Learn More About McNeal O'Brien Team Real Estate

I hold designations in e-marketing, senior housing specialist and Sales Excel from the Quality Service Institute. Currently in the multiple listing services in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties there are 9,629 privately owned homes for sale, 3489 in Oakland County alone. This number does not include bank owned properties or for sale by owner homes, add in that number and there are greater than 13,000 listings. However out of this number there are only 129 homes that are listed having features new or updated. This numbers shows a vast competition however a number of these listings may be over priced, need extensive update and repairs are short sales or other factors. However the list of useable inventory is epidemically low.

With all of this competition a seller must select a broker with a unique edge into the buyer’s pool in order to bring qualified buyers to their home. That will also ensure that their home is sold quickly and for the highest price possible.

I will education you, my master sales team on what I do to assist sellers in getting their home sold. This education will empower you with the knowledge of what I do and to be able to communicate that effectively. The first step is a no cost no obligation meeting with the seller for a complete fact finding interview. We will discuss property condition, the market, the timeframe in which they desire to sell and the homes vital statistics (includes upgrades in the past five years, amenities and any recent repairs). Finally my seven step marketing plan is outlined…. One. I complete a comparative market analysis, which shows similar homes with the same number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, within one mile, which sold within 120 days. This also includes currently marketed homes to show them their direct competition. In this analysis I have a price range of the homes sold prices. Then I strongly encourage sellers to list their property less than the range found. For example if the range is 105-110. I suggest that our list price on the home start at 100,000. Why you ask? Currently, the market is short on inventory (which has been affirmed by the national association of realtors, CNN and the Wall Street Journal). Experience shows that listing under market value will ensure multiple offers driving up the price, the number of offers and quality of those offers. Two, Light, Pack and Purge….Make sure that your home is well lit and all light bulbs are functional. The buyer does not see your busy schedule and that missed trip to Home Depot they believe it might show a systemic issue with the homes entire electrical system. Packing shows buyers that you are committed to move and are planning for it. Pack away non-essential items and remove photos and art. You’re selling a house so that someone else can make it their home. Do not distract the showing while they look at your life story in film. Purge your closet and cabinets, stuffed closets usually mean you are moving to a larger home. For a buyer they see a closet that is too small for your items so they can never envision that could be large enough for their. A closet that is half full is best. Three, put away the pooch and crate the critters. Not everyone shares a love for animals. I have a great kill the deal example. Recently while showing a home to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the home was in the area and had the amenities and price range that they desired. In the kitchen a cat proceeds to walk across the updated granite countertops, new stove to get where the food and water was located. Mrs. Smith announced “deal killer” and heads toward the front door. I did let Mrs. Smith know that “Morris” was not part of the sale and that everything else was just as she wanted updates, school system, location and price were all present. She stated that would never be able to erase the thought of that cat in the litter box walking and contaminating all of the eating surfaces and more. Deal or No Deal….No Deal it is…oh and Thanks Morris!! Four, Improve a little to earn a lot…making a few upgrades and forgotten honey do repairs go a long way. Fresh paint, new fixtures, repair leaks and doors with no missing knobs remove buyers objections and prevent them from deducting over inflated “cost to cure” repairs and updates out of your asking price. Five, be ready to show at all times. That includes 8 am on Saturdays (yes your sleep in day) or 8 pm Monday night (bedtimes for kids). Keep the home clean and tidy, like you don’t live there. No one wants to see you living in a home; a buyer wants to see if they can live there. Remember, your prospective buyer may work an odd shift or be transferees with limited time in state before they have to relocate it is an honor to be selected to show, there are 4829 other selections they could have made and they picked you.

Six the saying is location, location, location…true in most cases. However, for our marketing plan it is curb appeal. Buyers do judge a book by its cover. Ensure your home is free of debris and leaves from last fall. Planting flowers, adding plants or shrubs might be what your home needs to bring buyers inside. Keep gutters cleaned, a coat of paint might be needed to keep your home off the drive by list. No matter how well your home looks on the interior there is never a second chance to make a first impression. Taking a clue from Barnum ”see the feature” is a great way to showcase. Seven…The most important factor in the marketing plan is marketing with me and my team. I do more than putting the home on the “market” in the multiple listing services only. I provide internet saturation to over 150 websites through listbot.com. Since 80% of buyers start their home search before they select a broker being able to access their listing becomes most important. There are flyers in the home, however there are virtual flyers distributed to all of the local relocation agencies for additional exposure. Justlisted.com sends flyers out to all local real estate agencies that are looking for first to know offers on special homes for their qualified buyers. We subscribe to a comprehensive buyers data base that allows us to access to all of my office buyers, as a bonus it allows reverse prospecting to other agent’s buyers based on the criteria they have entered. This network gets homes sold quickly. I have been asked by sellers do you do open houses. My answer is emphatically NO!! Do you know the purpose of an open house? To gain more buyers for the broker, the stats on buyers that purchase an open house home is .03 percent. That return is too low to sell your home. My mission is to sell your home quickly and at the highest return, not allow your lookie loo neighbors into your home. Or to have unqualified people take a look see before going to the movies. We want serious buyers that are preapproved and working with a Realtor to be the only ones to preview your home. As a broker I will provide a level of support and experience that sellers need to stand out from the thousands of homes in their area. In 2015 I have achieved for my sellers offers over asking 89% of the time with an average marketing time of 21 days. I create specialized reports that show number of showings, sign calls, internet inquiries and feedback from showing agent from their buyers. These numbers show how effective our marketing is and if changes should be made in the application of the marketing plan. This plan sells a home and I am confident in presenting it to prospective sellers. I am Tina McNeal OBrien, broker McNeal OBrien Team Real Estate specializing in out of the box marketing that ensure the best returns for the seller and where we are always committed to 100% customer service.