Our team recently listed and put under contract, within a week, a home which was on the market for over 2 years. The previous real estate agent was unable to find the right buyer for this home. So, was it the home that didn’t sell, or was it the Realtor® who just could not get the job done?
As a seller, saying goodbye to your home can be an emotional process. First, listing your house is stressful enough. You have emotional ties, bound by memories, which tug at your heart. I know. I have been there (seriously) six times as a homeowner. (Which also makes me also understand the buying side of a home purchase). This is not abnormal. Quite frankly, if the thought of selling your home doesn’t cause you a bit of agita, maybe you are in the wrong home to begin with. But there are times when we have got to move. Corporate relocation, military transfers, marriage, divorce, upsizing because of a growing family, downsizing because of empty nesting… The reasons are numerous and different for all.
So…you must move. You choose your Realtor®. You sign a contract with a realtor because it is what you must do. But did you select the right realtor for you and your family?
When sellers hire a listing agent to sell their home, they will sign a contract with that realtor, which is often an Exclusive Right to Sell contract, one where the listing agent is owed the commission no matter who purchases the home. Ok. Fair enough.
But how does this contract work for you when the realtor is not doing a good job at suggesting changes you may want to consider before the listing goes live, ordering photos for your listing which just not do justice to your home, location, and attributes?
- What if the Realtor® markets your property without considering how effective social media can be for targeting potential buyers?
- Did the Realtor® discuss the benefits of staging? (A 1% percent investment in staging often results in a 10% increase in sale price?
- What if the Realtor® places marketing material in your mailbox and tells you to have your children go get them and collate the material for your open house? (Again, seriously, this happened to me!) Sure, real estate agents can write up contracts, but do they have the resources needed to get the sale done?
- For instance, do you need a Realtor® with strong networking skills in a certain city? Or one with experience in high end real estate?
- Do you need a Realtor® who has connections with local real estate attorneys and loan financing experts? Does your Realtor® even know the financial market in your area?
- Does this seem like a lot of questions? Yes! There are a lot of questions to ask. If your Realtor® cannot or does not want to answer your questions before you sign, think again.
So, don’t give up on selling your home by starting with a new agent. The Beacon Group team will answer whatever questions you have.
Beacon Group Real Estate – Elaine Goldman | Stephanie Ford | David Gordon | Wayne Godfrey | 857.297.4830
