Differences Matter
All agents are not the same. The services related to selling your home are not fungible–each agent brings a different level of skills and experience to the table.
Hiring the right agent is a serious matter. And it should be taken seriously. A home is (for most) one of the biggest assets in their portfolio. Selling that asset requires careful consideration and thoughtful preparation. The right agent can help you earn more money, avoid future lawsuits, and minimize marketing time and other inconveniences.
To put it in perspective: Would you hire a part-time brain surgeon who does 2 or 3 surgeries a year to operate on your spouse or children? Or a cut-rate lawyer to prepare your estate? Of course not. The same care should be taken in hiring the best representation possible when it comes time to sell your home.
Professional Real Estate Experience
In coming to that decision, it should not be about what agent has the bubbliest personality, the flashiest car, or buys the most vanity ads in the paper. Referrals from well-meaning friends can also lead to trouble. We all live next door to an agent (there are over 1,700 agents in Marin County). And while your aunt’s high school best friend’s husband/wife has a real estate salesperson’s license, does that mean you want to hire him/her to sell your house? The average agent in Marin sells 2 homes per year! Does this person sell more than 2 or 3 houses a year? While selling a home is not brain surgery, you do want a seasoned professional who does the job every day.
Kyle is a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS). This is the highest designation any Realtor can attain (to give you an idea of how rare it is, there are about 20 CRS designated agents in Marin County (home to over 1,700 agents)–that’s 1 out-of-every-85 agents).
Warning Signs
Some agents focus mainly on getting listings, rather than selling listings (the reason for this is because it is widely believed by real estate agents that the mere fact of having a listing is better than not having one, regardless of whether the home has any likelihood of selling). Thus, many agents (the “Say-Anything” agents) will give vastly inflated estimates of likely sales prices and use other “salesy” tricks to get you to hire them. It is called “Buying A Listing” and is a complete disservice to both home sellers and the reputation of real estate agents everywhere. So, be warned.
Some agents buy lots of print advertising in local newspapers and magazines. These ads (called “Vanity Ads”) are designed to generate name recognition for the agent rather than sell your house. While it may feel good seeing your home in the paper on Sunday, these ads do not sell homes. Buyers do not waste time looking at a partial list of homes. They go to where they can find information about ALL homes for sale?the internet.
Proper Marketing Focus
The percentage of buyers searching the internet for information about their next home is dramatic. It is estimated that well over 90% of Marin buyers look for homes on the internet. Compare that to the estimated 4% of buyers who find their homes in newspapers and print magazines. It is pretty obvious where the emphasis should be when it comes to marketing your home.
Internet Marketing
Kyle is an expert in this area. He was one the very first agents to create individual websites for his listings (e.g. 7FortuneLane.com) in the Marin market. His website, NorthBayRE.com, was one of the first in Marin County to attach virtual tours. He was one of the first Marin realtors to recognize and use Craigslist as an advertising medium. That dedication to cutting-edge technology and marketing is ongoing?we could list some of the new strategies, but don’t want to give away our advantage.
Search Engine Rankings
NorthBayRE.com consistently provides Top Search Results in Google and the other major search engines. Below are some “Page 1 Results”.
Marin Luxury Homes Novato
Lucas Valley Luxury Homes
Pointe Marin Novato Homes
Marin Condos
Tiburon Luxury Homes
Mill Valley Luxury Homes
As you can see from the breadth of search terms above (and this is just a sampling), NorthBayRE.com sits high atop the rankings, meaning better exposure for your home.
Additional Superior Marketing Efforts
In addition to the high search engine rankings which bring 24-hour traffic to your home online, Kyle makes sure that all the top local agents are informed about your home by virtue of telephone calls, flyers, and postcards. Kyle also participates in weekly networking meetings with other top Marin real estate agents exposing your home to buyers even before it hits the market. For a complete, point-by-point breakdown of Kyle’s marketing program, call Kyle for an appointment at 415/350-9440.