I get calls daily in the Pekin Real Estate market from disguntled sellers who are at their wit's end. Having their home linger on the market and expire is happening more and more.

If you really want to get your home SOLD right now, today without giving it away, then this may well be the most important post you've ever read.
 

Based on information obtained from the MLS, it has come to the attention of hundreds of real estate agents that your property is no longer available for sale, and your phone is probably ringing off the hook with calls from agents who promise to do a better job and have the formula to get your home sold if you only give them a chance. And I bet you're asking yourself...

Where were all these agents 90 days ago?  It's a fair question.  Unfortunately, the answer isn't all that simple.  The most common answer you'll hear is "your price is too high." And while that is sometimes the case, it is only one of many possible reasons, which may be responsible for your home not selling during its original listing period.

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOR SALE AND SOLD !!!!!!!!!

You may feel, deep down, that a lot more could have been done...

Let me just say this: I are absolutely certain that your agent did everything he or she knew to do in order to get your home sold. Chances are they did their level best. Would it surprise you to learn it may not be the agent's fault at all? But it's certainly not your fault either, is it?  Here's what I mean. Things have changed and so have the strategies used in marketing real estate. Do you know the difference between passive selling and active, innovative marketing?

Passive selling is what we used to do in real estate and what some do in a busy market.  The Three P’s…..Put up a sign, place the property in the Multiple Listing Service, Pray and wait for the Buyer to come to us. And if that didn't work we might hold an Open House or place an ad in the newspaper.  Sound familiar?

TARGETING THE BUYER….    

These methods simply are not enough in today’s marketplace. I will bet that no one knows that better than you at this point.  Now, as for active, innovative marketing, in a nutshell this is the type of marketing that is working.  It requires you or your agent to actively and aggressively seek out, hunt down and draw out the most likely Buyer for your home. The targeted buyer if you will. The targeted buyer (which is always the right buyer) will pay the most money for your home.  Why?  Because they're the one person that appreciates and is looking for what you were when you bought. They would have probably made the same improvements you did. Therefore everything you've done to the home has value to them. Makes a lot of sense doesn't it?  So, passive selling is waiting and hoping. Active marketing on the other hand is the exact opposite. It is making things happen by taking action that produces results.  After all, results are the only things that count. So the question becomes how in the heck do I make things happen?

Well, to start with you need to do things a little bit different, something "out of the ordinary". You see by doing things differently, your home will get noticed. Realize that your home is competing against many other properties that are for sale right now. 

You see, sometimes by doing things a little bit different you can actually cause the most likely buyer for your home to identify themselves because you:

·         Made them curious to know more about this property

·         You knew what to do with them once they call to know more about the property

And speaking of how important it is for you to hire a person that knows what to do (sell) at the most "critical moment", you might be interested to know that one of the most basic marketing truths (which many agents aren't aware of  is:

IN ORDER TO SELL A HOME ONCE, YOU HAVE TO SELL IT TWICE!

Chances are another one of the reasons your home didn't sell during the initial listing period was due to a violation of this marketing principle.

Let me ask you, "How many agents toured and inspected your home while it was listed?"

You see, a home will sell only if sufficient number of real estate agents  personally inspect your home and add it to their inventories. That is the inventory of homes, which they plan to promote to their buyers.  Agents don't show homes they haven't personally inspected and they don't sell homes they don't show.  You absolutely must have a large number of agents come through your home on inspection virtual tours before you can expect it to sell.  And quite frankly, the reason I did not show your home so far is because no one sold your home to me. This, of course, refers back to marketing and having a precise plan to follow every time you market anything.  You must mobilize the entire real estate community and get all of them working to sell your home. (Remember, we have to sell twice.)

 To give you an idea of how this can be done effectively, I will share with you a couple of ideas that have worked very well. I start designing eye-catching flyers highlighting the unique features and benefits your home has to offer.  I begin faxing and emailing them to other top agents…those working with buyers. I also utilize a "feedback " system  designed to follow up on every agent showing on your home. Because after all, you want to know what's going on don't you?  The real purpose of this system is to identify which agents may have a real buyer for your home so that I can encourage, assist, motivate, essentially do whatever it takes to sell the other agent on your home and make it easy for their clients to buy your home.

Does all of this make sense? Remember, in order to successfully sell your home once, it must be sold twice. First to the real estate salespeople (preferably the top producing agents) and second, they will then sell your home to their buyers.  But even this isn't enough to insure a quick, profitable sale...

ARE YOU STARTING TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE?  PASSIVE SELLING VS. ACTIVE MARKETING?  THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN  SOLD OR EXPIRED!!!!

