THE LISTING PROCESS
Preparation for our initial meeting creates the foundation for a proposal to list your property. This proposal will outline seven areas of expertise and proficiency required to maximize the sale of any property, especially yours: Thank you so much for the opportunity to work with you on the sale of your property. The decision to put a property on the market is a huge one and I take it very seriously. In order to accomplish your goal to sell your home at the best price possible, I follow a process that will ensure you have the best and most reliable information possible on which to base your decision. Listing Process • Value and Pricing • Preparing property for the market • Marketing • Agent Collaboration • Buyer Acquisition • Negotiation • Systems, support and execution This initial meeting is the first step in outlining my expertise and qualification in these critical and establish myself as your Luxury Real Estate Specialist. My goal is to become a Trusted Advisor to you in all matters relating to real estate. 6-Step Listing Process Initial Call Prepare for meeting at your home and get to know the property First meeting at the home and get to know the property Reconcile initial research with information gathered at first meeting Second Meeting Authorize Mike Serfozo and City2Shore Real Estate to market your property
• Deed and/or Certificate of Title • Recorded Plan(s) • Deed Restrictions • Easements • Betterments • Rights of First Refusal • Mortgage Information • Flood Map Before meeting any potential seller client, I do basic research including but not limited to: I will create a report of Tax/Assessment data and Geographic Information System Plans as available. I will perform a search of the Registry of Deeds: I will perform a search of recent sales activity and current listings. This will be refined after the first meeting and visit to the property. I will begin the process of creating a Competitive Market Analysis for your property. My Preparation for Our First Meeting
At our first meeting, I will answer your questions and gather sufficient information to prepare a detailed, written and documented Opinion of Value that will be presented at the second meeting. This information will also allow me to prepare a meaningful price suggestion. Aside from getting to know each another, the initial appointment will include: • Discussion that will lead to a complete understanding of your goals and expectations for my role in the sale of your property. • We will discuss of the laws of agency. I will then ask that you sign a form confirming this discussion, a requirement of Florida License Law. • You will take me on a tour of your property where you point out details you, as the owner, would be aware of. • I will take another tour of your property get to know more about every part of the interior and exterior of the property and take notes and photographs. We will arrange a date and time for our second meeting at the property. Our First Meeting at Your Property
The Pricing Process Pricing your treasured home is perhaps the most critical step in the process. Underpricing, of course, will lead to a faster sale but can cost the seller thousands of dollars. Overpricing, can lead to extended time on the market and cause potential buyers to look elsewhere to a property they perceive as a better value for their money. A home on the market too long can lead to lower demand and an even lower price. My job as your Realtor® is to determine the optimal price for your home that will lead to your receiving the highest price in the shortest amount of time. Between our first and second meetings, I will go through my Pricing Process shown below: 1. GATHER DATA FROM COMPARABLE PROPERTIES 2. ADJUST THE PRICES 3. COMPARE DATA TO CLIENT’S PROPERTY 4. DISCUSS CONCLUSIONS WITH CITY2SHORE PRICING TEAM 5. PRESENT SUGGESTED VALUE TO CLIENT 6. TEST MARKET ACCEPTANCE Every home is unique, so determining its true value is as much an art as it is a science. To start, I will gather information from similar properties in the area that have sold, are currently listed and those that have been on the market unsuccessfully. Every feature of a home adds or subtracts from its value. At this step, I will compare the features of the comparable properties and adjust the price according to the value of these features. The value of a home’s features is different from the price paid for the features and a variety of sources are used to determine the adjusted values of each. After determining the adjusted prices of the comparable properties, I will compare the adjusted prices with the features of your home and establish a baseline opinion of its value. Before suggesting a value or price suggestion to you, a team of luxury home experts will go over the data collected and analyzed to get input and opinions based on years of experience in the business. A consensus opinion of your home’s value will be established from the Pricing Team. Once your home’s value has been determined, I will present to you the data and conclusions in as much detail as you want. From this, we will decide the initial listing price for your home. I will closely monitor the activity level of your listing and will provide regular feedback. Based on the number of showings and other indices, we will know whether our price is where it should be for the current market conditions. Adjustments will then be made accordingly.
