Marketing your real estate listings has emerged as a new challenge in the current times, especially to first time property buyers. There is more reliance on various digital channels to get traction and boost up the perceived value of your property. 

If you are a seller planning to sell your property and thinking to maximize your net proceeds, you have come to the right place. In this post, we are going to discuss 9 new age ways to market your listings using internet marketing. These methods are highly quantifiable unlike the traditional methods that allow you to understand a lot more about buyers and also implement changes from the insights.

If you are planning to hire an agent to market your property and get you a higher net proceeds, you can cross check with this list if they possess experience with the following. 

Include Details in the MLS Listings 

Including pictures and details in a MLS listing is a good way to advertise a property for sale. Photos can make potential buyers more interested in a property, while details can inform prospective clients about the property’s features.

Photos and videos give potential buyers a virtual tour of the property for sale, making them more likely to schedule an appointment to see it in person.

Including photos, videos, and other lifestyle information helps sellers gain access to more qualified leads from buyers who are looking for their kind of home or property size. Since MLS is the prime source of real estate lead generation, they better be done right. 

Content Marketing for Listings

As a real estate agent, you need to know how to market your listings. It is important that you create content and make sure that it matches the search and browsing behaviors of potential buyers.

Content marketing for property listing includes:

• Listing descriptions: You need to make sure that the description of the property is accurate and up-to-date.
• Video walkthroughs: You can use video walkthroughs to give prospective buyers a better sense of what the property looks like before they visit it in person.
• Property tours: Property tours are another way for real estate agents to show off their listings. Prospective buyers can use these videos to get a better idea of what it feels like inside the home or apartment before visiting in person.

Keyword Optimization for Listings

Keyword Optimization is a way to increase visibility of a website to potential customers by scoring high in the SEO department. This is done by using keyword phrases within the content that reflects what the person is looking for.

When it comes to optimizing properties for advertising, there are a few things that you should take into account. The keywords should be specific and cover as many different variations as possible. Keywords should match both the context and intent of the viewer.

People use search engines either because they have a general idea or because they have an exact idea of what they want to find. It's always best to take into consideration how people will search for your property listings and then optimize them accordingly.

Custom Landing Pages for Listings

Real estate is a competitive industry. The property listings are often the only chance for the potential buyers to see what the house looks like. An effective landing page can increase the conversion rate significantly by providing more information about your property.

A custom landing page can be built for every listing on your real estate website, where you can introduce the benefits of your listing and show how it will fit into their lives. It can also be used to answer questions that may come up when you are trying to buy or sell a home, such as how long does it take to close? And what guarantees do you offer?

This allows individuals who are considering buying or selling real estate to get all of their questions answered by simply following one link.

High-quality Listing Pictures for Real Estate Listings

Listings with high-quality, descriptive photos lead to faster home sales, as well as a lower cost per lead.

To create those high-quality listing pictures for your real estate listings, here are the steps:

• Shoot from the ground up and avoid shooting up at the sky or down at the ground
• Make sure to take shots of both exterior and interior. The interior should show off each room in a way that reflects what it looks like to walk through it. It should also show any unique features of the home such as a remodeled kitchen or backyard pool
• Detail shots such as window screens and sinks can be included for homes that are still occupied.

Feature Important Property Listing on the Home Page

There are many ways to promote your property. One of the most popular is listing it on the home page.

The home page is one of the first pages that a potential buyer will visit. It has the potential to capture buyers’ attention and make them want to learn more about your property. But how do you make sure you stand out and get noticed among all other listings?

Make sure that your property is listed with as many keywords as possible. This way, when people search for specific areas or they search by keyword, your listing will be found and increase traffic to your site.

Video Marketing for Listings 

Video marketing of property listings is a powerful tool for real estate companies to connect with people in their target audience. Videos can be used for anything from tours of the house to video testimonials of families who have lived in it.

The power of video marketing is that you can use it on your website, on your social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and even post them on YouTube. Depending on what you're trying to get people to do, videos are an excellent way to do that.

Social Media Marketing for Listings 

Social media Marketing has become an integral part of marketing and advertising, as it is a great tool for reaching the target audience.

