Are you considering selling your Maui property? Perhaps you previously had it listed on the market, but it did not sell. Was it the market or the marketing?
We list Maui properties properly, which leads to Sold Results even in this challenging market. We had 27 closings in 2011—including sales in Haiku, Makawao, Kula, Kahului, Wailuku, Kihei, Lahaina, Kaanapali, and Kahana. You can see in the above marketing piece what we have been up to this year. What differentiates us from other brokers? Our smart marketing and solid representation.
Here are the most important components of our results based on marketing that we implement with all of our listings. I am happy to present these 11 key points to you in person, or feel free to read on:
- Accurate Pricing
- International Web Exposure
- Professional Photography/Videography
- Direct Marketing via E-Flyers
- Direct Marketing via Maui as Our Muse, our Monthly E-Newsletter
- Direct Marketing via Neighborhood Postcard Campaigns
- Property Custom Websites
- Seller Communication—real time information via a custom website communication portal for sellers
- Listing Syndication via the internet
- Lifestyle Blogging
- Leading Real Estate Companies of the World/Luxury Portfolio International
Accurate Pricing
There is no more important component of marketing than accurate pricing. Before meeting with you on a listing appointment we will begin the process of a very detailed market analysis that often times takes us several hours to complete. In our 40 years of combined Maui real estate experience we have sold a lot of property and we have a very strong pulse on what is taking place in the market.
We look at the macro-economic factors affecting the saleability of the property like the overall Maui market statistics (May 2012 Maui Market Statistics and go as specific as the micro-market conditions while making detailed property valuation adjustments of your property versus similar other ones that have sold in the area.
There is a very strong correlation with days on market vs. what a property eventually sells for as a percentage of the original asking price. The shorter the days on market, the higher net proceed to the client with less time for inconvenience of being on the market. We are so accurate with our price opinions that we are almost always a few percentage points of professional home appraisals, which usually cost $500 or more—we offer this for free as part of our professional service package.
International Web Exposure
HawaiiLife.com is the #1 trafficked real estate website in the state of Hawaii. We get over 140,000 visitors on our website per month. Google “Hawaii Real Estate” (the #1 key word search term related to Hawaii Real Estate) and we consistently are the #1 organic placing. Google “Maui Real Estate” and you will see we are in the top 3 organic listings on Google as well.
On the search function for HawaiiLife.com, we optimize all of our listings by pushing them to the top of the searches for any geographic region—the top 2 spots are always Hawaii Life listings. This means that, often times, we get up to 20 times more “virtual showings” for any properties than the competition’s listings.
Professional Photography and Videography
According to the National Association of Realtors, for 90% of buyers starting their search for property online, the appearance of one’s property is of paramount importance. We invest in your property by hiring professional photographers and videographers to make your property look as great as it possibly can. We will also work with professional home stagers to set the appropriate mood of your property, so that the buyers can envision themselves at home in your property.
Are you aware that YouTube.com is the #2 search engine in the world right behind Google? We are, and that’s why we post videos of all listings here and optimize them for buyers searching for Maui real estate.
Direct Marketing Via E-flyers
This is a recent brochure that we also use an e-flyer for the property. Visit www.20Puuhuna.info for the Property Video Blog on this particular property.
We use E-flyers for three distinct purposes:
- To send out to all the Maui Realtors as a Just Listed Notification or New Price Announcement and to invite them to our broker’s tour of the property.
- To send out to our database of 45,000 buyers (and growing) that fit the parameters of the property. We link these e-publications to video blogs and/other websites that we create for the property.
- We also use these pieces as physical brochures that attach to our For Sale signs; buyer’s can scan the QR codes, which direct buyers to the website for the individual property.
Direct Marketing via e-Newsletter
In Maui as Our Muse, we place a strong emphasis on promoting our listings to over 3,000 international contacts through our email campaigns.
Direct Marketing via Neighborhood Postcard Campaigns
We market directly to the neighborhood where the subject property is located because we know this gets serious results as these people already know and love the area, and are likely to tell their friends, family, and co-workers about the new listing.
This is a postcard that we recently set out to over 600 addresses in Haiku to raise awareness of the listings. Be sure to check out the 2 property video blogs for these properties at www.490Kaupakalua.info and www.35Waonahele.info.
In select areas and very often in condo complexes, buyers who own there are looking to acquire more Maui real estate and this is a fantastic channel to get them to tune in. Unlike other real estate companies, we integrate our print marketing with our web marketing—we use it as a means to drive traffic to the websites that we create. For example, take a peek at the video blogs referenced on the postcards as a printed URL as well as a QR code on the back of the postcard. We have procured numerous offers and closed transactions all over the island as directly subsequent to our Just Listed postcard campaigns.
