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Keeping Your Seller Happy ! Are You?

By Herb Hamilton

Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors

September 02, 2007 01:25 PM

Are you keeping your Seller Happy or do you keep your Seller Happy? Are you doing the things that today's Seller's have come to expect? Do you wimp out and provide services to Seller's that you know do not produce results, yet you do them anyhow because your trapped by the old cliche " You have to Keep Your Seller's Happy ! "

Keeping your Seller Happy is of course what we all want to do. Yet too often we substitute sound business practices with expensive activities that do not produce results under the guise that we are keeping our Seller's Happy. With only so much money available to be spent especially in today's market, working Smart is imperative.

There is only one activity that will keep any Seller happy and that is a Sale. Yet there is not a day that goes by that I don't read or hear those awful words " You have to keep your Seller Happy ". Mean while each and every year we spend untold hundreds if not thousands of dollars on seminars, books and the like, hoping to find new ways to advertise and promote our properties. Yet when push comes to shove many of us immediately cave in to the old mantra of Keeping Our Seller Happy.

The one thing that we are taught early on in our business as professional real estate sales people and Broker's is to promote our selves as professionals. After all we do have a license by the State to conduct real estate activity. And don't we all participate in continuing education as required by the Real Estate Agency in order to maintain that License. Yet we often allow ourselves to be manipulated by those who would employ us for our expertise and knowledge into working passive marketing techniques that we know will produce little or no results.

I ask you. How much respect would you have for your Doctor or your Attorney if they allowed you to dictate to them how they should conduct their business while representing you?

It is time for us all to stand up, create and execute a plan for marketing our homes with conviction. For we are the professionals and it is time we started acting like it!

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Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Christopher : Thanks for reading and the comment. Now Go Get-um. Have a great holiday and a successful week.

Sep 02, 2007 01:47 PM

Melissa Grant

A Serendipity World - Greenbackville, VA

The Law of Attraction In Life & Business

Wonderful post ! Sellers need to start listening and trusting the agents THEY chose and we as Agents need to not feel so intimidated by the sellers and give in to them and what they want. We know what it takes to sell the home, they will either listen and get it sold or do what they were doing prior to the agent that didn't get the home sold !

Sep 02, 2007 01:48 PM

Laura Jecker

Prudential New Jersey Properties - Vernon, NJ

I think you can earn a seller's trust from the beginning if you are able to educate them in how you can and will help them and explain how and why. I put everything in writing and let them know we are a team. I always ask permission for what I want to do so they feel as thoguh they do have a say and are a part of the entire process. They need to feel they are a part of the decisions. It ahs worked for me.

Sep 02, 2007 01:57 PM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Mellisa : A seller who dictates to the agent how a property must be sold has a puppet for an agent. Thanks for reading and the comment.

Sep 02, 2007 02:22 PM

Brad Snyder

Sierra Vista Realty - Sierra Vista, AZ

Bravo! Thanks for the fantastic post. You are dead on with your observations.

Sep 02, 2007 03:29 PM

Jennifer Fivelsdal

JFIVE Home Realty LLC | 845-758-6842|162 Deer Run Rd Red Hook NY 12571 - Red Hook, NY

Mid Hudson Valley real estate connection

Herb - I could not have said it any better. We need to stand up and take charge. We would not respect our doctor if we could tell him how to do his job, likewise we should not allow sellers to push us around.

Sep 02, 2007 04:11 PM

Chris Tesch

RE/MAX Bryan-College Station - College Station, TX

College Station, Texas Real Estate

I totally agree Herb. It is time we pulled the plug on many of the more expensive aspects of this business. If they aren't producing results then they shouldn't be practiced!!!

Sep 02, 2007 10:59 PM

Missy Caulk

Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI

Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

Great post, Herb. Keeping the sellers informed should not even be an option. I set the stage at the pre-listing appointment and them when they question what I'm doing, I point them back to the marketing information I give them. Maybe I should have them sign it ?

Sep 03, 2007 01:25 AM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Scott : Thanks for stopping by and reading. Hope your weekend is going well.

Sep 03, 2007 03:28 AM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Rosario : It is my belief that more people would Begin to trust there agent when agents stopped doing the type of activities that diminish their value. Thanks for the comment.

Sep 03, 2007 03:31 AM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Laura : HERE HERE ! Now that is what I am talking about. And do you also council them about activities that they want you to do that are not productive and why you won't be doing them? Thanks for the comments.

Sep 03, 2007 03:34 AM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Brad : Thanks for reading. I am glad you enjoyed and your comment.

Sep 03, 2007 03:36 AM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Jennifer : Thanks for reading and the comment. How is the queen of Duchess County doing?

Sep 03, 2007 03:38 AM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Rick : Thanks for the great comment. How is that market doing down there for you? I had a couple of referrals that I sent to Eugene earlier this year. They went well but were a little slow.

Sep 03, 2007 03:41 AM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Chris : Well said. Just as any professional in any business must do. Evaluate and modify. Thanks for the comment.

Sep 03, 2007 03:43 AM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Missy : In the early '90's I recall going to a seminar that suggested just that. By having your Seller sign your marketing campaign up front it demonstrates your value to someone who may be questioning what they get for their money. Tougher markets require more documentation.

Sep 03, 2007 03:48 AM

Mike Klijanowicz

Cummings & Co. Realtors - Perry Hall, MD

Associate Broker @ Cummings & Co. Realtors

Herb, Very well said! I hope some of my sellers read this post and the sense that it makes starts sinking in!

Oct 25, 2007 04:17 AM

Ryan Martin

Pacific Continental Realty, LLC - Bellingham, WA

Bellingham Commercial RE Broker

Herb - I think the 2nd most important thing that we can do to truly keep our sellers happy (#1 obviously selling the property as you pointed out) is keeping in touch with them. Sellers like to hear from us. Just like your attorney and doctor, you get nervous if you don't get updates.

How did that showing go? = Did you get my test results back yet? Especially in the "communication age" of today too many agent forget to tell their sellers that they have "no news to report".

Oct 25, 2007 04:29 AM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Michael : The best way to make sure your Seller's read articles is to send a link via email. I do it all the time and my Seller's continually comment on how progressive I am. Lots of luck and thanks for reading.

Oct 25, 2007 01:34 PM

Herb Hamilton

RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors - Portland, OR

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

Ryan : Vey well said Ryan. There are many things that we could do in addition to selling their homes. I once wrote a post about how I started in business. I sat down and wrote out all of the things that I hated about the real estate agents I had done business with prior to becoming licensed. I then vowed to do the opposite.

Oct 25, 2007 01:38 PM

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Herb Hamilton

Real Estate Broker ,CDPE, Downtown Portland

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Writing about Portland Oregon Real Estate issues and Neighborhoods. Articles include how-tos as well as how-to-nots. Learn all about Fixers and Rehabs. Stop by for insightfull stories of Portland Homes, some funny some sad some informative as we cruise through the Neighborhoods of The Rose City Portland Oregon.


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