Selling your home today

Selling Real Estate
TODAY
Photos by Maria Morton

Weeks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Qualified Buyers looking at homes for sale as they come on the market
The first month is when the most buyers and agents view
the property. This is the time most likely to generate the
highest and best offer.Showings&Previews
Maria Morton in Kansas City

Who Are Buyers?
53% of first-time buyers
were 25-34 years old while
most repeat buyers were 35-
54 years old.
34% of homebuyers in
2012 were under 35 years old.
47% of all homes
purchased in 2012 were
bought by first-time buyers.
*from NAR study

Where do buyers learn about the home they
purchase?
Buyers Find
Internet
Real Estate Agents
Yard Signs
Friends & Relatives
Home Builders
Newspaper &
Magazines
Seller Direct 2%
36%
36%
12%
6%
2%
2%

So, of all the agents in KC, why choose to work with Maria Morton?
No other agent can market your home as well as Maria. Her
web presence is unmatchable in Kansas City. #1 Kansas City; #5 in Missouri; unranked but
highly visible in Kansas (can’t be ranked in two states).
Clients say “Maria…
…went above and beyond our expectations.”
…not like any other realtor I have ever worked with.”
…sound recommendations...proactive...sold quickly.”
Other agents ask her for marketing and advertising advice.

93% of first-time buyers began their search on the internet before contacting
a real estate professional.
*NAR study
87% of repeat buyers began their search on the internet before contacting a
real estate professional. Maria’s web presence helps sell your home.
*NAR study
The Red Dots indicate people reading Maria’s blog:

Maria uses her International networks, luxury real estate
networks, investor networks, as well as local connections to get
the word out.
A great agent +
A familiar, trusted brand
#1 in KC; #5 in MO on the
largest professional real
estate network in the world.
Memberships &
earned
advanced
designations
open more
networks

Maria adds data & photos to various websites, blogs, and forums
daily over the first two weeks a new listing is on the market.
Tweaking and massaging gets the ‘bots attention which increases
SEO.

All listings from All Brokerages go in our professional MLS.
Unlicensed, unregulated, site aggregators:
…and all other brokerages.
Heartland MLS is the professional tool used by agents in our area to keep each other
updated on listings’ status changes. Members must abide by the rules so information is
accurate.
We will also advertise your property for sale on multiple other sites including:
Social media sites, professional networking sites, and

We will use all traditional &
non-traditional tactics that
may be effective to sell a
home in your neighborhood.
Marketingin the virtual world is essential today but we
also must market to agents and buyers IRL (in real life).

Local connections are just as important as national and
international connections. Your home is advertised to key agents
who do business in your neighborhood as well as to all agents
who are currently working with buyers for a home like yours.
Maria has served on KCRAR committees for years. This is more professional
networks that can be used to sell your home.
Reverse MLS search to
identify buyers and
agents currently looking
in your neighborhood.
Business & social events
with other agents who
may know of a buyer for
your home.
Snail mail and email to neighbors and
potential move-up or down-sizing buyers. Local facebook groups and
other social networks

Agent Tour happens every Tuesday. Dozens to hundreds of homes may be on tour.
Agents from ALL offices in All brokerages go on tour.
Lunch Tour usually runs from 11am-1pm. Agents save time eating while
previewing.
Some listings will offer drawings for prizes. This can help draw more
agents in to see the home.
Each agent selects the homes they need to see, plans their route, and
goes to as many as possible during the 2 to 4 hours allotted for Tour.
When your home goes on tour, we’ll send out email invitations
to target agents and hand deliver flyers to the offices nearest
your home.
Advantage to you:
___Being in the home often triggers an agent to think of a buyer who
fits the home.
___The home comes quickly to mind when an agent meets a new buyer
who describes wanting a home like the one they just saw on tour.

40,000,000 monthly readers
Exclusive access to 100 Million+ in Meredith’s subscriber database
7 Million monthly visitors to www.bhg.com
- just 2 clicks to your home!
Consumers associate quality with the brand.

The 7 Factors That Determine
How Fast A Property Will Sell:
1.Timing
2.Location
3.Condition*seller controls
4.Marketing*agent controls
5.Financing ~seller may offer incentives to buyers
6.Competition
7.Price*seller controls

Comparison Shopping
Buyers choose a home by

Balance
Condition Price

Staging to Sell
Staging a home to sell is not decorating.
Staging is using the senses of sight, sound, smell, touch
and taste to lead the buyers through the home focusing
their attention where you want it to go – even when you
are not there.
A staged home may not feel as comfortable to you as the
way you have your home set up to live in.
Staging is all about getting the house sold.
I will work with you to get your house ready.

