Real Estate Tips- REALLY need to sell? What to look for in a real estate agent.
Real Estate Tips- REALLY need to sell? What to look for in a real estate agent.
In today’s real estate market, it is imperative that Home/Property Sellers get it right. By that I mean that the competitive nature of the current real estate market needs to be matched by an agent/team that is equally as competitive and experienced…not just selling real estate, but SELLING REAL ESTATE IN TODAY’s MARKET! In short, things are VERY different than in the hayday of 3-5 years ago. So for that reason, this list although timeless, will have a definate edge towards what you will face it today’s market. Probably the biggest aspect ignored and overlooked by real estate agents and consumers alike, is the cooperation needed on the part of YOU, the consumer. Ever heard the line, “…I can only help someone that will help themselves?”…well the same is true in today’s real estate market where a real team outlook and effort is the only way to get the job done, beat the market, and SELL YOUR PROPERTY! So what do I need you ask?
- Hire an Agent that doesn’t “need” your listing! Now I know this may not make sense at first but what I mean is this. Your agent needs to be prepared and capable of giving you the honest truth about what it will take to Sell Your Property. Plain and simple, no fluff, based on experience and knowledge of the market but also based on their character. If an agent comes to interview for your listing and is afraid to tell you that your price is too high, or your property needs to be spruced up, or that you just may have to explore a short-sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, THEY ARE NOT BRINGING REAL VALUE TO THE TABLE and in fact are working against you! If they “need your listing” because it will make or break their month or God forbid, their year, they absolutely cannot objectively advise you. You wouldn’t go to a Dr. that was afraid to give you the diagnosis that would save your life would you?
- Hire an agent with an equally strong support team and plan to handle ANYTHING that may come up…remember Murphy’s Law? Applies EVEN more in today’s real estate market than ever before! You know, cliches are that for a very good reason, they make sense. I cannot tell you how many times that my internal team, lenders, skilled builders and other construction professionals, have risen to the occasion to bring EXCELLENT and often unexpected service and results. They are able to do this because of our time and battle tested experience with hundreds of real estate transactions. The role of a good agent is to play quarterback, knowing exactly where his team members are supposed to be and making sure they are in the position to make a play when needed. The lesson that I learn with each sale is how to further guard (bulletproof)against the unexpected (or at least be prepared with the right counter-attack). You’ll have to work with My Team to get those secrets:)
- Hire a FULL-TIME Agent! With full-time service, comes value that offsets savings customers expect from a discounter or part-time agent. “If someone represents a client every so often, how can they negotiate with someone who is out there looking and negotiating week after week?” I actually got this question from a client of mine. In order to have knowledge about the market an agent must be always involved. An agent who is seeing new properties every week, and or looking on the weekends, will offer that advantage to a buyer or seller. Again back to the Dr. analogy, if you were having a life altering surgical procedure, would you want the Dr. that performed 3 of the same procedures last week, the Dr. that has read all of the books but hasn’t done the procedure, or the independently wealthy physician that works every other Tuesday and thinks they did something similar 6 months ago? The answer is painfully simple in the analogy and the reality of selling your property.
Get a tech-savvy agent. Most home transactions today begin on the Internet (Actually 87% is a conservative estimate by the National Association of Realtors). All eventually get a technology assist. How can this come into play to list my property you say? MAXIMUM EXPOSURE = MAXIMUM PRICE! Simple enough? By working with an agent and company that aggregates to a multitude of sites where your potential buyers are looking, you are exposing the property far more effectively than with the agent that runs a Saturday newspaper ad (disclaimer: there are a couple of unique property types that the Newspaper still works for but those dwindle by the month). Also important are the different tools to capture the buyer’s information the inquires on your property…this could be from a drive by sign call, web inquiry, ad in a magazine or call directly into the office. To put it plainly, technology coupled with a great team, ensures that a potential buyer gets a response NOW rather than 2 days later which is imperative with the amount of choices facing today’s Buyer. So the next breath has to discuss use of Blackberrys, IPODs, and other PDAs…plain and simple, if it helps me communicate with you more efficiently and in the manner that you want to talk, I am all for it, as long as personal boundaries and schedules are maintained!
5. Hire an Agent that is well-respected by their peers! This could easily go overlooked as you get suckered into the aggresive sales pitch, the flashy presentation, the completely confident “uber agent”. Just remember that real estate sales and negotiation is just that, a negotiation of give and take. Quiet confidence based on a history of positive experiences (and negative lessons learned) means that you have hired an agent known as a deal maker instead of a deal breaker. I will admit it, there are agents in the Charleston, SC Real Estate market that I avoid working with if at all possible…some because they are inexperienced and dangerous for their clients, and some because they think they know it all which, as in life, is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER the case!
So there you have it, these are my thoughts on what traits a seller should look for…I would love to hear about yours in the Comments Section!
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