FAQ - Waterfront Sellers

Q: How much does Trae Zipperer charge to list a waterfront property for sale?

A: If real estate sales services were a commodity, it would make sense to compare fee structures. However, real estate sales services are not a commodity and therefore compensation is dependent upon the level of professional sales services rendered. Remember that you are hiring a professional salesperson to market and sell your waterfront property. Marketing is not sticking a sign in the yard and entering the listing into MLS. Selling is not sticking the listing into MLS and sitting around waiting for another Realtor® to find a buyer for the property. There are many reasons why Trae Zipperer outperforms most every real estate salesperson and the reasons are not simply entering a listing into MLS and sticking a sign in the front yard. A basic rule in the business of sales is that you never give the price until you’ve fully explained the features and benefits of the product or service. Without being fully aware of the features and benefits, a customer cannot determine whether or not the price is fair. First, interview the Realtor® who you feel is most capable of successfully getting your property sale closed at acceptable terms. Second, determine whether or not the fee your Realtor® is charging is fair within the context of services to be rendered. Third, decide on an accurate listing price. Fourth, sign the listing paperwork and let your hired professional salesperson do the job you’ve entrusted them to perform. Call Trae today to schedule an interview and he’ll explain exactly what he’ll do to get your property sold for the highest price, in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of stress. You’ll then understand and appreciate his sales fee structure.

Q: How does Trae Zipperer determine an asking price for my property?

A: Trae Zipperer doesn’t determine the asking price. The seller determines the asking price. Trae Zipperer will provide you with the most recent comparable sales information, as well as current market conditions, and explain in layman's terms how this information pertains to your property. He’ll then provide a narrow estimated range of value that buyers in today’s market will most likely be willing to pay for your property. The owners of the property have the final decision as to the list price for their property. If market values are increasing, the listing price should be at the high end, or slightly greater than the higher end, of the value range. If market values are decreasing, the listing price should be at the lower end, or slightly less than the lower end, of the value range. Most sellers want to list their property at a price greater than any valuation information will support.

There are several problems with the “price it high” strategy. First, most buyers are reluctant to make an offer significantly less than the asking price. Why? Because, the buyers feel that if the seller was willing to accept a lower offer price, the seller would have asked a lower price in the first place. More than 98% of the time, the buyer will choose to wait until the seller reduces their asking price. The problem at this point is that the interested buyer today will no longer be interested when the seller finally gets around to reducing the asking price several weeks later. Second, a new listing gets the most buyer action within the first three-weeks of the listing period. There are always numerous buyers waiting for new listings to hit the market. One by one over several weeks or months, buyers become interested in purchasing waterfront property in Lee County, FL. This is called pent-up demand. All of these buyers-in-waiting will see the new listing information when the property first comes on the market. If the new listing is priced correctly, a buyer (or two) will make an offer. If the price is too high, all the current buyers will look past this new listing and wait for the next new listing to hit the market. Now, the new overpriced listing is no longer “new.” The pent-up demand is gone. And, the listing is only previewed occasionally as each new buyer comes into the market over a long period of time, one at a time. Third, when you reduce your listing price, you just proved to the buyers that your property is NOT worth more than your asking price! Every buyer, including yourself when you are the buyer, perceives that the property they are buying is worth more than they are paying. Finally, time is money. You are losing money every day your property is overpriced on the market. You are paying property taxes, insurance, maintenance expenses, interest expense, and opportunity costs. Price your property correctly at the beginning and you’ll be money ahead. A quick sale doesn’t mean you priced it too low. A quick sale means you priced it correctly!

Q: What is Trae Zipperer's marketing plan for a newly listed property?

A: The following is a summary of how Trae Zipperer generates buyer leads:

• Answer the phone!
• Respond to all email inquiries
• Respond to all internet leads
• Follow-up phone calls and emails
• Referrals from satisfied listing customers and buyer customers
• Install two yard signs: one in front for cars and one along the water for boats
• Hire a professional photographer to take digital photos of entire property
• Hire a professional photographer to take aerial photos
• Hire a professional photographer to film a virtual tour
• Draft 1,000 character vivid and detailed description of property
• Accurately enter listing into Sanibel & Captiva Islands MLS: attention to detail
• Accurately enter listing into Greater Fort Myers MLS: attention to detail
  • I lost a prime riverfront listing to a friend of the owners one time. The other agent inadvertently forgot to check the box in front of “river” in the MLS. An $8 million riverfront property sat on the market for six-months without a buyer, because the property was never displayed in the MLS search results for riverfront property! There are a million important details that must be performed flawlessly in order to successfully close a waterfront sale.
• WaterfrontAuthority.com
• Realtor.com (enhanced)
• Remax.com
• Google.com (pay-per-click)
• Yahoo.com (pay-per-click)
• News-Press.com (enhanced)
• Full-color giant laminated professional feature sheets for sign box and inside the home
• Full-color giant laminated postcards to all physicians in Lee County and their neighbors
• Full-color giant laminated postcards to all prime waterfront property owners:
  • Sanibel Island
  • Captiva Island
  • Fort Myers
  • Fort Myers Beach (Fort Myers side of bridge to Estero Island)
  • Cape Coral
• Email feature sheets to all REALTORS® within Lee and Collier Counties
• Full-page ads in Dupont Registry
• Full-page ads in Gulfshore Life magazine
• Full-page ad in the Gulfshore Annual Visitors’ Guide
• Half-page ads in Grandeur Magazine
• Full-page ads in the Real Estate Guide to Sanibel & Captiva Islands
• Full-page ads in the Island Sun
• Display ads in the News-Press Homeseeker
• Classified ads in News-Press under "Waterfront Homes" or "Waterfront Property"
• Ads in waterfront communities' Homeowner Association Newsletters
• Ads in Harvard Business School Alumni Bulletin
• The Real Estate Channel on Comcast Cable
• Booth at the Fort Myers Boat Shows
• Prospect database of active waterfront buyers via phone and email
• Network with other full-time Realtors®