I’m a high-energy career marketer turned real estate advisor.
I joined Engel & Völkers because of our high standards and the classiness of our global brand. We aren’t real estate agents, we’re advisors... reflecting our elevated professionalism and our duty to guide our clients.
In addition to my role as a real estate advisor, I serve our brokerage in a CMO capacity. We are very intentional about working to deliver a true luxury experience and white glove service.
When I’m not helping people buy or sell their home you’ll find me...
Frequenting wine bars like Ramo d’Olivo or Bar Cleeta, honing my watercolor skills (or lack thereof) with my daughter Ainsley, boating on Beaver Lake with my favorite guy, sipping coffee with friends at Blake Street, sweating at Hotworx, reading, watching The Bear or planning my next travel adventure.
I hope we’ll get a chance to work together soon!
@BethanyOnTheMove
@BethanyOnTheMove
linkedin.com/in/bethanystephens
bethanystephens.evrealestate.com
A Powerful Global Brand
Engel & Völkers is a luxury, global real estate brand with a vast network of buyers and sellers.
Our reputation is built on premium properties around the world along with our dedicated yachting division and mountain, golf, ski, ranch, wine, equestrian and waterfront properties.
Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Völkers has expanded to over 1,000 locations (or “shops”) worldwide.
From the elevated sophistication of our signs to sleek marketing materials and global reach, Engel & Völkers is uniquely suited to serve discerning clients and refined properties.
But this can lead prospective clients to worry and wonder:
Is my property of high enough value? Can you work with someone at my budget?
The simple answer is yes... because we think of luxury as a level of service, not price point.
I am here to deliver a white glove, bespoke experience to every client I serve... from a 900 square foot tiny home to luxury lakefront properties.
Let’s get to work!
A Higher Standard for Marketing
When you hire a real estate agent, you should get someone who works exceptionally hard on your behalf... not someone who is trying to make easy money or coast through the job with minimal effort.
If you’re selling a property, you need an expert listing agent... not someone to throw a sign in the yard and drop your house on the MLS with a bunch of iPhone pictures. I truly shine as a listing agent... it’s where I do my best work.
And if you’re ready to purchase a home, you need someone to guide you and help you find (and negotiate) the perfect place to live your ideal life... not someone to drive around unlocking doors and turning on lights.
There are nearly 4,000 real estate agents in Northwest Arkansas, but fewer than 400 are doing most of the business. I’m proud to be in the top 10% after less than two years in the industry. I’ve studied what works and blended it with my own expertise and intuition. And as a former marketer, I know that what gets a property sold effectively is *not* what most agents are doing.
Here’s what you get when you work with me...
For Every Listing
These are the marketing measures you can count on for every listing, every time. Each of these tactics define my personal go-tomarket strategy every time a client trusts me to help them market and sell their property.
High End Photography
Rushed, blurry photos on my phone won’t cut it. I hire the best photographers in the area for my listings who - like me - are truly competent professionals in their field. They understand that listing photography is not the same as lifestyle, portrait or product photography... and they know how to take excellent photos that cast a property in its best light (without being misleading). Additionally, I’ll make sure you’re thoroughly prepared for photos with specific suggestions and a detailed guide. 01
Guidance & Coaching
It’s often evident that a seller is not working with a proactive agent. From an in-home consultation where we’ll discuss all of the properties merits (and any challenges) to thoughtful and direct input on how to style and stage your home, my job is to help my clients feel calm, collected and prepared. I provide a detailed seller’s guide as well as tips on decluttering and prep, and I’ll walk you through some of our aboveand-beyond documentation (such as your five favorite things about the home and a list of upgrades and amenities) 02
Pricing Strategy
The appropriate price for a listing should not be a shot in the dark, dictated by Zillow estimates or a random sequence of numbers designed to be “eye-catching.” It’s based on the seller’s goals, industry trends, the condition of the home, economic drivers, hard data and a true pulse on what’s happening in our market. You’ll receive detailed and proactive comps to capture what I’m seeing in the market, and then we’ll discuss your goals. The majority of my listings sell in 30 - 60 days at 98% of list price or better, despite often being in saturated neighborhoods or up against stiff competition... and I believe that’s often because of my strategic approach to pricing.
