In late August of this year, homeowners Jason and Holly Zapala ran into an opportunity that they could not pass up, and that was buying a home next to Jason’s parents and being neighbors to them in Scotts Valley. It was a dream to them that they were not sure how they would be able to pull off. What happened next was just the beginning.
Their first step was to call Robert Aldana, a REALTOR® whom they had heard about via the My Scotts Valley Facebook page, and one whom they had heard lots of success stories about.
The Process
Aldana immediately recommended that they get pre-approved as it is the very first thing anyone should do who is thinking of buying a home.
“It is a no-brainer”, said Aldana. “Getting pre-approved helps you determine if you can afford to make a move, and also helps you understand what your payments would be so that you feel confident about your move. It’s not just about purchasing power, but also being comfortable with that payment.”
The Zapala’s followed the advice and got pre-approved by a local lender recommended by Aldana.
“Buyers are free to use any lender that they wish, and they should know that”, said Aldana. “Just because I may refer a lender to a client, doesn’t mean they have to use them. It is all about working with someone that you feel good about and that will give you excellent service and rates.”
The Zapala’s had a home to sell in Felton and writing a competitive offer on a property that had multiple offers contingent upon them selling their home in Felton was not looking like an easy task.
“The key was relaying to the listing agent that we would price the Zapala’s home properly and market it extensively to get it sold”, said Aldana. And that strategy worked.
Once the Zapala’s offer was accepted, it was just the beginning as they worked as a team with Aldana to start getting their home in Felton ready as they had a short window to get their home into contract. Decluttering was first on the list, then came rearranging and staging of the home to get it ready for photos and videos.
“They had a really super cute home to begin with,” said Aldana. “It was a matter of staging it and highlighting and focusing on the features that would get people to notice.”
“Juggling buying a house while selling a house is stressful, but Robert was very patient and answered all of our questions”, said the Zapala’s. “He handled all of the little details for us and helped to put our minds at ease throughout the transaction.”
Showtime
Once the home was staged and ready, professional photographers and videography was brought in with incredible drone footage that put it all together. “Robert made a beautiful video of our home, and we couldn’t believe how many views it got,” said the Zapala’s.
Video of Zapala’s Home at 277 Toll House Gulch Road in Felton seen by over 27k
Upon release of the video on Aldana’s Social Media platforms including the popular My Scotts Valley Facebook page, the post and video reached over 27,000 people.
“He has a great following on social media and his post about our house reached a large number of people, piquing interest in our home,” said the Zapala’s.
In addition, there was a massive email marketing campaign to thousands of [email protected] and consumers in Santa Cruz County, Silicon Valley, and beyond. There were Broker Tours, and Open Houses that were marketed and advertised on powerful platforms like Zillow, Trulia, REALTOR.com, and all the top real estate syndication websites.
Once the open houses came, crowds of buyers were viewing the home. “I got there before the 1pm open house time was to start and there were already people waiting to come in on both days,” said Aldana. “The coolest thing was how many people came to the open house viewings because they had seen the video on the Internet and social media. It meant that that type of marketing strategy really works!”
According to surveys and studies, Internet and Social Media strategies are the most effective marketing for selling a home. In late 2016, REALTOR.com came out with a report showing that 51% of home buyers found the home that they bought on the Internet, and only 1% of home buyers found their home via print media, newspapers, and magazines.
Results
The result of all the pre-marketing, preparation, video production, and social media and marketing platforms ended up getting the sellers a sales price of $61,000 over the asking price.
“We were pleasantly surprised at how much it sold for and we can definitely thank Robert for that,” said the Zapala’s. “We felt he went above and beyond the call of duty to protect our best interest and are so happy that we had him to represent us.”
But Aldana gives a lot of the credit back to the Zapala’s. “Had it not been for teamwork which included them following the plan and process every step of the way, we would not have gotten the results that we got,” said Aldana. “It’s all about putting together a plan, implementing it, some hard work, and team work!”
“Robert is the real deal!” said the Zapala’s.
Not Just Scotts Valley
Robert Aldana has been the agent chosen by more home sellers and buyers in the Scotts Valley area than any other agent in 2015, 2016, and 2017. But his expansion to San Lorenzo Valley is a welcoming evolvement for him. “I love this entire area,” says Aldana. “In addition to the Scotts Valley area, I have had the pleasure of working with many families in Felton, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, and beyond and I am grateful that they are choosing me to handle one of their biggest transactions in their lives.”