Our Second Meeting The second meeting ideally takes place at the property but can take place virtually if necessary. I will present my opinion of the market value of your home, suggested list price and my plan to market your home. Together, we will decide the initial listing price. Our discussions of the initial listing price will be kept confidential until the property “goes live” on the MLS. We will discuss the marketing process and any questions you have will be answered. Marketing your home may include any or all of the techniques listed below and we will discuss which will likely have the most impact on selling your home quickly and for the best price. Staging Professional Photographs Videos Website Virtual Tour Open House Events Social Media and Web Ads Booklet for Showing Agents
Frequently Asked Questions Should we start with a high price? We can always come down. Buyers typically offer based upon competing offerings rather than as a fixed percentage of your offering price. We believe that if you are more than 10% off the mark, people won’t make an offer. The closer you price to the market, the greater the enthusiasm and urgency among buyers. Should we have an Open House? There are two kinds of open houses: Broker open houses and public open houses. Broker open houses are critically important to engage area buyer agents in the process of finding a buyer for your home. Once they have seen your home in person, they are in a better position to describe it to their potential clients. A broker open house is a convenient way for buyer agents to stay current with inventory. The value of public open houses varies with the property. The higher you go in price range, the less likely a public open house is to be beneficial. On the other hand, “by invitation only” open houses are often very effective means of finding potential buyers. The higher you go in price range, a higher percentage of buyers have a personal connection to someone in the market area. By invitation open house can reveal these potential buyers. How important is print advertising? More than 90% of all buyers find their property online. Even if a prospective buyer notices an ad in print media, the first thing he or she would do is look online to find more detailed information. We believe in telling the full story of your property and that can only be done by a comprehensive online presentation of your property. Do we need to stage our property? Professionally staging a home can increase its perceived value and help it sell faster. By adding to or taking away from a home’s décor can make a vast difference in its overall look. The goal is to make the Buyer fall in love with your home and staging can absolutely help with this. A professional stager is a skilled decorator and can often stage around existing items and enhance the beauty of the property inside and out. How important is video? We have fully embraced video and work hard to tell the story of your property as well as demonstrate the lifestyle one will enjoy at your property. One of the first comments we hear when buyers enter one of our listings, is how much they enjoyed the video and in fact, it is the primary reason they came to see the property in person. The bar for video has been raised and we work to stay ahead of that curve. Will I maximize the net proceeds of my house by hiring a low-cost provider? There are two kinds of real estate professionals in the world: toll takers and value enhancers. We are obsessed with maximizing the value of your property. I firmly believe that any one of our points of difference is well worth any difference in fee. Taken together, our value proposition is compelling.
Frequently Asked Questions How important is collaboration? As many as 85% of properties are sold between offices or agents. While all Realtors® work hard to get every buyer possible to come directly to them, the reality is that most transactions are co-broked. Toward that end, I work hard to maintain a good collaborative relationship with other agents. Prompt return of buyer agent phone calls, easily made appointments and the free and full sharing of information about your listing helps the buyer agent serve his or her client in the purchase of your home. Collaboration is more than just putting your listing in MLS. Rather, it involves a sincere effort to foster and grow great relationships with agents in the region. We want to be the first call of area agents when they have a client for our market area. Does it matter who shows my house? I believe that the most important thing you hire me for is to show up to show your home. Aside from you, my goal is to know your house better than anyone else. Also, I understand that the message sent to a prospective buyer when the listing agent is not present is “This listing is not that important.” Who will be taking photos of our property? We use professional photographers who understand our ways of making sure property images attract the right buyers. We will often shoot as many photos as necessary to get to the final ones to use in your marketing and spend most time on that cover photo.
extreme attention to detail and making sure things go right the first time every time, he has brought a high level of hospitality and customer service to his real estate business. Originally from Ohio, Mike and his wife Sharon were snowbirds for several year before moving to Florida permanently in 2015. When he’s not focused on meeting his clients’ needs, Mike is an avid tennis player, photographer and loves traveling. Why should Mike Serfozo be your Realtor®? You are a discerning buyer deserving of the finest luxury homes in Southwest Florida. I am the Real Estate Professional to help you reach your goals of selling and buying your beloved properties. I have built my businesses and reputation on being ultra-attentive, trustworthy and professional at every stage of the process. I will always return your calls, emails and texts more quickly than anyone else – no matter what time of the day or day of the week. I understand your busy life and I work to your schedule rather than my own. My promise to you is that I will • Communicate regularly and honestly • Listen to your needs and ideas • Be proactive with the sales process • Understand your timeframe and do all I can to meet your goals • Do everything within my power to be the best agent you have worked with. Mike Serfozo is not a typical agent. He is the product of previous careers in Engineering, Quality Assurance and Hospitality Retail. Combining the knowledge, skills and experience gained from these diverse careers, Mike has become the leading Realtor® among his colleagues at his brokerage, City2Shore Real Estate, Southern Palm. With About Me