Carlsbad Sellers – Are You Committed to SELLING or to LISTING?

There’s an important distinction here, with potentially profound consequences, depending on how you answer the question.

It’s important for me to know, as a listing agent, if my prospective client is committed to selling.

Or to listing.

And there are ways to tell whether a homeowner really is making a commitment to selling their home, or they are only making a commitment to listing the home.

You have a choice, of course, but what you decide will impact the results you achieve.

“We don’t really need to sell” and “If we can get the price we want we’ll move”, or variations, are pretty good indicators the commitment is to listing the home, but not selling. Especially in a market favoring the buyers.

Another suggestion the commitment is just to listing is when the sellers don’t have specific plans or timeframes for where they are moving to and when.

A job relocation, changes in family circumstances, and such usually mean definite plans to move need to be made, and thus the commitment IS to selling the home. Those without plans are probably only committing to listing, since they really DON’T need to be anywhere, and either the pain (getting out of the current home) or pleasure (achieving the goal – a relocation, moving closer to family) are not significant enough.

Setting the asking price is another key indicator. Ignoring comparables that have sold or the competition, and starting high with the intent of dropping the price later are likely to lead to failure. And, I dare say, symptoms of only a commitment to listing. The seller who is committed to selling WILL set the price with the current market in mind, and one where the home will clearly be seen as the best value among the competition.

Taking care of defects, deferred maintenance, and repairs, de-cluttering and de-personalizing, and getting the home truly in showing condition suggest a commitment to selling, not just listing.

So is making the home readily available to show and having signage (unless not permitted in the community).

Those committed to listing won’t likely take these issues seriously.

And that also suggests a lack of understanding of buyer behavior and what really is happening in the market.

You’ve no doubt heard “it’s a price war and a beauty contest.” It certainly applies in many markets and price ranges these days.

So is your commitment to selling your home, or just listing it?

You need to know your commitment, whichever it may be, will be communicated to the buying public and to the agents pretty clearly.

Think about it!