Preparation, promotion,
presentation and then price
are the four major areas in selling luxury homes.
The Dow Realty Group takes each very seriously.
Preparation Promotion Presentation PricePreparation
(Staging Consultation included)
One of the most important areas of focus in preparing for market is the house condition. Just as we would wash, wax and clean out a car before asking a dealer how much they will give us for a trade in, we must prepare the home for photographs and ultimately buyer showings. Included in our services is a whole house staging consultation. We pay a professional to come to every one of our listings to counsel sellers on better preparing the home for professional photos. She looks at each room as if looking through a camera lens. What will make the pictures pop and what will detract from the home's assets. This is often the hardest conversation we have with homeowners.
Perhaps this testimonial given to our stager from one of our biggest sales will be a good introduction to the subject.
- We used no one for staging. Results: three houses on the market for 2 years with no offers.
- We hired Robin and didn't follow many of her suggestions, because she questioned our decorating taste and lifestyle. Result: No offers.
- We spent about 1 percent of the sales price for all three houses and followed every one of Robin's recommendations: Result: All three houses - $9.875 Million - SOLD!!!!!
- Can I say more? Yes, but what more do you need to know?
Buyers often make their decisions in the first 30 seconds of viewing a home. The first sign of deferred maintenance shifts their focus from looking at the house with a carefree eye, to a critical eye looking for more projects for them to take on.
We match our home buyer tours to efforts made in staging, cleaning and painting. Everything we do has critical thought behind the effort.
Staging: Before and After
Move cursor
left and right to view before and after photos
Promotion
The Dow Realty Group spends money on selling homes. We do not just take listings and then hope other buyer agents will sell their homes. We have a 65 point action plan that makes sure nothing slips through the cracks and that we are thinking about our listings, even if they have been on the market for an extended period of time.
The majority of our marketing dollar is spent on the big three of real estate, Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com. We will explain how our team structure is complementary to the way these portals are set up and attracting buyers.
Our strategy includes many other websites including: www.AdamDow.com
As well as our many single-property websites such as www.HalesLocationNH.com.
A good example of how we can promote a community is www.MeredithBayLiving.com.
We have the back inside cover of the Local Homes and Land Magazine. We have teamed with Homes and Land for three reasons: one is their readership, two is their mailings to our feeder marketplace - namely the Boston market - and three is their syndication to the major luxury websites.
Can you name the top 9 foreign countries where New Hampshire buyers from outside the United States come from? We can. We use analytics to target these countries with the power of Facebook to put our listings in front of the buyers in countries like Great Britain, who have an interest in New Hampshire. We also target areas such as Greenwich, CT, Boston, MA, Lexington, MA and many more, identifying those individuals who own million-dollar main homes and are displaying real estate research activities online. We also target those who are misled into believing the want to buy on Cape Cod. We drop tactics and strategies that do not work and double down on those that do.
We have researched and targeted key terms both luxury and residential buyers are using in their real estate search. Google "Lake Winnipesaukee Boat houses For Sale" and pick one out for yourself.
Presentation
We believe that it is our job to elevate your property by the way it is presented. We hold ourselves accountable to dress appropriately, to conduct ourselves professionally and produce marketing materials that go over and above the competition. It goes without saying, it all starts with the photos. We use three different professional photographers, depending on the property. We spend the money on drone photography and produce floor plans for homes with none. I have my own opinion on Matterport (3D) Tours and would be happy to discuss it with you. It is our job to bring the appropriate professionalism to showings, in producing the property brochure and in introducing the area.
One of the most tangible benefits of having a team of professionals working for a common goal is the ability to have a property expert for each of our homes. As realtors begin to enjoy the success of repeat business and increased inventories, they also are presented the challenge of keeping all the homes straight. Some do a great job of this, but I have found having two professionals assigned to each property has been one of the keys to our success. Every one of our listings is assigned an agent who is tasked with being the property expert for the home. Responsibilities include gathering all the information for not only showings with prospective buyers but for the all important brochures they take home. Most buyer visits include tours with multiple homes which include a firehouse of information from each of the listing agents. We strive to have the most complete brochures so that when buyers are at home deciding which home to make an offer on and how much they are going to offer, they have all the information at their fingertips.
And yes, a picture is worth 1000 words.
Price
Every home is different. In New Hampshire, we don't have large subdivisions with multiple similar properties or "comps". We have homes with large acreage, mountain views, water views, rivers, lakefront, sandy beaches, perched beaches, over the water boathouses, modern boathouses, oversized docks, shoreland protection, current use, sunsets, sunrises, privacy, proximity, and on and on. We have not even mentioned the house yet.
The Dow Realty Group understands value and the necessity to consider all factors. In most cases, we put a value on the land and on the house. We have spreadsheets with historical numbers of what waterfront properties sell for per shorefront foot, what the sale price to assessment is in certain towns and yes, what are homes selling for compared to the Zillow "Zestimate". Ultimately, it is our job to provide all the information and the homeowners make the final decision.
