A lesson in how NOT to create urgency - What is the sign in the yard telling potential buyers?
Urgency. It's a word you'll hear over and over in any introductory sales class. If you don't create urgency, the buyer will have less motivation and is less likely to purchase. While this is true, as you gain experience, you learn that there is an important and sometimes subtle distinction between creating a sincere sense of urgency and creating pressure to act through a manufactured false sense of urgency. That distinction aside, I think most Realtors would agree that being able to convey urgency to their client, when appropriate, is a skill that both essential to develop and that must be practiced to be perfected.
With the idea of urgency in mind, I, in good humor, share with you a sign that gave me a chuckle while I was out this morning driving some neighborhoods. Usually I drive by signs or, at most, stop to write down the phone number on them. Today was different - I had to stop and take a picture of this one. Is it just me, or is this sign the antithesis of urgency? What this sign communicates to me is that, if I want to buy this property for $159,000, all I need to do is wait four months (assuming I'm not working with a Realtor who explains to me the wisdom of submitting an offer instead of waititng). The sign might as well say, "Slow down there Speed Racer, what's your rush? If you're thinking about buying me, why don't you just wait a few months until I'm less expensive?".
Frankly, I'm always glad to see a new FSBO sign. I think that when a homeowner tries to sell their property by themselves before calling a Realtor, they quickly learn that there's more to selling a home than sticking a sign in the yard. After all, that's all that Realtors do, isn't it? If nothing else, FSBO signs such as this one are a reminder to everyone that working with a Realtor to effectively market a property is essential.
Like I said, maybe I'm missing something here, but I can't think of a better way to nullify any potential urgency than by putting up a sign like this one. Maybe, deep down, the seller doesn't really want to sell the property? Maybe the competition up the road snuck the little signs next to the large one to help their listing get a call? Maybe the seller is using a clever form of reverse psychology to entice a person to call? If they are, their attempt was lost on me. The only urgency I felt was to turn the car around so that I could take a picture. What do you think?
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