SE VA Commercial Real Estate Seller Offerings
- Adam Garrett
- Jul 24
- 15 min read
In this article, Adam Garrett, REALTOR® w/ Garrett Realty Partners, will go over what he offers commercial sellers.
Marketing:
Top 1% Virtual Tours w/ the Best Platform & the Best Camera for Virtual Tours Compatible w/ it
Did you know that most resale properties don't use the top virtual tours available even when they include 3D tours, and that the most common platform used isn't even a top 6 platform among virtual tours in terms of quality (but it's cheap, they say...)? Among listings, my listings are top 1% in terms of the quality of the virtual tours, combining Matterport photography (the top platform by far), the best 3D camera available to be used on that platform for 3D tours (the Matterport Pro 3 Performance Kit) with attention to detail in including not just interior shots but including exterior as well. Virtual tours boost properties in search results in a number of places and increase the probability of someone viewing your property online. If the virtual tour is actually a good one, including interior finished space, interior unfinished space, and exterior, in a 3D style, things get even better, with a lower probability of sight-unseen purchasers wanting to withdraw from a contract from surprises.
Matterport is the industry leader in virtual tours. Matterport virtual tours (including interior & exterior*) contain superior virtual tours vs typical alternatives including a dollhouse view option. Often with other agents, when Matterport tours are used, no exterior shots are taken and no garage or other unfinished space photos are taken. My standard commission structure includes interior & exterior.
Here's a ranking of the top Matterport alternatives by a Popular Youtuber as part of a deep dive comparison, with common options like Zillow 360 Tours Not High Quality Enough to make the Cut:
Matterport example I shot at a former listing I sold, including interior, exterior, & dollhouse view.
Image courtesy Matterport from Adam's sold listing
Image courtesy Matterport from Adam's sold listing
*Top .1% Area Photography
*Area photography by Adam including area amenities. Among local listings, mine include top 1% area photography.
Here are Hampton area photo examples I shot.
I also have photos I've taken in Richmond, King & Queen, York County, Williamsburg, Norfolk, Smithfield, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, & more! Typically I add more photos prior to listing as long as my mid-grade commission is selected. For those with lower commissions, my existing area photos are available, with some exceptions where I'll still take new pictures.
Below are examples from Newport News:
Christopher Newport University
Stoney Run Athletic Complex
Denbigh Community Center
Denbigh Community Center
Huntington Beach, boat ramp, tennis courts, & park
Top 5%: Standard Aerials of All Listings
Many commercial sales lose potential buyer traction by completely skipping aerials. For those listings that do aerials, some are much better than others.
Aerial photography examples by Adam Garrett:
Keep in mind that there are some rare cases where I don't integrate aerials of the property in a listing even though I'll typically have aerials of area amenities. A typical case where I won't include aerials of a listing is if an aerial would highlight a negative element of a property no matter the angle (i.e. branches touching the roof, etc.).
Top 5%: *Premium Snacks & Drinks
On vacant properties, I can provide snacks and drinks of much better selection, quality, and quantity than typical if present at all. These snacks and drinks selected keep in mind mitigating the damage of spills, with all clear liquids, for instance.
Top 10%: *Limited practical staging assistance
Limited practical staging assistance, including (if not already present & if applicable) hand towels, hand soap, interior floor mats, exterior entry mats, shoe covers, toilet paper, basket for shoe covers w built-in label, metal step-to open trashcan(s), wine cooler for available drinks, Poo-Pourri, plungers & toilet brushes, $100's of $ in label/picture holders (with the latter benefiting homes that are not physically staged & to showcase area amenities), etc.*
Professional Still Photography
I won't mention his name here, but I like to get the best real estate photographer in the area who sellers rarely would be able to find since he has won plenty of awards but has few reviews online.
*Details Provided & Follow Up with Buyers & Buyer's Agents
While some agents are downright neglectful when it comes to follow-up, responding to inquiries from buyers' agents, & showing requests from buyers' agents, Adam is responsive to inquiries in detail & provides plenty of information upfront with buyers' agents at the time of their showing request, such as web pages dedicated to showing his listings & for buyers' agents writing offers so that sellers can receive the best offers. Adam also has options for reaching out to parties who expressed interest or showed the property without ruling it out prior to acceptance of an offer, unless related to a deadline that was clear in MLS prior to the buyer's agent's request for a showing in agent remarks.
*On Property Throughout Listing: Enhancing the Showing Experience for Buyers
*Stands available to put 11"x17" cardstock images of home while staged if the furniture is removed prior to listing and to put on location and nearby aerials if desired. In some rooms, rather than including the stands, they'll be put directly onto countertop surfaces, such as on this kitchen countertop that's agent to the area on the cardstock image:
Top 1% live video available for prospective buyers with Adam's showings available for unrepresented buyers and unavailable buyer's agents (see section VI).
