The Listing Process

Questions to ask when establishing the listing appointment:

1. Because I haven’t been in your home and like an appraiser would do, I will run comps. I will be sending you a link to a form to fill out so I can get the most up to date RANGE of Value that this market will bring. I don’t want to miss anything that will be important to the comps when I bring you a BUYER.

2. I will be sending you a detailed email with the comps before our meeting. Can you please take the time to review them before we meet. (MAKE SURE YOU CALL PENDING HOMES AND ASK THE AGENT IF THEY COULD SHARE ANYTHING ABOUT THE OFFER WITH YOU. THEY NORMALLY DO. IT SHOWS YOUR SELLER THAT YOU ARE CONNECTED AND GIVES THEM A BETTER LANDSCAPE OF WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON WHEN YOU DISCUSS IN PERSON

3. How much do you roughly owe on your mortgage so I can have my TITLE company prepare a net sheet so you know what you are walking away with. (This way if the net sheet is off at all it puts it on the Title company, NOT you. The analytical seller will hold you to the penny.

4. Do you have any other questions for me before we meet?

5. One last question… Do you like Red or White? Show up with something, whether it is a bottle of wine or something that is more appropriate to that seller.

Once a listing appointment date and time have been set, email or text the sellers with a date/time reminder and a link to the Selling Your Home Highnote presentation and seller questionnaire Jot Form. Also send a calendar invite.

Include a Bomb Bomb video in the email or text.

www.app.highnote.io

$35/mo

For a Luxury Property, you can go above and beyond your standard Highnote sent out before your listing appointment. Design brochrues and other marketing pieces to give examples. If you are a member of a luxury group, consider using their marketing examples if possible. 

The questionnaire not only provides contact information and upgrades/updates, it tells you a lot about the seller, from how detail oriented they are to true reasons for selling.

The most important piece of information you can get is the "I will be doing research on your property and have not had the

opportunity to see it, what price range should I study?" question. It prepares you for a seller that is out of touch with reality on pricing so you can really explain the market and comps to justify your price conclusion.

Include your listing presentation and a Cloud CMA with all photos for your comps.

Items to include:

Listing Presentation and Cloud CMA (bound)

Folder with the following:

1. Tax Record

2. Zillow estimate screenshot

3. RPR estimate screenshot

4. If expired or cancelled recently-property history and MLS report

5. CMA summary of comps

6. Neighborhood sales for last year (CMA summary sheets)

7. CMA analysis sheet

8. Rankings Report

9. Market Data

10. Marketing Examples

11. Blank Services Timeline

12. Example seller intro letter

13. Net Sheet

14. Builder incentives if home is in a new construction area.

If you are selling a home in a community or town that has a lot of new construction ongoing, you need to know what the builder is offering buyers right now.  

Sellers are now competing with handsome and enticing low builder buy down interest rates and incentives that your seller will need to consider when pricing their home.

This has been a critical element of our listing process. Some sellers are resistant to the idea of doing inspections, but they are instrumental in finding issues and proactively repairing or pricing to accommodate the findings. 

1. Sellers may or may not tell you if they are interveiwing multiple agents. If you can get the documents signed at the appointment, it closes that door. Waiting to send them for e-signatures later opens the door for them to interview more agents. Come prepared with a paper copy for them to sign.

2. We are starting to add an addendum for listing expenses/marketing costs. This can also be added to the listing agreement in the additional terms. We like to state the following: "If the seller cancels this listing agreement for any reason prior to the expiration date, seller will reimburse the listing agent for marketing expenses up to $2,000, including but not limited to photography, videography, print marketing and online advertising. All receipts will be provided.

3. If you paying for staging it is a good practice to have them sign an addendum with the following verbiage: "The listing agent agrees to pay for the socst of staging (by a stagin gvendor only) up to $___, which will be reimbursed to the seller in escrow at the closing. The seller is responsible for direct payment to the staging vendor at the time payment is due. If the seller cencels the listing, the listing expires or the listing fails to close escrow, no reimbursement will be made to the seller from the listing agen or their brokerage."

Once you have all appointments booked, send the seller an email with a services timeline, a copy of the listing documents and a link to the Property Information Form. Include the contacts for all individuals they will be dealing with during the transaction, such as TC, listing coordinators, agent/co-agent contact info. You may also want to include the Escrow Officer. 

 All of inspection reports, HOA docs, prelims, tax bills, seller disclosures, NHD, CCRs, school zoning, insurance quotes, repairs and clearances, etc. are then loaded to Disclosures.io. A link to the page is provided in the MLS remarks and a signed coversheet acknowledging review of all documents is required with all offers submissions.  

We want all of the cats out of the bag up front, so we don't have last minute, deal breaking issues and concerns week 3 into the escrow.

Another benefit... you can see which agents have viewed the documents and downloaded. It gives a bit of a heads up as to who may be interested for a follow up conversation.

If the standard of pratice in your area is to attach documents to the MLS, do this instead. State on your offer instructions that all offers are to be submitted with signed disclosures, located in the documents tab.

Review the inspection reports and provide a list of health and safety/section 1 repairs that need to be completed. Also provide a "highly recommend repair" list, which features hot button or buyer confidence items that the seller should heavily consider repairing.

Track all agreed to repairs and track them. Collect receipts from the seller/vendors and upload them to Dislosures.io with the tracker or a list.

Key items to prepare:

• Property Flyers
• Property Brochures (if applicable)
• Targeted Property Boosts, Facebook Ads, etc.
• Door Knocking Flyers/hangers
• Property Features Sheets
• Eblasts to agents (if applicable)
• Open House-plan with your seller-remember to alert HOA/gates if needed

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