What’s the best way to market a listing when selling a home?
Like most things in life, the real answer is “It Depends.” But I realize that is not very satisfying – so I’m going to try and craft an answer that applies to most people.
The outliers to “most people” are unique properties that need unorthodox marketing. For instance, very high-end properties typically need specific advertising because the pool of buyers is so specific. These listings need to be marketed out of state, and even in other countries to attract enough eyeballs to eventually get an offer.
The same could be said for Equine Properties and things like floating homes. Listings that have historical significance benefit from specialized marketing. We recently toured Kurt Cobain’s final house, and that needed very specific marketing.
For the vast majority of folks, you don’t fit into any of those categories. So what’s the best way to market your home?
The most obvious answer, but it should not be discounted, is the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS).
Most people underestimate the power of the NWMLS. When you are using the Zillow app on your phone, the underlying listing information is coming from the NWMLS. Same goes for Redfin, Realtor.com, HomeSpotter, Trulia, and even Windermere.com. These sites are trying to package the information in an appealing way with the hopes of selling you on one of their services or harvesting your data to sell to mortgage companies and the like.
All of these sites and apps pay a licensing fee to the NWMLS for the right to scrape the data off the definitive official database. All of the real estate brokerages in the Puget Sound region have agreed to use the same database. The system has evolved to protect individual buyers and sellers.
Before the internet, there were individual agents or brokerages that would hoard their listings because they wanted to be the gatekeepers of the information. It was the ultimate job security. If you wanted information on a listing, there was only one place to get it.
Obviously, the internet has changed everything. Having all the listings in one place that is easily searchable is better for everyone. It’s in the best interest of the NWMLS and ultimately you, the individual seller, to allow as many apps and websites as possible to use the listing information because it gets your home out to the widest possible audience.
As Realtors, we pay a sizable membership fee each year to be allowed to post a listing into the NWMLS. When we have followed all of the recommendations that we have already talked about, our listing will hit all the various websites and grab the attention of prospective buyers. Why? Because we have paid attention to all the details and have a listing that is on point with our staging, photographs, marketing copy, and listing supplements.
There are some other effective ways to market your listing. The next best thing to looking good on the MLS is the power of social media. We have sold homes right off of our Facebook profile.
Don and I have the largest and most engaged social media audiences of any real estate agent in Washington. Because of our years on the radio, we have amassed tens of thousands of loyal listeners we lovingly call “The Ron & Don Nation.”
Our podcast has been played over a million times and counting, and our combined social media reach is in the tens of thousands of people. Most agents have a “sphere of influence” in the hundreds of people, the Ron & Don Nation is gigantic by comparison.
We consistently have an edge with buying and selling homes because of our connection with our folks.
Finally, our “secret weapon” with marketing is being Windermere agents. Don and I signed up with the #1 office in the Pacific Northwest. That’s the top selling office of any brand. Windermere Midtown has some of the heaviest hitters in the game and we communicate with all the Windermere agents here locally about your listing.
With the biggest market share out there, having our colleagues on the lookout is a tangible advantage.
Our goal is to leave no stone unturned when it comes to marketing your home. We will do everything in our power to get it sold for the best price we can.
If everything is going according to plan, the next step is going to be looking at an offer.
Ron Upshaw is a Licensed Agent at
Windermere Real Estate Midtown
1920 North 34th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
Ron Upshaw
Ron has been a part of just about every kind of real estate transaction you can think of. He understands that finding the perfect place for you and your family is crucial. Schedule Your Sit Don with Ron today!