Listing with Maison Real Estate
WHO YOU WORK WITH MATTERS
WHY MAISON REAL ESTATE?
Experience. Excellence. Elegance. Results!
An innovative, full service, boutique real estate firm, Maison Real Estate has a culture of excellence that underpins everything we do. We deliver valuable and dedicated service to our loyal clients, whether they are buying or selling a home. We offer comprehensive customized services and strive to redefine the real estate industry through our curated client experience, and innovative and solutions-driven marketing strategies.
No one serves the Charleston area market better than Maison Real Estate. Selling a home in today’s fast-paced, competitive market can be challenging, and Maison Real Estate is the right choice to be your strategic partner to showcase your property in the best light, match it with the right buyer, and guide you through the selling process. The difference is in the details! Whether it is Maison’s proven sales approach, hyper-local market intel, effective and contemporary marketing campaigns, extensive global network, insider knowledge, and vast trusted network, no detail is overlooked.
We pride ourselves in implementing our marketing prowess, innovative use of technology, and deep connections in Charleston and beyond to maximize exposure for your property. We created this guide to educate you as a Seller, and empower you to make an informed decision when selecting the best agent and company to market and sell your property. We appreciate the opportunity to earn your business
WHO YOU WORK WITH MATTERS
About Maison Real Estate
Redefining and elevating the client service experience in real estate is our mission and is the essential tenet upon which our brand was founded Our clients always come first, no matter what Luxury is not a price point, it’s a level of service
Maison’s high-level concierge service is offered to all clients – whether they are first time home buyers or sellers of iconic properties. With a proven track record of success, a customized skill set, deep network of resources, decades of collective experience and hundreds of millions of dollars in closed sales, the Maison team has the experience as well as the right tools to market and sell your home. Who you choose to represent you and your property matters, especially in the nuanced and competitive Charleston real estate market.
Maison’s experienced professional are highly regarded for our commitment to excellence and utmost integrity. Maison strives to be at the forefront of innovation, delivering ideas, connections, tools, technology, marketing, and public relations to raise the standard of excellence in the real estate space, which sets us apart from our competitors. We have deep roots in the community and an impressive list sales successes that have enabled Maison to quickly become a luxury brand and a respected local leader in Charleston area real estate.
Maison's agents consistently rank in the top 1% of agents in the area, win awards, and hold records for some of the highest profile and highest priced sales downtown, in Mt. Pleasant and on Kiawah Island. We give our clients more than a home or a successful transaction; Maison delivers an exceptional real estate experience
MARY LOU WERTZ
Real Estate Broker & Founding Partner of Maison
With substantial experience in real estate here and abroad, combined with a love of the Lowcountry, Mary Lou has distinguished herself as a local Charleston real estate expert with uncommon insight and knowledge for her discerning clients.
Mary Lou is consistently ranked in the top 1% of local producers. The desire for her clients to have the best experience possible, whether buying or selling their first or tenth home, is one of the many things that sets her apart.
Her professional fluency, integrity, commitment to service and discretion continue to earn her the respect of competitors, colleagues and clients. Her attention to detail, appreciation of architecture and design, and understanding of the historic and beach properties, provide a solid base for navigating the markets in Charleston, Mt Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms and Kiawah Island.
Mary Lou was born in NYC, graduated from Villanova University with a BS in Accounting and had a successful career at Deloitte and Salomon Brothers. She paused “her outside the home” career to raise her 3 children, but stayed busy buying, renovating and selling her own properties both here and in the UK.
She lived in London for 11 years and still visits often. Mary Lou is also a founding member of Good Friends of the Lowcounty, and works closely with the Preservation Society, Historic Charleston Foundation and is involved with the Parks Conservancy, the Library Society and the Gibbes Museum.
Mary Lou and her husband David split their time between Downtown and Kiawah. Ever present on the social scene, you often can find them playing golf, pickle ball, or out and about at dinner or charity events.
marylou@maisonchs.com 843.822.2500 www.maisonchs.com
For very special homes, Mary Lou’s relationship with Metier Maison provides exposure to a global luxury real estate marketing platform
Exclusive invitation-only network
Metier Maison curates a select global community of topperforming professionals A single agent from each luxury market is chosen for their
Proven excellence in sales and service
Broad networks
Uncompromising ethical standards
Dedication to surpassing client expectations
Unrivaled exposure for your property
Your home will be showcased to an elite audience of premier real estate agents, connecting you to
Agents from the world’s leading luxury brokerages
Significant international markets
A precisely aligned, high net worth clientele
Media exposure beyond real estate
Featured in prestigious, style focused outlets
Broadens your property’s audience beyond traditional real estate circles
Increases both the reach and desirability of your home
Co-labs and partnerships
If needed, expert staging and enhancements are available to showcase your homes best features
Local and national brands can be showcased to reach a larger network
Positions your property before a larger network of style savvy, high value buyers through our brand network
Personal Highlights
Ranked in the top 10 of all CHS MLS agents in 2023 and consistently in the top 1% of all agents in the Charleston MLS
Realtor of Distinction for 10 consecutive years.