Social media Marketing, especially facebook ads for real estate to market real estate listings is not a new concept; but with the advent of new technologies and increased internet penetration, it has now assumed unprecedented significance.

It is advisable for real estate agents to make use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to promote their listings. It also provides the agents with the opportunity to reach out to potential customers who are geographically distant from them.

They can also take advantage of other features like geo-tagging, location-based searches, hashtags, etc., which make social media marketing even more powerful.

Google Ads to Market Property Listings

Google ads are an effective way to market property listings because they are targeted based on the user’s location.Google ads for property listings can be targeted to people who are close to the property listing.

This is done by using Google's location targeting feature that allows advertisers to advertise their products or services in a specific area or radius around a set point. Advertisers can choose the radius in kilometers or miles, and Google will show the ad only for searchers within that radius. This means that advertisers can target their ads geographically, promoting them to specific areas without worrying about being shown everywhere else.

Like most states in the US, Mississippi charges property taxes too. Irrespective of the fact you own a residential property or commercial, taxes are levied on both property types across all counties in Mississippi. It is important to understand property taxes as they are an important part of closing costs and appear in the ALTA statement as well.  

Generally, property tax payments are due by February 1st of each year. If you are a property owner then a tax of 10% is assessed on the total amount of your residential property. For others, it is 15%. 

Property Tax rates across counties in Mississippi:

Property taxes are paid as a percentage of the total value of the property owned. In Mississippi, property taxes are relatively cheaper and comes to 0.79% of the value of the property with some variations from one county to another. Here is the list of the median value and tax rate of property taxes across all counties in Mississippi. 

Property Tax rates across counties in Mississippi:

Property taxes are paid as a percentage of the total value of the property owned. In Mississippi, property taxes are relatively cheaper and comes to 0.98% of the value of the property with some variations from one county to another. Here is the list of median value of property taxes. 

How to calculate property taxes in Mississippi?

Calculating the property tax for any county in Mississippi is easy. Simply use the following formula

Total property tax payable = (Property Value* rate of tax for the county)

                                           -------------------------------------------------

                                                                      100

Are there any exemptions for property tax in Mississippi?

Qualified homeowners are allowed an exemption from certain ad valorem taxes based on the assessed value of their home. Persons who are 65 years of age and older or who are disabled, upon application and proof of eligibility, are exempt from all ad valorem taxes up to $7,500.00 of assessed value. 

A property appraisal is one of the crucial steps that determine the financial worth of the property. A property appraiser can unearth a number of things that can potentially change the financial value of the property to a great degree and hence the closing costs as well.

Obviously, appraisers are important but there are a lot of them out there. Even in Jackson, there are many companies, who either appraise properties full-time or provide a mix of similar services. So the question is, how do you choose the right appraiser? This is what we are going to answer in this blog. 

In this post, we will give you a curated list of property appraisers around Jackson. If you are stationed around Indy or hunting for a property in the nearby areas then this list is going to be useful for you. 

So, here is a list of the top property appraisers around Jackson. 

Haddon Appraisals

Haddon Appraisal provides its services around Brandon Mississippi and the nearby area. It is quite a prominent name among realtors and underwriters when it comes to property valuation. 

One of the best things about this company is the breadth of services they provide besides their mainstream service of property valuation which includes estate settlements, bankruptcy settlement, PMI removal, FHA appraisals, and much more.  

• Free Resources and Quotes - No
• Experience - since 1996
• Breadth of Services - Yes
• Phone - (601) 906-4294 
• Email -  neal@haddonappraisal.com  

Appraisal Research Company

Appraisal Research is a popular name when it comes to appraising properties around Jackson. 

However, Appraisal Research is not limited to appraisal alone. They also provide appraisal services for litigation, financing and credit, taxation, and other matters. The company also provides consultation services for similar matters to help clients throughout the process. 

• Free Resources and Quotes - -
• Experience - NA
• Breadth of Services - Yes
• Phone - (601) 664-2422
• Email -    

Busby Appraisal Services

Bubsy Appraisal Services have been appraising properties around Ridgeland for quite some now. The company specializes in residential properties and also deals with PMI of their clients. 

