Murphy & Murphy Real Estate     

From the Sellers view, selling a house seems pretty basic: they sign an agreement to sell their home with a Realtor, forms filled out, pictures are taken, a sign goes out front, and advertisements appear later in a newspaper, a real estate book, or both. In fact, most Realtors perform these services; but that is where the similarities generally end between an average listing agent, and an exceptional agent.

1. Where are the photos?

The newest Multiple Listing Service (MLS) software in New Hampshire is called Ambiance, and it is a very sophisticated program. A major feature is the capability of placing up to nine photos of a property on the system, which allows customers and other brokers to get a brief look at a property before physically viewing. It saves a lot of Seller disruption if it is not what a Buyer is looking for, and is an excellent selling feature if it does appeal to the buyer.

Unfortunately, there are many instances on the MLS where only one photo is inserted, sometimes, no photo is submitted, which negates the benefits that are derived from multiple photos. In real estate marketing, the old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words is certainly true.

Ambiance has excellent report features, which let a Realtor display multiple photos in a professional manner. The purpose of MLS is to increase the exposure of a Sellers property. A co-broker Realtor, working with an out­of­town Buyer can select candidate properties and send them to the buyer. These reports can be mailed through "snail mail" or can be digitized and forwarded to the Buyer. When there are no photos (or limited photos) the co-broker has to make a decision as to whether these properties should be sent. Some co-broker agents become so frustrated with the lack of photos, they take their own! However, they are in the minority. Many times, if there are several properties that meet a Buyer's requirements, those with multiple photos are the only property reports sent.

Sellers generally are in no position to tell how many photos are used. The MLS is on the Internet at www.nnerealestate.com, but there is limited information available, and only one photo. Therefore, Sellers are encouraged to discuss an agency's photo policy before listing their home. In today's real estate world, a sign in front of a house is of no use to a Buyer that is a thousand miles away. In reality, the sign is quickly being surpassed in importance, and being replaced with the skills of a Realtor in the handling of digitized information. At Murphy & Murphy our agents maximize the number of photos. They use the company digital camera, and transfer the photos quickly to Ambiance, and our private web site, www.realestatenh.com.

They also use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and set up private web sites showing detail reports of properties that a far-away Buyer would be interested in previewing before they arrive in the area. This is an efficient way to quickly transmit information without attaching it to an e­mail. Large e­mail attachments can result in time consuming downloads, and instead of being a selling feature can result in irritating the prospective Buyer. With FTP, when Buyers are ready to view the information, they approach it the like any other web site address. The only difference between public web sites and our private sites are privacy ­­ they are not registered with Search Engines.

2. Who isn't on the Internet?

Five years ago, use of the Internet to market real estate was in its infancy. However, since the MLS set up it's own web site, and Realtor.com was given permission to publish MLS listings, the Internet is used everywhere. On the other hand, there are few private web sites owned and controlled by individual real estate brokers. Those that do have sites are pioneers, and their early efforts won them excellent placement on major search engines, which is how the vast majority of Buyers find a real estate agent to work with. It has been estimated to be as high as 78%.

A good private site provides information that Buyers want. Multiple photos, local town information, school information, and an introduction to a Realtor ­­ an interview, if you will ­­ without the Realtor knowing a Buyer is studying him. If a Buyer feels comfortable with what is seen on the site, an e­mail message is usually received immediately, from the Buyer. Good agents check their e­mail several times a day, and know that the best way to instill confidence in a customer is to respond quickly. Also very important, is to write in a professional manner clarifying information about the customer's move. Good agents know that even though they are using e­mail, a well written, professional response is mandatory. Therefore, Sellers are encouraged to research the Internet for agents that cover there area and e­mail them, usually directly from the agent's web site, to determine how timely, and how professionally written the response is. At Murphy & Murphy incoming e­mail is repeatedly checked. Write us and see!

3. To show or not to show, that is the question?

In the past few years, there has been a trend developing whereby Realtors who list a property, do not show the property to a Buyer accompanied by a co-broker. The listing agent uses an electronic lock­box, which holds a key to the home. This is common practice in many parts of the country. However, there is another school of thought within the Realtor community. Some believe that the listing agents are the most knowledgeable about the property and should be present at all showings. In fact, some insist on it. The non­showers argue that it is not efficient to have two Realtors present at a showing, and that a property might miss a showing if the listing agent has to be present.

Our purpose for discussing this is not to argue which is better, but to let Sellers know that these differences exist. Sellers are encouraged to discuss an agency's policy before listing their home. If they want "their" agent present at all showings, this should be discussed before signing. At Murphy & Murphy, our agents discuss this with the Seller and 95% of our clients prefer that we are present at all showings.

4. Beyond the Internet

The Internet is a great tool to meet people who want to purchase real estate, but it must be emphasized that it is only a tool. There are other tools that are just as important in the selling process that may get overlooked. Handouts describing the property benefits play a major role in the process, especially after the customer has seen the property. Remember, most Buyers look at several properties before making a decision. They also get confused about what they saw, and a professional handout is worth its weight in gold, particularly if the listing agent did not show the property. A well­organized handout is a complete review of the property. It summarizes all the important selling features that the property has to offer, including a repeat of all the photos that were taken for the MLS and the Internet. Therefore, a Seller should ask to see samples of handouts prepared for other listings that the candidate­listing agent has prepared. At Murphy & Murphy, complete handouts, including selling features details, a data sheet, a drawing showing location of well, septic and where the sun rises (if appropriate), a property disclosure (required by the real estate commission to be in a Buyer's hands before making an offer), and numerous color photos. From the comments received by customers, these are appreciated.