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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.

The U.S. is officially in a recession. What is a recession? A recession is a business cycle contraction or general economic decline due to significant drop in spending and other commercial activities. Most pundits and politicians will blame Covid-19 crisis for the recession, but even pre-Covid-19 the proverbial writing was on the wall.

The U.S. had over 120 months of economic growth, which was the longest expansion in the modern history. Other indicators, such as negative yield spread on treasuries (long term bonds having lower interest rates than short term T-notes), were pointing to an imminent change of the economic cycle and an impending recession. The only real question was: when and how bad?

Then Covid-19 came… If the cycle was going to change anyway, Covid-19 acted as a huge and unexpected accelerant to make the recession much more immediate and severe.

Inevitably during recessions all classes of real estate, including residential homes and condominiums, will be negatively impacted as lower consumer spending and higher unemployment rates affect real estate prices and marketing times.

Here are the six costly mistakes home and other real property sellers make during recessions and how to avoid them:

Mistake #1: This will pass and real estate market will be hot again soon

First thing to remember is that real estate cycles are much longer than general economic cycles. Even if the general economy recovers, which eventually it always does, a typical real estate cycle takes as long as 10 to 15 years. The cycle has four key stages: Top, Decline, Bottom and Rise.

Let us consider the last real estate cycle, which lasted approximately 14 years:

• 2006 – Prices hit the Top
• 2006 to 2012 – Prices Decline
• 2012 – Prices hit the Bottom (Trough)
• 2012 to 2019 – Prices Rise*
• 2020 – Prices hit the Top
• 2020 to? – Prices Decline

*NOTE: In 2016 the national residential real estate price index reached its pre-recession 2006 peak levels. It took 10 years for the real estate market to recover.

The way to avoid this mistake is to recognize that real estate cycles take years to run and plan accordingly. Additionally, nobody knows for sure when the prices will hit the top or bottom until after the fact.

Mistake #2: Low interest rates will make the economy and real estate market rebound

Between 2006 and 2011 the interest rates (Fed Funds) were continuously cut by the Federal Reserve Board and went from low 5% to almost 0%. However, that did not stop the real estate recession and depreciation of property values.

Undoubtedly, low interest rates made the economic decline and real estate recession less severe and saved some properties from foreclosures, but it still took six painful years for the real estate market to hit the bottom and then four more years for the prices to go back to their pre-recession levels.

Some markets had never fully recovered. For example, residential home prices in some parts of California, Arizona and Nevada are still below their 2006 highs.

To avoid this mistake, one needs to realize that although low interest rates help stimulate the economy and the real estate market, they do not cure them.

Mistake #3: I don’t need to sell now, so I don’t care

If you do not need to sell until the cycle plays out, which typically is over ten years, then you will not be as affected, especially if you have a strong equity position, limited mortgage debt, and solid liquid assets.

However, it is good to keep in mind that “life happens” and either professional or personal circumstances can change and we may need to sell property before the downturn runs its course.

Furthermore, if a property has a mortgages and its value declines to the point being “upside down,” meaning the mortgage loan balance exceeds the value of the property, then the options of selling, refinancing or even obtaining an equity line of credit, will be significantly limited.

This does not mean that everybody should be rushing into selling their real estate if there is no need to do so, just keep in mind that circumstances may and often do change and property options will be affected, so plan in advance. As one wise proverb says: “Dig your well before your thirst.”

Mistake #4: I’m selling, but I won’t sell below my “bottom line” price

This is a common and potentially very costly mistake. Generally speaking, every seller wants to sell for the highest price and every buyer wants to pay the lowest price. That’s nothing new. When selling real estate, most sellers want to achieve a certain price point and/or have a “bottom line.”

However, it is important to understand that the market does not care what the Seller, or his/her Agent, think the property value should be at. The market value is a price a willing and able buyer will pay, when a property is offered on an open market for a reasonable amount of time.

Overpricing property based on Seller’s subjective value or what is sometimes called an “aspirational price,” especially in a declining market, is a sure first step to losing money. When a property lingers on the market for an extended period of time, carrying costs will continue to accumulate and property value will depreciate in line with the market conditions.

Additionally, properties with prolonged marketing times tend to get “stale” and attract fewer buyers. The solution is to honestly assess your selling objectives, including the desired time-frame, evaluate your property’s attributes and physical condition, analyze comparable sales and market conditions, and then decide on market-based pricing and marketing strategies.

Mistake #5: I will list my property for sale only with Agent who promises the highest price

Real estate is a competitive business and real estate agents compete to list properties for sale which generate their sales commission incomes. It is not unusual that Seller will interview several agents before signing an exclusive listing agreement and go with the agent who agrees to list the property at the highest price, often regardless if such price is market-based.

Similarly to Mistake #4, this mistake can be very damaging to Sellers, as overpriced properties stay on the market for extended periods of time costing Sellers carrying expenses such as mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, utilities and maintenance.

Furthermore, there is the “opportunity cost” since the equity is “frozen,” and it cannot be deployed elsewhere till the property is sold. However, the most expensive cost is the loss of property value while the real estate market deteriorates.

During the last recession, we have seen multiple cases where overpriced properties stayed on the market for years and ended up selling for 25% to 40% below their initial fair market values.

The solution is to make sure that your pricing strategy is based on the market, not empty promises or wishful thinking.

Mistake #6: I will list my property only with Agent who charges the lowest commission

Real estate commission rates are negotiable and not set by law. A commission usually represents the highest transactional expense in selling real properties and is typically split between Brokers and Agents who work on the transaction

Some real estate agents offer discounted commissions, in order to induce Sellers to list their properties with them. But does paying a discounted commission ensure savings for the Seller? Not necessarily.

For example, if the final sales price is 5% to 10% below property’s highest market value, which is not that unusual, due to inadequate marketing, bad pricing strategy, and/or poor negotiation skills, it will easily wipe out any commission savings and actually cost the Seller tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenues.

The solution is to engage an agent who is a “Trusted Advisor,” not just a “Salesperson.” A Trusted Advisor will take his/her time and effort to do the following: 1) Perform Needs Analysis: listen and understand your property needs and concerns; 2) Prepare Property Analysis: thoroughly evaluate your property and market conditions; 3) Execute Sales and Marketing Plan: prepare and implement custom sales and marketing plan for your property; and 4) Obtain Optimal Results: be your trusted advocate throughout the process and achieve the best possible outcome.

Finding such a real estate professional may not be always easy, but it certainly is worth the effort and will pay off at the end.

In conclusion, this article has outlined six costly mistakes real estate Sellers make during recessions and how to avoid them. The first mistake is not understanding that real estate cycles are long and take years. The second mistake is a misconception that low interest rates alone will create a recovery. Another mistake is not realizing that circumstances may change and not planning in advance. Mistakes number four, five and six pertain to understanding the market value, proper pricing and selecting the right real estate professional.

By understanding and avoiding these mistakes, real estate Sellers have significantly better chances of minimizing the negative impact of a recession while selling their properties.