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In real life, of course you’re going to be talking to & meeting your Realtor many many times throughout your process before you see them at the closing table. But… let’s say we had to evaluate how good a Realtor is going to be just based on one single solitary document.
In this fictional scenario – I’m here to do just that. If you’re on the fence about a real estate agent, maybe ask to look at one of these documents to help you determine how good they really are.
Depending on whether or not you’re hiring an agent to help you with a purchase or to help you with the listing of a property – I’m going to recommend 2 different things.
Let’s say you’re looking for a listing agent – someone who you’re hiring to market your current home & attract buyers to your listing. Obviously, you’re going to be looking at their social media presence & get local recommendations. However, if you had to look at one single document – I’d tell them that you’d like to view a MLS sheet from one of their listings.
The MLS stands for multi-list. This is the main tool that Realtors use to attract the attention of other Realtors & buyers. This form is pretty straight forward – are you offering a home warranty (yes or no?) What are the taxes? How many bedrooms are there? But there are several areas that you should look at that will easily help you determine how much effort this person puts into their marketing.
1. Pictures:
In the West Penn Multi-List that services the southernmost tip of Western Pennsylvania up through I-80, members can add up to 50 photos of their listings. A 2-bedroom, 900 sq. ft. home in the middle of a busy road will not likely warrant 50 photographs (25 may be very sufficient.) But I’ve seen many large homes: 5 bedrooms, several outbuildings, acreage… & there are 20 pictures.
Let’s ignore quantity for a moment & focus on quality. 88% of Realtors don’t hire a professional photographer. Now, I’m pretty darn good with a camera, but there’s something that my professional photographer can do that is just beyond me. Your pictures are the basis of all your future marketing! That’s just key.
If your Realtor has any listings in which they are seen in the reflection of your bathroom mirror – RUN!
2. Captions
Speaking of pictures, the captions accompanying each photo do a lot to help bolster the marketing for a home. Not only does the use of key words help to boost your search engine optimization (SEO) but it helps to clarify what the buyer is looking at. Especially if a home is vacant – it’s sometimes difficult to know the difference between the living room or a bedroom.
You don’t want your buyer looking through the pictures & think, “Wow… that living room is really tight! It would barely fit our furniture!” when in actuality, it’s a generously sized bedroom!
Clarifying which room each picture is takes literally less than a minute! Why don’t all Realtors take that time to ensure that the buyer isn’t getting ready to click on the next listing?!
In addition to labeling each room & using key words to get more attention, the captions give us Realtors a lot more space to tell a more detailed story about your home!
3. Description
Piggybacking off of this, read the description of the property. Does it tell a story? Does it say a LOT more than just regurgitate what is already an input field? By just saying: 2BDRM/1BA HOME IN NEW BRIGHTON SCHOOL DISTRICT – the agent hasn’t done anything more than provide a blank coloring sheet.
This is the Realtor’s opportunity to use those key words that we talked about before to boost your SEO & bring all of the color onto that coloring sheet to make it look attractive & inviting to interested buyers.
“This is a charming cottage-style home nestled on a beautiful 2-acre corner lot in New Brighton. This property offers a rare combination of privacy & usable land, making it ideal for homeowners, investors, or anyone seeking a peaceful country setting with convenience to town. Step inside to a warm and inviting first floor featuring a spacious living room, a full bathroom, a first-floor bedroom, and a functional kitchen with direct access to the enclosed back porch — perfect for morning coffee, muddy boots, or relaxing with views of the property…” The description goes on from there, but it gives the buyer’s imagination a lot more to work with.
I was recently searching for properties in a specific location where a very prominent Realtor works. I came across several of her properties that all had the exact same 2 sentence description. She copied & pasted that description on every property she had listed. She’s doing her clients a disservice – these properties are unique! Homes are as special & different as each person. Your sellers are relying on you to market those differences. Doing anything else is a disservice.
4. Agent Notes
Building off of the description, the agent notes provide a spot where Realtors can convey information that we’re not allowed to share on the public sites. This is where we can talk: agent to agent, about the home & provide information that they can convey to their buyers. Does the location of this property lend to special financing? Is the home pre-inspected? Is there anything special that I need to know about this home as I’m showing it?
A cooperative Realtor is one who will gladly lend a hand & give some clues as to how to show the property to the buyers so that it’s put in its best light. When this area is blank, I think “You mean to tell me that the sellers have given you a tour of their home, & you have no additional insight to pass along to me?”
5. Room Dimensions
I would say that this information is missing from a listing about 40- 50% of the time. Pennsylvania has been a little slow on the uptake when it comes to providing square footage of a home. This only became very common in the last decade or so. That’s strange, isn’t it? Don’t you want to know how big or small of a home you’re buying? Now, I’m seeing the majority of Realtors finally including this information, but the room dimensions aren’t always available.
Guys, this comes down to laziness. An agent should take time during the listing appointment to get room measurements. Then, albeit tedious, those should be keyed into the listing information.
This is another good way to see if your Realtor does just the bare minimum…
6. BONUS: Video Links
Y’know how I said that Pennsylvania was a little behind the times when it came to consistently being able to offer & include the square footage information? Video in real estate has really taken off on the West Coast & has ever so slowly creeped its way over across the country.
Even very well-established Realtors shy away from the use of video. So, if your agent is checking off ALL of these boxes AND do several types of video – they are the ones that you should be looking to use for your transactions!
Next time, I’m going to focus on the ONE DOCUMENT that will prove if your buyer’s Realtor is a dud or a stud.
Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020
Katina.Hunter@PittsburghMoves.com
