There is a school of thought out there that anyone can do my business. I mean, seriously, how hard can it be to unlock a door and show somebody a house? It’s not rocket science for the love of God!
Actually it is a little more like rocket science than one would think. From the listing side all you have to do is stake a sign and forget it and the offers will just come…right?
I don’t agree. If, as an agent I can’t help my seller put their best foot forward, whatever that might be, what good am I? I lost out on a listing in my area last month. I knew the house needed to be sold, I tracked down the seller, I had a conversation with him and he chose to go with an old friend of his. That agent owns a local company and knows more about real estate than just about any one in these parts. He then proceeded to list it over $70,000 more than I would have listed it. Last week they did their first price reduction of $40,000. And it’s stale on the market now. Our average days on the market here is about 17. This one already have 21 days on the market and is still $30,000 over priced.
We aren’t all the same. Quite honestly, I never would have allowed that seller to go on that high. If I can’t sell the seller on the right price, how am I going to sell the buyer on a better price? What good am I at that point.
The second thing I saw wrong with this one was the photos. There is a right way and a wrong way to take listing photos. That’s not to say I don’t get bad photos. The difference is, I take so many that I don’t have to use the bad ones.
This one certainly didn’t come out how I hoped it would. Having taken a few photography classes in my day, I know that shooting towards a window can be treacherous, yet I see this sort of pictures all the time on the internet. Good agents don’t use these pictures, and they certainly don’t take listing photos on a cell phone. I’m using a Canon Rebel XS EOS SLR camera. It’s got more lights and bells than I will ever figure out. Here is the photo that went with the listing.
What makes this picture important? The fact that Mt. Diablo is the view off of that deck and this home has no rear neighbors. And this room is delightful. Can’t you imagine yourself with the windows open on a nice day with a nice breeze enjoying that view? Wouldn’t this be a nice place to live? Exactly.
Research who you are going to hire to sell your home and choose well. Your home is more likely than not your largest single asset. Don’t trust it to a hack.
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