Rather than lowering my commission, how about we …Texas Realtor Magazine – May 2012
Are you lowing your commission, because you are trying to gain a listing and the seller is interviewing other real estate agents so you need to be competitive? Instead of lowering your commission and losing money, PROVE your commission!
In the May 2012 issue of Texas Realtor Magazine, they offer six things to do to prevent lowering your commissions when signing a listing agreement:
It’s great to see the first option was to give them something else because that fits right in line with one of our products, video tours. When I look at listings in Southlake and Keller, whether it’s “average” or “luxury” listings, you immediately can tell who is marketing a home different from their competition. And ironically, the majority of “luxury” listings are marketed the SAME exact way!
Let’s take a look at a couple of active listings in the Southlake/Keller area. First up is 440 S White Chapel Boulevard in Southlake. It is being marketed by Roxann Taylor & Associates with professional photography, and there is a virtual tour for the listing:
440 S White Chapel Boulevard Virtual Tour
Let’s compare that listing to 512 Rancho Laredo Trail, also in Southlake. 512 Rancho Laredo Trail is listed by Team Knight of Keller Williams Realty, and it also is being marketed with a virtual tour:
512 Rancho Laredo Trail Virtual Tour
Notice anything interesting about the two listings above, that are represented by different Southlake realtors? They are using the same virtual tour provider, and the same photographer! Nothing sets them apart from each other! So what happens when both real estate agents go in for listing appointments – how do they convince the seller that THEY are the ones who should be trusted to sell these multi-million dollar homes?
If you offer the same service as your peer, you may end up having to cut your commission. Instead of lowering your commission, offer something different! Offer a full-motion, HD video tour! Make yourself stand out so the seller knows why you are being paid a commission and has no choice but to hire you because of the excellent marketing you will be bringing to the table.
706 Kleberg Court in Southlake Texas features not only a relaxing pool with water feature, but also a backyard view of the community lake.
2108 Old York Drive in Keller Texas is in immaculate shape. Buyers can expect a perfectly clean, ready to move-in property!
4950 Westbriar Drive in Fort Worth Texas is located in a gated community and features an expansive floor plan with a private, interior court yard.
As a Southlake or Keller realtor, you have the choice of how you are going to market your real estate properties. That choice could impact how your properties show up in search engines like Google, when buyers are looking up more information about a given property. I was looking up one of the listings I most recently did a video tour of. In the first 5 days of being posted online, the video has been viewed more than 100 times. But what I found more interesting, was what Google showed me when I searched for that property online.
In marketing a real estate property, it’s not always about the house. Of course the house is a major part of the purchase – it’s the physical thing that the money is buying. However when buyers are searching for a home online and all they see are photos or text of a property, they may be missing out on additional reasons they should look at a specific home. Real estate video tours can evoke emotion through the use of lifestyle footage in addition to the walk-through home tour.
3705 Aldersyde Drive in Fort Worth Texas is located in the Sunset Hills subdivision of the Heritage master planned community. Within Keller ISD, this home is beautifully represented with large living areas and a media room.
1235 Kingston Place in Aubrey Texas is located in the amenity-filled Providence Village. You wouldn’t guess by watching this video, but this property was previously rented and destroyed by the renter. The homeowner came in and fixed up the issues and the property is now in excellent condition for sale!
1604 Fair Oaks Drive in Westlake is a beautiful home in the gated Glenswyck Farms subdivision. The expansive lower level offers plenty of entertaining opportunities, but the upstairs and back yard are selling points of this home. The upstairs features a media room and game room/study area that overlooks the back yard. When I was taking photos of the pool from the balcony, the breeze from the wind was extremely pleasant. I can imagine sitting outside on the balcony reading a book or browsing on an iPad, enjoying the weather.
Prove Your Commission, Don’t Lower It
Are you lowing your commission, because you are trying...
706 Kleberg Court Southlake TX HD Video Tour Walk-Through
706 Kleberg Court in Southlake Texas features not only...
2108 Old York Drive Keller TX HD Video Tour Walk-Through
2108 Old York Drive in Keller Texas is in immaculate...
5109 Edgewater Court Parker TX HD Video Tour Walk-Through
5109 Edgewater Court in Parker Texas is located close...
