Aren’t all agents the same? Isn’t it just a matter of posting my home on MLS and someone will sell it? Does It Matter Which Agent I Hire to Sell My Home?
These are common questions sellers have. The answer is choosing an average agent could cost you thousands, and choosing the wrong agent could cost you even more. You can be legally responsible for the actions of your agent, so choosing an experienced knowledgeable agent can make the difference between selling and not selling, or even a lawsuit.
All agents do not work the same. In fact, some agents don’t even work much. Some agents treat real estate as a business and don’t have any other jobs. Their sole income is derived from working with buyers and sellers. Some agents even invest money into their business by advertising more, sending out mailers, online advertising, etc. Sure, sometimes the broker pays for this and splits up the services amongst all their agents, and sometimes the agent pays for all this.
Some agents attend seminars out of town to learn from top agents throughout the country, and others stay home and listen to agents in their office complain. Education is an investment back into the business that can pay dividends for your clients.
Some agents take their broker provided advertising and that’s really all they do, while others spend their own money and really promote their listings. Some agents hire assistants to help out with tasks that could bog a busy person down freeing their time up to close more sales while some agents spend time doing tasks that are not a productive use of their time.
Some agents get a better price for their sellers’ homes because they are better negotiators, and because they expose the home to more buyers. Some agents over-price homes just to get the listing ensuring the property sells for a lower price later on versus a higher price sooner into the listing. Sometimes the over-priced home doesn’t sell at all.
Often times we generate multiple buyers for a property. Choosing the best offer usually takes an experienced agent to evaluate all the fine details of the offer and read into the situation. Wisdom and experience are invaluable at this stage. Less experienced agents many times accept the highest price without regards to whether the buyer can actually close and what pitfalls might be involved rather than asking questions and perhaps countering the stronger buyer.
When asked the following question “Can hiring the wrong agent cost a seller money?” I think it was Shakespeare who replied “Let me count the ways!” OK, so maybe Shakespeare didn’t answer that question but if he did that answer would have made sense.
There is a big difference between the skills of agents, and there is a remarkable difference in the ways agents present homes to the public. I remember sitting through a class taught to Realtors on how to convince sellers that advertising doesn’t sell homes. Today I came across a website by a local broker and he was stating those same reasons on how advertising won’t sell your home, presumably because he doesn’t invest much in advertising.
We’re currently tracking dozens of sellers who listed with less experienced agents, sometimes at inflated prices, and their homes are still on the market. They’re locked into listing agreements and they regret their choice. The time to really ask questions is upfront, and make sure you ask probing questions to seek answers, not to hear what you want to hear.
Everyone likes to choose people based upon who makes them feel good, but in real estate feeling good is best defined at the closing table, not who lists the home at the highest price or tells you what you want to hear.
If you list your home and go to the bother of keeping it clean so people can march through your home at anytime wouldn’t it make sense to work with someone who can shorten that process and get you top dollar, not bottom dollar after the market has rejected your home because it was over-priced?
If you have a home to sell, give us a call. We’ll give you the facts so you can decide, and we’ll get your home sold for top dollar! Not Peter Pan money, but real money!
If you’re considering buying or selling in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero, Ft Myers Beach or anywhere in Lee County Florida, give us a call. 239-489-4042 or visit our website www.Topagent.com
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