springfield missouri

4 Ways COVID-19 Has Positively Impacted the Real Estate Market

1. Virtual

Life has gotten a little more virtual because of COVID-19 and it’s actually not so bad. With more and more people using “Zoom” and “Google Hangouts” today, we are able to connect quickly from various locations. In the past, agents may have not been able to attend company meetings due to their work or family, but now they are tuning in. Even if agents can only stay for a few minutes, virtual meetings are giving them a chance to be more involved with their team. Also, it’s giving them more opportunities to connect with clients all over the nation, which can be very convenient for them. In a way, it has given Real Estate agents a floodgate of opportunities and it’s up to you to take advantage of them. Going virtual is allowing individuals the ability to spend more time with their families throughout their days too, which is truly a beautiful thing. Who doesn’t like to work from home every now and then?

2. More Time to Plan

If this global pandemic has given us anything, it’s more time to our advantage. We have received more time than we probably were wanting. That is why you should have a solid game plan coming out of this. A plan that delivers your confidence and excitement towards your clients. If that is mailing cards, upping your social media game, making that phone call, you should be trying all avenues. When I say, “have a game plan”, I’m asking for you to envision results for yourself too. Have a vision for yourself of what the outcome might be from you putting in the extra work. With social distancing at its peak, as agents, we should be looking forward to the day ahead when open houses bring livelihood to a home again. Have a plan of what that open house might look like for yourself. Step out of your comfort zone a little bit and be as unique and genuine as possible. There are trials and errors in this process, so tweak little things along the way. Never give up on a plan because like always, eventually you will see results. 

3. Quick Clips

I’ve noticed an increase in quick 30-60 second videos on social media. It’s a great way to connect to your audience in a simple but efficient way. It can be a wonderful tool if you have something to announce to your client-base. This also invites a more relatable experience for those watching your videos. If you are unable to reach everyone all at once, you might as well give this method a try by bringing them to you. It also allows for shareable content on your social media and it will, in a way, build trust between your clients and yourself. Even if your first few videos aren’t the best quality, simply bringing the content to the surface will bring awareness of the work you are doing. I realize it can be uncomfortable at first to be in front of a camera because it feels like all eyes are on you. Just be yourself as much as possible and try not to read from a script, this can come across as disingenuous. So, take the time to make yourself comfortable, find good lighting, and think about quality information your clients will be interested in viewing. After a few takes, you will feel more relaxed and it will get smoother from there, I promise. Give this a go and see what kind of feedback this gives you. 

4. Cleaner Houses

COVID-19 has brought a powerful awareness of needed cleanliness, not only in our country but the entire world. Taking the time to deep clean your home shows others that you genuinely care about the process. Having a clean house for people to view is such a great way of showing respect for yourself, others, and your community as a whole. Unfortunately, having an unclean household for viewing may, in fact, turn buyers in the other direction. If you want to benefit from your agent showing your property, doing a deep clean beforehand can truly speed up the process of a possible future selling of your home. Clients appreciate being able to smell the fragrance of cleaning products because it allows for a “new home” feel. When it comes down to it, a sold home was based on how the client felt upon entering your front door. If you can’t find the time to do it yourself, there are some spectacular cleaning services available in the greater Springfield area, and it’s less expensive than you might think. You can always reach out to your agent for recommendations on who to use as well. 


SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI - A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI - A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE

No matter what brings you to this beautiful city in the Midwest, we are confident you will fall in love with the Springfield community, gorgeous Ozark scenery, up-and-coming development, and family environment.

5 Steps To Getting Your House Ready To Sell in Springfield

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#1 Remove Clutter

Although you may love your priceless antiques, and the Mickey mouse figurine collection your grandma gave to you, the potential buyers we typically see at Alpha Realty do not appreciate seeing your clutter. Buyers want to walk into a home and immediately be able to picture themselves living there. It is much easier to do that when they can visibly picture their family portraits on the walls and their furniture in the living room. When you have every inch of your home maxed out with all your special mementos it can be very difficult for someone to visualize your home without those things. When you think you have removed enough clutter, go ahead and remove some more! Even if your home looks a little empty to you, it will look like a clean slate to the perfect buyer.

#2 Curb Appeal

First impressions truly are everything. At Alpha we have seen time and time again buyers being won over when they drive up to a home and see some fresh updates. Often, buyers won’t even consider looking at a house if the exterior doesn’t look modernized. Adding some new exterior porch lights, new house numbers, some planters and a fresh new door mat can make a huge difference when buyers walk up to your home.

#3 Paint Touch up

Springfield, Missouri is a budget friendly area! We realize that making adjustments to your home needs to be inexpensive. Paint can be a great way to make a home look like it just went through major renovations, when really you only put a fresh coat of paint on the wall. It is important to do your research on which colors are popular in the Springfield area in order to please the majority of the buyers. In general, lightening up any dark colors on your walls is always a good idea. Light paint colors tend to make a room look larger and cleaner.

#4 Sparkly Clean

It is so important to keep your house looking squeaky clean while you are trying to sell it. Our Alpha agents want the very best for our clients, so if we open the door to your home and see a layer of dog hair on every surface and an intense bad odor, the buyer may want to move on and rule out that the home. Cleaning floors, bathrooms, windows and really eliminating odors is an essential part of getting your house ready to sell. Don’t have time to clean? Springfield offers many great cleaning services that could come handle all the scrubbing for you!

#5 Find the perfect Alpha agent!

Selling your home is a big decision, and there are many potential problems that could arise in the process. You do not want to walk through this process alone. Find a real estate agent that makes you feel comfortable and has the expertise to make this journey very simple. When interviewing an agent, make sure they have experience in the Springfield area, are on the forefront of social media and other marketing tools, and have a solid plan of how to market your home. For more information on this topic, check our our Alpha Couch video on the Alpha Realty Facebook page (https://bit.ly/2UF7FIj) At Alpha Realty we pride ourselves on our years of experience in this area and our current strategies to find the perfect buyer for your home!

There has never been a better time to sell your home, so contact an Alpha agent today!