$300,000,000 in career volume
Historic Property Specialist
Internet E Pro Specialist
Accredited Buyer Representative
Founding member of Good Friends of the Lowcountry
Member of the advancement committee for the Preservation Society, Board member at Mason Prep, Longtime supporter of the Charleston Library Society and Windwood Farm
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS PROVEN RESULTS TOENSURE YOUR SUCCESS
THE SELLING PROCESS YOUR PROPERTY JOURNEY
There is an art to selling real estate. Maison partners with our seller clients to provide strategic advice and help prepare each property for a successful sale. Partnership is important. The Charleston area is an extremely dynamic and competitive market, one that has seen unprecedented growth in the last decade, with continued growth on the horizon. Sellers need savvy, strategic, and unstoppable brokers with a track record of success. That's Maison.
With an in-house creative team of marketing specialists, and a stable of other marketing professionals we deploy for additional marketing and PR tools, Maison beautifully presents each of our listings with glorious photography and impeccable detail to engage a wide buyer pool.
Once your property is ready to market, our dedicated experts launch an bespoke selling strategy that includes traditional and innovative outlets to result in the successful sale of your property
Market Analysis
As a first step, an experienced Maison agent will meet with each seller, tour the property, and prepare a comparative market analysis (CMA) detailing comparable properties sold, and recommend a list price for the property. We bring knowledge and experience to the table when helping our clients to set price, and position properties to create maximum interest and reap the highest financial return for our Seller clients. Our strategic pricing model not only considers past sales data, but also factors in current market trends, current and upcoming competition for the property, and how to position your home on the market to maximize buyer demand. The #1 mistake sellers make is to think if they list at a high price and it doesn't sell, then they can simply lower the price later. Buyer activity usually peaks within the first 30 days of listing, yet most sellers with overpriced properties don't reduce their price until the second or third month on the market, effectively missing the peak of buyer activity. Pricing properly the first time enables you to maximize exposure and increase your chances of attracting the highest possible offer during the peak activity period. Overpricing is a critical mistake that costs homeowners valuable time and money.
Repairs & Upgrades
The majority of homebuyers today prefer a home that looks new or has been recently remodeled or updated, yet many homes that come to market are not upgraded. Buyers will pay a premium of about 10% for a home that is recently remodeled with nice finishes. To help maximize the value of your home, we offer expert advice on where to invest to ensure maximum return when selling. We can offer a home upgrade analysis to suggest where to invest renovation dollars. Upgrades are not a requirement, just a recommendation. Maison can advise which improvements like paint, landscaping, and other items offer the best return on investment.
Pre-listing Inspection
A pre-listing inspection is also recommended so you, as Seller, can be prepared for any repairs and do them upfront to keep a deal alive. The #1 deal killer in any real estate transaction is the home inspection. Once you receive an offer on your property, most of the negotiating power shifts to the Buyer Pre-inspecting your home enables us to know about and handle any potential issues with the property before an offer is received This reduces the possibility of any "surprises" during negotiations, and allows you to address any "necessary" repairs upfront, likely saving time and money
Showcasing Your Property
Maison Real Estate continuously updates it's marketing lineup to stay ahead of trends and make sure your property is seen in the best outlets on a local, regional and national stage.
Staged to Sell
A professionally staged home sells faster and for a higher price than other homes. We consult and collaborate with homeowners and professional partners such as stagers, home organizers, and contractors to curate your home and prepare it for listing. Maison can recommend and coordinate necessary repairs, perhaps painting and landscaping enhancements, staging and other improvements that deliver a strong return on investment and position your property to increase its selling potential and get the highest price possible. Professional staging is an investment that helps maximize the rate of return on the sale of the property, and usually costs less than a future first price reduction. A recent survey shows that staged homes sell up to 30% faster and for up to 10% more on average than non-staged homes. If needed, our virtual staging service can create furniture layouts and make an empty room feel like “home”. This allows buyers to see furniture placement, room layouts, and more easily envision themselves living in the space.
Professional Photography
You only get one chance to make a first impression. Successful marketing begins with exceptional imagery across all mediums. Maison has a select group of professional photographers who continue to exceed expectations in capturing stunning images via creative lighting techniques, drone photography, and other creative ways to highlight a home’s best features. Our photographer partners also feature and promote these beautiful images on their own digital outlets, further expanding the marketing reach of the home.
