I N N O VAT I O N A N D R E S O U R C E S P O W E R O U R R E S U LT S Ken DeLeon and I have created an entirely new business model for the purchase and sale of Silicon Valley real estate. It is radically more powerful and client-centric than the independent-contractor, siloed approach utilized by traditional brokerages, such as Coldwell Banker, Compass, Intero, Keller Williams, and all of the others. We built this from the ground up, in Silicon Valley, for Silicon Valley. Fundamentally, we believe that no individual agent or small team, no matter how talented or well-intentioned, can compete with the power of an integrated team of handpicked professionals hired for their individual expertise. Plus, our resources and market insight are unparalleled, which really does matter when it comes to listings. In the 8 years since our formation, we have rocked the Silicon Valley real estate industry. Our sellers are amazed by the ease of the transactions and the amount of exposure we generate for our listings. Buyers are drawn to our listings from far beyond mere local MLS searches. I have heard countless stories of other office managers trying to train agents to convince potential sellers that they don’t want all of the marketing and services we provide. Not surprisingly, it turns out that sellers DO want all that we offer; in fact, we have been named the #1 real estate team in the entire nation twice in our brief history and projections indicate that we will be #1 again this year. When you list with the DeLeon Team, you will be working with me and Audrey Sun (Ken DeLeon and his team only work with buyers, which helps eliminate conflicts of interest). In addition to being one of the most experienced listing agents in the area, I am also a real estate and tax attorney, and the primary architect of the innovative DeLeon business model. Audrey is an extremely experienced agent who also speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese. Plus, as the CEO of the company, I enjoy unfettered command of all of the DeLeon resources. On top of all that, you may pay as little as 3% total commission, while still enjoying access to our industry-leading level of service and marketing. We hope that this brief guide adequately articulates all of the advantages you get when you work with the DeLeon Team.
Thank you for your consideration,
Michael Repka
T H E D E L E O N R E A LT Y STEPS TO HOME SELLING There are a number of steps to take in order to get the best price for your home. No one person can effectively master all of these steps; instead, you need a great team. DeLeon Realty has a team of full-time, salaried specialists devoted exclusively to assisting you through each step of the home-selling process. No one agent or small team can match our depth of resources and combined expertise. These steps include:
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M E E T T H E D E S IG N T E AM After choosing Michael Repka, Audrey Sun, and the DeLeon Team, we will introduce you to the designer and field coordinator who will work with Michael and Audrey to prepare your home for selling. H O M E P R E PAR AT IO N Your designer will work with you to unleash your home’s value. The designer also will work directly with vendors on cost-effective improvements, ensuring the work is done beautifully, within budget, and on time. Your designer will engage the right staging company for your style of home, and work with them to enhance the value of your home by providing the right décor to accentuate positive features. DeLeon Realty pays for the cost of staging, as well as the furniture rental. D IS C LOS UR E S Under California law, sellers face significant liability if they fail to disclose a material issue to a buyer. Most other brokerages and agents cannot provide any legal advice related to the disclosures. DeLeon Realty provides a licensed California real estate attorney to answer all of your disclosure-related questions and guide you through the process. Yet another DeLeon Difference! M AR K E T ING Our in-house marketing team includes a graphic designer, copywriter, photographer, international marketing manager, social media specialist, and a creative director, all working in unison to showcase your home in prominent local newspapers, online, and in Chinese and Indian media. Additionally, we work with a top professional video production company and 3D tour creator to provide content for the best custom property websites in the business. No one does more marketing per listing than DeLeon Realty, and we bear ALL of these costs. O P E N H OUS E S DeLeon Realty knows how to throw an event that showcases the individual attributes of the property. In fact, our well-respected open houses are often the buzz of the neighborhood. O F F E R S AN D SAL E Michael has undergone extensive graduate-level training in negotiation and conflict management, and has sold over 700 houses. Additionally, both Michael and Audrey have completed Harvard University’s Program on Negotiation in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
BEFORE A home listed by DeLeon Realty before our design team made any changes.
AFTER The same home, refreshed and revitalized by the DeLeon Realty design team.
MARKETING R E D E F IN ING T H E R E AL ESTAT E I NDUST RY
The right marketing plan can significantly increase the value of your home. By any objective measure, we do more marketing for our properties than any other agent or team in Silicon Valley. Michael Repka works closely with the best marketing team in real estate, consisting of a graphic designer, copywriter, photographer, international marketing manager, social media specialist, and a creative director to craft a message that highlights all of the best qualities of your home and neighborhood. Unlike most other Realtors®, we do not outsource this important function to third-party providers who use the same templates for multiple agents and brokerages. We have devised a strategic marketing plan with key aspects that have proven effective for our clients. We include an addendum to the “standard” listing agreement that commits us to the marketing we will do for your property, as the “standard” listing agreement used in the area does not place any specific marketing requirements on Realtors®. We pride ourselves on providing more exposure for our listings than any other brokerage, and it starts with our extensive marketing. Our strategic marketing plan for your home includes:
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O N L I NE & SO C I AL ME DI A MARK ET I NG In addition to all of the free online marketing utilized by most agents, DeLeon Realty pays for Facebook and Google ads to bring even more attention to your property. We also heavily feature our listings on our Instagram page, as well as posting our video tours on YouTube. Our marketing team also includes employees with expertise in online and social media promotions to ensure your home receives maximum exposure across all platforms.