On Property Throughout Listing: Enhancing the Showing Experience for Buyers' Agents
According to the National Association of Realtors in 2022, "86% of buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker." The opinion and experience of the buyer's agent can be highly influential with the buyers including whether or not they make an offer, the quality of the offer they make, and how aggressively or not they try to keep the transaction intact.
*1-3 electronic MLS lockboxes & a contractor lockbox (minimum 1 electronic & 1 contractor box for homes & commercial buildings)
Many agents have too limited lockboxes available, in some cases, eliminating a buyer and buyer's agent's ability to see a home before it goes under contract in a hot market, especially if the agent isn't part of the local MLS.
*Paper Marketing Campaign
I offer professional highlight sheets produced by the GRP marketing department.
https://www.adambgarrett.com/examples-of-my-marketing
*Paper marketing to around 100 agents at my firm & same flyer on property in a flyer box on the sign & in building
*Paper Just Listed Postcard to area owners to at least 200 households - available for typical commissions over $300k & discount commissions over $800k. These require that the property be ready for pictures at least 2 weeks prior to listing.
Digital Marketing & *Social Media Campaign
Email marketing to roughly 100 agents
Direct feed from MLS to hundreds of websites through a paid 3rd party service.
*A social media campaign with an average reach of over 10 thousand and average engagement over one thousand (also excluding certain distressed properties that are in condition that could lead to public heckling, i.e. unusually dirty properties & those with many obvious repair needs)
None of the above are paid ads, but each took time and achieved results that other agents wouldn't. The top source of buyers coming to the open house on that last listing and one of the top sources of buyers inquiring after the open house was my Facebook campaign. I didn't spend a dime, and partnered with the seller by setting things up where it was easy for them to perform some supplementary shares while I did the bulk of them.
Images courtesy Facebook
*Appraisal Paid Up Front by Adam
While I don't recommend ruling out an agent due to list price differences, if you're about to list with another agent primarily since they say that your property is worth more or less than I do, or if you otherwise have a disagreement with me on price that isn't quickly resolved, I have a unique option for you. I'll front (up to $500 of) the money for an appraisal from the appraiser of your choice as long as the appraiser has at least 5 years of full-time experience. If the appraisal comes back closer to my amount, you can pay me back after listing with me when we close. If the appraisal comes back closer to the other agent's amount, you don't need to pay me back as long as you list with me & close with me.
Items above with a * may depend on location, price, and commission bracket desired
More about Adam:
My list of values as evidenced by quotes from reviews:
Staying Available
Working Hard
Saving Clients Money
Keeping Clients' Interests First
Client Educator (See also my extensive website that includes enough content I've written to fill a book)
High Ethical Standards Including Integrity
Excellence
An Excellent Combination of Physical & Digital Resources
Excellent digital tool belt to assist sellers, including but not limited to:
Extensive writing on numerous subjects beyond email direct content that can be provided on call, with over 50,000 words on my website alone.
Highly comprehensive emails edited according to situations at each major step of the process to guide you thoroughly. An informed seller can make the best decisions.*
Here are some of the digital resources I offer specific to sellers, though many of my digital resources are unpublished.
Excellent physical tools, gadgets, & other resources to assist sellers.
For vacant properties with wifi on, I can provide 2 wifi-enabled security cameras so that a seller can get alerted as people enter the property and pass the camera via motion detection. Even without wifi, the cameras have built-in storage available.
For absent sellers looking to cut costs on maintenance on vacant properties, I have hoses, sprinklers, and timers that are delayed in the event of rain
For sellers looking to do a more DIY approach to cleaning, repairs, & other preparations, I have the following available for loan for up to 2 weeks on a 1st come, 1st serve basis:
Electric blower w/ up to 11' extension for cleaning gutters
A few Gorilla-style ladders
30' Doca Pole including the following attachments :
window cleaner
Rake (for roofs)
Light bulb changer
Duster
Saw
Dusters: Cobweb, microfiber feather, & chenille fan
Greenworks 40V 8-Inch Cordless Polesaw, 2.0Ah Battery and Charger Included PS40B210 w/ up to 11' Reach
Ryobi P271 18V drill kit w/ over 100 attachments to choose from
Basic toolbox (i.e. hammer, tape measure, and some wrenches)
Hedge trimmer
Extension cord
Mole traps
Various other tools, i.e. a large pipe wrench
Legacy as a 3rd Generation Realtor® Co-Listing w/ Greg Garrett
With commercial properties, my father, Greg Garrett (Linkedin, Facebook, Company Webpage), co-lists properties with me. He's been Recognized in Realtor® Magazine as one of the top 50 Realtors® in the United States. He's sold at least a few dozen properties for sellers over $1,000,000 & has possibly sold more real estate than anyone else living in SE VA. He's sold dozens of commercial/multi-family properties as well.
