How Do I Make A Home Ready To Sell?

 

How Do I Make A Home Ready To Sell?

As we show you in this video, start several months before the property is made available. Look through the eyes of a buyer

  • What needs to be cleaned?
  • Repainted?
  • Repaired?
  • Or tossed?

Ask yourself – or a friend If you were buying this house what would you want to see?

The goal is to show a home that looks good makes the most of its assets like space and location and attracts as many buyers and as much demand as possible.

Allow yourself enough lead time – not just a day or two – to make the most of the sale. And get help from a real estate agent – early.

The list below is offered by the most reliable title company in Naples and Marco Island — First Title & Abstract, Inc.

As title companies go, we offer more … because we believe in “Putting you FIRST!”

Please call on us so you can be sure we’re the title agent handling your closing, too. You can rely upon us every step of the way!

How Do I Make A Home Ready To Sell?

How Do I Make A Home Ready To Sell?

How Can I Improve My Home’s Value?

 

How Can I Improve My Home’s Value?

Buyers generally seek the least expensive home in the best neighborhood they can afford.

As the video reveals, you want to present a home that fits in the neighborhood but doesn’t stand out too much.

For example if neighbors are all 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 3000 square feet, additions that make your home over 4,000 square feet, with 5 bedrooms, and 4 bathrooms, will make yours harder to sell.

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How Can I Improve My Home’s Value?

Improvements should make it show well and fit well in the neighborhood. Last-minute capital investments in large structural changes aren’t likely to pay off.

But cosmetic upgrades like paint and landscaping help a home “show” better and often do pay off. Also, studies show that updating kitchens and bathrooms can pay off, too.

Of course, all systems and appliances should work to get a top price. It’s always good to de-clutter, and provide organization, storage, shelving, and other little amenities which set your home apart from others.

Something as simple as a built-in wine cooler, or laundry tub sink large enough to wash the dog, all could enhance your sales prospects.

To make your home competitive and attract buyers, be sure to work with a professional real estate agents and interior design and staging experts. And start early.  Putting your home on the market before you’ve done all you can to enhance the value can be a negative, because you only have one chance to make a good impression.

Most title companies only help you with your closing.

However, we’re different. First Title & Abstract, Inc. is here to assist you at every stage of the sale and purchase of your home.

We offer valuable articles like this one to show you how to maximize your sale by taking the right steps to enhance your home’s value.

The Naples and Marco Island title company you can trust for guidance is First Title & Abstract, Inc …

That’s because we believe in “Putting You FIRST!”

 

How Should I Prepare For Internet Showing?

 

How Should I Prepare For Internet Showing?

In today’s market, sometimes your first “showing” will be on the Internet – often the virtual tour is the hook that brings a buyer in to see the home in person … so preparing for an online showing can be critically important!

Your price, listing description and PHOTOS determine whether someone will visit in person.

Consider professional staging advice or help.

Prep for photos and video just as carefully as real visits.

Ask your realtor if they use a professional photographer

If they do look at prior photos and pick someone who understands the job.

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How Should I Prepare For Internet Showing?

Photos should make the most of your home’s features and give prospective buyers an emotional connection that invites them to visit in person.

Help them envision their lifestyle in the house not just the counters and walls.

If your realtor recommends video, just as with  photography stage it carefully and hire a professional it will pay off.

And look over your listing when it goes live on a computer AND a mobile device to make sure it’s accurate, pleasant and compels people to show up.

Remember – your first showing these days will be on a screen more often than not!

At First Title & Abstract, we help buyers and sellers understand every aspect of the buying and selling process.

We hope you will contact our title company in Naples or Marco Island for more information about your sale or purchase.

We are here to help!

 

How Should I Prepare The Inside For An Open House?

 

How Should I Prepare The Inside For An Open House?

For many homes and markets, professional help from someone in “staging” makes good financial sense.  Like this video say, check your staging options first.

If you are doing it yourself, here are 5 key tips.

One – Depersonalize.

You want the buyer to envision this house being their home?

Remove the things that make it YOUR home – photos, awards, collections, and STUFF.

Two – MOVE the stuff.

It’s tempting to shove things in closets and attics but your prospective buyer will see a much smaller house if those spaces are full.

Move it to a storage space or a friend’s garage.

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How Should I Prepare The Inside For An Open House

Three – Warm it up.

Baking bread or cookies

adding fresh flowers

and colorful pillows and throws

are touches used by professional stagers to make a place warm without your stuff.

Four – Light it up!

 

  • Light sells homes.
  • Clean windows, inside and out.
  • Light bulbs all working and curtains open or even gone.

Five – Go Away.

Don’t hover – leave.

Pack for a day trip and have your realtor tell you when to return

Buyers won’t envision themselves buying if you’re around.

Depersonalize and move stuff out;

Warm it up and light it up.

Then leave and let your realtor do their job.

Finding a good listing agent can be difficult.

Why not call us for a recommendation?

We’re Naples oldest and most established title company.

First Title & Abstract, Inc.