One of the best things about this company is the breadth of services they provide besides their mainstream service of property valuation which includes Refinance, New Construction, Divorce Settlement, and much more. 

• Free Resources and Quotes - No
• Experience - -
• Breadth of Services - Yes
• Phone - (601) 937-1478, (601) 937-4592
• Email -  

Cook Appraisal Consultants 

Cook Appraisal specializes in properties around Jackson, specializing in all types of properties. From, single-family homes to condos, the company appraises every type of property including commercial ones as well. 

• Free Resources and Quotes - No
• Experience - NA
• Breadth of Services - Yes
• Phone - (601) 981 - 8014   
• Email - crook7@bellsouth.net

Hope you found the information useful. Keep an eye out for the latest listings on our website and stay updated.

Closing costs are an itemized list of expenses such as transfer taxes, title insurance costs, deed recording fees, and much more to prep the property for sale, approve the mortgage and transfer the ownership from the seller to the buyer. 

Both buyer and seller have their own share of closing costs that they incur to facilitate the transaction mutually. While closing costs are normatively divided between the seller and the buyer, a lot of times, parties can negotiate that can change the final amount or the net proceeds that the seller receives after the transaction. 

What is the average closing cost in Mississippi?

On average, the closing cost in Mississippi is around 0.85-1.27% of the total sale price of the property. That means a $300,000 property will cost around $2500-$3800 in closing costs. 

What are the numerous closing costs in Mississippi?

Closing costs represented as an itemized list of costs may have a total of 15-16 cost items. While a lot of them are paid by the buyer, the seller also contributes by paying a significant share. Here is the list of closing costs paid by the buyer. 

Closing costs paid Sellers in Mississippi

Following are the closing costs paid by the seller in Mississippi

Commission for the agent. Commission for the agent is around 6% of the total value of the property. This is the most expensive closing cost component shared between both parties. Hence, the seller pays around 2.5% of the total commission.

Proration. Property taxes are paid as the prorated amount. The seller is supposed to pay the taxes till the time they own the property. For example, if the seller is going out on 30th October, they are going to pay taxes for the first 10 months. The buyer then pays taxes for the remaining two months. Hence, closing at the end of the year is going to cost more in the prorated tax amount.

HOA Fees. The HOA fee is the fee charged by the homeowners’ association for maintenance purposes. It is important for the seller to clear this before they leave the property. 

Outstanding Utility Bills. Before you can sell the property, you should make sure to clear all dues and outstanding utility bills. 

Title Insurance. The title insurance protects the owners and the lenders with the help of the owner’s and lender’s policy respectively. Title insurance amounts to a significant closing amount in Mississippi. 

Title Search. A title search is a process of searching through the records in the county office to establish the owner of the property and make sure that the property is free from liens or any disputes. 

Municipal Lien Search. This is to make sure that the property does have code violations, sewer or water balances, etc. 

Closing costs paid by the Buyer in Mississippi

Following are the closing costs paid by the buyer in Mississippi.

Home Inspection. The home inspection is initiated by the lender on the buyer’s behalf to make sure that the property is alright and won’t need hefty repairs after purchase. 

Home Appraisal. A home appraisal is done to ascertain the market value of the property for loan origination. The home appraisal fee is also paid by the buyer in Mississippi. 

Survey Fee. Surveys could be ordered by the lender in order to make sure that the property does not have any encroachment that could lead to a dispute in the future with the neighbors. The buyer pays the survey fees in Mississippi. 

Credit Report. The lender needs this report to grant a mortgage to the buyer. Generating the credit report costs in the amount that is paid by the buyer in Mississippi. 

Underwriting Fee. If the buyer is purchasing with a loan, the underwriting fees will apply. It is also called loan application fees or origination fees interchangeably. 

Transfer Taxes. It is the tax collected by the state when the property is transferred from the seller to the buyer. 

Recording Fee. After the deal is done and papers are signed, the new deed is made and recorded in the county records. This is called recording the deed and comes with a fee called recording fees.  

Hope you found our post insightful and helpful. Tuned in for more posts in the future. 

