All you hear from the media is bad news on the real estate front, but as I continue to write in this blog, the real estate market here around Medford, MA isn’t as bad as they say. Most of the properties I’ve had on the market this year have sold in 3 months or less. I’ve had 3 sales with multiple offers and my properties sell on average for 97.7% of their list price.

I’d like to share with you what I do so that I make sure buyers can find the properties I have for sale.

A Video of the Home
I take a full video of the property. This allows buyers to see not just the rooms, but the layout and how the house flows. Have you seen any real estate videos where you feel you need to take Dramamine because the camera is moving so much? I use a steadycam so that I can walk through the home without making viewers sick.

The first step is making the video. The next step is making sure people can find it. I post my house videos to YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video, AOL Video and Vimeo as well as real estate specific sites Realtor.com, WellcomeMat and Zipvo. The video is also attached to the MLS listing where it can be seen anytime a buyer searches through another agent’s website.

A Website Just For The Property
Each house or condo I put on the market gets its own website based on the address, like www.18ShipAve.com. This way it makes it very easy for prospective buyers to remember where they can find all of the information. The website has a full photo tour, link to the house’s video, satellite maps and listing sheet. There are even links to show you how walkable the location is.

Priced Well
Since there is a lot of competition on the market, I educate my clients as to what a realistic price will be for their property. As we go through the market analysis, we find many properties that are so overpriced, they aren’t truly on the market.

Plastered All Over the Internet
It doesn’t matter how good a video or website is, if you don’t reach the right group of buyers, it’s worthless. That’s why my listings can be found on over 45 different websites such as Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, FrontDoor, ERA.com, and Homes.com.

Easy to Show
Okay, you’ve marketed the house well and have buyers interested in seeing it, but if you can’t get them in the door, you’ve hit another stumbling block. I have the good fortune of working with great clients who understand the importance of making the house available for showings and why we need a lockbox to make the showing as easy as possible for the buyer and their agent.

A well thought out marketing plan that includes a video, website and a broad range of internet sites will expose a house for sale to potential buyers and greatly increase your chance of selling in the current real estate market.