RISMEDIA, June 28, 2011—In the current real estate market, with home sales slumping like an injured athlete, many sellers are pulling out all the stops to get their homes to sell. One of the most common tactics is to change REALTORS® when the one they’re using isn’t getting the job done. However, one expert believes that there is another way.
“Switching REALTORS® every few months is not necessarily a strategy for success,” says Pat Hiban, a billion-dollar selling real estate agent and author of 6 Steps to 7 Figures, a self-help guide for realty agents. “In this market, it’s not uncommon for a home to stay on the market for many months. The problem with switching agents frequently is that you eat up a lot of time with the learning curve with each agency change. Every time you fire an agent, you lose their institutional memory with regard to your house and your situation. Instead, you can try to reinvigorate their efforts by introducing them to some simple sales tips.”
Hiban’s advice includes:
• Be Proactive – Successful people are productive every morning. In sales, that means you need to be making prospecting calls, doing open houses, calling contacts, writing notes to people, making new contacts, and getting in people’s faces. If your agent is waiting around for the phone to ring, ask them if they are working every avenue they can, and suggest they beat the bushes.
• Plan The Week – Ask them what their agenda is for the week, and make sure they are doing something every day to promote your property. Some REALTORS® tend not to pay attention to properties that aren’t generating a lot of excitement, and instead they focus on the properties that might be easier to move. Keep them focused with an agenda every week, and you’ll increase the chances they’ll be successful for you.
• Get Busy – Activity breeds activity. It’s a universal truth that the more you push your flow out to potential buyers, the more inward flow of contacts you’ll generate. One thing really does lead to another, so even when the response is slow, keep them motivated to keep plugging away. You never know when they’ll catch a break, but if they aren’t in the game and getting out in the community, they’ll never have a chance to find one.
• Accept All Invitations – Networking can many times win the day, and real estate agents typically receive every invitation available to local networking and community events. When they attend these functions, everyone in the room could be a potential client for them or a potential buyer for you. Ask them if they attend local events, and when you know some are coming up, email them the information.
• Don’t Panic – Panic and negativity on your part makes your agent feel the same way. Don’t vex them. Help them stay focused and positive. If you keep going, they’ll keep going.
“Sometimes, the solution is to make a change in agents,” Hiban adds. “But if you find yourself in a cycle of change, with no results, then maybe you can use these tips to get a little more out of the agent you’ve chosen.”
Pat Hiban is a residential REALTOR® with the prestigious title of Billion Dollar Agent, having sold one billion dollars in homes, one house at a time. Much of Hiban’s specialty is in the foreclosure market with current clients that include Freddie Mac, Wells Fargo and Bank of America
For more information, please visit www.pathiban.com.
