As your Real Estate Agent, we are obligated to do everything we can to smooth the process of selling your home. We are your advocate, the professional you are turning to for help. Most people want an agent they can not only trust but will do all they can to get the most money for their home in the least amount of time with the fewest headaches along the way.
Because some home sellers know so little about the sales process, it is too common for other agencies to do the bare minimum and get by. As a local boutique agency, we do our best – cover all the bases of a smart sales process – and have gained a reputation for great work, and the referrals that come along with it.
Smart home sellers understand there is a big difference from so many of the “post and pray” real estate agents that don’t do much more than put a sign in the yard, place it in the MLS and pray. Sellers deserve a lot more than this.
Many in the real estate industry feel there is room for a good clean up – the Jones Hollow Realty Group is one of them! It is far too easy to get a real estate license. The barriers to entering the industry are far too small when you consider a real estate agent is typically handling someone’s largest asset.
Home sellers reading this article should understand that like every other industry, there are those who are exceptional and others not so much. Most businesses have an 80/20 rule where 80 percent of the business is done by 20 percent of the people. The real estate industry is skewed much greater than that. In fact, you might be amazed to know that 93% of all real estate transactions are completed by 7% of the members. That is staggering!
What this means is one thing – there is a lot of room for disappointment by picking the wrong real estate agent to represent your interests. When selling a home, it is very easy to choose a wrong agent, after all, the odds are stacked against you. Understanding how to pick a real estate agent is something many sellers get all wrong.
How can you increase the chances you will make the right choice in picking a real estate agent? This is an easy question to answer. You need to understand what things real estate agents should be doing for home sellers! When all of these tasks are completed in the correct manner, the likelihood you will be a happy camper will increase exponentially.
Jones Hollow Realty Group is the right choice. We don’t just understand what’s important, we execute and follow through. It is our job as Realtors to make sure you are better equipped to make smarter decisions.
Price The Home Correctly.
Pricing a home properly is bar none the most important thing we can do. Experience has taught us to avoid giving in to the desire to say what will make sellers happy just to attract business. Jones Hollow Realty Group agents price each home using their training, understanding of the market and comparable sales.
Understanding how to price a home is one of our most valuable skills. Smart sellers should be looking for agents who sell homes for close to the original listing price. We have a reputation for pricing homes accurately and not telling a seller what they want to hear to get a listing. This is one of the lowest things a Real Estate agent can do and violates the code of ethics we are supposed to follow.
As a seller, you should be aware that pricing a home too high can cause major issues in the sale. Buyers may avoid it, and if they avoid the home long enough, it will develop a bad reputation. Eventually, you will be forced to drop the price to be competitive in the marketplace, but by that point, the bad rep will have stuck.
Even with a competitive price, buyers will be likely to low-ball you after a period of time. Ultimately you may sell the house for less than what you would have if you had priced it correctly, to begin with. The seller loses out, and the agent’s reputation suffers.
While some agents will intentionally misrepresent a home’s value to get business, others lack the skill to price a home correctly. The perfect example is the Realtor who takes shortcuts and uses things like price per square foot to determine value. Unless you want your home priced wrong, don’t ever listen to a price per square foot of being an accurate way of pricing a property. The only way this indicator is useful is if all the homes in your neighborhood are identical. Rarely is this ever the case.
Market The Heck Out of The Property.
Marketing is one area where we really shine. We start with great pictures of the property – hiring a professional photographer. The photography on your home is absolutely one of essential elements in selling homes today. I can tell you first hand how appalling it can be seeing some of the photos real estate agents post of their client’s homes. What is probably even worse is the sellers who never bother to look!
The internet will be where home buyers discover your home. If your homes pictures are lousy, you will lose out on a significant amount of traffic.
Jones Hollow Realty Group is well versed on how to get the word out using all available marketing channels, not just the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Jones Hollow Realty Group has a beautiful website that draws traffic and showcases all of our properties for sale. We are also heavy users of social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, to spread the word. These online platforms have taken some time for our agency to develop and have unequivocally strengthened our reach to help our client’s homes get sold.
Our marketing material is top-notch, from photographs to videos to the brochures used to market the home. Investing in a quality Real Estate agent who understands how crucial the marketing is will reap substantial benefits.
Communicate Properly.
