I am currently working with buyers who are interested in purchasing a luxury home. While the term "luxury" has become subjective, most homes priced in excess of a million dollars in our market are considered luxury homes.
My buyers have narrowed their search to one luxury neighborhood in Brentwood.
While scheduling appointments this week to view homes, I realized that four of the seven homes of interest to my buyers were listed with the same listing agent. This agent has lived in the neighborhood for the last 15 years. It has become his niche. Interestingly, he doesn't work with buyers. He is a listing agent.
I did what any good buyer's agent would do. I did a little bit of research on this listing agent. I wanted to know how many listings he currently has in the neighborhood, how many he's sold this last year, his list price to sales price ratio and average days on the market.
In addition, I visited his website to view his bio. He operates a team that consists of his wife and adult children. Next to each agent's photo were four words to describe these agents. Words like knowledgeable, diligent, aggressive and organized were used. Next to his wife's photo, one of the words used was stylish.
I found it amusing that an agent would use the word stylish to describe herself. My immediate thought, "Is being "stylish" a desirable quality in a luxury listing agent?" Is that a description that would endear sellers to use an agent?
I can see how one might want to use the word stylish to market a luxury property but I'm not sure how important it is for an agent to be stylish to get a property sold. As a matter of fact, some of the best luxury agents I know are far from stylish. One agent dresses very modestly and doesn't wear make-up and yet sellers love to work with her. She is very practical--a no nonsense kind of gal. She gets results and that's all that matters to her clients.
I could understand how it might be advantageous for a luxury agent to be style-conscious; familiar with design trends that are commonplace in luxury homes but, even then, I'm not sure that's absolutely required. I don't think it's necessary for a listing agent herself to be stylish. In my eyes, how an agent dresses should NOT be one of the primary deciding factors used by sellers in choosing an agent.
Luxury homes often sit on the market much longer. In some cases, that may be due to the reduced number of home buyers in that price point. I would argue they are on the market longer because their agents don't know how to market them properly to buyers outside our geographic area. Having an agent well-versed in marketing these properties to a global market is much more important than the clothes she wears or her sense of style. Some luxury sellers have their houses listed for months because their agents don't know how to get their homes in front of the masses. These are the types of things, I believe, luxury sellers should be most interested in. Not whether an agent is stylish or not.
If you looking for an agent who knows how to get your luxury home sold, then you've come to the right place. Call Tammie White of Franklin Homes Realty LLC at (615) 495-0752 and we'll discuss what's important in selling your luxury home.
Is being "stylish" a desirable quality in a luxury listing agent?
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