Listing Concierge
Our brokerage offers something (rather, someone) unique: a dedicated listing concierge who enters all of our listings into the MLS database. So why does that matter? First, she is a subject matter expert who understands the precise sequence of photos that is most appealing to buyers. Additionally, a dedicated person doing this job ensures there are no errors, typos or disparities - we have a process, and we do it the same way every single time... because we have perfected that process. So my job is to know the home inside out, write a compelling property description... and hand the listing to our in-house expert.
Exclusive Exposé
Some real estate companies have flyers with a cacophany of colors, fonts and typos... we have a sleek, sophisticated, detailed and precise exposé built for every single listing. So if you walk past our shop on Main Street in bustling downtown Bentonville (along with hundreds of other locals and visitors each day), you’re likely to see your listing prominently featured in our front window in a manner that will make you proud (and catch the eye of passers-by).
Sophisticated Signage
Many homebuyers first find their dream home thanks to the yard signage. Unfortunately, for sale signs are often flimsy or poorly designed, knocked over by inclement weather or full of confusing or unclear information. Conversely, our chic colonial signs make a visual statement and send a clear signal that the listing is special and distinct.
Social Media
My background is in social media and influencer marketing, and I was a very early adopter in the space. I know firsthand the power of properly leveraging social media to drive grassroots awareness and exposure. Engel & Völkers Bentonville promotes every listing on social, but you’ll also find me using forward-thinking tactics to spread the word on my own channels. My content strategy is threefold: share, support, sell. I know the importance of not expending all my social capital to constantly pitch and push, and I stay true to an authentic and genuine approach... so when I do promote a property, it gets attention.
Digital Media
Every single Engel & Völkers property listing has a beautiful, dedicated landing page created to showcase the property online. Additionally, each property is marketed on our Engel & Völkers Bentonville shop page and on my dedicated site. Our company’s EDGE (Extensive Domestic & Global Exposure) platform and media partnerships drive exposure to E&V listings in each market we serve... and around the world. Additionally, the E&V Insider App is a dedicated resource for prospective buyers to search our listings and our property console reports provide a snapshot of a listing’s online performance across a multitude of globally-recognized real estate sites.
Off Market Opportunities
While many real estate agents are in competition with one another, Engel & Völkers advisors work collaboratively across the region and around the world. Our clients often benefit from off-market deals, proprietary listings and the synergy of our team and global network. We’re able to connect buyers and sellers to make dreams come true... often helping sellers avoid going on the market or helping buyers find a property before it hits the public eye.
Personal Outreach
Perhaps the most powerful tool in my marketing toolkit is my personal network, established relationships, deep community knowledge and willingness to hustle and think outside the box. I’m not satisfied with putting a listing online and hoping the right person finds it. From developing buyer personas to proactive word of mouth marketing to directly targeting potential buyers by working my connections, I go far above and beyond the average agent in considering every angle and opportunity to get my listings in front of the right buyers.
Enhanced Marketing Measures
Some properties require a special touch... either because the property itself is exceptional or exemplary, or because it faces distinct challenges that necessitate an uncommon approach. Our brand’s solutions blended with my marketing background are perfectly poised for either scenario.
Email Marketing
The MLS database is huge and can be overwhelming... even to seasoned agents. While buyers often find homes they’d like to see, a good realtor is always on the lookout for the right property to serve up to their clients. Ensuring my listings land in the right inboxes at the right time with a solid hook and a reason to pay attention has consistently paid off for my clients.
04
Staging & Vision
Vacant or distinct properties can show very well, but they can also create a unique challenge for buyers to be able to see themselves and their lives unfolding in the home. I have established relationships with staging and interior design professionals who can offer full home staging or partial/ occupied staging... and occasionally virtual staging. Planting ideas and showing potential can make the difference between a property languishing on the market and moving quickly.
02 ShopTV
Similar to property exposés in our shop windows, ShopTV is an eye-catching, show-stopping digital billboard on the large TVs inside each E&V brokerage. These digital highlights draw attention to some of our most distinguished listings... from a stunning home overlooking the ocean on the cliffs in Nova Scotia to a breathtaking mountain ranch property in Montana. When clients visit our shops, they are immediately mesmerized by the rotating array of dream properties.