My father, a 14th generation Virginian, got in the business in the late 70's, and both of his parents were real estate agents. My grandmother acquired the prestigious Emerald Award from the Virginia Peninsula Association of Realtors, acquired from those who have 20 years of award-winning sales based on volume. In some years, only 1 person achieves that award.
"Early in his real estate career, Greg became the #1 agent on the Virginia Peninsula. Then he became the #1 agent throughout Hampton Roads, Virginia. He has closed on over 4000 thousand properties personally since they started recording his closings in our primary local MLS in the late 90's. In his best year, he closed on a property a day. He brands himself as a team although it is just him, transaction coordinators & other staff. He has "toned down" the amount of time he spends on real estate, but still sells around 100 properties a year.
High Net Proceeds Driven in Part by Honesty/Candor with Sellers
One of the top reasons to select an agent is because an agent is able to maximize your net proceeds. While many factors are involved, 1 of the top reasons is my honesty with sellers. Maximizing your net proceeds can't happen unless an agent is honest with a seller. A good agent should ultimately leave things up to you, but recommend what you can do to participate in achieving the top net proceeds you can, from cleaning, painting, & performing repairs to filling out seller surveys. An agent being honest means possibly not seeming as "enthusiastic" about your listing when meeting with you as other agents. It also means that honest agents are more likely to provide a lower # when it comes to suggested value. Many sellers fail to realize that and don't pick me because of my honesty, without realizing what they're doing, picking an agent instead who doesn't mention any flaws or suggests a much higher value. My honesty with sellers doesn't stop me from sounding very enthusiastic in the actual listing, pointing out positives of your property left and right and consistently going within 95% of the word count cap in remarks on REIN MLS before adding even more positives in picture captions of a listing as visible on MLS. It's very rare to see that from an agent. There are many agents who will intentionally wait until after a seller signs a listing agreement before mentioning any suggestions about improvements because they know those suggestions could cost them the listing if another agent seems more "enthusiastic" than them. In many cases, waiting like that could cost a seller time & $, in addition to frustration that the agent didn't tell them sooner.
Related:
2. Financing Repairs Paid at Closing
3. Where to Find Equipment To Borrow/Lease/Purchase for Your Property Repairs/Reno/Cleaning
Examples of Adam Maximizing Seller Net Proceeds
1. In 1 case, I received an offer $40,000 higher than the closed price of another agent at the same property. On that occasion, a listing of mine had 3 offers while I listed it. The seller went against my advice and rejected the highest offer. Shortly after they listed with another Realtor, convinced that I was not marketing the property enough despite marketing efforts that far exceeded that of a typical listing, likely in the top 1% of active marketing for properties. After multiple price reductions, a year later, it sold through that other agent, one of the top agents in VA, for a sales price $40,000 less than the offer that they had rejected while I was the listing agent that I recommended that they not reject. Keep in mind that the market had appreciated during that year.
2. In some markets, those who market properties very well can achieve contracts that an appraisal can't justify. Conversely, when agents don't do top-tier marketing, there are many cases where properties are purchased for below the appraised value. Here are some examples from when I represented the seller(s) & my marketing led to contracts above appraisal:
A. 1 contract was $45k above (after the appraiser raised the amount from his original amount based on a value dispute I made), which was roughly 10% of the sales price.
B. Buyers paying as high as $15k (6% over the appraised price) above appraised value with an agreement for that in advance of purchase at time of offer.
C. Some closings with no appraisal contingency
Experience
I have had full-time experience as a Realtor since February 2015 with over 100 closings as of 2022. Prior to becoming a Realtor, I spent 9 months full-time in the marketing department at Garrett Realty Partners. As visible from a brief review of my website & as shared by a review, "As a third generation realtor, his knowledge base and experience is beyond his years."
Not only am I experienced in real estate, but I'm also highly detailed including in my property walk-throughs for all sellers who want to maximize profits by not going as-is, but available for as-is sales as well.
Transparent Coverage Map of Where I Can Help Sellers Based on Price & MLS Access
Below a Coverage Map for sellers is labeled along with the 5 MLS I have access to with strong coverage. Areas in white are where my MLS don't have ideal coverage. See my coverage map page for more details including exceptions where I may go below the figures pictured below. For those outside of my standard coverage, I can often provide a quality referral for those seeking to buy or sell property >$40k.
