ADVERTISING
Advertising begins with professional photos of a staged property. My first step with a new listing is to set up an appointment for the photo shoot.
Timing is critical in advertising. It is important have the “New Listing” mailers arrive at the door step of recipients the same day the listing becomes active on the MLS.
After the photo session is complete, I go to the EDDM online tool at www.usps.com website to determine where my mailers will be sent. This involves looking at the locations near the house and areas where a potential buyer may live. This website will then show the number of deliveries for the postmen selected. I usually send between 600-1000 mailers, which would be 2-3 carriers. I can pay for the delivery on the post office website and chose a date when I will drop off my mailers.
Once I have my photos from the photographer, I contact my graphic artist to create the wording for my “New Listing” mailers. I can let her know exactly how many mailers I will need and when I would like to drop them off at the post office. At the same time, I will have my “Open House” flyers created and select the wording and photos for those as well.
Because I want my mailers to arrive the same day the listing goes “Active” there is a little dance to handle. However, I can add all of the input for the listing on MLS and add the property as “Coming Soon”, which will only be seen by local agents. It will not be a live listing on the internet at this point.
When my mailers are printed and dropped off at the post office, I go back to the MLS and change my listing from “Coming Soon” to an “Active” status. At this point, this information will flood the internet for anyone to see.
This is my initial process for every listing. For an expensive property, I will also advertise the property in Luxury Home Magazine. This full page ad will cost several thousand dollars and provides exposure of the listing in Hawaii, California and Seattle.
Just a note here: the Honolulu Board of Realtors MLS does not populate the inboxes for realtors on islands other than Oahu in Hawaii. If you think your buyer may be from another island, they will see your ad in the Luxury Home Magazine.
With regard to showings and open houses, I never have a lock box on a client’s home. It is my job to sit all open houses and to be present for private showings. Provided the sellers have agreed, I have an open house every weekend until we are in escrow.
I never charge for any of my advertising costs. This should not be an expense for the seller, since it is a professional obligation to advertise the home of their client.