The Confident Home Sellers Guide | Myrtle Beach Realtor | Ashley DeLong, Realtor
D E A R C L I E N T ,
I want to thank you in advance for taking the time to read this guide and consider its information. I realize you have a choice when hiring an agent to sell your home
As your agent, there are several services you can expect me to provide, including:
Accurately pricing your home.
Enhancing the perceived - and realvalue of your home, enabling you to command a higher asking price.
Providing unmatched marketing including staging assistance, professional photography, and custom property websites
Securing a qualified buyer within your specific timeframe.
I truly appreciate the opportunity to present my proven approach and the results I've achieved for my clients.
Regardless of the price of your home, when your hire me as your Realtor, both you - and your home - will be prepared for a successful sale.
Best
Regards, Ashley DeLong, REALTOR®
Ashley's Sale Success 2024
Source: Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors®
All real estate agents/brokers aren't equal! Anyone with an internet connection and 4 weeks of free time can earn their license, then legally represent you to sell your property.
In an industry with a 90%+ turnover rate, it's important to vet any potential agent/broker, to know their production history, to ask for references, and to make sure you're not only a good match, but that she or he is the best professional to sell or buy your home.
Here is my guarantee:
Hire me to help you buy or sell your home anywhere in the Myrtle Beach area and if I'm not the best, most consistent, caring, competent, and effective REALTOR your've ever hired.
THEN FIRE ME AT ANY TIME!
Sound fair enough?
Feel free to keep reading or get in touch via phone, text, or email!
Ashley DeLong, REALTOR® Averages 3.3 per Month!
3X MORE than other high selling RE/MAX Agents!
As a South Carolina native Ashley DeLong spent summers in Myrtle Beach, later making a permanent move to enjoy the sunshine, beautiful beaches and great quality of life
After attending Coastal Carolina University she began working locally in retail management, responsible for award winning Multi-Million dollar sales.
Today, Ashley specializes in Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties throughout the Myrtle Beach area. Working with Ashley, clients experience a knowledgeable guide who personally sees them through each step of their real estate transaction.
Ashley’s goal is to develop long term relationships and offer an honest and transparent real estate service. Ashley, ensures she delivers the utmost attention every client deserves.
As a 30-year resident, Ashley has a genuine understanding of Myrtle Beach’s growing coastline and its many personalities She enjoys introducing clients to the unique qualities of life in Myrtle Beach.
I'll save you time, money, and the stress that goes along with selling or buying a home - all without any sales pressure.
Why Hiring Your Friend, Golfing Buddy, or Relative
is a Bad Idea
So your second cousin just passed his real estate test...
Last month you would have barely recognized him on the street, but now that he's in real estate he's your best friend and ready to sell your house! With so many friends, relatives, and quite literally over 5200+ other agents in Myrtle Beach how do you choose?
I K N O W Y O U . . . S o y o u O W E m e Y o u r B u s i n e s s ! I K N O W Y O U . . . S o y o u O W E m e Y o u r B u s i n e s s !
Your neighbor, the customer service rep who ALSO sells real estate...
She's nice enough and you know she can talk on the phone. But does that mean she knows what to do in real estate? Could she negotiate against a senior agent and win? Does she have an established marketing budget and proven track record?
Did you know the average real estate agent in Myrtle Beach only sells 3 Homes a Year?
Instead of hiring someone based on your social circle or the awkwardness of family relationships try this instead. Simply pretend you were about to undergo a life threatening surgery THEN ask yourself, would you want the best surgeon or would you want to choose based on who you know
There are very large financial implications and legalities in real estate, so choose wisely
10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Agent
1) How long have you been selling real estate?
Ashley DeLong has been selling real estate full time over nine years. She has handled hundreds of transactions from starter homes to estates. No lawsuits
2) What are your qualifications?
I'm college educated and earn 100% of my income in commission sales. Anyone that can keep clients happy and their business profitable deserves a chance.
3) Where do you get your current business, can you prove this?
Marketing. I'm really big on search engines, display networks, inbound phone systems and direct mail. Warning...If you hear an agent say "referrals" that probably means they don't spend money on marketing. Yes, I can prove it at any time by opening my laptop.
4) Can you give me a list of client references?
Of course, I have references from clients, agents, mortgage brokers, lawyers, etc
5) Do you have a formal marketing plan?
That's the whole point of this guide! If your agent doesn't have a world-class website and a formal written marketing plan to sell your home, do you think they'll start now?
6) What percentage of your clients do you get by discounting your fees?
Great question! Zero - that's because I refuse to negotiate. In fact, I create a custom plan for each client and situation. It's simply not my front end offer like many of the discount 1% listing brokers out there. After doing an analysis of their list to sold price ratio you'll quickly learn that buyers make discount offers on homes offered by discount agents.
7) Can you show examples where you were successful when other agents were not? Absolutely, in fact there are several throughout this guide.
