The thought of selling can be very overwhelming. Not knowing the market conditions are only part of the reason a good real estate agent can add value in the home sale process. Here is a little quiz to get you started.
1. Do you want an agent to:
( ) a. Tell you what you want to hear?
( ) b. Tell you the Truth?
( ) c. Tell you to list it yourself?
2. Do you want an agent that:
( ) a. is an expert in negotiating?
( ) b. is passionate about real estate?
( ) c. customizes a marketing plan to your home?
( ) d. All of the above
3. All real estate agents do is list your property on the multiple listing service, and stick a sign in the yard and get paid a lot of money to do that.
( ) TRUE
( ) FALSE
4. I can sell my home myself.
( ) TRUE
( ) FALSE
5. I can save myself money by selling the home myself and pass that savings on to the new buyer.
( ) TRUE
( ) FALSE
ANSWERS:
1. B, but any could apply!! It is up to you. Having a agent tell you the truth is really what you should HAVE to hear, not if you WANT to or not. Sometimes we don't come with good news, but in the long run, our knowledge is for your benefit. Pricing the home correctly can produce a quicker sale at a more attractive price. Lets just say you want $120,000 for your home. You list it for $125,00, but the home is not being looked at in that price range. You lover the price to $115,000 after 90 days. Now you have an offer of $110,000 and do not take that. After another 90 days you lower the price to $110,000 and get an offer of $95,000. We do not have a crystal ball, but if you would have priced your home closer to the the $115,00 t0 begin with you may have had an offer closer to that than having it on the market for that long and taking much less. Also remember you still made payments on the home and paid for property taxes.
A good agent would have told you that and would have had a plan to get the most for your home.
2. D. ALL OF THE ABOVE
(And by the way, if you ask them to cut their commission, which one of those would you like less of? There is value in a good agent and they should be able to tell you and show you their value!)
3. FALSE! But just like in any business there are a few agents out there that have done just that! You should ask before you sign and get it in writing, what the marketing plan is for your home. Ask questions like: Do you have a website, blog or what advertising do you do on the web? Do you network and where, do you have a data base that you market to? When was the last time you sent out something to your data base? Do you do client events? Do you hold open houses? (There are many others as well)
4. TRUE! You can sell your home yourself. But when you go to the dentist do you do your own fillings or does he? The same is true for REALTORS. They have been educated to look out for your biggest investment. Find one you are comfortable with and the process will be worth every penny and the peace of mind will be great!
5. TRUE! There is some savings, but the agent can provide so many other valuable benefits: Qualifying the buyers so they are not wasting your time, taking care of all the state mandated forms, marketing, and negotiating the best price for your home in the quickest time frame.
All rights reserved 2009 by Charlene Hammontree of Property Works, LLC 426 North Park, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
;)
;)
Good morning, Charlene. I liked this posting. I know there are a lot of people out there who believe they can sell their homes by themselves (without an agent) in order to save money on commissions, but most of those people will lose out in the long run. I've seen so many "for sale by owner" properties that are way over priced because the homeowner has no idea what a fair price should be (or because they are emotionally attached to the property), and then they refuse to budge off of the ridiculously high price and the property takes forever to sell (if it sells at all). Using a good real estate agent will definitely add value in the home sale process and make things much easier for the home seller.