For nearly 40 years, First Title & Abstract, Inc. has been the FIRST choice among buyers, sellers, and agents, when selecting a title company in Naples and Marco Island.

How Should I Prepare The Outside For An Open House?

 

How Should I Prepare The Outside For An Open House?

Professional “staging” may include the exterior, but if you’re doing it all yourself, try the five things outlined in this video.

1 – Landscape & lawn.

That’s the first impression; make it a good one.

Mow, prune, edge and get rid of junk!

2 – Paint And Clean!

You don’t have to do the whole house, but the front door and lintels should either be painted or cleaned.

Open house red sign

How Should I Prepare The Outside For An Open House?

3 – Leaks & Repairs

Small visible problems can become large mental objections and change how someone feels about your house.

Fix ‘em beforehand.

4 – Pets

Some people have allergies and concerns.

Time for Fido to visit a friend.

You weren’t including him with the house anyway.

5 – Get Fresh Eyes

Have your realtor or a friend who’s willing to be candid tell you what you missed. Or pay a staging professional for a report.

We don’t really see familiar things well – so let them be your ‘test buyer’ so you can present the best first impression to the real ones.

We pride ourselves in offering tips to buyers and sellers of real estate, at every step of the transaction.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this video, and the tips offered.

First Title & Abstract, Inc. has been serving Southwest Florida for almost 40 years! We are a fully licensed title agent, attorney-owned and operated.

We are the FIRST choice among real estate clients and professionals who are choosing a reliable title company in Naples or Marco Island.

Call us today, and prepare to be amazed!

 

What Does The Closing Process Involve When I Sell?

 

What Does The Closing Process Involve When I Sell?

We wanted to take a break from our blogging posts about the mortgage process which fundamentally educates our buyers, and offer something of interest to the sellers we serve.

As this video explains, a signed sales contract doesn’t mean your house is sold. There are still financial, contractual and legal steps for both sides.

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What Does The Closing Process Involve When I Sell?

The buyer has to get financing to meet the contract terms – which includes credit checks.

The property is inspected and appraised; title insurance and escrow accounts are set up. And you are working on locating new housing, packing, and preparing to move.

One of the most important obligations for sellers is to cooperate with the title company to clear any title issues, and to assist with obtaining association estoppels, and mortgage payoff information.

Of equal importance, is addressing all obligations under the contract, such as providing a prior owner’s title policy, maintaining the property in good condition, and taking care of any obligations which come up during the inspections, such as painting or repairs.

After the contract is signed, it can take a month or more of undertaking these steps to get ready for closing.

A good seller leaves the property in the condition they would want to take it if they were buying, and nothing breeds good will more than taking such an attitude.

If you need help preparing for closing, please count on us. We are the title company that believes in “Putting You FIRST!”

Non other title company in Naples or Marco Island will go the extra mile like we will … we want to exceed your expectations and make your sale easy and hassle-free.

Please call upon us to assist you, and if you wish to be represented separately in your closing, please contact us. Our real estate attorneys and title attorneys at Woodward, Pires & Lombardo, P.A. can handle seller-side only representation.

So please plan on being amazed at our service. We’re here for you!

Creating Facebook Ads for Real Estate

by | 2016 |

Creating Facebook ads for real estate is one of the simplest and most effective methods of online marketing and advertising.

Having a Facebook profile is one thing, but actually using it effectively is another.

Did you know Facebook Ads can actually make your company  visible to people with very specific interests and demographics?

A couple things to note:

Facebook now has more active users than China’s entire population.

Also, the average American spends 40 minutes on Facebook a Day – that’s 20-30 minutes longer than most any other website.

“Facebook now has more active users than China’s entire population.”

If you don’t yet have a Facebook profile for your business, please contact us at First Title & Abstract, Inc.

We can help you get started!

There are many types of ads you can run but the most common are as follows:

  • Sidebar
  • News Feed
  • Remarketing

“The average American spends 40 minutes on Facebook a Day – that’s 20-30 minutes longer than most any other website.”

News Feed Ads are the focus of this article because they are the most effective way to advertise on Facebook.

News Feed Ads

News Feed Facebook ads, as you might think, are the ads that show up right in your Facebook News Feed. In fact, News Feed Facebook ads are the only ads that show on Facebook mobile and over 60% of Facebook’s revenue comes from mobile devices.

Even though news feed ads are still very popular, as of 2016 the way you get clicks has evolved as people have grown more tech savvy.

You can no longer just post a picture of your office staff and say: “use us for your real estate purchasing, selling, or legal/closing needs.” You need to prove you can solve the customer’s problem first by providing value in the form of useful information.

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Social Media Content Creates Buzz and Keeps You Front of Mind!

Here is what you want in your News Feed ads:

1) Graphics with text

These work well and you can test ad variations

2) Faces/emotion work well

The best graphics often have person’s face that conveys emotion. The eyes are a gateway to the soul for a reason.

3) Short text, unless emotional

Either really short and casual posts, or really long “rants” get read most often. People don’t like average or mediocre, they want emotion.

