Preparation is a crucial part of growing a successful real estate business. Agents who want to increase their listings should consider using a pre-listing checklist before meeting potential clients.
While referrals help real estate agents find clients, prospecting and setting up listing appointments are critical marketing strategies. After you secure a listing appointment with a seller, you should start working through your pre-listing checklist.
By referring to your checklist, you can complete all essential steps hindering you from winning the listing.
What is a pre-listing checklist?
A pre-listing checklist is an organized outline of the tasks you should do before your listing appointment. Your list should include organizing and sending a pre-listing package, preparing the listing presentation, and drafting a CMA and listing agreement.
Most listing appointments and home sellers are relatively similar, so you have the perfect checklist template once you draft your first pre-listing checklist.
Why use a real estate pre-listing checklist?
A real estate pre-listing checklist is a valuable marketing tool to help you stay organized ahead of a listing appointment.
A pre-listing checklist, which includes sending documents to potential clients, shows them that you are ambitious, meticulous, and professional—all traits home sellers hope to find in their real estate agent.
Pre-listing checklist steps
There are a few key tasks to finish before a listing becomes yours. We include these tasks in the pre-listing checklist, and you should complete the steps to win the listing.
Pre-listing package
As soon as you schedule a listing appointment, create and send the pre-listing package to the sellers. Your package will provide sellers with educational resources about you, your real estate team, and your marketing plan. You should also include testimonials, a home selling process blueprint, and real estate market trends.
Listing presentation
After sending the pre-listing package, prepare the listing presentation. Your listing presentation is a more detailed property analysis. It provides information on your marketing strategy and how you plan to sell the listing for the most money possible.
You should dress to impress and always be on time for a listing appointment.
In fact, there are 15 things you should bring to your listing appointment to help your presentation stand out. Most of these items are baked into your listing presentation, including success stories, a CMA, your unique selling proposition, professional real estate images, and your marketing strategy.
Market Analysis
Your pre-listing package and listing presentation can include a CMA; however, consider leaving a stand-alone market analysis sheet for sellers to review. This way, you can remove all marketing fluff to provide a simple one-sheeter.
Many owners have an emotional attachment to their homes, making it difficult to choose a price point that matches comparable listings. Your market analysis is a non-bias approach to appropriately pricing the listing while providing relevant data points.
Agreement
To win the listing, arrive with the agreement documents ready to sign. For each listing appointment, create a contract using a template from your pre-listing checklist.
If you leave a listing appointment without a signed agreement, there’s a chance you won’t win the listing. The sellers may have other listing appointments after yours, so at the very least, leave the agreement with them and commit to following up the next day.
How Virtuance improves the pre-listing checklist
Virtuance’s real estate photography services can significantly improve your pre-listing checklist.
When you include real estate images from Virtuance in your pre-listing package, sellers see your marketing strategies at work. Additionally, your listing appointment will stand out when featuring stunning real estate pictures throughout the presentation.
Enhance your pre-listing strategies by scheduling a shoot with Virtuance today.
FAQ
A pre-listing checklist is a step-by-step guide to help real estate agents prepare for winning a listing. The task list typically includes a pre-listing package, the listing presentation, a market analysis, and a ready-to-sign agreement.
Yes. All listings require personalization. While your pre-listing checklist remains roughly the same from appointment to appointment, you should have a task list template that you can tweak for each listing.