Lifestyle and Property Videos
Property videos illustrate a compelling story for your property. We produce a variety of videos, both for digital dissemination and social media outlets, that highlight the best features of the home and tell the story to engage potential buyers. Listings with a video receive at least 10x more inquiries than those without, making video an essential part of any successful marketing plan We house these on our YouTube channel and link to them in our digital advertising and through QR codes at open houses
Floor plans & Virtual Tours
Maison hires a professional measurer and floor plan drafter to create a detailed floor plan of your property. Buyers looking online want to know if the flow of the home works for their family. Virtual tours and/or Matterport interactive floor plans are also essential tools in marketing a property.
Property Website
For select listings, Maison will create a unique website specific to your property to attract and impress potential buyers The exclusive website will feature a photo gallery, videos, floor plans, surveys or other relevant documents, and other listing details with a customized URL.
Impactful Marketing
Vast Online Exposure
Each day, Maison feeds our listings to real estate websites such as Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, and Mansion Global, and other portals, getting your property in front of their millions of website visitors. Maison agents are also “Premier Agent Partners” on Zillow, which bump our listings to the top of Zillow searches online. Our listings are more prominently featured on Zillow with our paid Premier Agent package, and we harvest qualified buyers from that paid partnership as well. In addition, Maison does targeted paid ad placement on digital outlets for additional exposure for your property.
Social Media
Maison promotes your property with a variety of fresh content on our various social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok. We pay a premium to boost your property to a targeted audience of buyers on those platforms.
Print Advertising
As innovative as we are in digital marketing, we still believe in the power of print Maison Real Estate has a premier placement 2-page spread in every issue of Charleston Magazine, where your property will be featured This is important because not only does this magazine have over 10,000 local and regional subscribers who are potential buyers, but the magazine is also placed in every high-end hotel room in the Charleston area, for a total of about 130,000 readers per issue. We have sold listings directly to vacationing buyers seeing our print ads and calling us to see a house. We also may use the local Post & Courier Real Estate section or neighborhood publications such as Daniel Island News to advertise our listings.
Other Marketing Essentials
We design eye-catching and engaging marketing assets such as print and/or digital brochures, email blasts, social media posts, signage, list of special features and improvements specific to your home, and print and digital advertising to position your property in front of targeted buyers with the highest standards of presentation Maison’s digital-forward QR code informational plaques, customized for each property with all marketing collateral and relevant documents (plats, disclosures, floor plans, easements) are easily accessible to buyers and other agents.
SINGLE PROPERTY WEBSITES
Maison creates single property websites for some of our listings
A single property website consolidates the most compelling data that a buyer might be interested in. In addition to the listing details and photos, it shows nearby businesses, schools, parks, and more in the surrounding neighborhood. We also include important document like a floor plan, surveys, easement information (if applicable) etc.
A single property website helps you get better exposure and ranking on major search engines. Compared to a listing on an MLS site, a unique property website has its own URL and keywords to help your listing be visible on the internet, while not being in competition with other properties on the same site.
PUBLIC RELATIONS & PRESS
ELEVATED EXPOSURE FOR YOUR PROPERTY
Maison has an unmatched advantage in the local market – we have exclusive contract with a dedicated national public relations company This PR company, with offices in Charleston and Los Angeles, primarily works in the real estate and interior design space, and has successfully placed many of our listed properties in national, regional, and local publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Robb Report, Southern Living, and The New York Times. In addition, Maison agents are often quoted as real estate experts, further solidifying our reputation as a local real estate leader. Our agent’s expertise and opinions are often quoted in articles about real estate market conditions as well as style and design trends. Our “secret weapon” PR team drives the conversation, pitches the properties and the stories, and successfully places stories and editorial through their strong relationships with journalists and leading media outlets generating significant exposure for our listed properties. Instead of relying solely on paid advertisements, as commonly done by other brokerages, we pitch our properties to national and regional media to draw more effective attention to attract a wider pool of qualified buyers.
They Wanted a Place Where Friends and Family Could Stay. So They Bought the House Next Door
White Glove - Bespoke Service
Maison agents will host private client and broker events at your property, including open houses and perhaps a special event (depending on the property and client wishes). Further, Maison agents personally show our listings to enhance the in-person showing experience We believe listing agent accompanied showings are very important to telling the story of the home, presenting the property in the best light (literally turning on the lights and “fluffing” the house), and being onsite to answer any questions that may arise during showings We can turn a negative into a positive to elevate a buyer’s home shopping experience.
Maison also provides feedback after showings, reports on showings with feedback, and stays in constant communication with seller clients to keep them informed of buyer interest and activity.
Maison handles all the details from contract to close. We coordinate with our trusted professionals who assist in working through any contingencies, manage repairs, appraisals and everything needed to ensure a smooth transaction. We have developed strong relationships with attorneys, mortgage lenders, appraisers, architects, interior designers, contractors, and others with whom we can share with our clients.
