SellingCan we talk?Let's have a little shot of reality here.
If you asked agents from all the major companies to present to you for the right to list your home for sale, how much difference would you expect to see? Let me assure you that you could transpose the name of the company and see very few differences. WHY IS THAT ?The plain truth of the matter is that one thing, and one thing only, sells the vast majority of homes and that's the MLS system. As all agents know, virtually all homes are sold as a result of the agent putting your home on the local MLS system and exposing it to thousands of cooperating agents and every agent uses the identical tool. So what's a person to do ?You have to peel back the onion, look past the guarantees, and all the others twists and turns and look for the steak and ignore the sizzle. After you sift through it all, listen to your gut and decide if this is the person you are prepared to spend a great deal of time with over the next while as you work as a team to accomplish your goals. At the end of the day, you need to feel that this person will work hard on your behalf, has the sales skills necessary to negotiate on your behalf, and most of all is an individual in whom you have absolute confidence and trust. When it's all said and done, this is what matters most. NO GUARANTEES HERESorry folks I don't offer guarantees. I feel I go one step further. I simply tell all my sellers that if they are ever dissatisfied with my services for any reason, they can fire me.
By the way, no one has ever taken me up on it.
PS: Here's a very important listing tip.
Never list your home for more than 90 days. In spite of all the baloney you may hear, ( it's office policy, it's standard in the business, I get more advertising money from my broker ), none of it is true. If all is going well and you're pleased with the performance of your agent then by all means extend, just don't commit up front.
In fact, if you hear some of this malarchy, maybe you should rethink your choice of an agent, because if they're not honest in the beginning, what's down the road ?
On a final note, I am seeing more and more internet sites for people who wish to try and sell privately. I won't bore you with all the standard and valid reasons as to why this is not advisable. I will however tell you that in spite of the claims these sites make, very often the sellers gave up and listed their home with a Realtor. Yet, the sites show them as sold. If you need examples of this shaky practise, let me know. |
