I Really Don't Think That's Necessary
As licensed real estate agents and brokers, most people are aware that we have taken classes and passed state tests to make sure that we know what we're doing. We know sometime about real estate. It's our job, our profession. People generally come to us to find out something related to their real estate needs, even if they decide to try it on their own. Even when they try to go it alone, without an agent, they usually check the comps in the area, which, they recognize are listed by agents.
As Realtors it is our responsibility to assist our clients to the best of our abilities. We all know this. What's more, it's what our clients expect of us, or at least should. That's why they contract with us, isn't it?
When we go to a mechanic to get our car fixed, we expect it to be done correctly. When we go to a doctor, we expect to be the right treatment and medication for whatever ails us. We go to these people because we expect them to be knowledgeable in their field of expertise. We expect accurate and up-to-date information and advice. We expect that we can rely on the information given to us. However, when it comes to real estate and Realtors, well, that seems to be a totally different situation.
How many times have we made suggestions to clients, in an effort to stage the home, to up the curb appeal, to de-clutter, etc. Sometimes our advice is accepted and acted on, and sometimes it's not. They share the comments from well-meaning friends and family as to why they don't need to do these things, especially in "this market". Invariably there will be some clients who will choose to rely on that advice over that of the trained professional, and when the results in less than satisfactory, they will often hold the professional accountable or worse yet, lay blame for not doing a good job.
As someone who does a significant amount of property management, I see situations short term that may be a little less obvious with sales. Recently, I had several properties I listed for rent. A couple of them rented very quickly - in less than ten days. There were a couple of others that I was beginning to think would never rent. The properties were basically the same as far as bedrooms, price, etc., so what was the deal here? The glaring difference between those that rented quickly and those that did not was the appearance and how they were prepared for renting. The properties that rented quickly had good paint jobs and newer, unstained, undamaged flooring, while the ones that sat vacant for a while, did not. The paint was old looking and/or had run over, drips, etc., and didn't have the same deep cleaning as the others that rented quickly.
As is the case with most of us, I had the same discussion with the owners of each of the properties. Some of the owners took my advice and made some of the suggested changes, while others either were not interested in making the effort, didn't want to invest the time or money, or they didn't rely on the advice/suggestions as being significant factors in renting the property. While the owners might have saved themselves the initial investment of time and/or expense in painting and cleaning, they lost three months of rental income, added significant stress and anxiety for themselves and became desperate to find any tenant. The owners who made the initial investment? Well . . ., you get the picture.
This is not intended to be a criticism to those who didn't make the suggested improvements. Prior to becoming an agent I was guilty of the same "but I heard . . ." thinking as many of those with whome we come in contact. Most of us want the best outcome with the least possible contribution and, unfortunately, most of us need to learn the hard way before we change our thinking
Something to ponder.
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