Are you associated with a real estate company? If so, who and how long?
As you may have already gathered, I am currently associated with a small real estate company (McKiernan Realty). I have been there since I started real estate in 2008. The reason I live in Rocklin but I hang my license with McKiernan Realty in Folsom is because, not only was Bob McKiernan our agent when we bought our first home in our very early 20s, but I believe in their ethics, values and the way they have done business for the past 40+ years. They are like family. Bob recruited me and I have been loyal to their family ever since. How long have you been a Real Estate agent? I have been a licensed real estate agent and Realtor® since 2008. In 2019 I passed the California State Broker’s Examination as well and work as a Broker-Associate with McKiernan Realty. What are your fees? Real estate commissions are negotiable by law. What seems to be typical in the marketplace is around 5% (2.5% for the Buyer’s agent and 2.5% for the Seller’s agent). I charge no other fees on top of the agreed upon commission and nothing is owed to my brokerage until you close escrow. I also include a clause in my contract (if agreeable to all parties) that states the following: “If Listing Agent finds a buyer and acts as a dual agent with the permission of all parties, the Broker's compensation shall be reduced to a total of 4% of the purchase price.” I also give a discount of .5% to U.S. Veterans. What kind of a guarantee do you offer? If we are unhappy with the arrangement, will you allow us to cancel the listing or buying agreement? It is my firm belief that if someone feels I am not doing the job that was expected of me than they should have the right to walk away. Although a listing “term” (the time specified in the contract that your home will be in the Multiple Listing Service) will usually be 90 days, I always include a clause in my listing contract stating the following: “Seller may cancel this listing agreement prior to any accepted offer by written notice to the Broker.” As for being a buyer, I never have any of my buyers sign what is called a “Buyer-Broker Agreement”; I work very hard for my buyers to earn their trust and believe in developing a relationship that does not require any written parameters. Do you work full or part-time as a real estate agent? Do you have an assistant? What aspects of the transaction will you personally handle and which will be delegated to others? I am a full-time agent (I honestly do not feel there is such a thing as a part-time agent). I am very hands-on and handle everything up until the point we are in escrow; then I sometimes employ a transaction coordinator (who is our office administrator) to help me with the paperwork. I do not have a personal assistant; however, as an office we are very supportive of each other so if I am out of town or unavailable at any time, my broker Bob or my closest associate will help with my clients for matters that I am unable to deal with remotely. When someone hires me they get me. What is your average ORIGINAL list price/final sales price ratio over the last two years? In the last two years, what is the average number of days your listings have been on the market before selling? My average original list price to final sales price ratio is 99.86% and my average Days on Market are 21 days. What is your best marketing plan or strategy for my needs? First and foremost, as agents, we are held to a standard and must comply with our MLS rules and guidelines. With that said, I never enter my listings in the MLS until they are complete and ALL pictures are back from the photographer; I want to ensure that potential buyers see the finished product first since the first week on the market is crucial. My strategy, outside the MLS, includes your own personalized website which I blast on all social media and there is a sign-rider that will display the website and a “text for info” number as well. I run Facebook Ad Boosts to the all areas of the state including the Bay Area (where many of our buyers are coming from) and to the Los Angeles area as well. When the photos are done, the photographers I hire also put together a video and that video is included in all of my advertisements. Another marketing strategy common to our marketplace are open houses. Only if it is ok with the sellers, I will do an open house the first weekend on market; honestly speaking, open houses do not sell homes but they do build the necessary hype for that first week on the market. All the marketing I do is at no charge to my clients and I am always flexible in my approach as to best fit my client’s needs. What type of online (or other) listings would you be utilizing to help sell our house and how would you set our house apart from others? Will my home be “enhanced” on the most visited real estate websites such as Realtor.com, Trulia.com and Zillow.com? Because of today’s technology, homes are automatically advertised on all the popular websites including, but not limited to, the following: Estately.com, Sacmetro.com, Findmyroof.com, Redfin.com, Realtor.com, Trulia.com, Xome.com, Zillow.com, Movoto.com and others. This is done via IDX technology where these sites are tied directly to our local MLS. Where I set my listings apart are by paid advertising through Facebook and purchasing the custom domain name through Listing Domains.com to give you a personalized web address for prospective buyers. I also use a program called “List Reports” to make flyers and advertisements as well. If I am a seller, for online postings, who would take pictures of the house? This is the best part! The pictures! It is my opinion that the pictures posted in the MLS will make or break the first week on the market. I hire a professional to handle all of this and I coordinate a time that works best for you and the photographer to take the photos. I send you a checklist of how to get your home ready for the photo-shoot and I always welcome the opportunity to come help out! I like to include a slide show or virtual tour in the package and always at no cost (upfront or ever) to the client. Please reach out for recent samples of my listings. When selling a home, we would expect to make some upgrades to the house to get the most “bang for our buck”. Please explain your suggested process for determining what improvements we should make and how we would accomplish those tasks. Deciding what upgrades to make to get the biggest bang for your buck, obviously, depends greatly on the current condition of your home. Again, this is part of the counseling I offer to all my clients. Usually I tell clients to keep it simple; less is typically more when it comes to showing/selling the home. Clean and clear of clutter is paramount. If you have white tile in a few bathrooms, you may be able to get away with that if the home is clean. I work with a lot of buyers as well so I hear what they are looking for and typically they want a home where they can move in and “pick their project” rather than gut it. Given the neighborhood you are in and your location to schools that may be enough to forgive any “upgrades” you feel you are lacking. I attached a newsletter I wrote on the topic a few years ago. Do you have a feedback system for people who visit the home? If so, how does that work? When it comes to feedback I believe in a more personalized approach rather than an automated system. When agents show homes and log in to the lockbox, the system automatically emails me that agent’s contact information. I will reach out to that agent no more than 24 hours after they have shown the home asking specifically for feedback about the price and the condition of the home. I also ask if their buyer is considering an offer and if there were any other homes the buyers were considering that were comparable to ours and how we rank in price and condition. I always include a picture of the home as well as a very personalized thank you that includes a promise to return the favor to provide feedback if ever afforded the opportunity in the future. I believe in giving very candid feedback when I am asked; it is an extremely helpful tool to help gauge where listings stand in the market. If I do not hear back via email, I follow up with a phone call and then a text. A quick note: I will give my sellers feedback as it comes in; however, every Monday I update my clients with an extensive email report that summarizes the events of the past week. I included a PDF example of what a typical Monday update would look like from me. I am a big believer that communication is the key to a successful real estate transaction and I am always just a phone call, text or email away! Thank you again for this opportunity, Adriana 
Frequently Asked Questions
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What your home is worth
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The selling process
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Preparing the home to sell
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