A RCHI T EC T URA L PHOTO GRA PHY All of our homes are photographed by professional photographers who specialize in residential photography. Our photographers are far more experienced than other options on the market, and based on our experience, the quality of our photography has had a profound impact on the brochures and newspaper ads that we run for each home. As with all marketing, we bear the entire cost of the photography.
3D VI RT UAL TOURS To give buyers an immersive experience, we provide a 3D virtual tour to capture a three-dimensional representation of the home. With this feature, buyers can look at the floorplan from above, or move from room to room using their mouse. This helps potential buyers feel as though they are walking through the floorplan, allowing them to grasp the flow of the home and to appreciate its design and features. This tour is complemented by our narrated videos.
I N T E R N AT I O N A L MARKETING C HI N ESE MA RK ET I NG A ND GLO BAL E X POSURE
Audrey appears on Chinese TV station KTSF 26.
Due to the international nature of Silicon Valley, many buyers hail from overseas. Michael Repka and Audrey Sun engage in comprehensive outreach to the international community, both domestically and abroad, via television, radio, and newspapers ads, as well as online marketing, and regular attendance at international tradeshows. DeLeon Realty is also a well-known name in the Chinese community; in fact, we have a dedicated, full-time specialist who markets our listings to the Mandarin-speaking community. Our international marketing plan for your home includes:
Michael hosts the DeLeon booth at IREIS 2019 in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
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• • • • • Ken, Michael, and the DeLeon Team at the Luxury Property Showcase 2019 in Shanghai.
Advertisement on local Chinese radio Open house announcements on local Chinese radio talk shows Advertisement in local Chinese newspapers Dedicated Chinese website for your property Property featured on WeChat® page (Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile app with over 1 billion active users), and other third-party sites Commercials on Chinese television Audrey Sun, who works closely with Michael, regularly appears on Chinese talk shows focused on Silicon Valley real estate Audrey is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, which helps present our properties to certain buyers more persuasively Marketing to the Indian community through local advertisements, events, and online Regular attendance and hosting booths at overseas high-end real estate shows - including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, and India - to showcase our properties to thousands of international buyers
OPEN HOUSES On the first weekend your house is on the market, DeLeon Realty has extended-hours open houses with snacks and gourmet coffee or refreshments. We have found that the large attendance we get at the open houses creates a level of excitement and often contributes to the high number of offers that come in. Subconsciously, busy open houses make potential buyers feel like the home is more desirable. This contributes directly to our strong sales statistics.
MICHAEL REPKA C EO & MANAGI NG BRO K E R
Michael Repka is the Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel of DeLeon Realty, and offers an extensive background in real estate and tax law. Prior to joining DeLeon Realty, Michael was a practicing real estate and estate-planning attorney. After obtaining his first law degree, Michael joined a New Jersey-based law firm, where he counselled clients on the legal, tax, and procedural aspects of buying or selling homes. Following this, Michael worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, and later at Baker & McKenzie, specializing in tax law. Michael returned to real estate, first as a practicing attorney, and later as a broker. The experience gained from litigating real estate disputes enables Michael to identify potential problems and take mitigating steps to protect DeLeon Realty’s clients. Michael has served on the faculty at Menlo College, where he taught real estate economics and taxation, on the California Association of Realtors’ Board of Directors, and on the Santa Clara Bar Association Executive Committee of the Real Property Section. He has also lectured extensively on real estate ethics and professionalism. In his spare time, Michael enjoys traveling the world with his lovely wife Rachel, skiing, and SCUBA diving. He is an instrument-rated private pilot, an 8-time marathon finisher, and an accomplished Toastmaster® speaker.
D I SCL A I M E R As prominent members of the real estate community, we respect all pre-existing listing agreements. If your home is currently under a listing contract, please do not construe this brochure as a solicitation of that listing. On the other hand, if you have not yet selected a Realtor®, we urge you to listen to what we offer our clients. If nothing else, you will know what you should request from whichever Realtor® you ultimately select to market your home. All consultations are free and without obligation. DeLeon Realty reserves the right to cancel any promotions or offerings contained within this material. Please refer to our website for our latest offerings, which will also be clearly detailed in our listing agreement addendum. All complimentary and/or free services listed in this guide and other marketing materials are available to our sellers (with an active listing agreement in place) at no additional charge beyond the commission listed in said listing agreement. Access to these services begins on the day the listing agreement is signed and ends on the day of closing. In the unlikely event that the house does not sell, then the client is not required to reimburse DeLeon Realty for the cost of the marketing or other complimentary services listed in this guide or other marketing materials. However, the client would remain responsible for charges by outside vendors for services such as repairs, improvements, moving, storage and cleaning. Advertising. All rights reserved. DeLeon Realty is not a law firm and the transmission of this information does not create an attorney-client relationship with this brokerage or any of its members. The material on this brochure does not constitute solicitation and is not legal advice. The content on this brochure is informational only and may not reflect current legal developments. This brochure should not be used as a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction. You should always consult a qualified attorney regarding any specific legal problem or matter. DeLeon Realty expressly disclaims all liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all the contents of this brochure. See also deleonrealty.com for Disclaimers.