4) Position as “helpful resource”, not an “ad”

5) Focus on the result the viewer will get by clicking

A good example of this is the “Download” button above. Viewers know what to expect when they click.

6) Pose a question

“Pizza or Ravioli? What’s your favorite? Post below.”

Facebook’s algorithm can be summarized as this: The more activity a post gets the more it is shown.

7) Create a Poll

Similar to #6, create a quick Facebook poll to get that same interaction above, that gets your post shown more often and to more people organically.

good hands

Memes entertain and inform and are readily passed on … from the Greek “mimēma” ‘that which is imitated’

8) Memes or Quotes

Memes are simply quotes or captions on funny pictures. The easiest way to find them is on Google Images or Pinterest.

9) Video

Did you find a useful video that helps your customers or prospects? Share it!

The same is true for most non-advertisement posts on Social Media as well. Use these “shareable” posts and experiment what works well for you.

Who do I advertise to?

Building an audience: There are several ways to build an audience to display your ads to but here are my favorites for Realtors, Title Agents, Lawyers, and Mortgage brokers.

1) Job title (i.e. Realtor, Mortgage Broker)

2) Interests (i.e. People who have liked The National Association of Realtors)

3) Location radius (Select a city and radius)

4) Lookalike Audience (Have a database of customers? Upload the list of email addresses to find other Facebook users with similar interests to your customer list. This one is really cool and powerful.)

5) Facebook Groups (Advanced Strategy – See below)

6) Retargeting (Advanced Strategy – see next article)

One thing to keep in mind with Facebook Ads…more people doesn’t mean that the ad is better.  In fact focusing on having “more people” can both hurt your conversion and cost you dollars; Facebook will charge you more per click for being general.

A far better approach is smaller targeted ad audiences like “Dog lovers” instead of “Pet lovers,” or in real estate, I might start by focusing on specific communities within a city and make the audience larger as I test.

As a general rule of thumb I like to start with an audience size of around 5,000 and no more than around a few hundred thousand.

Create a Group

If you are planning on doing lots of Facebook advertising and want to save a ton of money on cost per click I’d highly recommend creating a Facebook Group.

So I’ll first explain what to do and then why you’d want to do it in the first place.

Step 1: Create a Facebook Group

The first thing you want to do is create a group to benefit your target market. For example, if you are targeting first-time homebuyers in Austin, Texas, you may want to call your group “First-Time Home Buyers in Austin.”

Or if you really want to appeal to Realtors in Nevada, your group might be “Nevada Realtors Marketing Mastermind.”

Do not create a group that is “Fans of Title Co X” but instead think “Realtors in X City (local market)”

Get creative but find something useful where group members would be willing to share on (remember Facebook is social).

Step 2: Post to the Group

Next, visit your favorite industry publication sites like Title News and The Title Report then make a few posts in the group. The only purpose here is making sure the group is not empty.

Step 3: Invite friends and family to join and like the group

This makes it so that the group is not empty when you invite strangers to join.  Assure your friends and family that they can always leave the group in a few weeks if they are not interested in the topic, you just need some warm bodies in there.

Step 4: Advertise the Group

Next, use the steps in this article to create an ad to join or like the group.  This ad might show up in someone’s news feed as “Realtors in Austin Texas Group…Like this” and you’ll get many people to do so which will grow your group audience.

Note: make sure the group has nothing to do with your company but instead for the benefit of the members.

Why spend money to advertise a free group?

I’m glad you asked! Here is a cool trick that few know about:

Reason 1:

Facebook CPC (Cost Per Click) is typically cheaper when your Call-To-Action (CTA) is a page on Facebook itself and not on an external site. Score!

Reason 2:

Here is where the magic is. Not only do you save money to get someone to “Like” or join your group as opposed to going to your website, but once they have you can now run other direct promotion ads to the people of the group that you own – often times lowering the CPC to mere pennies!

For example, an ad to visit my website might cost $1.25 per click, and one to like my company Facebook page might cost $0.75 per click.  Whereas an ad to my own group audience advertising my services where I am the owner of the group and the people in the group are highly targeted might only cost $0.05 per click.

This is why I recommend customers that are in Facebook for the long term perform these extra steps.

Budget

Lastly, always start your Facebook ads at a low cost per day budget that you bump up slowly as you start gaining traction. Not doing so will cause you to waste a lot of money. For example, I always start mine at $5 a day until I have one performing as I like with a 5-10% click through rating (CTR) and then bump it up to $10.

That’s it! Create your ads and let them run. If you found this useful please let me know in the comments so I can share more tips on Facebook ads.

Also if you think this was cool, read the next article in the series, it is 100% on remarketing, what it is exactly, how to do it quickly, easily and cheaply!

We Can Help!

First Title & Abstract, Inc. distinguishes itself from the competition by being a consultative value-added strategic partner.

We succeed when you succeed, and that’s what makes us different! We know what works, and can show you how to build your business and sell more properties!

Contact any of us at our Naples or Marco Island offices, and ask for the marketing department handling social media.

We’re eager to be partners in your success!