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Incline Village real estate: Preparing your home for the MLS tour

Don Kanare and Sabrina Belleci
Special to the Sun-Bonanza
Don Kanare and Sabrina Belleci, ReMax Realty

Weekly real estate update

Statistics gathered from the Incline Village MLS on 5/15/16

Houses Condos PUDs

For Sale 115 72 20

Under $1 million 25 64 10

Median Price For Sale $1,678,000 $510,000 $965,000

YTD Sales 2016 48 57 13

YTD Sales 2015 36 60 14

New Listings 10

In Escrow 9

Closed Escrow 12

Range in Escrow $249,000 - $2,150,000

A successful marketing plan involves a cooperative effort between sellers and their agents. And one of the first steps in that marketing plan is to have a good turnout and positive response when your property is on the Tuesday morning MLS tour for all the local real estate agents to see.

The speech that an agent makes at the MLS meeting on the morning their listing is on the tour is almost like a presidential candidate kicking off a campaign.

During the busy listing season from mid-April through late July, there will usually be between 15 and 20 properties on the tour each week. It’s not practical for most agents to see every property during the three hour time frame allotted for the MLS tour.



So, creating excitement and interest in your property on the morning of the weekly tour is the single most effective way to get the local real estate agents to take notice of your place.

“That first impression when a buyer steps out of the car and looks at the exterior of your property can make or break a sale.”

First and foremost you need to get your property looking spiffy. Consider doing a home inspection and repairing those items that are potential deal killers or obvious to the naked eye.



Bring in a professional stager to help you de-clutter, rearrange furniture and decorations, make minor repairs, touch up paint and even purchase a few decorative items to make your place look warm and inviting.

A very thorough cleaning from top to bottom is an important part of the staging process and it will take a fair amount of diligence for homeowners to keep their place looking sharp when pollen season arrives.

Take a good look at the landscaping and do the yard work necessary to create curb appeal for your property. If you live in a condo, talk with your homeowners association if you see anything that needs attention.

That first impression when a buyer steps out of the car and looks at the exterior of your property can make or break a sale. The same is true when agents arrive on Tuesday morning to see your place on the weekly MLS tour.

They can either get excited about the exterior and look forward to what awaits them inside, or they can write off the property before walking through the door.

While your agent can provide advice and guidance, it’s up to you as a seller to follow through with the preparations in the days prior to your property being showcased on the Tuesday morning tour.

If you have tenants at the property, notify them at least two weeks in advance of the MLS tour so they can straighten up the place. When it comes to neatness and cleanliness, not all tenants are created equal. Some tenants will need additional time along with friendly reminders that you need their cooperation to prepare for the agent tour.

Lastly, having some type of incentive to draw real estate agents to look at your property never hurts. Whether you serve food, have a drawing for a bottle of wine, provide entertainment or put on a barbecue, doing something special in coordination with your listing agent will help to increase the number of brokers and agents who visit your property on the Tuesday morning MLS tour.

It’s all about exposure and using the proper tactics and preparations to attract agents and buyers to visit your property. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make it a good one.

Don Kanare and Sabrina Belleci are the owners of RE/MAX North Lake. Read their blog and find weekly stats on their website at http://www.InsideIncline.com.


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