Question of the day; What are the characteristics of the perfect seller?
In my humble opinion, the perfect seller possesses the following qualities;
1. The perfect Seller understands this market is not the same as the market a few years ago. The price of a home today will be less than it would have been a few years ago. In the Lake Minnetonka area homes are still selling for higher prices than in some areas but the prices are still behind the prices of two years ago. If sellers could understand this situation is would be beneficial to all.
2. The perfect seller hires the real estate
agent based on their ability to sell a house, not on suggesting to list
it for a very high price. When you as a seller meet with a realtor®,
don’t pick the one who tells you your house will sell for a very high
price. That agent may very well be trying to “buy” your listing by
telling you something that you really want to hear, but may not be
accurate. Pick the one who has had the most experience helping people
buy and sell houses.
3. The perfect seller will understand that
every house needs to be staged. As one seller I am working has stated;
“As soon as the for sale sign goes in your front yard, it is no longer
your house.” This seller gets it. He and his wife have recently staged
their house and I bet it will sell in the near future.
4. The perfect seller will be open to price
reductions when necessary. It is best to price a house just a tad under
the competition in today’s market. That way buyers have a great impetus
to buy your house. There are so many buyers just kicking tires, it’s
amazing. However, when they see a house priced at a value, they will
make an offer. When the house has been on the market for 30 days or 10
showings and no one has made on offer, it is time to lower the price.
5. The perfect seller understands the real
estate agent has to pay for all of the marketing out of their own
pocket, not the company’s pocketbook. So when the house isn’t selling
and the agent is no longer putting ads in all the papers on a weekly
basis, instead of demanding more marketing, please understand its
probably more about price and a slow market than it is about marketing.
6. The perfect seller has a sense of humor.
Even in this challenging market, it is still possible to have some fun
when selling a house. When a seller can roll with the punches, and laugh
a bit along the way, it makes our job so much more rewarding!
7. The perfect seller thanks us for our hard
work. Most people have no idea how much work goes into selling a house.
When you get a glimpse of all the work, please take a minute to
acknowledge it to your real estate agent. Thank you!!!
Virginia Lord
Raising the Bar in Real Estate