Keeping the home sparkly
clean while it’s listed increases
the likelihood of a buyer writing
an offer.
Organized, uncluttered
closets, counters, and cabinets
make the home feel more
spacious.
Maintaining the exterior of the
home makes it more appealing.
Remove pets so buyers who are
allergic or phobic can come in.
Ask your agent if any repairs
need to be done. Maria Morton in Kansas City
Showings

Appointments are made by
cooperating agents through CSS.
If you happen to be in the home
when the buyers & their agent
arrive, please just grab your
keys and go.
Allow the buyers to experience
the home as theirs so they will
want to buy it.
Your agent will call you when
they receive feedback after
each showing. Feedback is
sometimes given immediately
while other times, it may be the
next day.

An iBox holds the keys to your
home while it’s listed.
Each time the iBox is opened, a
computer records the time and
name of the person who opens
it.
Only licensed members of KCRAR &
HMLS can open an iBox. The iBoxes are
made by GE. Each agent member also
leases an eKey. eKeys have secret
codes and must be updated every night
to work so unauthorized persons may
not operate them.

Once a buyer makes an offer to buy your home
There are a series of events that
precede closing.
Verification of buyer’s financial ability
Negotiations
Inspections
Resolution of Unacceptable Conditions
Agreed upon repairs, if any
Lender appraisal
Final loan approval & underwriting
Document preparation
Title checks & lien releases prepared
Transfer of utilities scheduled
Review Final Settlement Statement
Documents signed & recorded
Funds transferred

Negotiations
A knowledgeable, experienced
agent is invaluable during
negotiations.
Maria is a skillful negotiator with a
slew of strategies and techniques
in her arsenal.
Tell her what you want and she’ll
work on getting the best deal.
We will, as far as
possible, maintain good will with
all parties involved in your
transaction.
Diplomacy is the ability to tell a man to go to hell so that he
looks forward to the trip. ~Old Irish Proverb

Communication
Communication between the Seller and their Agent is vital to the success of
selling your home.
It is imperative that you return phone calls, emails, and texts from your agent
ASAP.
Time is of the essence in real estate transactions. Once under contract, Maria
will keep you informed of deadlines within the contract. During negotiations, she
will be available at all hours so that we can get the home under contract.
We may use electronic signatures to complete all or part of the Contract to sell
your home. Maria will help you if you are unfamiliar with e-signatures.

Inspection Period
The buyers may conduct
Whole
House, Termite, chimney, rad
on, drain line, structural, and
other inspections as they
choose.
Your agent will coordinate
access for the buyer’s and
their agents. It is best for the
Seller to be away from the
home during inspections.

Resolution of Unacceptable Conditions
The buyers may ask you to
repair any items noted on
the Inspection Reports.
The seller may choose to
Accept the resolution;
Reject the resolution; or
Counter with a compromise.
We will negotiate a fair and
equitable agreement so that
the sale can continue to
Closing.
Or, we will look for another buyer.

Resolved & Moving Toward Closing
Once the seller & buyer agree on the Resolution, the Title Company and
Lender (if the buyer is using a mortgage) can begin their work.
The Agents will send
copies of the contract to
everyone who needs
one.
The Title Company will run
the title checks and begin
preparing Closing documents.
The Lender will order an
appraisal.
If the home appraises
out, the Lender will
begin final loan
approval process and
send to Underwriter.
Your Agent will monitor
progress over the next
few weeks so that you
can close on time.
You can begin packing &
moving now. Remember
to transfer the utilities.

Lead Based Paint Addendum
Prior to 1978, all paint was
manufactured with lead.
Lead, if ingested, has been
shown to cause brain
damage, learning
disabilities, and other health
problems.
A Lead Based Paint
Addendum is required to be
part of the contract on all
homes built before 1978.

Seller’s Disclosure
By law, known physical defects must be disclosed. The Seller
completes the Seller’s Disclosure to the best of their knowledge.
Remember that buyers feel more confident in buying a home when
the Seller’s Disclosure is full of information. They feel that the
owners are being honest and upfront with them about the true
condition of the home so they are not ‘buying a lemon.’
If you have made any improvements or repairs to the home, make
a list on a separate piece of paper and I will attach that to the
Seller’s Disclosure.
The Agent uploads the Seller’s Disclosure into the Agent portion of
MLS for easy access to Agents representing qualified Buyers.
The Seller’s Disclosure becomes a part of the Real Estate Contract
to Purchase when we receive an offer. Maria Morton in Kansas City

Agency Agreements
Sellers contract an agent to help them by
signing a Listing Agreement.
Buyers contract an agent to help them by
signing a Buyer’s Agency Agreement.
If we decide to work together, Maria will
be your Designated Seller’s Agent.
Your Agent is your professional
advisor, negotiator, and transaction
manager. Agents are also responsible for
marketing and advertising.
The client is responsible for completing
the Seller’s Disclosure, keeping the
property ready to show, and notifying
their agent of any changes which might
affect the ability of the property to be
sold.

