Buy/Sell Strategies Marketing Marin's income properties is an art at which I am adept. Below is an outline of what I will do to ensure your property sells for the highest and best possible price. Please note that you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view the samples. Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at Adobe.com free of charge. Click on the links below to be taken directly to the articles. Selling Strategies Buying Strategies Selling Strategies Exposure is the key to selling your investment property for the highest price. It must be a coordinated effort combining high quality and accurate materials that "sells" the property. While I may represent both the seller and the buyer in some transactions, it is more typical that two agents will be involved in the sale (myself representing you the seller, and another agent representing the buyer). My job is to reach all agents and potential buyers that might have an interest in your property and provide detailed information that will sell them on your building. 1) Agent Networking - With over 25 years of experience and a reputation as the top apartment agent, other agents regularly call me with their buyer's needs. I will also contact all income property agents and give them information about your building. 2) Mailers - A photo just listed card will be mailed out to over 1000 Marin income property owners, as they are the most likely candidates to buy. I send out a regular marketing newsletter to these same owners. An e-mail update goes out to a long list of buyers and other interested parties. 3) MLS - Since there are only a handful of agents that regularly sell apartment buildings, many buyers are represented by various residential agents. These residential agents primarily obtain their information through the Multiple Listing Service. Your property will be presented on MLS in a manner to attract agents and their clients. 4) Detailed Brochure - I will produce a detailed brochure that provides information with your property's description, location, financials (current and projected), comparable sales, photo tour and parcel, street and satellite maps. This brochure will be given to every principle or agent inquiring about the property. It will also be available on all websites I utilize. 5) Advertising - Your property will be advertised regularly in the Marin IJ and/or the San Francisco Chronicle until sold. 6) Internet - Your property will not only be placed on the Frank Howard Allen website (fhallen.com) and the #1 Internet investment site (loopnet.com), it will also be placed on my own site (MarinApartments.com), which is complete with a photo tour and a downloadable brochure on your property. 7) Personalized Property Website - A domain name will be registered similar to your properties address (i.e. www.171Novato.com). This web address will appear in all ads, mailers and on the rider of the for sale sign. The address will link to a photo tour of the property with enough general information to generate positive interest in your property as well as a printable brochure. 8) Marketing Group - Michael Burke is the chairperson of the Commercial and Investment committee of the Marin Association of Realtors. This committee sponsors a monthly marketing session for commercial agents to "pitch" their buyers and sellers (haves/wants). Many sales take place in this often overlooked marketing technique. 9) Showings - Unlike residential real estate, potential buyers cannot be allowed to regularly tour an apartment building for sale - you would have a tenant uprising! Potential buyers must be carefully pre-qualified before taking them through an apartment's interior. I prefer to personally accompany all showings to qualified and interested buyers after they have driven by the property and reviewed our brochure. Any one of these exposure techniques may bring about a sale, the highest price is obtained by the coordination of all of the above timed to the property's introduction to the market. You must reach all potential agents and clients in a timely manner to achieve total exposure. Back to Top Buying Strategies Buying Strategies in Today's Market When you sell a property, you interview different brokers, pick one and give them an exclusive right to represent you in the sale of your property. Why should buying a property be any different? Typically buyers go from ad to ad calling different brokers about their listings. They tell each broker about their needs and expect that broker to call them first when he or she finds a building. Why not instead interview these brokers and again pick one to work with. Sign an exclusive Buyer-Broker agreement with that person and let them go to work for you. That agent will perform with the knowledge that you are working as a team and that when you buy he will get paid. It is worth his time to explore every possible lead in locating a building for you. What is a Buyer-Broker Agreement? Almost always the Seller pays the real estate commission in a sale, typically one-half to the Listing agent and one-half to the Selling agent. With a Buyer-Broker agreement you additionally agree to pay your agent his portion of the commission (usually 2.5%) on transactions where there is no built-in commission or a reduced commission being paid to him by the Seller. You guarantee that he will be paid 2.5% less whatever the seller pays. In most transactions there is no additional cost to you. With this agreement, your agent can go after properties that you would not normally hear about; unlisted properties or properties that for one reason or another do not have a commission built into the pricing. If you have to pay the commission or a part of it, you will know this before you make your offer and you can adjust your offering price accordingly. The key is you are looking at properties that you might not otherwise have found out about. Most importantly you have an agent that is going beyond the call of duty to locate a building for you because you have given him the written assurance that he will get paid if successful. Yes, you will be the first to hear about it now! Back to Top Whether a Duplex or a 30-unit complex, Let "Marin's Income Property Specialist" represent you! Web Design Company San Francisco