Every seller wants the same three things. The most money, in the least amount of time, with the least amount of stress.

So when you’re interviewing Realtors to sell your house, there’s one question that matters more than the rest. What are you going to do that the other agents won’t?

Eric and I spent a whole episode of the Randal Jenkins Real Estate Hour on this. I asked AI for a thousand ways to sell a property. It told me there aren’t a thousand, and gave me 170. Most of them were the same handful of ideas cut into smaller pieces. That’s actually the useful part. Selling a house comes down to a few things done well.

The three-point marketing plan

There’s an old joke in this business. The three-point marketing plan: put it on MLS, put a sign in the yard, and pray.

A lot of listings are marketed exactly that way. MLS matters. It feeds Zillow, Realtor.com and the other sites automatically. But being on MLS is the minimum. Every agent does it. It doesn’t set your house apart from the other twenty in the same price range.

A property doesn’t sell because it’s on MLS. It sells because the right buyers saw it, understood it, and had their questions answered before they asked.

What a real plan looks like

Here’s what I’d expect to hear from an agent who’s earning the listing:

• Pictures that match the house. Photos can make a house look better than it is, worse than it is, or like it is. Aim for “like it is” or a little better. If buyers walk in and feel misled, you’ve lost them, and you’ve wasted everyone’s showing time.
• Remarks that lead with features. Three bedroom, two bath, two-car garage, block home, fenced yard. Put that on the first line. Buyers scroll fast. Nobody needs a paragraph telling them a kitchen is where you cook.
• The right keywords. MLS has hundreds of searchable fields, from flood zone to septic to pets. Financing words matter too: FHA, VA, conventional, cash. If your house qualifies for something a buyer is filtering for, it needs to show up.
• A sign that works after dark. A lighted sign, a flyer box, and a QR code that goes to a single-property website. A lot of people don’t want to call an agent. They just want the price. Let them get it.
• Video and 3D walkthroughs. Out-of-state buyers are common here. A walkthrough lets them see the layout before they get on a plane.
• Paid exposure. Some agents pay for enhanced placement on sites like Realtor.com and Homes.com so your listing gets pushed to buyers searching for what you have. I do. Ask whether they do.
• Neighborhood outreach. Door knocking to invite neighbors to an open house, neighborhood newsletters, just-listed mailers. Neighbors often know who wants to move in.

Two things to watch for

First, don’t confuse pretty with effective. I’ve seen plenty of expired listings with professional photos and professional video. They didn’t sell. On a luxury home, professional media is a must. On a typical three-two in the middle of the market, price and accuracy matter more than polish.

Second, pricing is still the foundation. Good marketing gets more buyers to look. It won’t get them to pay more than the market supports. If an agent tells you what you want to hear on price, ask them to show you the sales that back it up. And if you’re stuck between what you want and what the agent says, a pre-sale appraisal can settle the argument with someone who has no stake in it.

What to ask in the interview

Ask every agent the same question: “Walk me through exactly how you’ll market my house in the first two weeks.” Then compare the answers. The agent who says “MLS and a sign” is telling you the truth about their plan.

The market decides the price. Your agent decides how many of the right buyers find out about it.

If you’re thinking about selling and want to see what I’d do with your house, call or text me at 727-409-4663. Let’s look at your options.

Randal Jenkins
Broker-Owner, Florida Real Estate Partners
Loan Officer, American Mortgage Services, NMLS #2053417
727-409-4663 (409-HOME)