Seller’s Guide

Our Vision

Integrity Leads, Sales Follow®

Our mission is to help others reach their home ownership goals through exceptionally high service in the most enjoyable, efficient, and profitable way possible. We desire to aid throughout the selling and buying process in educating and communicating. We work to achieve “win-win” relationships with customers, clients, family, friends, and business associates through understanding the families and people with whom we work.

We avoid neither risk nor responsibility in our daily activities.

We are top professionals and responsible, highly respected Realtors, spouses and parents. We give priority to these roles. We value differences and view them as strengths.

We are responsible for results. We act with courage, consideration and discretion. We let our actions speak for us and believe in achieving visibility and reputation through productive and successful results.

Our Marketing Program

You will be represented throughout the listing and selling process with your objectives in mind:

• Obtain the highest value possible for your home
• Complete the process in a reasonable period of time
• Accomplish the process with the least inconvenience to you

Our plan for selling your home ensures success.

Marketing

An individual marketing strategy that includes:

• Prepare and present a full Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)
• Establish fair market value
• Prepare and sign listing contract
• Measure as necessary, take digital photographs, enter the property in MLS
• Present property to Durango area agents
• Create printed property flier
• Create an HTML email brochure, a detailed brochure and a property detail report
• Send brochure to all previous prospects in our database who might be interested in your property
• Create virtual tour and upload to our website.

Internet Marketing

• Featured listing on Durango Land and Homes website
• We spend a considerable amount of effort on SEO and Internet presence for our website.
• All listings available on the local MLS site and Realtor.com. We are also syndicated, so all our listings appear on over 50 websites. We’ve got the web covered. (90% of buyers will find their home on the web first)
• In addition, Durango Land and Homes has continued to invest significant dollars in increased Internet marketing. This not only increases our national presence, but also puts our listings in front of more potential buyers in your price range and primary property interest.
• Durango Land and Homes has established a real estate specific email club to potential buyers and Durango real estate investors. Your property would be a featured listing in an email blast and included with other listings on a regular basis. Emails are currently sent approximately every 2 weeks.
• We advertise weekly in the Durango Herald.
• We advertise weekly on the local NPR affiliate radio station (the most popular place for Durango area residents to listen to the news)
• We place ads with the local sports teams.
• We place regular ads in Homes and Land Magazine.

Is that enough?

No. Though we do an exceptional and highly professional job of all of the items listed above, so do some of our competitors. So, why choose Durango Land and Homes to manage one of the most important financial transactions in your life?

Why Choose Durango Land and Homes?

We provide services and features that no other company can match:

• Access to Our Extensive Buyer Database: For more than a decade we’ve been creating a database of people who are interested in Durango, our products and services, and area real estate. This database now totals thousands of leads that are related to real estate interest. Most individual real estate professionals have access to fewer than 300 leads (and 300 is considered to be a significant number).
• We are Experts at Marketing: Our competitors try to wear every hat. Most individual real estate professionals market their listing all by themselves. We take a different approach. We have a designated real estate marketing team of professional marketers who create all of our media material including: print, video, advertisements, website, and search engine optimization. Our Durango real estate marketing team works in concert with one of our principals whose specialty and background includes marketing management for the largest developer in our region, to share resources, production tools and technology, and target market data.
• Technology – Amplified: Our research shows that 90% of buyers will first find your home through the Internet. Internet presence is critical, and most firms realize this. But as you know, not all websites are created equal. We’ve invested heavily in our web presence at our primary site: DurangoLandandHomes.com. Not only does this pay off by capturing the attention of those seeking homes in our market with this site’s superior aesthetics and elegant design and functionality, but it’s ranked in the top of all of the primary search strings for those seeking property in the area where your home is located. We also receive extensive lead generation from Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and a host of other third-party real estate web search engines.  If you look up our agents on these sites, you’ll find we rank in the very top end for ratings and testimonials from our customers and clients. We’ve found that most of our buyers were first visitors to the area for other reasons, whether for our cool summer adventures, or for our incredible winter ski resort offerings, and we utilize synergies through our other ventures, including www.DurangoPremierVacationRentals.com, the largest independent manager of vacation rental services in the region.