A seller needs to know what is going on with the sale of their home. Too many Real Estate agents get a client and then only check back in when they get an offer. Real Estate agents should regularly update their customers on the feedback from showings and about anything else that may concern them. Even if there are no offers, keeping in touch lets your know that we’re being proactive – and worth paying for.
Often surveys are done, and the #1 complaint from consumers towards real estate agents is a lack of proper communication. Real Estate agents who don’t communicate get bad reputations among their peers and their clients. There are some clues as a home seller you can observe before you hire an agent that will give you a pretty good indication of how things will be moving forward. Do they return your calls or emails promptly? In my mind, all phone calls or emails should be returned within an hour unless you are already with another client. There is no excuse for poor communication. Jones Hollow Realty Group’s agents make it a point to always be accessible and in constant contact.
Make Sure The Buyer is Qualified.
Anybody can say they are interested in buying a house. Not everyone can get pre-approval for a home loan, though. Our agents will make sure that buyers are pre-approved – not just pre-qualified. There is a big difference between mortgage pre-qualification and pre-approval. Pre-qualification does not include an analysis of the buyer’s credit report, verify income, or employment, which will be key factors in whether they can get a mortgage.
A pre-qualification in most instances is not worth the paper it is written on. You want buyers who have already submitted all information, including a credit report, and have been given the go-ahead for a loan. As long as nothing changes with their financial situation or their credit, they should be able to get approval and buy your client’s home.
Negotiate The Best Terms.
We go out of our way to fight hard for the best terms and conditions for our clients. This, after all, is what we are paid to do. A great Real Estate agent will never think about their pocket book but what makes the most sense for their client. This is one of the reasons why you should never choose an agent that “needs” to make a sale. When you hire an agent who isn’t worried about when their next sale takes place, you will get much better advice.
Jones Hollow advocates for their clients and strives for the best possible terms for the transaction. Everything in Real Estate contracts is negotiable. Our agents when warranted don’t hesitate to counteroffer with a price that is more favorable to their client. We have the negotiation skills necessary to get the job done right.
If a client wants adjustments to contingency dates or closing times, these should be negotiated appropriately. We understand the real value of each element to the customer. Pushing to get clients everything they possibly can is what we do on a regular basis.
Home Inspection to Represent The Seller.
A seller client may or may not expect their Real Estate Agent to attend the home inspection, but we do it regardless. By being there for the inspection, we get to hear all the feedback from the inspector first-hand. So if you ask should the listing agent attend the home inspection, the answer is a resounding yes!
We can keep track of everything that is said and keep things in perspective should the buyer ask for concessions based on the inspection. Some requests may be reasonable. Others may not. When a sellers agent is there and can see everything in person, we can protect a seller from unreasonable requests.
Here is the perfect example: A home inspector says during the inspection that the roof has 3 to 5 years left before it needs to be replaced. The translation after a home inspection from the buyer to the seller is that a new roof is needed immediately. Sometimes what the home inspector says and what is written in his report are two different things.
When the listing agent is present, they can see and hear first hand what exactly the issues are. Some buyers will exaggerate everything in the hopes of getting a closing cost concession or the seller making repairs. Home inspections often become the second place of negotiations.
Don’t be misled by the real estate agent who tells you that they shouldn’t go because “it creates too much liability.” That is complete nonsense! The only thing that creates liability at a home inspection is what you say and do as an agent, NOT your attendance there. Agents create their liability by speaking out of turn. A Realtor should not be attending a home inspection to be a 2nd inspector but to observe and listen.
Home Appraisal.
Our agents make it common practice to attend the home appraisal, so we can answer the questions the appraiser has and make sure they understand the facts about the home. Appraisers may need feedback from someone who knows the house to do their job. We’re there to help clarify any confusion. In many instances, we’re the most qualified to answer an appraiser’s questions.
For example, the appraiser could be looking for all the recent updates, among other things, that have been made in the home. Major updates are certainly something that can influence the value of your home. This is something the agent should be there to point out. Updates are the kind of thing that can have a significant bearing on the outcome of the appraisal.
Finalize Loose Ends For Closing.
Selling a house involves a lot of work. There are so many little details that must be taken care of, which is one of the big selling points for our services. As the closing draws near, we help you take care of all the loose ends.
Selling a home can be very stressful, but with Jones Hollow Realty Group in your corner taking care of the little details, the burden can be eased just a bit. Hopefully, you now understand the things you can expect from Jones Hollow when selling a home!