Blue Property Inc. | Marketing Your Property | Checklist to Sell your Property in Chicago

Establishing a marketing plan is a vital part of the whole process. Be sure that your agent is on the same page when the time comes to finalize a “marketing plan”. The following items should be a part of the master marketing program.

Membership in the MLS
Membership on the MLS at the city multiple listing service privacy space is an extremely powerful marketing tool. The MLS provides a licensed real estate agent with a communication device to notify real estate agents representing prospective purchasers of the availability of your home for purchase. Because the vast majority of our producers use an agent to assist them in the purchase of a home it is vital that the sellers utilize the MLS to promote their properties. Blue Property realtors are proud to be an members of the MLSNI (Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois).

Open Houses
There are two basic schools of thought and open houses. One: they work. Two: they don’t. As with most things, the truth is somewhere in between. An open house can be a very effective way to showcase your home to a large quantity of buyers in a very short period of time. Both houses can often be sources of convenience for the seller because they allow multiple buyers to go through a seller’s home without the need for the seller to be inconvenienced on multiple occasions over multiple days. The primary downside to open houses is that many sellers would prefer to not open their homes to the general public. Blue Property’s policy on the open houses is to accommodate the wishes of the sellers we believe that open houses are useful tools in many instances, especially when held during the first week or two of the new listing.

Exposure to the Internet
Many buyers of real estate are turning to the Internet to assist them in their house hunting. Sellers must recognize the reach of the Internet and in turn must be sure that there listing agent utilizes the Internet in the marketing of homes. There are a variety of national real estate Internet sites: www.realtor.com, www.homestore.com , www.homeseekers.com , www.cyberhomes.com , as well as regional sites such as the www.ChicagoTribune.com/homes . Many real estate brokerages have Internet sites and Blue Property is no different. We have received a tremendous response from buyers and sellers alike who have used our site.

Broker’s Open Houses
Brokers open houses are literally open houses that are helpful real estate agents. The brokers’ open houses have been traditionally held as an accommodation to allow buyers agents to preview properties on behalf of their clients they can be very helpful as a marketing technique because they give extra exposure to a property without inviting the general public into a seller’s home. They are traditionally held on Tuesdays in Chicago.

Advertising
Advertising is a powerful component of the marketing program because of its ability to reach out to the buyer community. The popular perception is that advertising in a general subscription type publication is not as effective as advertising in the real estate section of the Chicago Tribune. There can be no denying that the Tribune is a great means of advertising. Blue Property is proud to use this resource regularly on behalf of our clients. Be sure that your advertising plan is clearly specified between you and your agent.

Proper Price Planning
If not the most important part of the marketing process, it must rate a very close second. It is vital that anyone serious about selling their property gather as much useful information as possible for the purpose of accurately determining the value of their home. It is essential that the seller has access to comparable sales in the area and our clients have found it.