Commission ?5% …10%?
Some sellers use higher
commissions and/or
incentives as a strategy
to increase showings.
Commission is
determined by the
Listing Agent & Seller.
The Listing Agent offers
a portion of that
commission to the
Cooperating Buyer’s
Agent – aka Co-Op.
Commission is paid at
Closing. Better Homes &
Gardens Real Estate -
Kansas City Homes
charges an
Administration Fee of
$210/side/transaction.Maria Morton in Kansas City
Where
commission goes
There is no
‘standard
commission’ as that
would be called
price fixing which is
illegal. Please refer
to the Sherman
Anti-Trust Act.

Listing your home for sale
We need:
• Signed Listing Agreement
• Seller’s Disclosure
• Other applicable addenda
• Existing Mortgage Request
• 2 sets of keys
• Garage door code
• Alarm code

Listing Price Determines Buyer Demand
Percentage of
Buyers who will
view property
Price as
compared to
Value
+20%
+10%
Market Value 60%
-10%
-20%
10%
30%
75%
90%

The Five (5) Fatal Mistakes
Most Home Sellers Make When Pricing Their Home
1. Sellers often price their home based on “need” rather than
the market.
2. Sellers use the ‘wrong’ properties for comparison when
pricing.
3. Sellers build in a ‘negotiating cushion’ and then have no one
with whom to negotiate.
4. Sellers take advice from ‘well meaning’ but uninformed
parties.
5. Sellers allow positive emotions about their property to
influence their pricing decisions.

The Absorption RateThe Absorption Rate
For Sale
Sold
-Minimum Competition
-Reasonable Demand
-- High Absorption Rate
-Extensive Competition
-- Minimum Demand
-- Slow Absorption Rate

Who controls the marketplace?
Condition = Seller
Asking Price = Seller
Marketing = Listing Agent
Property Value = Buyer
Buyers determine value by
comparison shopping.

The Wrong Price Attracts The Wrong Buyers
$300,000
Property
List Price
$360,000
Buyers won’t look.
$300,000 buyers won’t look at
houses above their price range.
Lookers won’t like!
$360,000 buyers won’t like the
house nor make an offer.

Your home is not more
valuable just because you
need more money.
Listing too high will not bring
offers to negotiate.
Listing too high will keep your
home from selling.
Listing at fair market value
will elicit offers.
Listing slightly below market
value may produce multiple
offers. Ask your agent if this
may be possible with your
home given it’s location &
condition.
Your agent will give you
factual data to determine
value.
Your agent will give you the
benefit of their knowledge &
experience to help set a
realistic list price.
Your agent will offer
suggestions on ways to make
the home more attractive.
Some things you & your
agent can do. Staging may
increase the final sale price &
decrease the number of days
on market.

The Risks of Overpricing
Reduces Sales associate activity
Minimizes advertising responses
Loses interested buyers
Attracts the ‘wrong’ buyers
Discourages or eliminates offers
Can lead to mortgage rejections
Helps sell the competition
Property gets a ‘reputation’ (stale)
Later price reductions tend to cause low
or delayed offers
$300,000
$284,000
$269,000
$250,000
$241,000
Lost tens of thousands of dollars due to
bad tactical decision

In the FLOW10%
30%
60%
THE POND
CURRENT HOUSING MARKET
This is one of my favorite tools to illustrate what the current inventory of houses looks like. This diagram was created by Zan
Monroe, a leading inspirational speaker and author. His artwork is better but the message is still clear, isn’t it?
When you put your home on the
market, where do you want it to be?
In the SHOW
The Stagnant Masses
New listings enter the pond Sold listings exit the pond
Sell quickly
Showings but no offers
Languish on the market for months unsold. Showings drop off to zilch.
People wonder “What’s wrong with that home?”

•Critical time to price right.
•Be ready for a “fast sale”
MarketActivity
Time on the Market (Weeks)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Magic
Month
Maria Morton 816.560.3758The longer a home is on the market, the less likely it is to receive a full price offer.

Choosing Your Price Points
Aspired Price = $______________
Highest price you could reasonably hope that a prudent
buyer would pay for your property?
Acceptable Price = $____________
While hoping for more, what price would still be
acceptable?
Walk Away Price = $____________
What is your bottom line?
Market Launch Date: ____/____/2013

So, of all the agents in KC, why choose to work with Maria Morton?
Maria is easy to work with and provides innovative and
effective strategies for selling your home.
Maria is not like the agents who ‘sell’ you just to get their name on the sign in
your yard.
Maria actually focuses on her client’s goals and sells their home in a timely
manner for a fair and equitable price so that they can move to the next step in
their lives.
Clients say “Maria…
…went above and beyond our expectations.”
…not like any other realtor I have ever worked with.”
…sound recommendations...proactive...sold quickly.”

Selling your home today

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