Different seller are looking for different things when they are listing their house. FSBOs want the most money, while Expired Listings just want to get the house sold. When talking to a seller, you have to find their hot button and craft your presentation to hit that button. With an expired listing, show them all the proof of why you can get their home sold.
I show them my Marketing Plan. I go thru the individual items one at a time with the seller. I skip over the smaller, more insignificant ones. But, I make sure to stress the important ones. I say, “Mr. and Mrs. Seller, I will be calling you every week with updates on the market, the marketing I will be doing, and the activity. Did any of the other agents mention that they would be doing that?” I want to contrast myself as much as possible with the other agents.
Most sellers are not very educated on what the difference between one agent and another. They think we are all the same. All they know is that the house didn’t sell, they have no idea why, and they are somehow supposed to find another agent that can sell the house. The problem is that they don’t know how to find the agent that will get the house sold.
Lately, I have started to do something that has helped me out a lot on presentations. Before I meet with the sellers, I think out any objections they may have. Then, I think about what other agents will do if they list the house versus me. Will the other agents call the seller every week? Will they price the home to sell, or just let the seller keep in on the market at a high price forever?
Will the agent do anything other than just throw the home on the MLS and forget about it? And 4-5 months down the road when it hasn’t sold, will the agent call the seller? Or, will they avoid the seller like the plague and not return their calls? Will they tell the seller to spend a little bit of money fixing up the house to make it more show able? Will they make sure the house is easy for other agents to show? Will they follow up and make sure those things actually happen, rather than just recommend it and nothing happens?
When you look at those differences, I know I can get the house sold if the seller will work with me. That is why I can confidently tell a seller that I am the best agent for the job. No one else in my market will stick with the job, and let the seller know what needs to be done to get the house sold. Here is one of the most curious things I have ever seen. It’s when the expired listing that tells me that they had asked their agent about reducing their price, but the agent didn’t agree that they should. They are motivated sellers that need to move, but the agent thought the asking price was fine, even though there were comparable homes priced 5-8% lower.
To get a listing, you first have to sell yourself on you. Then, selling the seller on you is easy. One thing you will notice here. I don’t get listings by promising to do stuff that costs a lot of money or time. No open houses, no ads in the paper (Craigslist is free and works much better), and not guarantees to sell their house or I’ll buy it.
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Ben & Chris Curry The Short Sale Agent's Advocate
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