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Our Basic Precepts of Marketing


The success of our business depends on your goodwill and satisfaction. Your being pleased with our efforts in marketing your home is paramount. Leonard Leonard and Associates has been in continuous operation since 1984. Most of our listing business is gained through former clients and referrals. We enjoy and are very proud of our reputation of delivering highly personalized real estate services which are designed to produce the best results for our clients.

We sell a much higher percentage of the properties we offer for sale than is typical in the industry. Part of this success is dependent on our emphasis of “selling our product” and not selling our company.

The other part of our success is credited to our decesion to exclusively sell homes in the heart of Denver. High volume and lots of properties being offered is not our objective. We market each property individually with the intent to – not just to try – but to sell the property.

Utmost good faith is the cornerstone of our business. Your trust that we will make our very best effort and deliver the best possible results is the most important consideration – not our compensation. We believe we will earn that trust, produce the desired result and, thereby, earn the compensation. To that end, we subscribe to two standards of practice which are made a part of every transaction:

We are not effective in offering your property without your full faith and support and, therefore, will terminate any listing upon your request, notwithstanding the stated term of the listing agreement.

We do not discount commissions. We believe that hiring an expert is far less expensive than hiring an amateur. We have spent years perfecting our marketing and negotiation skills and have produced the visible results for our sellers. We enter the marketing effort with the intention to deliver the desired results and want the ability to use all the tools and facilities which are available to use. Likewise, we do not believe in offering our clients different levels of compensation and, therefore, different levels of service of commitment. We simply intend to earn our compensation.

Experience brings results. The cost and exercise of offering your property for sale is not inexpensive. We hope you encounter a minimum of inconvenience and that we make the process as pleasant for you as possible. Through Leonard Leonard & Associates we deliver a vast amount of experience in selling real estate and will deliver efficient and effective efforts which are designed to not bother you any more than necessary. That experience offers you the oppertunity of enhanced net results and safety. Throughout our business history, we have operated carefully and have produced a rare and enviable reputation as a foremost authority on homes in Central Denver.

Initial pricing and marketing produces the best results. In the case of real estate sales, quick is usually better but not necessarily easier. When your house goes on the market everything should be ready and all the tools should be used. Within a few weeks, the vast majority of available buyers in the market will see the property – after that, the market will be limited almost exclusively to newly introduced buyers. Statistically, the property will have more showings in the first month than in the entire balance of the marketing time. It is, therefore, very important to have the following ready to go:

Pricing
It is the property attractively priced at an aggressive level that will cause buyers to have interest in the property. It is very important to be under equal “substitution” cost.

Condition
Clean, bright, uncluttered, and tasteful houses are in great demand. Most often this requirement is not met by having to “remodel” the house, but by a good cleaning and straightening. If there is work to be done, it should be completed before the first showing.

Marketing
Placing the property in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), developing an attractive color brochure, preparing delivery of information to other Realtors, planning a Leonard Leonard & Associates office tour, arranging for impact advertising and, lastly, placing the sign in the yard are the activities we will be providing.

Disclosures
Together we will develop written disclosures of known conditions regarding the property. These disclosures will be prepared and presented to prospective buyers so that they have full knowledge of the property. Please note that the buyer will be permitted a sufficient period of time to make inspections an/or determinations without the obligation to purchase the property after they have contracted with you to purchase your property.

Recommendations
After years of selling homes in the heart of Denver, we have surrounded ourselves with professionals that we consider to be the best in the area. We do our best to recommend attorneys, appraisers, lenders, inspectors, handymen, ect. who are familiar with and love the older homes in Denver.

Some other marketing ideas you might find interesting are:

Advertising
The real truth regarding print media advertising is that it delivers only 15% of the buyers. National marketing statistics constantly find that print media advertising delivers a very small percentage of buyers to a specific property. While it should be used, it should be designed for each property individually so as to produce the maximum impact in the subject property’s market place. We use all the usual sources and will advertise your property regularly in one source or another. We do not use “generic” ads to cover all our listings in “generalized” descriptions. Magazine advertising is designed to attract listings, not sales. The “neighborhood” newspapers have proven to be very effective sources.

Signs
Do you really have to have a sign? Yes! We are not exactly wild about it either, but the same statistics find that signs account for more than 28% of all inquiries. Our signs are the Leonard family coat of arms and were specifically designed to be tastefully noticeable but not bold or garish.

Open Houses
Almost 70% of all sales are made between brokers working together. Broker Open Houses help acquaint other agents from other firms with your home and eliminate showings to prospects who would have no interest whatsoever. Sunday Open Houses or open houses for the public produce mixed results depending on the location and price range of the home. As a rule, we are not fond of repeated open houses, but, conversely, make sure that any prospect is not denied the timely opportunity to see the property.

