Do This One Thing to Stand Apart from Other Real Estate Agents to Win the Listing

Imagine you're a home seller, and you've just finished interviewing three real estate agents to help you sell your home. Each agent presented a similar array of services: a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), home value estimates, market analysis, marketing plans, and home preparation tips.

As you review your options, you find yourself struggling to differentiate between the agents. They all seem capable, but none of them truly stands out. This scenario is all too common in today's competitive real estate market, where tight inventory makes winning listings more challenging than ever.

To rise above the competition and secure more listings, agents must update their listing presentations to include unique, memorable ways to significantly increase their client's home listing price before putting it on the market.

Creating a more modern listing presentation

What case can you make to sellers to make your listing presentation memorable? Use storytelling to explain the value of "market readiness" and how move-in-ready homes are appealing to more buyers.

Ask your sellers to imagine themselves in their buyers' shoes. Think of a younger couple, millennials, eagerly searching for their first home. They've saved diligently for their down payment and are excited to start this new chapter in their lives.

However, as they tour, they find themselves disappointed by homes that need updating. They don't have the time, skills, or desire to take on significant renovations.

This couple represents a vital characteristic among millennials, who now comprise one of the largest groups of home buyers. According to a survey by TD Bank, 71% of millennials want a home that requires little or no renovation or repairs. Less than 20% would buy a house that needs a lot of love. By emphasizing the importance of market readiness and appealing to this significant demographic, agents can make a compelling case to sellers during their listing presentations.

Your new secret sauce for your listing presentation

How can you make your listing presentation stand out when, according to RPR, nearly every agent includes a CMA (86%), a home value estimate (80%), local market analysis (77%), agent marketing plans (73%), and tips for sellers to prep the home (69%)?

You need to hit sellers in their most vulnerable place: their pocketbooks.

What is the number one driver for most sellers? Getting the highest sales price for their home, right? But as a savvy agent, you know that setting false expectations for a sales price and trying to win a listing by offering to list it at a higher price than what you see the market will bear is a bad strategy.

But what if there was a way to help a seller maximize their home's value to attract the highest sales price? You need look no further than what home flippers have been doing for decades. Your newest, most modern addition is a discussion about presale renovations.

Home flippers have utilized the concept of presale renovations to boost a home's value before putting it on the market. Many individual agents have also been offering presale renovation-type services for years.

Then, in 2018, this strategy was formalized brokerage-wide by Compass Real Estate. Today, Concierge Service or Presale Renovation firms have made this approach more accessible and scalable than ever before.

Agents no longer need to be house flippers or have extensive financial resources, construction, and design knowledge to help their sellers significantly increase the value of a home before listing it. These services have leveled the playing field, allowing agents to offer their clients a turnkey solution that maximizes their profits without the stress of managing a renovation.

Revive your listings, elevate your earnings

Presale renovations offer a wealth of advantages for both sellers and agents. Homes that undergo presale renovations typically sell faster than as-is homes that can potentially languish on the market. On average, renovated homes sell for more. With strategically chosen upgrades, presale renovations can return an impressive 160% on the cost of the renovations, according to internal research from Revive, a firm specializing in presale renovations. For sellers, these home improvements can translate into significantly more profit, with an average increase of over $150,000, Revive finds.

The turnkey process offered by a presale renovation firm reduces mental and financial stress for sellers. There are no upfront costs for sellers as the renovation is paid for at closing. Expert designers create proven layouts and select finishes that maximize returns, with the goal of making every dollar invested in the renovation yield the highest possible return.

For agents, helping sellers net a higher sales price is a win-win. Many sellers with homes that need significant improvements often have the most to gain and can realize a massive increase in what they net from selling their homes with a presale renovation. Higher sales prices usually allow agents to increase the income earned from the sale.

Why it's your new "must have" listing presentations

Having a presale renovation conversation as part of your listing presentations is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. Why? Because too many presentations fail to differentiate agents from their competitors. But when you explain how a presale renovation works and review the benefits to your sellers, you'll capture the attention of potential clients. Your listing presentation becomes more memorable, and you'll win more listings.

Remember that more than half of American homeowners currently live in homes that are 30 years or older. According to a recent study, many of these homeowners admit that they have never renovated.

If your sellers want to reach Millennial home buyers, embedding a presale renovation strategy into your listing presentation can help them do that. By offering this new service, you demonstrate your value – and commitment to maximizing your clients' profits and ensuring their success in the market.

Your best first step is to contact a presale renovation firm to learn how they work and how they will support you and your client throughout the process. Working with a presale renovation firm simplifies the renovation process for both agents and their clients.

Elevate your listings, differentiate your brand

Incorporating a presale renovation conversation into your listing presentations is a powerful way to differentiate yourself from the competition, help clients maximize their profits, and ultimately grow your business. By partnering with a presale renovation firm, you can simplify the renovation process for both yourself and your clients, leading to faster sales, greater income, and, most importantly, contributing to what can be life-changing financial outcomes for your sellers.

Embracing this new, game-changing approach is not just a smart move – it's the key to elevating your listing presentation to win more listings and set your brand apart. You don't want to be just another agent; you want to be the one who leaves a lasting, positive impression on every client you serve.

Jessica Morrow, a seasoned real estate veteran, is Revive Real Estate Chief of Staff. Revive's mission is to help home sellers maximize their profits by providing access to presale renovation services without upfront costs, allowing them to transform their homes into move-in ready condition that sells for a higher price.