Websites are great, but if the content isn’t compelling, your customer doesn’t stay long. To that end we have professional writers, videographers, marketers and photographers providing content to our site and other media outlets.

We believe strongly in video and utilize it in targeted email campaigns to serve as effective closing tools, to highlight virtual tours that include illumination of the lifestyle elements of the purchase decision, and pure lifestyle features that help reaffirm to our buyers that Durango is a place they want to live and play in. This content is used in several ways.

• Virtual Tours that Elevate the Idea of a Virtual Tour. Virtual tours are incredible visual tools which have revolutionized the way people shop for real estate by providing visual representation of the listing details. That said, most of the virtual tours we see are pretty static with elevator music accompaniment that makes us want to change the channel. Because we have professional photographers and videographers on staff, we are able to produce tours that look like this: Virtual Tour Sample.  Chris literally wrote the class that may Realtors take on implementing technology in their marketing and real estate practice.  We recently received this note from a broker in Maryland who took the course while working for Berkshire Hatahaway:  “BTW …. I really admire your videos!  Real Estate Express school has several of them on the 30 hour post licensing on-line class …. you are good.”
• Office Location and Philosophy. Our office is located right in the heart of Downtown Durango across the street from the iconic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train Station. There is no better location for a real estate office that specializes in Durango area property. Though walk-in traffic is not where we receive most of our business (and don’t let anyone tell you it’s where they get theirs), our location and offices are conveniently located and central to the entire region, as well as to all of the various service providers and vendors we’ll need to help facilitate your sale.  Most importantly, our office runs differently than most larger brokerages.  We don’t staff a “floor” shift.  In most brokerages, new agents, and those without a robust sphere of influence driven lead networks, take floor shifts and answer inquiries from walk-ins (rarely is this a quality lead), and from phone calls and web leads that come in without a current Realtor contact.  The idea is that these floor agents can build their businesses by converting leads who aren’t already working with another Realtor in the market.  We take a decidedly different approach.  We staff our phones with a highly trained office manager and all inquiries are answered immediately by the listing broker or one of the owners of our company in their absence.  Think about it.  Do you want a brand new agent who is unassociated with your listing, except through their membership in a firm, to be on the front line of handling the very valuable leads that may come in from the many tentacles you have in the market to advertise your property?  Of course not.  These are the least experienced agents, with the least honed conversion and sales skills.  Our approach flips that model on its head and puts the most experienced and most seasoned experts on the front line with every inquiry.
• Our Brokers are Experts.   Our brokers are the top experts in the Durango area – historical leaders in productivity for sure, but more importantly, leaders where it counts most, in knowledge and customer service.  See this link to discover testimonials from our clients and customers (link here)

Here’s what to expect:

Communication

You receive regular communication on marketing progress

• Buyer and Realtor Feedback
• Consistent counsel and guidance
• Market analysis update

Offer Presentation

You, the Seller are represented in all facets of the Transaction.

• Review documents
• Assist in qualifying purchasers
• Help in making the appropriate response to purchase offers
• Assist in drafting counter-offers and addendum when necessary
• Follow-through all negotiations to successful closing
• Follow up on purchaser’s loan progress on a regular basis and report to you
• Present closing figures and payoffs prior to closing

Closing

The transaction is not complete until you receive full payment of your equity, the deed is recorded and the buyer takes possession of the property, and you have received refunds of all prepaid expenses.

• Expect thorough follow-up
• Depend on continuing communication
• Anticipate a satisfactory conclusion for all parties

Brokerage Relationship

Colorado real estate law and practice has been recently revised in terms of disclosure of the relationship between the seller, buyer, and the real estate broker.

Traditionally, the real estate broker was an agent or sub-agent of the seller.  Buyers can now have an agency or transaction broker relationship with the real estate broker.  Sellers can select the same options – agency or transaction broker relationships.

