What Is A Virtual Tour?
When an agent lists a property, very often the agent will hire a company to create a virtual tour. The photographer visits your home and digitally creates a 360 degree view of several rooms in your house, depending on the agreed to price.

Once the virtual tour is complete, the company creates a link from the MLS listing to the virtual tour, which allows any visitor to that page to enjoy a full virtual visit to your home. Buyers like virtual tours, because they allow the buyer to get an excellent feel for the home before their first visit. It assists the buyer in deciding whether to place the home on their list of prospects or not.

The cost of virtual tours varies but they typically are inexpensive and very well worth the expense. In today’s market, there are many different approaches to creating a virtual tour from the more sophisticated digital movie to a series of digital pictures depicting different views of each room. Ask your listing agent about the approach he/she uses and the cost involved.

Remember, anything you can do, to encourage a visit to your home by the buyer, brings you one-step closer to selling your home.



What Is False Advertising?
Advertising that contains blatantly false or misleading information is called false advertising. False advertising by a seller constitutes misrepresentation and thus gives the buyer relying on it, grounds for canceling his or her contract to purchase.

In certain cases, false advertising may constitute fraud and would be grounds for a court to award a money judgment for any damages suffered. Generally, a real estate licensee found responsible for false advertising is subject to suspension or license revocation. A non-licensee who makes false representations (for instance, in respect to a subdivision) may be subject to criminal prosecution.

Your listing agent is required by law, to disclose any issues with your property. She/he may not provide fraudulent information without running the risk of losing her real estate license.



What Buyer Incentives Can I Offer In A Slow Market?
In a slow market, sellers often must become creative and offer incentives to differentiate their home from others in the market. During a slow market, the number of homes for sale typically increases because the buyers are less available or shopping for bargains. Incentives offered by sellers can include: pricing the property very competitively; offering a substantial bonus to the selling broker, thus encouraging them to bring their buyers to your home; offering to contribute or cover the buyer’s closing costs; carrying the property tax for a period past the closing; considering a lease-purchase; considering partial owner financing; or signing up for a mortgage assistance program. Your agent should be able to suggest ways in which to make your home more marketable.



What Area Information Are Buyers Looking For?
When purchasing a home, buyers will be interested in the following criteria. You can differentiate yourself from your competition by asking your agent to have this information readily available in your home along with other sales material. Other information you may want to provide is cost of utilities and property taxes.

Economic Stability
When choosing a community for your purchase, it makes the most sense to buy in a city with a good and stable economy. In addition to residential neighborhoods, there should be a healthy mixture of commercial and business districts. These not only provide jobs to the local residents, but also add an income source that the city can use to upgrade and maintain roads and city services. Take a drive and see how well the area is maintained.

Local Government Services
One example would be the local library system. Are there several library branches? Do they stock a good selection of books, including recent best sellers? Check local crime statistics and compare the city to the national average. How far are the local fire stations?

Community services
Does the city sponsor youth sports and have well maintained athletic facilities and parks? Do they sponsor community events, such as an annual parade? Are there activities available for children, teenagers and senior citizens? Your local agent will have amassed a wealth of information on these subjects of inquiry. It is also another reason to always use a local agent.

Schools
Even if you do not have school-age children and don’t plan to have children, you must pay attention to the local schools. That’s because many of your potential buyers will have concerns of this type. You will want to know if the local schools are overcrowded. Take a drive around and see if there are trailers outside the local schools. Call up the local school district and see if elementary aged children always attend the school closest to their home. If not, ask why? Are there plans to build new schools? How will building new schools affect local property taxes? You should also check local students’ scores on the standardized tests. You can ask your agent to help you obtain this information. You can also check internet school reports on the internet.

Property Taxes
These may be higher in one town than another nearby city. This can sometimes affect whether potential homebuyers view a community as a desirable place to live. Often, they will choose not to purchase in a community with higher taxes. Higher property taxes often mean newer and more modern schools, well-maintained roads, and bountiful community services.



Should My House Be Promoted On The Internet?
Yes. Recent trends indicate the clear preferences consumers have for the Internet approach to buy a home. Starting in the year 2000, preferences for the traditional approach to the purchase of real estate changed and the Internet approach, because of its convenience, is now overwhelmingly favored.

In 2000, 28% of people interviewed said that they used the Internet as an important part of their home-buying and selection process. By 2006, that number grew to 70%. 86% of buyers admit that they started their search for a home on the internet; 14% said they started looking not using the internet but then began searching the internet before they contacted a real estate agent. This means that 100% of buyers began their search by using the internet.



Should I Stop Smoking In The House While It Is On The Market?
Most definitely! There is nothing more offensive and unattractive to a potential buyer, especially one that does not smoke or who has children, than the pungent smell of cigarette smoke permeating a home. A lot of deals fall through every day when a prospective buyer enters a home and is greeted by the smell of cigarettes. The buyer will walk, even though the home may meet all of their needs. The reason for this is the assumption that the odor has permeated every wall and carpet in the home and will not be easily removed.

A smoker wishing to sell a home should make sure that all odors are removed from the home by deep cleaning carpets and painting the walls before placing it on the market. Once the odors have been removed, a smoker should only smoke outdoors to avoid recontamination. Sellers should keep in mind that since non-smokers have been protected by smoke-free laws for restaurants and work places, their sensitivity to smoke has increased. Therefore, a non-smoker will react strongly to a smoker’s home and, in today’s world a vast majority of the market either no longer smokes or has been trained not to smoke indoors.



How Do I Handle My Security Alarm When My House Is On The Market?
When you list a home, which has a security alarm, you need to share the code with the listing agent. The listing agent will make a note of the code and place it in the lockbox where only a licensed agent has access to it. This way, you can continue to use the alarm as usual and visiting agents will be able to enter the home without tripping the alarm.

The listing agent will also make a special note in the MLS listing, visible only to other real estate agents, indicating the presence of an alarm system and the location of the code, as well as instructions on the location of the panels in the home.