It's What the Agent Does with His Experience That Matters
I could not have said this better than Tammy! Experience is not necessarily the criteria you want to use to judge whether or not an Agent is the right one to sell your home! Neither is the dollar amount of their property sales. The "Hey, Look at Me, I am in the Multi-Million Dollar Sales Club" could very well mean either they are to busy to give your property the attention it deserves, or one of their team members will be in charge of it.
You would think after seven years of being in real estate, I would think of myself as an old-timer. Unfortunately, I don't. There are days when I feel like the new kid on the block who has to fight his way into the in-crowd. Today was one of those days.
I was picking up a fellow agent for lunch. While waiting for her in the lobby of her brokerage, I overheard an agent in the adjacent office speaking with a seller. It was obvious this seller's home had expired.
The agent on the phone WAS an old-timer. He has been in the business for more than 30 years. He told this expired seller that an agent with more experience had a better chance of selling a home in less time and for more money. He further stated that an experienced agent has a network of buyers to pull from who would be interested in this home. And lastly, because of this agent's vast knowledge about the local market, he knew how to price a home right.
I began to feel the hair on my neck stand up. I know many a listing agent with far more experience than me who profess to do many of these things but do none of them. So I would like to share why the agent who has been around the longest may NOT be the best choice for listing your home.
- If this agent did have a network of buyers for this house, why didn't he show the property when it was listed with the previous agent. This line always gets to me when real estate agents use it to procure a listing. Believe me, if they had a buyer they'd have brought him to see your house.
- Just because an agent has been around for a long time, doesn't mean he'll price it right. There are some top listing agents who have been in the business for many years in our area who consistently list homes high to get the listing. Then the listing sits on the market for months, if not years. Finally, after many price reductions the house sells. The agent's experience and whether he prices the home right don't necessarily go hand-in-hand.
- A more experienced agent can sell a home in less time for more money. The reality is pricing and condition of the home are the key indicators as to how quickly a house will sell. The experience of an agent has nothing to do with it. If he prices it right and you have properly prepared it for sale, then it will sell.
- Agents who have been around for 30-plus years may not be in-tune with the latest technology. In a recent National Association of REALTOR®'s study, 92% of buyers stated they used the internet to find a home. Many agents who have been in business this long may be intimidated by technology. You want an agent who is using every marketing strategy possible to get your home sold. Syndication to national websites is not the only way to get your home internet exposure. The combination of blogging, social media and various websites are the best ways to get your home the exposure it needs.
This isn't meant to be an indictment on all agents who have been in the business for a long time. I know some very good agents who have been in the business for a long time and do an excellent job for their clients. It just shouldn't be the only criteria that you use when determining which agent to list your home.
When you get ready to sell your Franklin TN home, don't discount an agent just because he hasn't been in the business for 30 years. It's not the length of the experience, it's what the agent does with his experience that matters.
************************************************************************************Tammie White, REALTOR®
TW Realty GroupBenchmark Realty LLC318 Seaboard LaneFranklin TN 37067(615) 495-0752 DirectEmail: Tammie@TWRealtyGroup.netThis posting with the content written here and photographs displayed are the intellectual property and opinions of Tammie White of Benchmark Realty LLC. Any party who uses this material without the permission of Tammie White is subject to copyright infringement and possible lawsuit.
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