Marketing sells homes: How choosing a realtor with resources will help you sell faster

Central Indiana has hundreds of real estate companies and thousands of licensed agents, but when it comes to resources not all are equal. Working with a realtor who is backed by strong resources — especially marketing and training — ensures your home gets seen by as many potential buyers as possible and that the transaction goes smoothly, quickly and stress-free.

“Understanding how you make money on the sale of your home is important,” says Julianne Jaensson, a Regional Manager with Carpenter Realtors. Greater exposure gets your home in front of the right buyer sooner, translating into a quicker sale, and it generates competition over the home, which raises the value and ultimately lands more cash in the seller’s pocket. “An agent with resources will help you get top dollar, which nets you more. They attract more buyers, and that means more money to you in the end as a seller.”

But how do you know, as the seller, if you’re working with an agent who has the resources to get you the best price in a timely manner? Here are some things to look for.

Marketing

A sign in your yard and a listing on the internet just isn’t enough. Regardless of your home’s price bracket, if more people don’t know it’s for sale, you have fewer people willing to make an offer let alone buy it. When a real estate company has a dedicated marketing team, you know you’ve got real exposure professionals getting the word out about your property.

“One of the differences between Carpenter and other companies is that we have a marketing department that is assisting all the agents. They’re getting photos taken, negotiating contracts with newspapers, and negotiating contracts to make sure that we can advertise everywhere,” says Patsy Coffey, a Broker Associate with Carpenter.

Thanks to that team, all Carpenter realtors have access to comprehensive resources — from social media and newspaper listings to television advertising — for all of their properties. And while the marketing experts are doing their thing, your agent has the time and energy to concentrate on all the other parts of the transaction to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

Tech and innovation

According to a National Association of REALTORS report, today’s homebuyers are more likely to start their search online than any other way. Most people will conduct their own internet searches before they even contact an agent. So, it’s more important than ever for real estate companies to support their realtors — and their clients — by staying on top of technology.

At Carpenter, the expanding role of technology is taken very seriously. Agents and staff receive access to continuing education, much of which is focused on how marketing and tech intersect.
In addition, the dedicated Internet Lead Team comes out of an old school attention to customer service. “Less than half of inquiries that come in on the internet get answered, but at Carpenter we have a team of people who answer internet queries all the time,” says Jaensson. That group works in rotation 7 days per week, from 8am to 9pm EST, responding to inquiries and pushing them directly to agents. While about 84% of internet inquiries never get a response, and those that do usually take 15 hours, Carpenter responds within 20 minutes during these extended business hours.

Networking and teamwork

Getting the word out about a property isn’t just about placing ads and following up on leads. It’s also about proactively working to connect with potential buyers. Companies with access to regional, statewide, and even national networks of agents have a major leg up on those that are more isolated.

With 33 offices throughout central Indiana and a membership with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Carpenter’s agents have the best of both worlds. They are entrenched in the communities where they sell and privy to local knowledge. But they’ve also got the strength of the entire Carpenter network of 700 agents to draw upon and LeadingRE’s more than 565 brokerages all over the globe.

Agents can look for potential buyers via LeadingRE’s dedicated relocation department or tap other Carpenter realtors who might have buyers looking to move into a particular neighborhood. Thanks to the team environment, they can also share their knowledge and experiences to problem solve any marketing challenges that do come up or offer support when life happens.

“Agents are independent contractors, and when you hire one, you want to know who’s behind them. Knowing you have a group of people to support your realtor is important — agents go on vacation, get sick, they sleep,” says Jaensson. “If I were a homeowner, I’d want to know, ok, I’m working with you, but who’s helping you, what support do you have?”