How do you market a home effectively?

A: Buyers are visual, and one of the first things they do is go online to begin their home search. It’s essential to have professional photos of the exterior and interior of the home. Have the photographer shoot up close and showcase architectural details. Drone aerial footage of the home, views, neighborhood and local town is another excellent way to market a home.

You always should market the home on your local Multiple Listing Service, install a for-sale sign with your direct contact information and the property’s website, host brokers open houses and, if seller is agreeable, we like to host both Saturday and Sunday public open houses.

Also, we market the home on all the top real estate websites. One thing we enjoy doing is hosting an evening open house party for the neighbors. Who better to sell your home than neighbors?

Make sure to do print advertising in all your local publications and, if possible, try and have your listing showcased with photos in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle real estate section. Advertise the home with the video on your Facebook and Instagram page. Social media is a terrific marketing tool. You want to make sure to cover all your bases. By doing all this, you are doing an excellent job of marketing your sellers’ home and yourself as a listing agent.

Kathleen Daly, Caldwell Banker, (415) 925-3205, kdaly@cbnorcal.com; Lisa Lange, Coldwell Banker, (415) 464-3318, lisalange@coldwellbanker.com.

A: Marketing my listings for my seller clients involves a comprehensive, aggressive approach to give the property maximum exposure to both the general public and the Realtor community.

For the general public, it is a combination of print media and Internet marketing. For the print media, newspaper ads, including The San Francisco Chronicle, and magazines like Homes and Land are targets.

Internet marketing has become much more important. The National Association of Realtors has found that 95 percent of buyers use the Internet as part of their home search.

Utilization of professional photography and virtual photo tours that get posted to these various websites is also important. I am still a big believer in open houses on Saturdays and Sundays.

When it comes to marketing myself, I have a couple of neighborhoods along the Peninsula — including the Millbrae Meadows and Parkside San Mateo area — where I have been mailing “Just listed” and “Just sold” postcards, newsletters and calendars.

I also have 200 past clients I stay in touch with regularly, including valuable monthly mailings, E-Reports and regular visits to say hello and remind them of the importance of referrals to me of those they know looking to buy or sell a home.

Jeff LaMont, Coldwell Banker, (650) 558-6886, jlamont@cbnorcal.com.

A: What they say is true: “Image is everything” and “You only have one chance to make a first impression.” For agents, the images we present to the world can make all the difference when marketing a home or appealing to new clients.

Industry research says more than 90 percent of buyers initiate their home search online. As a listing agent, my messaging and marketing materials have to pique a buyer’s interest as soon as the listing pops into their search results. The professional photos I choose to present of a beautifully staged or styled home create the setting for the story of the buyer in their new home.

The property website continues the proscribed narrative with an easy-to-navigate 3D Matterport tour and a list of features. But photos and websites don’t sell houses, they’re simply a luring invitation to get buyers in the door.

When it comes to marketing myself as a real estate agent and adviser, I believe “less is more” and most info should be easily viewed on a client’s phone.

Everything a potential client needs to know about me prior to our first meeting is on one simple Web page and/or Instagram profile. I think of these personalized assets as visual mission statements. Keeping it simple leads to more opportunities for stronger connections with face-to-face meetings and phone calls. Katharine Carroll, Pacific Union Real Estate, (650) 564-7122,

kat@katcarroll.com.