NEW YORK – Aug. 25, 2014 – Basic marketing for a residential property, at minimum, means posting it in the multiple listing system, placing a lockbox at the door and putting up signage on the front lawn.
Real estate agents dig deep into their own pockets, however, to take extra steps that help a for-sale home command the attention of prospective buyers. Depending on where the house is located and how marketable it is, it can mean $1,000 or more in marketing dollars – especially now that most buyers begin their property search on the web.
"To capture buyer leads, ads on homes.com, Zillow, Trulia and realtor.com must be purchased," according to broker Robert Taylor of Independence Realty in Alabama. "The expense for local Realtors who sell two houses a month has become thousands – even tens of thousands of dollars – of expense per year."
Paying for online advertisements does not even begin to cover the costs, adds Realtor Tabitha Kontur of Capstone Realty, pointing out that professional photography and staging services add to the marketing budget. How much an agent spends on a listing, she explains, depends on location, days on the market, and obstacles unique to the individual property.
"Obviously a home that stays on the market for six months is going to cost significantly more than one that is in a hot area and sells in five days," she notes. "A listing that is rural or hard to find will require more marketing dollars spent than one that is on a main road and signage is easily seen."
No comments:
Post a Comment