“Luxury real estate” is a flexible term. Here in Greater Greenville – where buyers looking in the $2 million+ range can buy almost any property on the market – “luxury” has a different threshold than Atlanta or Charleston, which are higher-end markets and may not consider $2M to be luxury.
Even if you have no idea what your home is worth, finding the right luxury agent + agency to sell your property is a key factor to accomplishing your goal: selling your property in the least amount of time, for the most amount of money, with the least amount of stress involved throughout. And luxury service doesn’t necessarily require that a home be listed at any particular price point.
Whether your home is worth $250,000 or $2.5 million, here are five helpful questions to ask when looking for a luxury experience, spelled out for you from the luxury agents at Joan Herlong & Associates Sotheby’s International Realty.
1. “What is your marketing strategy for my home?”
All realtors must be strong marketers, but luxury agents must be the best. This means professional-quality, high-resolution photos + videos, plus drone photography or footage. These marketing elements are all brand standards with any listing through Joan Herlong & Associates Sotheby’s International Realty. Ⓟ
2. “Where do you intend to advertise my home?”
The answer should include local + national print media to reach as many luxury buyers as possible. The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Bloomberg, The Telegraph, and Robb Report are a few of the partners that Sotheby’s International Realty has relationships with.
3. “What is your network like?”
The ideal luxury agent is both “hyper-local” and internationally-connected. Think the buyer for your luxury property might come from China or India? Pick an agent who can effectively present the property to those markets.
4. “Do you know the luxury market?”
Work with an agent who knows the luxury market on a macro + micro scale. Despite the perception that Greenville’s real estate market is hot based on an inventory shortage, the “luxury market” ($800K+ list price) is very much a buyer’s market currently.
5. “How much luxury real estate sales experience do you have?”
Find an experienced agent with a strong track record of actually closing big sales on the buyer and seller side.
Vetting potential buyers is a must to avoid scheduling showings for people who “just want to see” with no intent to purchase. This should include:
- requiring a pre-qualification letter (or certification of funds)
- attending all showings in person
- or imposing restrictive showing conditions (i.e. min. of 24-hours notice)
Many luxury homes are actually sold off the MLS, which could mean that the agent has to go the extra mile in marketing the home (i.e. invite-only broker open house or twilight wine reception at the property) or have a special relationship with Zillow, which Joan Herlong & Associates Sotheby’s International Realty does.
Learn more about Joan Herlong & Associates Sotheby’s International Realty and see their team of luxury agents. Ⓟ