There is a lot more to selling a home than just sticking a sign on your lawn, an ad in the paper and turning the listing into the Multiple Listing Service, holding an Open House and waiting to see what might happen. And while this is exactly what used to work in the past, today it's like spitballs against a battleship. This "conventional" method of selling is what many agents have been taught. In some cases, it is all they've been taught. That's why I say it's really not their fault. They did everything they knew to do. They're probably feeling just as bad (or worse) than you right now. No one likes not getting the job done.

Real estate in the Pekin Real Estate market is a commodity just like anything else and the very same rules of marketing apply here. Only there's a whole lot more at stake in real estate. Like the biggest financial investment most of us ever make in our lives - buying a home.

That's why it is absolutely critical to realize whether you hire me, another agent, or sell your home yourself, in today's world we are all exposed to almost 1,000 messages to buy or sell everyday; therefore it is vitally important that you implement the most active, innovative and aggressive marketing efforts you can, or hire someone who can!  This, and other factors should increase the possibility of your home selling to over 90%. How would you like to know that you had a 90% chance of moving when it's time to sell your home?  About now you may be wondering why doesn't everyone do this type of marketing?  I really don't know, other than awareness.  Perhaps another reason may be it costs a heck of a lot of money to do this type of marketing. Active marketing is what will get your home sold for the most money, in the quickest amount of time, and with the least amount of hassle to you.

 PREVIOUSLY LISTED PROPERTIES LIKE YOURS

After conducting an in-depth study with hundreds of homeowners to find out why their homes did not sell, I found four common characteristics among them.

1.          Their agent did not have a clear and specific marketing plan to sell the property.

2.         Their agent was not knowledgeable about market values in your area

3.         Their agent did not offer regular market updates or communicate frequently

4.         Their agent did not follow through on promises made

LESS THAN 1% SAID THE MARKET WAS BAD OR NOTHING WAS SELLING

In a nutshell,  take these weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

MARKETING VS MERCHANDISING

When it comes to marketing experience, where will you have the best chance of selling?  When it comes to providing market activity, who will be able to offer you the greatest exposure to qualified buyers?  Most real estate today is sold as a result of three factors:  price, MLS exposure, and print media advertising.  This method is basic marketing and accounts for a success ratio of approximately 48%.  Merchandising is what happens in retail stores.  Manufacturers fight for the best space.  They experiment to learn which types of displays and product packaging will bring the greatest result.  I DO THE SAME FOR YOU to maximize the buyers and real estate community’s awareness of your property’s POINT OF DIFFERENCE.  This is a small but crucial process to give you a competitive advantage. 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SPRING…OR AFTER THE SUMMER…OR AFTER THE HOLIDAYS…..OR ANY THESE OTHER EXCUSES:

·         Or for interest rates to drop

• Or for consumer confidence to return
• Or the deficit to disappear

Or for any of the other earth shattering events to occur...To Sell Your Home...

If you are really serious about selling your home... if you really want it sold for the most money, in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of headache and hassle… call me to see what it will take to get your home sold.  If you decide to hire me for the job, great. If not, at least you'll have enough information to make an informed decision. I imagine if I were in your position I’d feel like the last thing I

wanted to do was talk to another real estate agent, and you really aren't alone. Like you, they had a very disheartening experience attempting to sell their home the first time around using the "conventional" marketing methods, the "traditional" real estate selling techniques that worked fine in the 70’s, 80's and part of the 90’s but are simply not enough in the new millennium.

 It only takes a few minutes, doesn't cost you a dime, and I promise to keep our time together short, factual, and very, very informative. Maybe even entertaining! (No guarantees on that one!)

 Call me at (309) 241-0313 and I will immediately forward a detailed informational package to your door with preliminary information explaining how I will SELL YOUR HOME!

Take advantage of the opportunity this marketing program will provide for you.  Call me at (309) 241-0313 today.  You will be glad you did.  I will do everything I possible can to sell your home.  I approach things differently from the average agent.  Don’t wait any longer.  Let’s get your home SOLD as soon as possible.

Well, I hope I’ve got you thinking...If so, then I've done our job.  Most people don't think at a time like this - they panic. They react.  You're different. You've taken a proactive stance.  How do I know?

That's easy... you've read this post (and that took a bit of your valuable time).  If you can do that, then you certainly can pick up the phone and call me, can't you?  What's the worst thing that could happen...we spend a few minutes learning?

If you would like more information about selling your home in the Pekin Real Estate market, visit www.livinginpekin.com or simply complete the following form and i will promptly return your request.