MARKETING BASICS

The Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

Your home should be listed, whenever possible, through a Multiple Listing Service (MLS). On O'ahu, the MLS, operated in association with the Honolulu Board of REALTORS, is the primary way that REALTORS search for homes and locate data on homes for their clients. The MLS listings are found online, on the HICentral website. On HICentral, not only agents, but also buyers, sellers, and any other members of the general public have access to limited MLS data for active listings.
It is very important that a REALTOR use very informative and descriptive wording in detailing the features or your home and it is critical to use high-quality photographs in the MLS listing. Many buyers simply won't take the time to see a property they have not previewed and "pre-qualified" on the Internet.

Internet Advertising and Promotion

With today's technology-based global economy, the vast majority of properties are also advertised, in some manner besides the MLS, using the Internet. Real estate advertising websites include real estate brokerage websites, real estate agent websites, home search/listing services, online classified websites and online real estate guides.

According to statistics from a 2005 study by the National Association of REALTORS, 77% of homebuyers use the Internet to search for properties and 24% actually bought a home they first saw on the Internet. I don't have the statistics for 2006 yet, but I trust that these figures have increased. Internet promotion efforts through the Internet are clearly now more important to selling your home than ever.

Print Media and Other Publicity

A full-service REALTOR will typically order or produce printed marketing materials to help advertise and sell your O'ahu home. Printed marketing materials may include fact sheets, MLS printouts and brochures, and newspaper, magazine and specialized publication ads. When appropriate, your REALTOR may also send a mailing about your property to neighbors. Sometimes, one of them has a friend or relative who always wanted to live near them or who loves the area. You never know how far reaching the benefits of word-of-mouth advertising by friends, relatives and neighbors can be.

Other publicity would also include signage in well-traveled office locations. Even " For Sale" signs on front lawns are still remarkably effective advertisements for you home.
 
Showings and Open Houses

It is important for a REALTOR to be responsive to calls from interested parties and prospective buyers of your home, and be able to accurately and positvely describe your home to callers. A REALTOR must also be available to show your home, sometimes on very short notice, to these people. Some REALTORS will use lock-boxes to allow Buyers' agents to let themselves into your home when you are not there. Others, like myself, prefer to personally show all interested parties your property. The Listing agent is definitely in a better position to effectively market your home and answer any questions about your home than a Buyer's agent. The Listing agent can point out the most important features and those that may go un-noticed, as well.

Open houses are sometimes a source of qualified prospective buyers of your home. Many real estate agents send their buyers to open houses every weekend. Also, you will recieve a large percentage of open house visits from interested neighbors and passers by. This is fine, as any advertising of your home is good advertising. Someone not in the market to buy may see your home and tell someone who IS interested in buying about it. as mentioned previously, friends and family of neighbors are often a great source of sales.

Brokers' open houses also can be held and these are a good opportunity to have your property seen by the REALTORS who may be bringing their clients by as prospective buyers.