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When it comes time to sell your home, should you try to sell it on your own, or should you list it with a licensed Realtor? Consider the following factors to help you decide:

EXPOSURE

Realtors, or real estate agents, are part of an office of agents, and each of them knows of buyers that are currently in the market for a home. Their buyers are pre-qualified, that is, they have already seen a lender and have qualified for a loan so the buyer knows exactly how much they can afford, and the Realtor does too. In many areas, a realtor won’t even show homes to a buyer until they pre-qualify. The process saves a lot of wasted time on everybody’s part.

Contrast this with the prospect of you putting up a “For Sale” sign in your front yard, and having to deal with people that will be calling you to talk about your house and want to walk through it, even though they don’t have the resources to actually buy it. In the end, they are just wasting your time.

Realtors also have contact with many people from out of town who are relocating to your area. Each realtor in town gets contacted frequently through their website, by people that are looking for a home by long-distance. They may be coming to town soon to look at available homes for a few days. The Realtor lines up a number of homes for them to tour that fit their criteria. One of them could be yours. But, if you FSBO, that potential buyer won’t know your house is on the market until they get to town, if then.

EXPERIENCE

A real estate agent will be able to assist in setting the right price to list your home, according to the current market conditions.

A real estate agent is a trained professional who will spend the necessary amount of time it may take to get your home SOLD.

The agent understands and will take care of all the necessary paperwork to complete the buying process. The agent will also act as a liaison between you and the inspectors, the buyer’s agent, and between attorneys, if they are involved.

Most buyers prefer to deal with a real estate agent because the agent will give them the unbiased professional opinion on a house, and how it stacks up against other houses on the market.

Agents understand all the different types of loans and financing options. They can provide information to buyers about local lending institutions to fit their needs.

ADVERTISING

Realtors have many ways to advertise your home, not just a newspaper ad and a “For Sale” sign in the yard. They also utilize the following ways to advertise a home:

The Multiple Listing Service

Open Houses

Web sites like Realtor.com and Yahoo Real Estate

Direct mail

Newspaper inserts

Regional Real Estate Magazines

Cable TV

Word of mouth through Realtor “Caravans” where 30 or more
Realtors will tour your home and then match it to their prospective buyers.

How much of this marketing muscle will you be able to flex if you FSBO?

SHOWING YOUR HOME

Agents have expertise to help you get your home in top shape before your prospective buyers arrive. They can help you “stage” your home to look more like a model home that would appeal to a larger group of buyers. They know how to emphasize and focus on your homes good points.

If you FSBO you will be learning the process as you go, a costly education when you are trying to sell your own home.

SUMMARY

With all the time, knowledge, effort, and paperwork it takes to sell a home, you should partner with a Realtor and save yourself the headaches and frustration. Hire a Professional!

Whether, you are a homeowner, who has decided, it’s time to sell his house, and relocate, or a potential buyer, seeking for the so – called, home of your dreams (the American Dream of home ownership), you will have the choice, of either, doing so, on your own, or using the services of, and being represented by a quality, experienced, professional, real estate agent. Some believe they will get a better deal, when they do so, on their own, because, there will be no, or fewer commissions. However, according to the National Association of Realtors, or NAR, homeowners, generally, net more, even after considering these, than those who do so, alone. Buyers also benefit because the right agent, has the local knowledge, to properly provide you, with relevant, professionally prepared, Competitive Market Analysis (or CMA), so you have a better idea of market value and the competition. With that in mind, this article will attempt to briefly, examine, review, consider, and discuss, 8 important reasons, homeowners benefit from using the right real estate agents, for their specific needs, and situation.

1. Local knowledge: Although markets, and times, change, in the vast number of circumstances, you will get your best offers, in the first few weeks, after it’s listed on the market. Therefore, pricing it right, from the start, often makes the difference, in a significant, major way!

2. Marketing expertise: The right agent, will create a customized, personal marketing plan, which addresses your specific residence and property, location, etc, as well as your priorities, needs, etc. There is no, one – size – fits – all, marketing process, so using a quality real estate professional, often makes a significant difference.

3. Agent’s network: Those who try to sell their house, on their own, often discover, they fail to attract as many potential buyers, as those using a professional. This is referred to, as an agent’s network, which includes the important tool, of listing the property, on the Multiple Listing Service, etc.

4. Hold client’s hand: The process of selling one’s house, is often, a stressful one, so using a professional, who has been through it before, and has a better idea of what to expect and anticipation, eases many of these stresses. Seek someone who patiently, is willing to, hold your hand, through the entire process.

5. Explanations/ expectations/ modifications: Rather than assuming or guessing, wouldn’t it help, to have clear explanations? Many homeowners have excessive or wrong expectations, and the individual, who represents you, must have the inner strength, to explain fully, his reasoning, and strategies. In addition, modifications, in terms of marketing, strategies, and pricing, are necessary, and someone with more experience and expertise, is far better positioned to guide you properly.

