By Expert Contributor
Pip Haxby-Thompson
“It’s my busiest time of year”: every real estate agent this season. And they’re not wrong—our team, ranked as #1 real estate team in 08108 for 2024, can attest to that.
But why is housing so sprung for spring? It’s certainly a more palatable temperature to be lugging moving boxes around. Many families see the end of the school year as a natural transition point, making it a convenient time to relocate without disrupting grades or summer vacations. Plus, with daffodils and crocuses in full bloom, curb appeal is at its peak.
However, despite all the buyer activity, there’s a hidden risk when selling in spring. And that’s hiring a real estate agent who operates on the false confidence that they can get away with the bare minimum; booking photography, slapping it on the MLS, and letting the season do the heavy lifting.
The myth that spring is a magical season where homes practically sell themselves hurts sellers, and you might be turning away $50,000 more money by not doing this one thing.
Hacking the Zillow Algorithm
Picture this: you’re house hunting. An agent tells you “don’t use Zillow, use my website instead.” Do you listen to them? Heck no; Zillow is excellent late-night scrolling material. It could only be made more perfect if it had a comments section for trashtalking ugly wallpaper choices.
Zillow averages 57 million monthly visitors*, and its been estimated that more than two thirds of buyers begin their home search there**. Naturally to win in any market—summer, fall, winter or spring—you’ll want to hire a real estate professional who understands (1) how Zillow works, and (2) consumer mindset so you can use the platform’s features to your advantage.
#1 Feature: Zillow Showcase Listing
At the time of writing this article (2/28/2025) there’s 766 homes listed in Camden County. Only 4 of those homes are powered by Zillow Showcase Listing. ZSL is a little-known tool that:
- displays your home as a presentation, rather than just a checklist of specs
- showcases the highest quality photography in an engaging, interactive carousel
- gives priority placement to your listing in List View
- enlarges your listing’s pin in Map View
It means every buyer searching Zillow sees your home, and statistically the more eyes on your home the more (and better) offers you get. So why is this powerful tool so underused? Simple: only a handful of real estate teams in South Jersey have access to it… and The JFKLiving Team is one of them. We know that Zillow is the go-to search tool. As such, we’ve developed our listing strategy around it, which is how our team lands 08108 homeowners incredible offers in every market, including spring.
The JFKLiving Team’s 08018 Listings in Spring 2024
179 Lawnside Ave. Listed $355,000. Sold $408,200. 15%+
194 Lawnside Ave. Listed $375,000. Sold $439,000. 17%+
209 N Vineyard Blvd. Listed $550,000. Sold $601,000. 9%+
On average, our sellers walked away with 13% more money than they expected—and not only were the offers they received much more than their asking price (which was set at a Fair Market Value), many of those offers waived appraisal gaps, inspection repair requests, and they bent over backwards to meet the seller’s timeline.
194 Lawnside Ave was the star of Spring Market 2024; list agent Melisa Anderson deployed JFKLiving’s 5-Star Rated Listing Launch (involving videography, a social media campaign, a targeted email campaign to thousands of buyers searching in 08108, door-hanging, and mailers), and the results were exceptional.
In just a few days, the home saw 27 showings, 100 open house guests, and received an incredible 15 over-asking price offers. The final accepted offer? $64,000 over-ask! This is just one story of many that turns our clients into raving fans.
Spring Isn’t An Automatic Payday
The difference between a home that gets top dollar and one that just sells often comes down to how much effort the listing agent is willing to put in.
Spring may be the busiest time, but it doesn’t mean an automatic payday. We don’t believe in shortcuts, and we certainly don’t leave things up to chance. Our clients see record-breaking sales throughout all seasons because we commit our Listing Launch, going above and beyond, to every listing. Through strategic online exposure, memorable videography, and utilization of Zillow Showcase Listing that ‘hacks’ the Zillow algorithm, our clients feel the results.
So, if an agent tells you, “It’s spring, your home will sell no matter what,”—ask them how they plan to make sure you get the best possible price. If their answer is vague, you might want to find someone who actually puts in the work.
If you want to hear how we could land you $50,000 more than you expect for your 08108 home, email concierge@jfkliving.com.
*Zillow Users Data
**Buyer Data
https://www.rubyhome.com/blog/zillow-stats