Property Custom Websites
We will create custom websites (sometimes several different ones) for all of our properties. These websites are really blogs that are Search Engine Optimized so that the properties get maximum viewing exposure.
For high end luxury properties we will design more elaborate websites like these:
- Kalihiwai Bay Estate
- Kalihiwai Ridge Balinese Estate
- The Faye House at Hanalei Bay
- Beachfront at Anini Bay
Seller Communication
One of the most common challenges when listing their property is that many Realtors get the listing contract signed and never communicate what they are doing to market the property, only getting in touch with the seller when the property is not selling and they want a price reduction.
This is exactly why we have a system that allows the seller client to view exactly what is being done to market their property in real time. Please check this sample Maui Property Marketing Page. As a seller, you will always know exactly what is going on with your property from marketing to showings to property Realtor/buyer feedback.
We will be sending you regular reports via email as to how many “virtual showings” you are getting on HawaiiLife.com. Here is a sample of one of our listings: 610 Kaupakalua Road-HawaiiLife.com Viewing Statistics.
An important point here is that, in our personal experience, when we worked for a large national real estate franchise, we are getting roughly 20 times the amount of exposure on HawaiiLife.com that we were on our previous company’s website.
Listing Syndication
Many real estate companies make the contention that they put your property on hundreds of websites, and most of them do. What they are not telling you is that Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers has the same enhanced packages for Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, etc., but the truth is that the traffic we get on HawaiiLife.com compared to these other sites makes them pale in comparison.
Craigslist.org—many people don’t know that Craigslist is one of the most regularly trafficked real estate websites around the world; we know this and this is why we regularly promote our listings here. Here is an example of how we make our listings stand out and get virtual showings on Craigslist: Live and Love Ka’anaapli Beachfront Living – Mahana #608
Lifestyle blogging
We know that people live on and come to Maui because they love the Maui life—we do our best to sell our listings by means of sharing part of the Maui life.
- Perfect House to Surf the North Shore
- Maui Sustainable Living and Sustainable Real Estate
- Enjoying West Maui Sunsets
- Kihei Convenience
- Beachfront Condo Living in Kahana
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World/Luxury Portfolio International
Did we hear you say that you want to be part of a large international real estate or referral network? Hawaii Life is now the exclusive Maui affiliate company of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the world’s largest group of real estate brokerage firms. This company does more business than any other real estate group in the world and has an international network unparalleled to any other.
All Hawaii Life listings in excess of $1 million are part of the exclusive Luxury Portfolio program. Luxury Portfolio is the #1 real estate website in the world for Luxury Real Estate. Luxury Portfolio receives over 1.2 million visits by high net worth individuals on its website each year.
In addition to its own traffic, they do a fantastic job of syndicating these listings to The Wall Street Journal, Unique Homes, duPont Registry, Veranda, Smart Money, and online through WJS.com, CountryLife.co.uk, PropGoLuxury.com, and more.
Luxury Portfolio Seller Information
Was it the Market or the Marketing?
The Stice Team is excited, passionate, and ready to list and sell your Maui property properly. If you are serious about getting results, please reach out to us today for a personal presentation, a phone/Skype conference, or whatever works best for you. Our team of 4 full-time real estate professionals services the entire island of Maui, has over 72 years of real estate experience between us, and we are here at your service to get your property sold.
Aloha,
Heidi Farmer, R(S)
Tracy Stice, R(B)
Jeremy Stice
808.281.2178
Stice@HawaiiLife.com
David E. Buck, R, BIC
December 30, 2011
Great article Jeremy. You’ve touched upon many of the reasons I joined Hawaii Life. I can’t think of any other company in Hawaii that gives their agents and sellers the best tools, marketing and exposure to get their property SOLD.
David E. Buck, R, BIC
December 30, 2011
Great article Jeremy. You’ve touched upon many of the reasons I joined Hawaii Life. I can’t think of any other company in Hawaii that gives their agents and sellers the best tools, marketing and exposure to get their property SOLD.
Heidi Farmer, R(S)
January 3, 2012
Thank you Jeremy for writing such a great article. It clearly lays out a winning game plan that every seller can understand. The pictures and links really help to give a vision of that plan and understand the whole process. It is like a manual that anyone can come back and refer to at any time. I am inspired and everyone else who reads this should be too.
Heidi Farmer, R(S)
January 3, 2012
Thank you Jeremy for writing such a great article. It clearly lays out a winning game plan that every seller can understand. The pictures and links really help to give a vision of that plan and understand the whole process. It is like a manual that anyone can come back and refer to at any time. I am inspired and everyone else who reads this should be too.