6. Convenience: Do you want to have to stick around the house, to show, the property, or wouldn’t it make sense, to hire someone, to do so, professionally? Open – houses, are only a small component in the overall strategy!

7. Negotiating: Professionally negotiating, on your behalf, benefits the client! Wouldn’t a professional, do a better job, in most cases?

8. From transaction stage, through closing: Hire someone who will be there for you, from the initial listing stages, showings, marketing, service, to the transaction stage, and then, until the closing, and house transfer is completed!

These are only 8 of the advantages of hiring the right person to represent your real estate needs. Focus on your needs, interview several, and choose, the right agent, for you!

Selling real estate is a tough proposition, whether you are a home owner or a realtor. However, there are some tools that you can use to improve your chances of a sale by attracting the attention of potential customers. Once you decide you want to sell a property, you have the gigantic task of getting the word out there so everyone knows that the house is available. Putting up real estate signs near the property and at other relevant locations is an effective way to spread the word.

Some homeowner associations may have rules pertaining to putting up these signs in your yard. It is important to ensure that you are not breaking any size or placement restrictions while putting up the For Sale signs.

Signs by Owners

For Sale by Owner signs are put up by home owners who do not want to take help from any realtor. These signs are generally simple as they have little information that needs to be included.

For Sale Signs by Agents

Real estate signs put up by realtors have to include much more information. Such signs serve the dual purpose of attracting a potential customer’s attention toward the property, and of promoting the brokerage and agent. Generally, these signs contain the name and address of the brokerage, office phone number, company logo, and web site information. Some signs may also include additional panels with information such as price reduction, actual asking price, and agent’s cell phone number.

Placement of Signs

The basic reason for putting up the sign is to gain the attention of any potential buyer or interested party. Once you have designed the perfect sign, it has to be placed well for it to have a maximum effect.

• One vital aspect to remember is that the sign has to be visible from the street. While placing the sign, you need to factor in the existence of parked cars, trees, and even telephone poles that might affect the visibility of the sign.
• It is a marvelous idea to place the sign near the sidewalk.
• For homes located at corners, it might be prudent to install two signs – one on each street.
• There is no point in placing signs at places that do not attract too many visitors. If the house is at a faraway location where traffic is limited, consider asking home owners who live closer to busy streets whether you could place directional signage in their yard.

Signs that give real estate information are an effective and inexpensive way to advertise the property. You can customize these signs to meet all your requirements.

Too many Agents operate with Buyers from a desperation or scarcity mentality. They use the four step Desperate Agent Model, applying it over and over again, hoping that the odds some how miraculously swing in their favor at some point.

1. Talk with the prospect with the objective of building rapport.

Too often, we believe that, by keeping the prospect on the phone longer and finding commonality or common ground, we will be able to secure their business. We feel that if they like us or think we are nice, we raise the probability of a sale. We want to keep them on the phone long enough to secure their phone number so we can follow-up with them. Our objective as a desperate Agent is to secure a lead. A Champion Agent’s focus is not securing the lead but securing the appointment. The lead has limited value; the appointment has significant value.

2. Offer to send the prospect… stuff

The average Agent wants a phone number and e-mail address, so they can send the prospect stuff. There is nothing wrong with acquiring full contact information of a prospect. The problem arises when that is our primary objective, rather than getting an appointment. When sending them properties via e-mail becomes our “be all, end all” form of prospect conversion, we have lost the game of sales. An e-mail contact’s conversion ratio is significantly diminished over a face-to-face or even phone contact.

The use of prospect matching software for Buyers is so over-used that the perceived value to the consumer is negligible. It’s not a unique feature to any Agent in the marketplace. We often use this excellent tool to make up for our lack of phone contact.

There is no substitute for the call. I worked with a dynamic young couple in the Atlanta area. They are effective Internet marketers. They had about 300 leads that they even had phone numbers to. These 300 leads were getting property match information based on their preferences as homes came on the market. They produced a couple of deals a month from this Internet strategy.

When I began to work with them, I asked them why they hadn’t called all 300 of these people that they were “working” with. They said, “We get a few deals a month from this; why bother.” I told them to call all 300 in the next week. They called 79 and reached 39 people at home. Of those 39 they talked to, they set 16 face-to-face presentations. That is a 41% close ratio. They had conducted 11 face-to-face Buyer interviews while committing 7 to a Buyer’s Agency contract. That is a 64% close ratio. They had already sold two homes but expected to sell several more in the next few weeks. They ended up selling six homes in the next 30 days out of their 7 clients, 11 appointments, and 39 leads. They also found out that, of the 40 people they tried to reach for a few weeks, when finally contacted, had already bought and sold with another Agent.

The sending stuff philosophy of sales cost these Agents in excess of six figures in Buyer side commissions alone. When they booked the appointments, the probability of their income and, indeed, their actual income exploded.

