DC has a resilient housing market that has bounced back more quickly than other areas of the country. This is good news for a Realtor® who is new to the area or who is new to the field. You are in a great marketwith plenty of resources available in the DC area to help your clients sell their homes. Once you are familiar with them, you will have plenty of insider information to incorporate into your listing presentation for potential clients itchy to sell.
Become the ultimate tourist
You will be able to get up to speed quickly by getting to know DC for yourself.The area might be famous for its monuments, but the historic DC neighborhoods draw in buyers. Of course, you can try out the restaurants, read the Washington Post and the Washington Business Journal, and take a tour or two, online and in person to familiarize yourself with the city.Resources such as Urban Turf will familiarize you with the neighborhoods and with what’s trendy, so you can present your seller’s home as part of a great neighborhood in your ads and marketing materials. The focus of Urban Turf is buyers, but you can use it as a tool for sellers – and as an advertising vehicle that will reach motivated buyers.
Enhance your local knowledge
Real estate is local, so your knowledge of the DC market will help you apply national trends to the seller’s neighborhood. In Greater DC, the best source of local market statistics is the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors®, (GCAAR) The group collects monthly sales statistics, provides a written analysis of them bimonthly, and compiles quarterly reports of sales statistics as well as housing and economic trends.
Filled with useful graphs and charts, the reports compare the numbers for single family homes and condos in the District with those in Montgomery County. The GCAAR also brings together research from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), The Maryland Association of Realtors®, and the US census to deepen your well of knowledge about the Greater DC and the field.When you look at the comps for homes sold in your client’s neighborhood, you will have the broader context at your fingertips to help your client price, stage, and enhance curb appeal to sell their home.
In these days of rising energy prices, green homes sell faster at high prices. GCAAR can educate you on ways your client to green up their home or condo and how to market the home, based on the environment-friendliness.
Another fine statistical resource is RealEstate Business Intelligence, which offers a subscription service that provides area statistics and market reports. The maps and charts at ZIP code level will enable you to offer sellers comparative information about how homes are moving in different areas. You can use these tools in emails or on social networking platforms to inform sellers and interest buyers in the area. Altos Research offers similar packages.
Help your client find a unique selling position for their home
How can you help a seller make his home stand out? Here’s one way. Local financing packages available in the DC area that benefit sellers make your client’s home attractive to buyers. The Commuter Connection, the Greater Washington Urban League, and the Housing and Community Development page for the District offer details that will familiarize you with the programs.
As you personally become more familiar with DC, your experiences will color your knowledge and become your greatest resource. You will learn why Greater DC is great place to buy – the very point that you will use to help your clients sell their home in this intriguing region.