Multiple Listing Service
MLS is singularly the best and most productive marketing tool. There are over 2,000 agents in our marketing area and MLS is the most effective tool available in promoting your property.

Relocation Services
While relocations are a major part of some markets and an important part of the real estate business, transferring employees are a very small part of the actual “buyers” of better homes in the heart of Denver. Most sales in central Denver are to local buyers who already live in the area. We actively participate in networking with employers and relocation companies.

Graphics
We believe that the best, most effective selling is done in the home by an experienced agent with keen sales ability. Our graphics are designed to produce “interest” in your home – not “the sale”. Clear accurate information together with a caefully selected photograph (color and updated) provides the interest level needed. We avoid the generic black and white MLS brochures that are predominate in the industry. We favor a color brochure as we firmly believe that if we present your home as “unique and special” through the extra time, money and energy on a color brochure, buyers will treat your home as a “special offering”. Leonard Leonard & Associates has won state wide awards for our marketing!

Showings
The trend in the real estate business is to use lock boxes to permit other agents to show your property, thereby permitting an agent to have easy access. The “quality” is in “staging” where you the owner turn on the lights, open the drapes, tidy up the house, ect. The showing agent will have our attractive graphic and complete information sheet. When the spark of interest flickers, we want to make sure no opportunity is missed to “fan it into a flame”. Because our office is within blocks of your home, we are always available for showings to interested prospects.

The Showing Agent
The second most important element in any sale is an experienced, knowledgeable agent with the ability to show the property and to develop interest. The agent’s ability to network with other agents and buyers in the community is critical. Some agents actually have a “following” in which other agents seek out that agent’s listings and enjoy working with that agent in producing the sale. Our agents are capable, available, articulate and effective. It is a requirement at Leonard Leonard & Associates that all agents live in the heart of Denver.

The Property and You
The most important element in any sale is the property and the owner. While some properties “sell themselves” – most do not. That is the most important reason for having an agent. Getting and keeping the property ready to show is a hard job and one that can only be done by a caring owner who wants to develop the most from each and every showing. Without your help and consideration, marketing will be most difficult. We realize that selling your home is an opportunity for us and a job for you. Let us help in any possible manner and, since you know the property best, never, never hesitate to make suggestions.

The Last Factor – Negotiations
If added value is achieved it will come through good marketing and skillfull negotiations – often the negotiations produce the most visible results. We consider ourselves masters of the art and rely heavily upon expert listening and experienced strategy – both beginning at the very first showing.

Some Specifics:

Showing
A Leonard Leonard & Associates agent will contact you by phone for each and every showing that needs to be scheduled. We will try to give you the maximum amount of notice.

The process of placing you property on the market will include the following:

Accumulate Data
We will make accurate measurements of your home and prepare descriptions for MLS and our graphic.

Photograph Property
We will take several color photographs of you property for use in the graphic and advertising.

Arrange Showing Procedures
We will arrange times, dates and processes for showing the property. We will need a key and to know the operation of your security system. We encourage you to let us know when a showing is not convenient. Conversely, we will let you know when we think it is unusually important.

Review Improvements and Update Marketing Changes
We will review any changes to the property we feel are needed or are suggested by others and will provide contractors to help in the work if required.

Establish Start Date and Tour Dates
When we are almost ready, we will establish the starting date for the Leonard Leonard tour. You need not be present as we want the agents to be totally candid about condition and pricing. We will set a date and brief time to invite certain special agents from other companies and our most current buyers to have a preview of the property.

Input Property Date into MLS
At the agreed time we will input the information into MLS. When this is done we need to be completely ready to show the property.

Place a sign in the Yard
We will put our sign up at the same time we enter the property into the MLS computer.

Distribute Graphics to Agents
We will make sure that local area agents have the information regarding your property and are fully informed regarding it’s availability.

Communicate with You
We will continue to communicate with you and review information regarding showings, interested parties, likes and dislikes and keep you advised as to our progress. The first few days are usually a good indication of serious interest and correct pricing.

We make ourselves easy to reach. Calls regarding your property will be received at our office by a professional agent who is trained to take buyer and agent calls. A Leonard Leonard & Associates agent is always available – for showings or inquiries – to you, a buyer, or other interested agents.

One final and important word for your consideration – Real estate sales in the heart of Denver is our only business and we are dependent upon that business for our livelihood. Every single property, buyer and seller is extremely important to us. We appreciate and respect your business.

Thank You.

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