By Scott Einbinder
RISMEDIA, Nov. 20, 2008- Dear My Realtor: I am writing to share my frustration over the sale of my home. The reason we hired you was to get our home sold. We do not understand why it has been almost five months since we listed our home and we have had no offers?
When you came to our home and gave us your listing presentation you shared with us that your office was # 1. You shared with us that you have been in the business for seven years and achieved the status of million dollar producer. We see your face, your company and the awards you have won and still no offers. You had a broker open house when we first listed and over 100 agents showed up. You put us on every real estate search engine. You held six public open houses and still nothing. You created a beautiful brochure for us, advertised us in the classified paper and local homes magazines and still nothing. We even hired a professional home stager at your request and still nothing. We have reduced the price of our house four times at your suggestion and still no offers. We feel all you do is give us excuses and all we want to do is sell our home. Do not tell us we are not priced right, after all you accepted our listing.
Very Sad,
Seller A
Dear My Realtor:
Thank you for selling our home. Your advice from day one to price our home at the lowest end of the available competitive price spectrum was the strategy that assured us all buyers would come see our home. You held no open houses and provided no advertising of our home in print media. You also told us not to spend money on staging. Just an honest straight- forward merchandising approach to position our home properly. We knew you were right for us when you refused to take our listing unless we followed your pricing expertise. After all, if you listen to us, why do we need or hire you?
Very happy,
Seller B
Which seller are you dealing with today? What defines a successful agent today is not what you accept but what you reject. If your seller is successful in convincing you to a pricing strategy of list high then reduce, you represent the agent class of the old, antiquated and no value service platform. If your seller has taken control, this critical element of transactional success reveals the agents true value or lack thereof. The agent who controls the proper pricing strategy is the one who is worth their premium value.
There is little mystery to pricing a home correctly. It merely takes courage, conviction and the honesty to share with your sellers what truly works.
Scott Einbinder is a national real estate speaker and can be reached at scott@scotteinbinder.com