3. Hope that your stuff is better than that of the five other Agents who are sending them stuff.

Unless you can prove and clearly show that your marketing materials, philosophy, sales strategies, and track record are superior, it will be rare to convert a Buyer via properties you e-mail to them based on a profile.

If you secured them through an ad call, sign call, open house, or the Internet, you must assume that other Agents have all the information you do. If you manage to convince them to share their e-mail address, you must assume that five other Agents have it as well. Whoever meets them face-to-face wins.

We all send the same property matches because they are receiving the same property from every Agent they come in contact with.

4. Pray that you eventually get an appointment.

There was a huge difference in results when my couple from Atlanta went after the business by scheduling an appointment. They stopped waiting for the prospect to call when they were interested in a home. They went after the prospect other Agents knew about but were waiting for the call, just as they used to.

When I say appointment, I am not talking about an appointment to show property. I am talking about an appointment to conduct a Buyer interview; to determine the desire, need, ability, and authority of the prospect; to assess the odds of you servicing this client and earning a commission. Pretend for a moment, you were a personal injury Attorney. As a personal injury Attorney, you offer a free consultation. The reason you want the consultation is to determine the probability or odds of winning the case. A Champion Agent’s focus is the same. We are evaluating the prospect based on the odds of achieving the client’s goals and serving them well. We also are evaluating how much we will earn, how soon we will earn it, and what it will cost us in time, effort, energy, emotion, and dollars invested.

A Champion Agent knows the primary objective of a sales call, either inbound or outbound, is an appointment. The truth is that Champion Agents have more appointments than other Agents. They make more money because they have more appointments. Lower performing Agents look at the Champion Agents in awe. They think there must be something magical about the way they operate. The truth is they are more fundamentally sound in their philosophy, skills, and focus. They know clearly the objective is a greater number of appointments.

Lower performing Agents are too much in need of “The Deal”.

They often show need, even desperation to secure a new client.

Champion’s Rule: “When you need it more than the prospect, you lose control.”

If you need the deal more than the client needs you… you have lost. It’s hard to take the risk, create a little tension, close assertively if you need the deal to cover your mortgage or other bills. To be effective and successful in sales, you have to be willing to risk losing the prospect or client. This willingness is first in the form of asking people for an appointment to meet. It is followed with the conviction that you ask the prospect to work with you using the service system that you have laid out for them. You are the expert, so why not use your system for service? It’s hard to guarantee successful results if you use someone else’s system or approach to home purchasing, especially the Buyer’s.

A Champion Agent is an Agent in command. They are in command of the prospect, their client, the service they provide, and how they provide it. They are also in command of their time and knowledge. Most other Agents are on demand. They are at the beck and call of the prospect, client, other Agent, or other people in the transaction like the Lender, Inspector, and Appraiser. The need of the deal can cause an Agent to lose all control. Being willing and able to walk away from a prospect if they don’t follow your procedures in doing business increases the odds of you earning your value. As an Agent trying to reach the Champion Agent level, you need to act as if you are a Champion now… already.

When thinking of luxury real estate you can expect to pay more than five hundred thousand dollars for a home. With the economic recession behind us, the market for luxury homes is booming once again. The market is now getting the benefit of the rising income levels of people along with their desire to own a lavish, grand residential space. It is just as easy to sell a luxury home as it is one that is affordable to those without a lavish income. The market will basically targets the individuals with high net worth that also has big cash reserves and is looking for high quality living and potential investment options. These luxury properties are usually found in an up-market locality where the residents can enjoy a lifestyle that is world-class and has ultra-modern amenities.

One thing to note is that the prices of a luxury home can be very volatile. At one time, they can be at their peak when the demand is at the highest point and then it can drop substantially where you have no buyers in the market for luxury real estate.

There are many different ways in which you can market a luxury home. One way that is very important is that you will need to advertise aggressively. You should use mediums of advertising like radio, the internet, newspapers, and television effectively to attract potential buyers. You can also use billboard and pamphlets as a means of advertising in order to draw the attention of potential buyers. In your advertisements, make sure that you highlight the specifications, layout of the home, the location, and the facilities to generate more curiosity.

You can also organize seminars and exhibitions where you can showcase the luxury properties that are available to the buyers. Ask the sales representatives to interact with them personally and be able to solve your buyer’s queries. Convince them how investing in the properties will be in the long term advantageous to them.

Make sure that you can assure your potential buyers that they will have legal clearance on the homes they are considering purchasing. No buyer wants to spend millions, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on a luxury home only to find that there is some form of legal trouble related to the property.

You can also hire a brand ambassador, who could be a celebrity that works in some of your commercials that is helping to promote the luxury properties you are trying to find a potential buyer for. Make sure you promote the luxury home throughout the world as a potential buyer can come from anywhere.