8) What percentage of your business comes through referral? 25% year-over-year. The other 75% is through marketing, I always have new business.
9) How often do you sell your own listings?
Twice as often as the average agent! I sell my own listings 10% of the time.
10) What happens if I want to fire you? How many times have you been fired?
Simply pick up the phone. Only once in my career. This happened with a client who had a 3rd floor walkup condo. During a difficult buyer's market the condo was shown over 50 times in a 3 month period! When I mentioned a slight price reduction could bring a quick sale I was fired.
Top 5 Reasons Homes Fail to Sell
1) Lazy Agent
The average agent in Myrtle Beach only sells 3 homes in a year. This isn't enough to call it "a business." Other signs of laziness include inaccurate MLS data and lack of response to other agent communication.
2) Cheap Photos
$3.1 million
The agent writes a one sentence description. Is that lazy or what?!?
Less than 40% of homes in Myrtle Beach are marketed with professional photos, including luxury homes. Poor photo quality is the number one complaint by buyers and the primary reason they don't schedule a showing!
$1.2 million
Does this look like a million dollar home to you? Wouldn't you think a five figure commission would get you pro photos? Nope not one pro photo
$2.8 m $500k
This is real listing At $500,000 you can't think of a better leading interior image than a toilet?
Quite literally, the second shot is a spare bedroom highlighted by a 25-year old TV.
$1.0 million
Crooked walls! In a half second this is fixed by tilting the camera.
"mid Island ocean front, large protective dune"
Surprise! They're all within $10,000 of each other!
Same Neighborhood - Same Date - Similar Size
Hint - The one on the far left is my listing
3) Presentation
Marketing and the forces of supply and demand can generate showings for a property. After the appointment has been set it's up to the presentation of the property to encourage a sale. Presentation is critical in selling any asset.
4) Pricing
Some home sellers prefer to price their homes above market value in order to ensure they don't sell too low The issue with this is it can turn off a large portion of "in market" buyers who are currently making other offers. Psychologically, buyers typically only make offers when they feel another buyer might beat them to the home of their dreams. Since list prices only slide down with time, many sellers who "price high" to come down later, make less money in the end.
5) Negotiation Styles
After selling hundreds of homes I've seen every negotiation style you can imagine, from the "authoritarian-intimidator" to the "uninformed-first timer" - each negotiation style must be carefully considered. I'm not only negotiating for my clients, but I'm also using my communication skills to work through the other agent and their client(s) There are often 6 people involved. This is where my expertise shines and keeps deals together.
Source: The National Association of Realtors®
P H O T O G R A P H Y
It's no secret that buyers look for homes online. Because of this, Your listing photos are CRITICAL to attracting buyers to view your property.
Since they're so integral to your success, I provide professional photography and staging assistance on EVERY HOME I SELL.
"Buyers perceive homes with professional photography to be worth, on average, 12% more than the actual price."
The Wall Street Journal
DeLong
Of Buyers say a staged home makes it easier to visualize as their future home.
more willing to walk through a home viewed online that is staged
Buyers are Once staged, homes spend an average of less time on the market
V I R T U A L T O U R
Sellers looking for a competitive advantage turn to me to provide the best photography and imaging for their properties. By using today's latest technology I can provide buyers exactly what they're looking for in a virtual showing.
Instead of disrupting your day with unqualified showings, let's broadcast a virtual showcase of your home to the most interested buyers in the market! I even use virtual tours to promote your property to other agents.
Time is money and reducing unqualified showings while highlighting the best aspects of your home is a win for everyone!
S Y N D I C A T I O N
T O B U Y E R S
Great news! According to US News & World Report, Myrtle Beach is the fastest growing city in the nation for 2024-2025. As a result, my online marketing campaigns will be targeting the most motivated buyers who are looking for homes like yours.
Your home will also be showcased on REMAX.COM, the most frequently visited real estate website worldwide. This provides you unmatched online exposure in today’s market.
I'll handle the complexities so you can focus on YOU
Selling or buying a home can often be a stressful experience even among the best of situations. I have systems and processes in place to keep everything organized and simple.
Put my experience to work for you, so you can focus on the most important aspects of your new transition.
Want to take the Next Step in Selling Your
Property?
From the Office of Ashley DeLong, REALTOR® RE/MAX Southern Shores
There's a good chance you are looking for a competent REALTOR® if you've read this far. Let's schedule a quick time to meet and discuss your situation. You can expect me to be prepared, extremely organized, and ready to start creating a custom marketing campaign for your property.
In the past 9 years of selling real estate I've handled transactions with out of state second home sellers, international buyers, 1031 exchanges with investors, luxury home sales over $2.8 million, and a wide variety of residential sales.
I'm here to make your real estate transition a fantastic experience in every way!
Simply call, text, or email and let me know how I can help you best. It's never too early to start planning your next move.