With buyer agency or the transaction broker relationship it is common practice for the seller/listing broker to pay any brokerage fees to the buyer broker or transaction broker

The printed portions of this form, except differentiated additions, have been approved by the Colorado Real Estate Commission. (DD 25 5-04)

DIFFERENT BROKERAGE RELATIONSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE WHICH INCLUDE SELLER AGENCY, BUYER AGENCY OR TRANSACTION-BROKERAGE.

DEFINITIONS OF WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

For purposes of this disclosure, seller also means “landlord” (which includes sublandlord) and buyer also means “tenant” (which includes subtenant).

Seller’s Agent: A seller’s agent (or listing agent) works solely on behalf of the seller to promote the interests of the seller with the utmost good faith, loyalty and fidelity. The agent negotiates on behalf of and acts as an advocate for the seller. The seller’s agent must disclose to potential buyers all adverse material facts actually known by the seller’s agent about the property. A separate written listing agreement is required which sets forth the duties and obligations of the broker and the seller.

Buyer’s Agent: A buyer’s agent works solely on behalf of the buyer to promote the interests of the buyer with the utmost good faith, loyalty and fidelity. The agent negotiates on behalf of and acts as an advocate for the buyer. The buyer’s agent must disclose to potential sellers all adverse material facts actually known by the buyer’s agent including the buyer’s financial ability to perform the terms of the transaction and if a residential property, whether the buyer intends to occupy the property. A separate written buyer agency agreement is required which sets forth the duties and obligations of the broker and the buyer.

Transaction-Broker: A transaction-broker assists the buyer or seller or both throughout a real estate transaction by performing terms of any written or oral agreement, fully informing the parties, presenting all offers and assisting the parties with any contracts, including the closing of the transaction without being an agent or advocate for any of the parties. A transaction-broker must use reasonable skill and care in the performance of any oral or written agreement, and must make the same disclosures as agents about all adverse material facts actually known by the transaction-broker concerning a property or a buyer’s financial ability to perform the terms of a transaction and if a residential property, whether the buyer intends to occupy the property. No written agreement is required.

Customer: A customer is a party to a real estate transaction with whom the broker has no brokerage relationship because such party has not engaged or employed the broker, either as the party’s agent or as the party’s transaction-broker.

Key Market Factors

How long does it take to sell a home?  There is no easy answer – some homes sell in a few days, others may take several months.  Recognizing the key factors influencing marketing can give you significant control over marketing time.

The proper balance of these factors will expedite your sale.

Location

• Location is the single greatest factor affecting value.
• Neighborhood desirability is basic to property’s fair market value.

Competition

• Buyers compare your property against competing properties.
• Buyers interpret value based on available properties.

Timing

• The real estate market may reflect a seller’s market or a buyer’s market.

Condition

• Property condition affects price and speed of the sale.
• Optimizing physical appearance and advance preparation for marketing maximizes value.

Terms

• The more terms available, the broader the market, the quicker the sales, and the higher the price.
• Terms structured to meet your objectives are important in successful marketing.

Price

• If the property is not properly priced, a sale may be delayed or even prevented.
• Reviewing our comprehensive market study assists you in determining the best possible price.

Exclusive Seller’s Bill of Rights

You have the right to:

A Competitive Asking Price

You will receive a well-researched and comprehensive market evaluation.

Have Your Home Actively Marketed

No two marketing plans are identical.  We will develop a plan that is specific to your home which will yield the results you desire.  We have the resources to market your home to the world and will work diligently so you get the most money in the least amount of time with the fewest problems.

Up-To-Date Information

We will keep you apprised of the marketing of your property, number of showings, feedback, competing homes, and changing market conditions.

Support with Sales Negotiations

We will review all offers with you personally.  We will point out each offer’s strengths and weaknesses and will represent your best interests in all negotiations.

After Sales Services

We are committed to being there every step of the way – before and after the sale.  We will provide post-closing information, consultation, and services and we will be available to assist you with future real estate needed locally or globally.