What are practical steps for Houston home sellers when choosing a Realtor®  to sell your home in West University?

1.  Seek out agents who are knowledable about selling properties in the West University neighborhood

2. Interview more than one ... two is good ... three is better. Listen to what each has to say. You are not only listening to their strategy for your property, but your choice of agent also needs to be a good "match" to you.  You need to be comfortable and confident in your choice of agent.

3. Pay close attention to how they will market your home, how much they are spending, and where that money is being spent (i.e. having photos of your listing in a magazine distributed in grocery stores may not be your best option to market your West U home .. investigate and ask questions.) If "listing your house on the MLS" is all they have for online marketing ... you may want to ask more questions.

So what is available to successfully market your West U home online?  I've attached a screen shot from our MLS of a West U property represented by Melinda Noel. It went onto the market early February and it is already Option Pending.

Melinda Noel uses the SMARTePLAN marketing system for all her listings.  The files upload right onto MLS and the circled area shows you where any consumer can find them, and more importantly ---access them ---- right off our MLS ... 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

What are SMARTePLANS?  They are a series of patented inter-linked and inter-active property files that showcase your property online. Notice I said "property" because SMARTePLANs show the WHOLE PROPERTY, which is very important to propspective buyers!

First, there is a custom floor plan drawing. The professional photographs taken of the property are embedded down inside the drawing ... an arrowhead shows exactly where the photographer was standing when he took the shot -- and the direction of the shot. Click on that arrowhead and the photo launches out of the floor plan. NOW all the photos make sense because they are seen in relationship to the drawing --- instead of just viewing random photos in a photo gallery.

Next is theAmenities Text (it's called "Flyer" on the screen above).  This is a very detailed room-by-room property description that lists the features and finishes of every room ... it makes a great "touring map" to viewing the drawing. The drawing and the amenities text are linked together so you can click around wherever you want, and you can't get lost.

And as for most of her listings, Melinda Noel elected to have the furniture-moving floor plan created for this property.  This inter-active floor plan allows potential buyers to select furniture off a menu, size it to fit their needs and then slide it around inside the floor plan of this property and arrange furniture.  It's a great tool for potential buyers trying to see if they "fit" this property --- it helps move them to the purchase decision more quickly.
 
Not all listing agents will spend the same amount of money marketing your property, so its important for you to understand the level of your marketing will vary by your choice of agent. Take the time to understand what WILL be done, and make sure you agree.

Does this really work?  Yep.  You can visit other blogs right here .. "Melinda Noel Sells 4 Homes Over List Price in 4 Separate Houston Neighborhoods in 2011"  or two blogs about Michele Sheffer, one of Melinda Noel's Greenwood King colleagues ..." Having Tools to Sell a Home BEFORE It Goes On the Market? Now THAT's Good Marketing!" ... and also, "$1M+ Under Contract from Buyer in London Sight Unseen - Via SMARTePLANS Floor Plan." 

The patented SMARTePLAN marketing system is designed to make your home STAND OUT ... it differentiates your property --- showing the whole property---  from other West U homes on the market! It highlights the features and finishes IN YOUR HOME that buyers WANT to see.   

The detailed pictorial with embedded photographs showcases your properties' features and finishes to interested buyers ... and for 8 years in a row.. have helped sell homes faster (less Days on Market) and for a higher price (Over 20% sold above list price in 2011).