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"Keep these five factors in mind when you make your decision to sell your Big Bear property. I sold my cabin in 48 hours at full price because I used these five factors to select my real estate agent, Mike Sannes of Keller Williams."
~ Steve Martin ~
| The decision to sell your Big Bear vacation home is not an easy one to make. We bought our mountain retreat when our children were in elementary school. But now that they were grown and off to college, we found ourselves making the trip "up the hill" only a once or twice a year. Our decision was further complicated by the fact that today's real estate market is the toughest sellers have seen in more than twenty-five years.
Once we had made our decision to sell, I began the process of selecting a real estate agent. Since I am a professional sales trainer who has written several books on sales, I knew this important decision would directly impact whether our cabin sold in 60 days or 60 months. I interviewed several of the leading Big Bear real estate agents and I can say with certainty, that my property sold within 48 hours of its listing at full price because I chose the "right" agent. With this in mind, here are the five critical factors that I used to select my real estate agent in order of priority. By the way, you will probably find my list surprising: |
About the Author
Steve Martin is the author of the critically acclaimed book about enterprise sales, "Heavy Hitter Selling", which is recommended reading by the Harvard Business School and has been featured in Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. Steve also teaches "Sales Management: The Art and Science of Sales" at the University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business MBA Program (ranked 2nd in the nation by the Wall Street Journal).
(written 5/27/2009)
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Communication
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Communication Style
The agent's communication style is the single-most important decision making factor for sellers. Specifically, I was looking for agent with whom I had rapport. You can think of rapport as the ability to match the other person's speaking style. For example, I wanted an agent who was easy to speak to and I naturally connected with. Why? Because your agent has to converse with a wide variety of fellow agents and buyers. You need them to be a skilled speaker and a great listener. Equally important, is the frequency of communication. I wanted an agent who would keep me continually updated by providing ongoing assessments and detailed feedback before the sale and during the escrow process. |
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Pro-Active Buyer Generation
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Pro-Active Buyer Generation
The second-most critical factor is the agent's ability to "create" a buyer. Many agents will explain how they will market your property using the MLS (multiple listing service) and show you their advertisements in local real estate magazines. That's just not good enough today because the buyer of your property resides in Orange County, San Diego or Los Angeles. You don't want an agent who is waiting for potential buyers to visit Big Bear. You want an agent who is constantly contacting prospective buyers who live "down the hill" and marketing your property to them! One of the most important questions you can ask an agent is, "Do you have a database of potential buyers who might want a Big Bear vacation home that you are constantly communicating with?" |
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Internet Savvy
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Internet Savvy
One of the most important pieces of advice I can offer is that there is a huge difference between reactive agent who relies on traditional (and antiquated) means of selling your property versus a state-of-the-art internet savvy agent. Remember, the buyer of your property lives one hundred miles away and will conduct exhaustive internet research before ever touring your cabin. Therefore, you want an agent who shows up first on internet search engine listings, one who writes a blog , and understands how to use the internet and e-mail to attract remote buyers! |
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Pricing Knowledge |
Pricing Knowledge
Most every Big Bear real estate agent you are going to meet with will lecture you that is all about "price" in today's down economy. Frankly, they will try to scare you into thinking the sky is falling and there is nothing but doom and gloom ahead because of foreclosures. Let me share my personal experience about this with you. All of the agents I interviewed, with the exception of the agent I selected, told me to list my cabin for 10% to 20% less than what it actually sold for. Think about this for a moment, if I had selected the wrong agent I would have lost over $50,000! I believe the reason for this is that most agents don't understand who the buyer for your property truly is and understand their emotional attachment to it. They only think in terms of price per square foot and that doesn't tell the whole story about your property's value. |
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Big Bear Commitment |
Big Bear Commitment
The Big Bear market is losing real estate agents on a daily basis. Old-timer agents who have been selling for years have found it too hard and part-time agents lack the commitment it takes to be successful today. The best predictor of future success is past performance. The agent I selected had sold over $9 million of property in the previous year (one of the worst years to sell real estate on record). Do not be afraid to ask your agent for last year's sales numbers, year-to-date numbers, and how many listings they currently have. It will tell you a lot about their dedication and work ethic. |
Keep these five factors in mind when you make your decision to sell your Big Bear property. I sold my cabin in 48 hours at full price because I used these five factors to select my real estate agent, Mike Sannes of Keller Williams. These five factors will help you select the real estate agent that is right for you.
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