It is important to note that the values given by the different agents will vary, and this should not confuse you in any way.
You need to get the average of the values and settle on the average as your final price of the listing.
There are times when you will meet some potential clients who are unsure about your pricing and perhaps will think that your competitors’ pricing is better than yours.
If this ever happens, you need to disapprove them by showing them the valuation from some of the agents within the area. It is, therefore, prudent to carry some of the valuations during the presentation.
Drop Off a Pre-listing Package
It would help if you always dropped off a pre-listing package when meeting a potential client. A pre-listing package is a must-have for those planning to list homes that are still occupied. It sets the stage for the appointment process.
This package should include all the information about the property, such as pictures, recent sales in the neighborhood, and even the Comparative Market Analysis (CMA).
The CMA is very important as it will show your potential clients how much they can expect to get for their home.
Including all this information in a pre-listing package is crucial because it will help you save time during the actual listing presentation. It also shows that you are serious about selling the property and have put a lot of effort into getting everything ready.
Share the Listing on Social Media
It is no secret that social media is one of the best tools agents can use to get more leads. This is because social media platforms are a great way to connect with more people in a short time.
As such, you should always share the listing on social media as soon as it becomes available.
You can even go further by creating a Facebook ad for the property. This will take your marketing efforts to another level and help you get more leads.
To ensure that you get your potential buyer’s attention, you should include pictures of the property, the price of the listing, the neighborhood in which the listing is located, and many more.
Including all this information in a Facebook ad will help increase the chances of the potential buyer clicking on it.
The bottom line is that social media should not be ignored for real estate marketing.
Create a Listing Presentation Video
It would help if you always considered creating a listing presentation video when listing a property. This is because most potential buyers are visual learners. They will better understand the property if they see it in a video format.
A listing presentation video should not be more than two minutes long. It should include all the essential information about the property.
It is also good to include some drone footage of the neighborhood in which the property is located. This will help the potential buyer understand what life would be like living in that area.
Including all this information in a listing presentation, video is crucial because it will help you stand out from your competitors. Most agents do not use this strategy, and you will be ahead of them once you begin doing it.
Create a Lead Form for Listings
When listing a property, you should ensure a lead form that potential clients can use to request more information about the property. This is crucial because it sets the stage for the appointment process.
The lead form should include all the important information about the property, such as the price, the size of the property, and the property’s location.
Potential buyers can use this information to get more details about the property and even schedule an appointment with you.
Including all this information in a lead form is crucial because it will help you collect more leads from potential buyers.
Bring Paper Copies of Required Documents
Once you have scheduled an appointment with a potential client, you must bring paper copies of the required documents. This will ensure that you can review each document with the potential buyer and answer any questions they might have about it.
Paper copies also help speed up the signing process as most people prefer to sign on paper rather than on electronic forms.
Remember that even though we are in the digital era, where everything can be done online and have the listing agreement digitally signed, sometimes it’s safer to have it signed on paper by hand.
Finish Setting Up Appointment Calendar Early!
If you use an appointment scheduler calendar tool, ensure that you have all the details ready well before the set date. This is crucial because it will help prevent unwanted surprises on the appointment with potential buyers.
If you give yourself enough time to schedule the appointment calendar, you will have enough time to set everything up. This includes planning your meetings with potential buyers and ensuring that all the required documents are always available on the day of the meeting.
Final Thoughts
Real estate is one of the most important investments a person can make in their lifetime. But without proper planning, it can be a disaster, as it can lead to lots of losses both in terms of revenues and time.
By having a well-prepared listing appointment checklist, you can avoid falling into the pitfalls that most other real estate agents make when listing their properties. A listing appointment checklist, like this one, is thus one bold step towards ensuring success for your real estate business.
