Most REALTORS, and for sale by owners feel that you market real estate by putting an ad in the paper, a sign in the yard, then pray someone will buy it.

The professional calls this a yard-sale mentality.

If this were truly marketing there would be no need in  Giorgio Armani to place a full page spread in GQ or other magazines.

When the real estate market is hot, the yard sale mentality may get you by, if getting by is all you want.

Other real estate professionals will use the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) as a way to attract additional buyers.   This helps to get by in a slower market when there are fewer buyers.   MLS, Yard Signs, and Newspaper Ads do give more exposure and if location, location, location is what places value on Real Estate, then exposure, exposure, exposure is what sells real estate.

Cutting commissions is another way some real estate professionals obtain listings.   Do you think the company is actually going to spend more money and time marketing your property and cut their professional fee at the same time?   Do you think the buyer even cares?   The old saying is true; you get what you pay for.

Your real estate professional and their company need to have a marketing strategy and plan to expose your property to as many prospects as is possible.   This could include national advertising, a good and far reaching web-site that works with other good and far reaching web-sites, a nationwide toll free phone number, and any other tools to give you the added exposure.

When selling property the right question to ask isn’t “What is your commission”, but what is your marketing plan for my property, and what do you do for your commission?

Now more than ever, the right questions and its answer can mean many dollars more in your pocket.   That’s  the purpose of marketing in the first place.