My philosophy is simple, Maximize Exposure. Operating on that premise, I do everything possible to put my listings in front of as many other agents and buyers as possible. Not just within the subject property’s home MLS, but throughout the greater Southern California area.  There are tens of thousands of agents in Southern California, and most buyers are coming from within this same area.

Pricing, the most critical decision – Pricing is everything in a depreciating market. Price it too high in the beginning and you'll end up chasing the market down. My BPO's reflect the most current market conditions, and the values needed to sell the asset in a timely manner in today's market enviornment.  They're prepared using my 10 years of appraisal experience and 18 years of REO experience.  The end product is a precise and water-tight valuation put together and based on normal valuating parameters.

Pre-marketing – Using networking groups, I pre-market my listings even before the list price is established.  In a depreciating market it is more important than ever to get the property sold as soon as possible. Therefore  I like to start generating activity as soon as I get the property assignment.  I review city records and the prelim, if available.  If there are any major issues affecting the property, I like to know in the beginning so I can work to resolve them up front, instead of having them arise during the closing. 

MLS – By far the most important part of marketing is getting the property in the right MLS, and with accurate and descriptive remarks and photos that encourage other agents to want to show it.  I do this with every one of my listings, and I upload select photo’s I’ve taken myself. I don’t leave anything to chance in this most critical marketing effort. In addition, I also market all of my listings in all of the other MLS’s in the area:

Greater South Bay Regional MLS             Multi-Regional MLS

So Cal Regional MLS                               CRISnet MLS

Los Angeles/Westside MLS                       i-Tech MLS

MLS Alliance

I also use the MLS’s Buyer’s Match feature, which is an extremely effective tool used to match Buyers with properties.

For Sale sign – Mine are large and the phone number is easy to read.  I also have my website URL on it.  “Bank-Owned” rider atop the sign post, depending on bank guidelines. 

Flyers – I put picture flyers at the property and also have them available for downloading.  Depending on the area, I will also have a brochure box outside the property for prospective buyers who happen to drive by the property.

Print ads – In addition to the numerous local community newspapers in the area, I advertise in one or more of the following:  Daily Breeze, Beach Reporter, Harmon Homes, Peninsula News, Easy Reader, Gardena Valley News, PennySaver, Orange County Register, Long Beach Press Telegram, Rafu Shimpo (Japanese), Korean Times, Chinese World Journal, and Real Estate Investors News (Pacific Rim). 

Internet – The number of Buyers who use the Internet to shop for homes continues to grow.  So does the number of sites available.  Therefore, I advertise my listings on many DotCom’s, including:

Open House – Depending on the area and the property.  I don’t promise open houses, but I do encourage agents to hold my listings open, and I offer them a bonus if they sell one as a result of their Open House efforts.  As such, I have many agents eager to hold my listings open.