By Elizabeth Putnam, Real Estate Broker | Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty | Asheville & Western North Carolina
Beautiful photography is important. But a successful marketing plan needs more than great lighting and a wide-angle lens.
You've prepared your home, chosen a pricing strategy, and you're almost ready to list.
Now comes one of the most important questions to ask your real estate agent:
How exactly are you going to market my home?
Not every agent provides the same services.
And not every property benefits from the same marketing approach.
Great Marketing Begins With a Great Presentation
Professional photography is something I consider essential to showcasing a home effectively.
Buyers often begin their home search online, and photographs are frequently their first introduction to a property.
Lighting, composition, and thoughtful staging can have a tremendous impact on how a home is perceived.
Depending on the property, additional marketing might include video tours, drone imagery, floor plans, property brochures, and other digital or print materials.
The objective is to showcase the home's features accurately and attractively.
Every Home Has a Story
I believe effective marketing goes beyond listing the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
What makes the property special?
Maybe it's the mountain views, the beautifully renovated kitchen, the outdoor entertaining spaces, or the ability to walk to neighborhood restaurants and parks.
Perhaps the home offers flexibility for guests, a home office, or multigenerational living. Those features deserve thoughtful attention.
A compelling listing description should help buyers understand what makes the property worth seeing.
And, of course, accuracy matters. Good marketing highlights a home's strengths without exaggerating or misrepresenting them.
Public Listing or Limited Exposure?
In our local Canopy MLS system, sellers have several choices regarding how broadly their property is marketed.
Public Listing
This provides the broadest exposure.
The property is available to MLS participants and can be distributed through approved listing feeds to public real estate websites.
For many sellers, broad exposure is the preferred approach because it gives the property access to a larger pool of potential buyers.
Limited Exposure
This option allows a listing to be visible to MLS participants while restricting distribution to public websites.
It may be appropriate for sellers who want greater control over the property's online exposure.
However, limiting marketing can reduce the number of buyers who discover the listing, potentially affecting competition and the outcome.
Firm Exclusive
A firm-exclusive listing limits exposure to the listing brokerage.
This may make sense for a seller who places a high priority on privacy or has another specific reason to restrict marketing.
The trade-off is a substantially smaller pool of potential buyers.
These options involve specific MLS rules and seller authorization requirements, so they should be carefully discussed before selecting a strategy.
What About Coming Soon?
There may also be circumstances when a Coming Soon listing is useful.
Perhaps the home needs a little additional preparation before showings begin, but we want buyers to know it will soon become available.
Coming Soon has its own MLS requirements, including limitations on showings, so timing and implementation matter.
Open Houses, Broker Events, and Showings
Are open houses worth doing?
Sometimes!
An open house can provide an additional opportunity for buyers to experience a property.
Broker events may also help introduce a listing to other real estate professionals working with potential buyers.
But neither should be treated as a guarantee of finding a purchaser.
Every property has different needs, and the marketing plan should reflect those differences.
Ask to See Examples
When interviewing listing agents, ask to see an actual property they've marketed.
Don't just look at a polished presentation about what they promise to do.
Look at their work.
Are the photos professional? Are descriptions thoughtful and accurate? Are the most important property features clearly presented?
Ask about what services are included in their compensation and whether any marketing expenses would be your responsibility.
Communication Is Part of Marketing, Too
Once your home is on the market, you should understand what is happening. How many showings have occurred? What feedback are we receiving? Is buyer activity increasing or slowing?
Your agent should be able to provide useful updates and interpret that information in the context of the market.
Marketing isn't something we do once and then forget about.
It's an ongoing effort that may need to evolve based on buyer response and competing properties.
The goal isn't simply to make your house look beautiful online. It's to connect your property with qualified buyers and give them compelling reasons to take the next step.
- Selling Guide
