“In today’s fast-paced market, you’d better have an agent that can see the trends coming and make the right call. Holly has her hand on the pulse of the market, and she senses what’s coming, several months down the road.”
— Geoffrey K
This is where your fun begins! You’ve been working hard, getting inspections, moving and painting, pondering pricing strategy, signing mountains of paperwork, and now – you get to sit back while the rest of the world appreciates all you’ve done.
I believe that a very intensive, high-profile, multi-pronged market debut yields the best results, in terms of the number of potential Buyers we attract, and the price those Buyers will be motivated to offer for your house. My strategy generally includes, but is not limited to, the following.
Photography. I use my own high-quality equipment to shoot multiple photos of your property, including interiors and exteriors. I then edit the best images using Photoshop to obtain a portfolio of photos that may be used in the custom web site, brochure, Multiple Listings Service, print advertising, window display, magazines, and other public web sites.
Color Brochure. I design a beautiful, high-quality brochure, incorporating several color photographs, that will reflect the unique personality of your home. The style of the brochure is dependent on the style of your home. I gladly incorporate your own suggestions and ideas, and include you in proofing the brochure before going to print.
Custom Website. I design a custom website that corresponds to your home’s address. For example, if your address is 1234 Elm Street, the web site will be “1234Elm.com.” This site includes:
- Photo tour (slide show of up to 48 images with detailed captions).
- Printable color property brochure.
- Complete reports and disclosures that may be viewed online, downloaded or printed.
- Detailed description of property features.
- Open House and Broker’s Tour schedule.
- Streamlined request form for private showing appointments.
- Information about public and private neighborhood schools.
- Printable map to the property.
- Mortgage calculator with current rates and amortization tables.
Multiple Listings Service. I post your property on the Multiple Listings Service, the computerized network serving licensed Realtors. This service is our most important tool in notifying the real estate community that your home is available for purchase.
Internet. I post your property on multiple public Internet sites, including MarvinGardens.com, Realtor.com, and all other major real estate web portals.
Local Networking. I personally promote your property through my very broad sphere of influence, within the real estate community as well as within the community where you live.
Advertising. I advertise your property simultaneously in all of the following publications, and will include any other publications appropriate for your particular home:
San Francisco Chronicle Homes for Sale
San Francisco Chronicle Open Home Guide
Berkeley Voice
Montclarion
Albany Journal
Window Display. I place a color display in the window of our office in the bustling Northbrae neighborhood, adjacent to Monterey Market, Cafe Roma, Goia Pizza, and Magnani. The high volume of foot traffic ensures a steady stream of interest from our best home-buying demographic.
Sales Meeting. I announce your property at our weekly regional sales meeting, bringing it to the attention of a large pool of the East Bay’s best Buyer’s Agents.
Realtor’s Lockbox. I install a Realtor’s Lockbox on your property. This allows access to all participating Realtors, so they may show your home without having to gain access through you or me. Of course, Realtors follow specific instructions when using lockboxes – it doesn’t mean they will be barging in at all hours. We will only use a Lockbox if you decide it’s the best choice for you.
Marvin Gardens Regional Tour. I arrange a tour of your property by our 4 local branches, ensuring that our agents are knowledgeable about your home’s features and prepared to address incoming calls from the public.
Broker’s Tour. I host a Thursday Broker’s Tour, allowing all local agents to easily visit your property and preview it for their own prospective Buyers. I cater my Tours to motivate the agents to drop in for lunch – and be favorably impressed by your home while they eat.
Signage. I install a For Sale sign at your property, including riders with my direct number as well as the address of your custom web site so the general public may easily view a photo tour and request showings. I also install a brochure box on the sign post, and keep it filled with color brochures for the public to take away.
Color Postcards. I design, produce, and deliver color postcards to the neighborhood surrounding your property. Statistically, a high percentage of Buyers have some connection to the neighborhood of the home they purchase, through friends, family, or co-workers. My postcards ensure that your neighbors are alerted your home is available to purchase, so they may spread word.
Information Binder. I compile an Information Binder of all reports, disclosures, and information about your property and place it prominently inside the home, so that when Buyer’s agents arrange private showings, they will have an easy reference for all their client’s questions.
Information Sheet. I prepare a Property Information sheet containing the basics of all the structural systems of your house, such as what type of plumbing you have, how old the roof is, how many amps serve your electrical system, and so on. I use the sheet as a reference when discussing your home with potential Buyers or their agents, and I also include it in the Information Binder.
Notes From The Seller. I put together a sheet called Notes From The Seller, where we get to list and describe all the wonderful but lesser known things you love about your house, such as the way the sun comes into the kitchen at breakfast time, the neighbor who feeds your cat when you’re away, of the little park 3 blocks down and 1 block over. This sheet goes in the Information Binder, and may also become the reverse side of our property brochure.
Open House Invitations. I deliver Open House invitations to hundreds of houses in the area surrounding your property. When a prospective Buyer arrives, we want your house to be packed. This creates an atmosphere of great desirability. The Buyer is drawn by the advertising, and the neighbors are drawn by curiosity and my promise of fresh-baked cookies – everybody wins!
Open Houses. I host your Sunday Open Houses. Typical Open House ads run just a few lines; I will gladly pay for multiple lines to make your ad stand out and also to include all the important features that will draw Buyers to visit your property. During the Open House, I provide music, flowers, refreshments, and whatever else might make the difference in creating a special atmosphere in your particular home.
Tracking Interest. I carefully track all of the parties that show interest in your home, so that I may tell you how many calls we receive, how many people request information packets, what common questions or concerns people have, what the general response is, and most importantly, how many offers we may expect.
Two Big Weeks. In general, I recommend an Open House on the 1st Sunday, Broker’s Tour the following week, second Open House on the second Sunday, and an offer date the following Wednesday. This gives us a 2-week bracket of concentrated marketing, following a strategy that my experience has shown stimulates the highest level of interest and the highest possible net price for your home.
I’m happy to chat with you about a more specific strategy for selling your home. Please call me for a meeting – no charge, no obligation.
Hello, I’m Holly Rose. I help people buy and sell homes in the East Bay. I specialize in fine old homes with interesting or historically significant architecture.