9 Listing Presentation Tips

As a current or former student in our real estate license school you might remember my lecture from Real Estate Practice on listing presentations. I’ve placed a link to the YouTube video here if you need a refresher or haven’t seen it yet.

While this video isn’t intended to be a real estate crash course it’s still helpful to watch as you strategize around building your seller-focused real estate business. While buyer clients are important, a scaleable real estate business is built around controlling listing inventory and that means working with sellers.

In order to obtain listings, you must become proficient at generating seller leads and making killer presentations. The high-level goal is to demonstrate you are the best Realtor for the job of selling their home.

Because of the competitive nature of the market you’ll need to have a solid listing presentation. Sellers have options when it comes to listing their home as the number of real estate agents in an area far exceeds the inventory at any given time.

I’ve put together some tips as you work with and negotiate with a potential seller.

1. Introduce yourself

Every meeting starts with an introduction. Keep in mind first impressions matter—so be sure to get this part right—and remember to smile. Be prepared to share your credentials, previous successes, and any other pertinent information demonstrating why you’re the right person to list their home.

2. Know the property

Before you arrive, make sure you’ve researched everything possible about the property and dig beyond surface-level information like bedroom and bathroom count. If you haven’t done your homework, it’ll be obvious to the seller. Make sure that your Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is detailed, up- to-date and visually appealing.

3. Walk through the selling process

Share a clear timeline with the seller so they know what to expect. Much of this timeline will depend upon the current state of the market, so be prepared to explain any circumstances that will impact the time it’ll take from listing to contract and from contract to close.

It’s also important to also explain to the seller that buyers will generally have the right to conduct an inspection on the home while it’s in escrow. This could cause the buyer to ask for repairs or even ask for a monetary credit as a result of the inspection.

Going through several possible scenarios with the seller will help minimize surprises during the listing.

4. Explain pricing strategy

The main thing that prevents a listing from selling is an inappropriate price. Proper pricing can overcome nearly everything. Does the property have an inferior location? Price it properly. Is there an odd smell or is the home in desperate need of landscaping? Fix the price.

The professional real estate agent should have relevant comps pulled, bearing in mind the condition of the subject property, condition and location of comps, and have the communication skills to convey this information to the seller.

Be prepared and ready to explain the recommended price to the seller. It’s not uncommon for the owner to believe that their home is worth more money than your data suggests, especially in the world of Zillow. I recorded a YouTube video about this here if you need a refresher.

5. Explain pre-listing steps

As a sales technique, speak to the seller during the presentation as though you already have the listing. Educate them on what will be occurring after they sign. Assume that they are going to be listing with you.

It’s important that the seller know that the property won’t hit the market the instant you leave the presentation as there are many things that still have to happen. Photography must be arranged, marketing collateral needs to be created and copy must be written, as examples.

Giving the sellers a heads up about the process will go a long way in establishing rapport, trust and an understanding of the cadence of the process.

6. Explain marketing strategy

If your marketing strategy consists of placing the property on the MLS with one iPhone photo - this isn’t going to be enough.

Since real estate commissions easily run $10,000+ on most homes in California, it’s important to explain to the seller what the plan to sell their home is and why our commissions are as they are.

A well thought out marketing plan will help justify your fee and aid the seller in understanding where their money goes.

Include any syndication, local marketing, and online publicizing—share techniques you use that make their home stand out in a competitive marketplace.

7. Remember to listen

You want to build a relationship of trust with clients. Talk to them about why they’re selling their home and ask what their future plans are understanding their needs will help you better serve them.

Also remember to include all family members in the discussion. Often times a real estate professional might only speak to one spouse, falsely believing that they are the decision maker when the decision to list might be one made jointly by both owners.

God gave us two ears and one mouth-remember to use them run that ratio.

8. Dress for success

Non-verbal cues like body language, grooming and how we dress can say a lot more than verbal communication can. There is little doubt that in a post-COVID world the business climate has moved away from suits, ties and pantyhose in favor of a more relaxed attire.

Depending on your market, how you dress might vary, but generally, business casual is probably appropriate.

One last tip: While the world is a bit more casual it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed so choose your wardrobe carefully.

9. Leverage the power of reviews

If you (or your company) have testimonials or online reviews from previous clients, bring them to the listing presentation.

People are more inclined to trust others who have experienced success with their agents.

These nine tips should help you put your best foot forward when making listing presentations.

It all starts with the right real estate school so choose wisely. I’d love to help you get started in our great business. Call me at 888 768 5285 and I or a member of my team can get you started.

Love,

Kartik