Getting more listings is the easiest way to increase the volume of sales but it can be a pain staking enterprise if we don’t approach it in the correct fashion. We all know that the most prepared person is the most likely to succeed but few people do this, so it is an opportunity to get ourselves in the best position possible. We need to stand out from the crowd and so do the houses that we are selling. This can be communicated to the seller but we have to be prepared with not just information but a plan.
As we know other realtors are going to be interviewed by the potential home seller we need to know what they are being told by the other agents that are presenting their services and telling them why they are the best agent for selling their home.
The standard operating principle that is used by most listing agent is to show how many homes they have sold and then tell the seller that their home is worth slightly more than it is so that they are seen as the agent that understands the seller and the value of the sellers home. This tactic has been used for decades and as the home stays on the market the agent is then reselling the home owner on the different reasons that they need to reduce the price every 4 to 6 weeks.
This tactic is fine and it does work but it requires that we constantly sell the homeowner on the reduction of the price of the home.
It is less complicated to ask the home seller what they feel their home is worth. Do the research on the comps, prepare a list of comps and provide them to the seller. Taking the seller out to show them some of the other properties on the market and how long they have been on the market is also very helpful as it makes the information more tactile and therefore less questioned.
Then we put a plan into place that indicates the following:
- Scheduled open houses at least two should be scheduled (one a month)
- Agree in advance to a schedule to reduce the price in increments that everyone is comfortable with.
- Tell the seller that you will be at each showing whenever possible in order to communicate to the seller that you are invested and that buyers will feel more committed the more agents are present. (The unspoken information is that this is a house of significance)
While other agents are sitting at home or at the office, you are making yourself seen and gaining more clients from their friends and family by going a little further than the average agent. This may not pay off immediately but it does work over the course of time.
An important note is to let the buyer’s agent know that you will be there so they are less inclined to not show up and when they are there let them do their job unless given permission to speak to the clients.
It isn’t that hard to stand apart from the crowd we just need to be prepared, unafraid and bold.
Matt Steinmuller