Prepare a property for marketing

1. Add main description

Your property should already have been added on the system to log details for the market appraisal
If not, click here for more information: Adding a property & booking a market appraisal

From the property record:

Sales

Lettings

In the brief description field (bottom middle pane):

• Add a short description of the property
  This is normally the summary/initial description used on property portals and brochures

The following settings are dependent on your system configuration:

- Property descriptions may have a text limit
- The strapline field is in use on some systems to add an extra shorter summary description
- The Marketing screen may offer other areas for descriptions to be entered, such as a long description, location & directions - see step 8

2. Attributes

Complete the property Attributes to accurately match your new property

To add/edit, in the Attributes panel:

• Click the pencil icon
  Sales
  
  Lettings

  

3. Sales properties - updating the vendor record, adding price, commission, financial & agency details

3a. Update vendor record

• Check details entered are correct

  

• Click Identity Check to enter vendor ID for all vendors
  
  For more information on ID, click here: Entering & reporting on ID

3b: Price

• Enter the asking price
  
  Click Asking Price to change the price qualifier, where applicable

3c: Commission

• Enter the percentage figure

  

  If using fixed fees, click the arrow beside the % and Change to fixed amount
  

• If you use a variable commission (or tiered fee) structure, click the menu beside Commission and select Variable Commission
  
  For more information on variable commission, click here: Variable commission / tiered fees - configuration option

3d: Fee detail & agency information

In the commission panel:

• Click Financial

  

• Ensure post-market appraisal information has been entered - i.e. Recommended Price, Market Appraisal Price & Vendor Estimate Price and Other Agent Appraisal information (where known)

• Select the Selling Agency type from the drop-down menu and enter Sub / Joint Agents information at the bottom of the screen

• Where required, enter an Inter-office Selling Fee and/or click Fee Splits to enter fee split detail (this can also be done/updated when changing the property to exchanged status)

4. Lettings properties - updating the vendor record, adding commission & financial details

4a: Update landlord record

• Click Landlord
  

• Check details entered are correct

• If there is a joint landlord, in the Joint Landlords section, click the + and search for (or add) their details

• Click Identity Check (top left) to enter landlord ID
  
  For more information on ID, click here: Entering & reporting on ID

• In Financial section, click the pencil icon to add/update the landlord financial details
  
  Bank, accountant & VAT details are held here, along with Non-Resident Landlord information

4b: Rent

• Enter the rent

  

  Click Rent to change rent setting (per week, per 28 days/4 weeks, per month, per annum), where applicable

4c: Letting Fee

• Enter the percentage figure

  

  If not using percentage fees, click the arrow beside the % and select from options to: 
  Change to fixed amount or Set to multiple of weekly or monthly rent

4d: Letting service (& fee)

• Select the relevant letting service from the drop-down menu and associated fees, as applicable

  

4e: Fee detail & agency information

In the fees panel:

• Click Rent/Fee Details

  

• Use the Commission section to enter more detailed fee information can be entered

• Vacant Management details can be entered

• On the right, select the relevant Agency type from the drop-down list
  Sub & Joint Agents can then be added at the bottom of the screen

5. Add photos, floorplans & maps

The panel at the bottom left of the property screen is used to store all property images

• Click View pictures to add images or click and drag images over this panel
  Images can be a picture, floorplan, map, QR code or EPC

  

• To add images, from top left click Add Picture / Floorplan / Map buttons 

  • Enter labels for each image

  • Yellow star indicates the main picture
    Clicking a grey star will switch the main image to that one

  • Icons bottom right of each image allow you to edit or delete the image

  • Click and drag the images to change their position

• Click the Picture link under each image to set what type it is

  

• Once added, the main picture is shown on the property screen
  Use arrow keys (right/left) to scroll through the images

  

6. Create EPC

Once the EPC figures are available, an EPC graph image can be generated

From the Attributes panel:

• Click EPC

  

• Enter the Energy Efficiency Rating / Potential and the Environmental Impact Rating / Potential 

• Use the Created field to enter the date the figures were generated
  Enter any other information required (URLs / Document Files)

• Click Make Graph
  A message will be displayed to confirm the graph has been created with the option to view it
  If Yes is clicked, the graph will be shown on screen

  

• The graph can be viewed any time using the View Graph button

7. Add rooms

The level and format of information added to the rooms screen is usually dictated by company requirements for your property brochures and portal uploads

From the Attributes panel:

• Click Rooms

  

From the top right panel:

• Select room Name from the drop-down list or type in your own

• Enter Dimensions in metric or imperial
  When hovering over the field, both formats will be shown

• Enter a Description

• Click Picture and select the required picture from the list

• Click Add
  The room detail is added to the main panel of the screen
  To make changes to the room, select it in the main panel, makes changes and click Save 

• Continue using the top right panel to add further room detail

  

When complete...

• Click Make Summary to create a summary of the accommodation details entered, or type own summary in this panel
  The summary is usually used as 'key features' when uploading to property portals

• When the details have been approved, tick Details Approved and click Save (top right)
  

8. Marketing screen

From the top middle panel:

• Click Marketing

  

Sale Board

• Enter Type and Status information
  Depending on configuration, this may trigger an email for sending to your board supplier

Extra Descriptions

What is shown/entered here is dependent on configuration/company requirements

• Enter the required extra descriptions for this property

Internet

• If you want to stop the property from being uploaded to property portals, tick No Internet Advertising

• If the property is not being uploaded to the internet (when it should be):

  • Click Internet Check, a pop-up will be displayed to help pinpoint the issue(s) 

    

9. Create brochure

Templates will be set-up on your system for creating your property brochures/window cards

• Click Details (top right) - the list of templates will be displayed

  

• Double-click the required template
  Details will be taken from the property to create a set of details in Word format

• Check over the details produced and make any changes

• From Word, click Save - save options are displayed

  

Save details as a Word document (recommended to allow future edits to be carried out)

• Leave set to Save document in property letters folder and click Accept

• When asked Convert to PDF? click No

• The Save file as screen is displayed - enter a File name and click Save
  This will save a Word version of the details in the property Letters folder - see 9a

  

Save as PDF particulars

• Go back to the Word document and click Save again

• Select Store as PDF particulars for property and click Accept

• This saves a PDF version in the Details screen in the Predefined Details section

  

  An option to email the PDF details is available from here, see information below

Email details from property details screen

• Click E-mail to select an applicant to send the details to
  This would usually attach the PDF to the email and add brief details too

• An option to log the email in the applicant/property journal is also offered

9a. Word details in property letters folder

After saving a Word version of the details to the property letters folder (outlined in step 9 above):

• From property, click Letters (top right) 

• The Word file is displayed in Existing letters and files (right)

10. Change property status

In Status (top middle panel):

• Select For Sale / To Let - Won Instruction OR To Let - Won Instruction

• Click Save