The current pandemic has forced title agents and attorneys to go for online closing and this is how eClosing and Remote Online Notarization (RON) has taken the center stage in the real estate and industry. 

While many states have passed bills and legalized eClosing and RON, Mississippi has passed a bill to do so. However, for the time being, the state has issued a list of directives that allows title agencies to conduct remote online notarization. What are these directives and what are the things that you should take into consideration while notarizing closing documents online in Mississippi? Let’s find out. But before we do that, let’s begin with learning about RON first.  

What is Remote Online Notarization?

Remote online notarization (RON) is the process of notarizing documents electronically. Using RON, the buyers, sellers, their respective agents, attorney, and other parties sitting at different physical locations can come together to express consent and legally transfer the ownership of the property. 

The attorney applies the notary seal that marks the completion of the transaction. 

Remote Online Notarization in Mississippi 

• According to the order guidance from the secretary of state, title companies must fulfill a list of prerequisites or requirements in order to be eligible to perform RON. These are:
• You must be a currently commissioned notary in Mississippi, in good standing.
• You must notify the Secretary of State, Business Services Division of your intent to use remote notarization technology on our form.
• Using our form, you must identify the communications technology vendor you will use and confirm that the vendor allows you to, (1) view and hear the remotely located principal in real-time; (2) verify the principal’s identity through one or more of the methods set forth in the Order; and (3) record the entire notary transaction.
• For each notarial act conducted remotely, you must create and retain an audio-video recording of the entire notarial act. You must keep this electronic record just as you would your notary journal or logbook.
• For each notarial act conducted remotely, you must note in your notary journal or logbook details about the notarial act, including that the notarial act was conducted for a remotely located principal using communications technology.
• You may charge your normal $5 fee, plus the cost of using the communications technology, not to exceed $25. 

Few things to note about RON in Mississippi

The state of Mississippi has laid out a few things that title agencies and attorneys are supposed to note.  

• The Governor’s Executive Order is only a temporary waiver of the in-person requirement of the Mississippi Notary Statute and Rules. This is a significant change to notary practices in Mississippi.
• Notaries are encouraged to use a communications technology vendor designed for the purpose of facilitating remote notarizations, as opposed to services that primarily offer video conferencing ability. Such purpose-designed services include the ability to both see and hear a remotely located individual and record the notarial transaction. It is up to each notary to make sure he or she is in compliance with the Governor's Order.
• For additional guidance on available technology, notaries may wish to review the information made available by the National Notary Association www.nationalnotary.org  or other professional membership associations.
• In advance of utilizing remote notarization, notaries must give notice to the Secretary of State via email using this form.
• As a commissioned notary, it the legal responsibility of the notary to perform notarizations correctly pursuant to the Mississippi notary statute and Rules. 
• You may email any questions about this new process. 

Advantages of Remote Online Notarization

There are many advantages of remote online notarization. These are:

eClosing and RON is Safe. One cannot simply change or manipulate the details including the notary seal or signatures of a digital document unlike a physical one. In the current times, RON’s ability to provide social distancing during the closing process also adds to its 

Hassle-free experience. RON saves the hassle for buyers and sellers to travel or mail physical copies of documents. This adds to their positive experience. 

Saves Money. RON saves cost during title search and redoing physical documents and the paperwork needed in general. It also saves costs for the clients, they otherwise incur in mailing the documents. 

If you are a registered notary in Florida and thinking about remote notarization, this may be the right time to go for the training program and become an online notary in Florida. 

If you are anything like me, one of the first things you do when relocating to a new area is pull out your phone and Google what activities and attractions are available for your pleasure. I was the same way when I moved to Biloxi from Tampa. At first glance it seems as if the only things to do here in Biloxi are hop in your car and head to one of our many casinos.

I do not want anyone to make the same mistake I made in thinking this way. Biloxi is packed with fun for families of all ages. Starting at the foot of the Ocean Springs/ Biloxi Bridge on the Biloxi side you will find Biloxi's Maritime Museum. This will get you up to speed with the relationship locals have with the water. It is a way of life! From here you may be ready for a bite to eat and the city has more choices and variety than one would imagine. If seafood is what you are seeking, you have come to the right place. My top 3 choices would be The Half Shell Oyster House located in the Hard Rock Casino or Lameuse St if you prefer to stay out of the casino, The Reef located on Beach Blvd, or Shaggy's also located on the beach in Biloxi. 