05 Drone & Video
Sometimes it takes more than stellar photography to sell a homes - especially for lakefront properties, larger acreage or unique locations. Partnerships with drone experts and videographers bring the story to life, helping potential buyers zoom out to understand the property’s unique merits. Drone and video can be key for depicting location, proximity to amenities like golf, waterfront or trails... or capturing the approach to the home when coming by boat or by bike.
Public Open House
Hosting an open house for the general public is not right for every property, and I do them sparingly. The property needs to feel special, show well and spark curiosity. And for unique properties or locations (think lake listings or large homes), sometimes an open house is the perfect invitation for curious buyers to take the leap on taking a look. A public open house can allow a white glove approach to matchmaking and helping buyers envision themselves in a home.
06
Print & Direct Mail
As much as I love digital and social media, print and direct mail will always have a place in property marketing. From door hangers and sleek flyers to spread the word about open houses to targeted postcards to help my clients find off-market deals or to promote listings, I work closely with trusted designers and printers to create distinct marketing pieces that match the caliber of the properties I represent and clients I serve.
When we say that Engel & Völkers has global reach, it’s more than just lip service. From private referral groups where advisors seek solutions to the needs of high end clients to partnerships for the development of trusted connections in Mallorca or Paris, we are defined by a commitment to world-class service and helping our clients with their needs... anywhere around the globe.
10 Content Marketing
In a past life, I was a blogger and writer... long before influencer marketing existed. From guest writing articles in magazines and newspapers to using blogs to drive exposure for products and services, I’ve long understood how to leverage content marketing to reach a target audience. Little has changed, and I regularly use storytelling and dedicated content to bring listings and developments to life for prospective buyers. And as a regular guest for local television and podcasts, I take advantage of every available microphone to drive awareness for the properties I represent.
08 Press & Publications
From podcast appearances mentioning our market or my listings to local press relationships, grassroots PR and outreach are one of my favorite marketing tactics. But above and beyond my own methods, Engel & Völkers has established media partnerships with luxury real estate publications such as James Edition and Mansion Global as well as relationships for press and media opportunities with the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal for both features and listings. E&V also publishes the distinct Private Residences journal as well as the glossy, high-end GG Magazine featuring architecture, design, travel and the elevated lifestyles of trendsetters in luxury destinations around the world.
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Advertising & Paid Media
Leveraging sophisticated digital marketing tools to support the properties and clients I serve is one of the best ways to get in front of the right eyes and audiences. From geotargeting and boosting social posts to banner ads and campaigns. I look at advertising as an enhancement to the daily work I do to spread the word about the properties I represent. Occasionally, I place print ads in publications to reach a specific type of buyer (for example, the Haven Lifestyles publication distributed in Texas and Louisiana to promote lakefront properties to second home buyers from Dallas/Fort Worth and other metro areas).
11 Broker’s Open House 12
Lifestyle Niches
I don’t do a ton of open houses. They can be appropriate for certain properties and market conditions, but sometimes an open house is more likely to draw neighbors and “tire kickers” rather than serious, qualified buyers. It’s my job to know what works based on the neighborhood, time of year, property and many other factors. Occasionally, an exclusive and private “broker’s open house” is the better tactic for elevated or unique properties, allowing me to work with established business partners and extend direct, personal invitations to the industry professionals who are most likely to work with target clients.
The Engel & Völkers brand represents a number of distinct and very specific lifestyle divisions, including mountain, ski, ranch, wine and equestrian properties. I work with a trail home specialist within our team to help clients buy and sell homes adjacent to our region’s robust bike trail system, and I have specialties in two of our distinct divisions: golf properties and water properties. I am a golf certified real estate advisor thanks to our E&V Partnership with Golf Life Navigators, and I am licensed within our E&V Yachting Division. This means I have highly specialized knowledge and resources to help my clients sell and purchase golf and lake properties, and I am also qualified to manage the distinct process of dock valuations as well as boat and yacht sales.
