Realtors now rely on social media

While homebuyers and sellers alike will tell you they want a caring Realtor, it is more important to all that they have a competent Realtor who is up to date on modern marketing, staging and negotiating techniques, said Carol Lynn Seifert, a Realtor for the past 25 years with Century 21 Langos & Christian in Mount Prospect.

So Seifert has combined her natural ability to relate to people with lots of hard work learning a progressive parade of technology skills and social media marketing techniques in order to market and successfully sell her listings and to assist her buyers in finding the ideal home for them.

The Glenview native who has lived in Arlington Heights for the past 41 years said that when she first started in realty, listings went out weekly in huge multiple listing books. The Internet wasn't yet being used to market homes.

But all that has changed and ready access to information online has made all of her clients much more well-informed and savvy, so she has to be vigilant about learning new technologies in order to stay ahead of her customers.

"There is much more contact and follow-up with both buyers and sellers today. We are texting, emailing and phoning on a regular basis," Seifert said.

"Today's Realtor is dealing with three generations of buyers. There are the first-time buyers who have been raised on technology and 92 percent of them have been on the Internet, checking out towns and school districts before they ever seek out a Realtor. A community's amenities and schools are a priority to them, even if they don't have children," she said.

Then, there are the older, empty-nesters who want to get rid of their stairs and move to a place where they can age in place.

"All of them have seen their parents or someone in the generation ahead of them stay in their home too long and they don't want that to happen to them," Seifert said.

Finally, there are the move-up buyers who are buying the large homes that the empty-nesters are vacating.

All of those buyers are Internet savvy to a certain degree, but the device they use to access that "information superhighway" varies.

"Buying a home is a very big and very emotional investment so Realtors have to be great counselors. They also have to attend municipal and school board meetings occasionally so that they stay well-informed. Buyers and sellers today want and expect great service. They expect a Realtor to give 150 percent," Seifert said.

What are your most important marketing techniques?

"Professional photography is No. 1. It makes a huge difference in the marketing of a home.

"Next is preparation of the home. You have to present the home in the right way, so I help them declutter and pack away family photos that might distract potential buyers."

Then there is social media. Seifert employs everything from Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to YouTube. Interestingly, many young people today use YouTube as their primary search site, Seifert has found.

How do you approach selling a home?

"First, I send them a questionnaire so that I can get a sense of the property. One of the questions I ask is what repairs and painting are needed on the home. Then I help them decide what improvements to make and help them declutter and make sure the home is sparkling clean.

"Last, I show them their competition so that they can assess what they need to do and how they need to price their home.

"Some people think they have kept their home in great condition and that a buyer can make the updates they want and that they can give them a decorating allowance. But you need to update your home before you put it on the market. People are visual and first impressions are lasting impressions.

"In addition, most buyers today don't want to be bothered with the hassle of making improvements and decorating changes. They will just choose another house that is already the way they want it."

What are buyers looking for today?

"Today's buyers are very busy so they want to buy a house that they can close on and immediately move in. They want 'perfect,' not a project.

"Years ago buyers would walk into a home and say they could change the carpet or drapes or wall color. Today, buyers don't have any time or cash for repairs. They put all of their money into their down payment and they are working long hours, so they don't have time to do home improvements. And they aren't willing to live in a home that is less than perfect for a few years, waiting to save money for that improvement. They want it perfect when they buy it."

Seifert can be reached at CarolLynn.Seifert@Century21.com or at (847) 228-8748.