If seafood is not your preference Woody's Roadside located on Beach Blvd offers great burgers and salads, Slap Ya Mamas is a great BBQ joint also located on Beach Blvd, and Patio 44 in Biloxi are amazing.

From here whether adults or children, Finish Line Go Carts which opened in 2018 is a fun stop. They offer carts that travel at speeds around 45 mph making the thrill that much more fun. If go carts are not your speed, maybe you can visit Margaritaville which offers a huge arcade, dining, and resort style pool if you are a guest. All of this probably has you wore out!

Time to take a load off and relax. The Rejuvenation Station in Biloxi offers massage, vitamin injections, and oxygen treatments to get you prepared for your evening out to town. This is one of my favorite venues for massage. While I am scared of needles, I have heard many great things about the vitamin injections as well. Tell them Emanuel sent you!

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, you are ready for your evening. With many shows and performances at the casino you may want to look into who is in town, but if a relaxing time is what you are looking for, shoot over to Mosaics Tapas in Ocean Springs and enjoy live music, great food, and an adult beverage if you wish. 

I hope this gives you a few ideas you did not have in mind to try while you are here. If you have any questions or would like some more insight into Biloxi, Call Me Emanuel Fenech at 228-369-1288 or Email at Emanuel@southernmshomesales.com.

Often times, I am asked about the home buying process and what to expect. Today, I would like to give you a quick rundown of what to expect when purchasing your first home:

• The first thing I advise my clients to do is - know how you will be paying for the home. If you intend to pay cash, have copies of your proof of funds ready to be sent over to prove you have the purchase power if the seller asks.
• If financing, we need to get you connected with a lender who has a track record of success. The lender will gather your financial information and get back to us with a pre-approval letter stating what type of loan you are approved for and how much you are approved for.

Once we have the financing in order, it is time to start shopping! I know you probably have been scouring the internet looking for all of the latest homes to hit the market and I want to help you with that. Our website https://www.southernmshomesales.com is updated every 15 seconds from our local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and will keep you updated on all of the homes that meet your criteria. Here is how it works:

• Register on the site with your best email and a good phone number to reach you.
• Set your search parameters for the city/price/amenities you are looking for.
• 'Favorite' the homes you have interest in.
• Request a tour through the website or call me directly at 228.369.1288.
• Tour homes until we find the perfect home for your needs.
• Once we have found the home for you it is time to submit an offer! 

Your offer is in and you are awaiting a response from the seller. If you are anything like me, this will be the hardest part of the whole process for you. (I am so anxious!) The seller has 3 options once your offer has been presented to them.

• They can accept your offer with no negotiations.
• They could counter your offer which will begin negotiations between the buyer and seller 
• They could reject your offer. (We can always submit another offer if you choose to.)

Your offer has been accepted!!!!! What now?

• The first thing we will want to do is schedule a home inspection. I will provide you the contact information of home inspectors our clients have used with success in the past, but if you have someone in mind, please feel free to use them.
• The inspector has finished and found some deficiencies in the home. What now?
• No need to panic. We will begin negotiations to have the seller repair items that were spotted during the home inspection. If the seller is unwilling, we may have to walk away from the deal unless you are willing to live with some of the repairs not being completed or accepting a credit from the seller. 
• All repairs are complete and we have contacted your lender to let them know it is time to order the appraisal.
• Your appraisal will come back at value, under value, or at value with conditions. If there are conditions it means that there are some repairs that need to be made prior to the home being valued where the appraiser has valued the property.
• Your lender may be asking you for additional documents at this time as you are in underwriting.
• You have submitted all required documents and the house has appraised. We are CLEAR TO CLOSE!
• We will schedule your closing and make this house your home. 
• If this is your primary residence do not forget to file for your homestead exemption between January 2nd and March 30th. This will give you a tax credit lowering your property taxes substantially. 

Congratulations! You are now a homeowner!!!