Before I got into this business, I was a headhunter. There are so many similarities between the two lines of work that I know I sound like a broken record talking to my colleagues. I feel a bit like the girl in 'American Pie' except that instead of saying 'In Band Camp' I'm saying 'In the recruiting business.' The holidays are yet another example of the two businesses being eerily similar.
One thing I loved about being a headhunter was helping the underdog. The underdog was usually someone without the perfect resume on paper that, if you met them, you'd hire. At the holidays, I loved placing my underdogs. Why? Because the people with the perfect resumes were busy sitting at home. There was less competition. Companies that were hiring were serious. Once, I made a placement on New Years Eve. What a way to end a year and begin a new one.
Is your home on the market? Is it a perfect home? Where I live, that's what people are buying. Perfect. Perfect is simple in my neck of the woods. Perfect master bath. Perfect master bedroom. Perfect kitchen. Perfect family room. Perfect street. If your home doesn't have all of these things, it's probably not perfect. Does that mean it's not a great place or a great value? No, but your competition is perfect. And what choice do people make if they have to choose between perfect and a house with 'character?' I think you know the answer.
So what do you do? You do what I did as a recruiter. You make yourself available while everybody else is chomping on cookies or getting smooched under the mistletoe? Inconvenient? Tough to keep the house tidy at this time of year? You bet. Think about this, though. Think about how it will feel at the beginning of April when you haven't sold your home and you're thinking about the showings that you let fall through the cracks. It doesn't feel good, does it?
In the recruiting business......there was a saying. The best person doesn't always get the job. The person who wants the job the most always does. So it goes for selling your home. The best home doesn't always get sold...the one that wants to get sold the most always does...
And if your agent calls and wants to show your place on Christmas day, say yes. Make the time. You could end up getting the biggest present of the season.
Keep on Scrappin'
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