Adam’s cities/counties covered include:
Amelia County,
Charles City County,
Chesapeake,
Chesterfield County,
Colonial Heights,
Dinwiddie County,
Essex County,
Franklin,
Gloucester County,
Goochland County,
Hampton,
Hanover County,
Henrico County,
Hopewell,
Isle of Wight County,
James City County,
King William County,
King & Queen County,
Lancaster County,
Mathews County,
Middlesex County,
New Kent County,
Newport News,
Northumberland County,
Nottoway County,
Petersburg
Poquoson,
Portsmouth,
Powhatan County,
Prince George County,
Richmond (City of),
Richmond County,
Southampton County,
Suffolk,
Surry County,
Sussex County,
Virginia Beach,
Williamsburg,
York County,
Transparency
On this website, you'll find plenty of information about me, a number of articles with me educating sellers, & otherwise.
Fast Facts About Adam
Adam doesn't perform dual agency, where 1 agent attempts to represent both buyer and seller. While legal in VA, it's so fraught with problems that it's illegal in some states and prohibited at Garrett Realty Partners.
Adam has a wide coverage area throughout the majority of SE VA, excluding the Eastern Shore, for properties for buyers and sellers with access to 5 MLS. He also has a spreadsheet of where those MLS are most important, info on where multiple MLS in SE VA are most important, and where in SE VA other MLS are used substantially or primarily.
As of 2022 Adam's closed on over 100 properties.
Adam can do commercial or residential real estate, land only or land with structure(s).
Related Facts:
Adam is good with math & good with words. He scored in the top 2 percentile on the SAT in math and scored an 80/80 on the writing skills PSAT.
Competitive Commissions with Multiple Options
Adam pays the admin fee so that his sellers don't have to.
Considering what Adam offers at different commission brackets & price points, what he offers is highly competitive. For instance, with his lowest commission options at the lowest price points he serves, sellers would still have professional photos, aerials, and Matterport virtual tour, a combination that is rarely offered standard by other agents even at significantly higher listing side commissions. Some of the drawbacks of his lower commission options are fewer new area pics available to be taken by me from the ground or the air, & other reduced offerings in various capacities where I typically go above and beyond (i.e. no top 3% premium snacks/drinks at the property throughout listing).
What agent you use to sell can have a drastic influence on your net proceeds, even if selecting between 2 agents that charge the same commission rates, depending on the quality of the agent you are getting and the marketing that they will do for your property. See examples of just how much that can mean (i.e. $40k different sales price) in my section titled "Examples of Adam Maximizing Seller Net Proceeds".
If you're looking for the lowest commissions in town, Adam doesn't have them. If he did offer the lowest commission in town, he would need to drastically reduce what he offers, otherwise, he'd be forced out of business very quickly because he goes above and beyond again & again. In order for very low commission agents to survive, they have to cut many corners even vs what typical agents do to support much higher volume than a typical agent.
Excellent Options if You Also Need to Buy
If you need to buy as well, I've got excellent options.
Example Interior & Exterior Matterport Virtual Tour from a former listing of Adam's including sidewalk views of the shops of Hilton Village on Warwick Blvd. Matterport example shot by Adam
Ask Adam & All Agents You Interview for Their 5 Most Recent Listings: Those Say a Lot About Agents & Are Often Neglected by Sellers.
Ask all agents you interview for their 5 most recent listings. Pay a lot of attention to the quality of those listings, & it's a good idea to compare similar listings from 2 agents side by side in terms of property quality and sq ft of the property. Here are some metrics to check:
Picture volume (though keep in mind that unless you're talking about a kitchen with an island, a room with special features like a fireplace, or a room that exceeds 500 sq ft, you shouldn't be often seeing more than 2 pictures of each room that should get the full room between them; if you have 50 pictures of a 2k sq ft property on <.25 acres with no area pictures, the agent is merely doing a lot of unnecessary photos in most cases that waste buyers' time).
Picture quality
Area photos (for properties with <3k sq ft & <.5 acres, these are most important)
Virtual tour quality (especially whether or not it was 1 of the 6 top platforms used, exterior shot volume, area amenity shot volume, & unfinished space volume)
Word count for public remarks & how many positive features are mentioned per property
Searchability via the number of included items mentioned outside of the public remarks (specifically focusing on those items that aren't required but that can have a big impact on your property getting filtered out of a search, like acreage in REIN MLS)
Also, verify with them that those listings that the agent/broker sends you are their most recent listings just in case an agent wants to cherry-pick. If the listings are more spread out chronologically or not near you vs other agents, that's not the problem that many believe it is, especially if the marketing quality is higher (which inherently takes more time &/or $ for the agent).
Keep in mind that sometimes, Matterport tours are taken down soon after a sale closes. In my case, I typically don't keep them up much longer after closing, but have an archive of all of the Matterport virtual tours I've done in case you'd like me to reactivate one for you.
For more details, go to: Reviewing Agents' Former Listings Online
Related:
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