How to :Sell Your House
BOTTOM LINE UNIVERSITY
Since 1987
Ralph Williams – 7828 Skylake Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76179 - Cell: 817-907-9693 – Email: BtmLnUniv@aol.com
Copyright© 2011 - Ralph Williams - Bottom Line University® is a Registered Trademark of Ralph Williams
Knowledge - Understanding - Application - Success
Shopping for a good real estate agent is a big responsibility.
by Ralph Williams
It.s right up there with finding a good surgeon when your life is on the line. For most of
us, our home is our greatest asset. It is far too valuable to just hand over to someone
just because they passed a test. This is a job for somebody who will work in your best
interest.
Here are some suggestions for finding the best real estate agent for you:
Drive around your area and see which agents have the largest inventory. Get to know
the names of agents and the type properties they represent. Check out how they
expose their listings (Internet, flyers, brochures, open houses, MLS, newspapers,
magazines, etc.).
Probably the most important thing to keep in mind when you choose an agent is
whether or not they have genuine excitement with the opportunity to represent your
property. I don't mean an agent who gets giddy, I mean an agent who sees your
property as a product they can actually get sold.
Beware of the agent who leads with how bad the market is and all the negative stuff
that keeps a property from selling. That.s an agent who is making excuses for an
anticipated failure. Yes, today.s market is challenging, but homes are selling in every
marketplace across the country.
Also very important, you want to price your property competitively. I would suggest you
get a fee appraisal done on your property. It will cost you between $225.00 and $450.00
(depending on where you live), but the assessment will be based on a value for which a
bank is likely to lend. It will also serve you in the negotiating process. Your agent's job
will be to get you the very best price they can. Whoever represents the buyer will be
trying to get the very best price for their buyer. A genuine fee appraisal gives you and
your agent a distinct advantage. Personally, I would have a fee appraisal done before I
interviewed any agents. Why? Because I would want to know who “puffs” in the interest
of getting the listing, rather than giving me an honest assessment for fear I might send
that agent down the road. I want somebody representing me that intends to get the
property sold, not just listed. Believe me, there is a difference.
1
Ralph Williams – 7828 Skylake Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76179 - Cell: 817-907-9693 – Email: BtmLnUniv@aol.com
Copyright© 2011 - Ralph Williams - Bottom Line University® is a Registered Trademark of Ralph Williams
The Most Important question to ask an agent is.....
Why Should I List My Home With You?
That's not a question you lead with, it's a question that comes when you feel
comfortable enough to listen and hear what is really said when the agent answers the
question. There are eight specific things that an agent should bring to the table with
regard to your question. They are:
1. The agent should let you know that he or she ,knows their business.
An agent who knows his business isn't necessarily an agent who has been in the business
for 20 years. In fact, an agent who has been in the business 20 years is more likely to
be behind the times than truly know his business. An agent who knows the business is
up to date on financing, marketing and most importantly, what you the owner might
need to do in order to showcase your home at its best (without it costing you an arm
and a leg). Staging is an important bullet in today's well-rounded agent. Get an agent
who has an eye for making your home attractive to a buyer in today.s market. Selling
your home is not about your style, wants and/or tastes, it.s all what.s most likely going
to appeal to a wide scope of the buying pool.
Technology is also important. If the agent can't text, email and tap into what.s
happening on the Internet, I'd pass on that agent. If they tell you they have an assistant
that takes care of all that, make sure that you will be communicating with the agent and
not just the assistant. If you are only going to be communicating with the assistant, you
will be communicating with a nurse and not the surgeon. Frankly, I would much rather
communicate with the surgeon!
2.The agent should know how and where to find buyers.
The best agents today understand the importance of marketing to other agents (that's where the real action is).
Old school agents like to rely on newspaper ads and the MLS. Today's pro knows that
most of the action is on the Internet and within a select community of agents who work
mainly with buyers. The best agents know how to pull up the ten most productive
agents in your area who sold properties very much like yours. These agents specialize
and are most comfortable with certain types of properties and certain price ranges. In
other words, they are very much like buyers; they have a good idea of what they can do
and they work that niche. Find an agent who knows how to hold a good open house.
3.The agent should know how to make things happen.
The great agents have a swagger about them and they are connected to an incredible number of people and
resources. I'm not talking about some wise guy, or cocky smart aleck, I'm talking about
the agent who can see things quickly, communicate what they see effectively, and make
you feel like you are in really good hands. If this agent were a great surgeon, he would
be the great surgeon with confidence, heart and compassion for completing the task
successfully
4.The agent should know how to negotiate a contract that can close.
If your agent doesn't have good negotiating skills you could be in real trouble. Test the agent.s
ability to negotiate by asking what their commission rate is. If the agent offers you a low
commission right off the bat you can take it to the bank negotiating is NOT their strong
point, and you won„t be served well. You will be looking for an agent who knows their
value and can sell it to you. In today.s market a 6% commission to an agent who can
get the job done is a good value. I always keep in mind what Warren Buffet told me
back in 1978. He said, "There is no such thing as a good price, only good value, and
everybody is a price shopper until they experience good value."
5.The agent should know how to manage the transaction so that it will close.
Putting a deal together is the beginning, not the end. The real work, troubles and challenges take
place between the point of sale and the closing of the sale. This is really where an
agent earns their money. Listen, this is a tough market, but a great agent plays the role
of Superman and rescues the day more times than you will ever hear about. The great
ones make it look simple, and won't tell you about every hiccup that takes place, they.ll
just handle it so you don't have to stress. By the way, that.s another example of good
value.
6.The agent should know real estate law,practices and principles.
Whoever you choose, you are going to want them to be above board, ethical and respectful of their
fiduciary responsibilities. The last thing you want is an agent who acts as if they are an
attorney, but you do want an agent who will work to keep you out of legal
entanglements. If this really is a good agent, they will probably be a good choice to represent
you when you buy your new place.
7.The agent should be a full-time career professional
I think this is important. A part-timer is exactly what the title implies. You want a dedicated, full-time pro whose
livelihood is dependent on getting your home sold. You don't want somebody saving up
for a flat screen TV or an annual vacation.
8.The should back their work with a written guarentee
This is key. If they don't offer you something that states you can get out of the listing if they fail to do what they
say they are going to do, just pass. Please understand that this type of warranty is
simply a way to ensure communication. Reality says that whatever warranty you get
(and every company worth it.s salt has one of these), should offer you a chance to put
your grievance in writing so they have a chance to correct the flaw. Most of these
agreements allow a ten time frame to correct the flaw, and then if they haven't they
have to give you an unconditional release. The best agents offer it before you have a
chance to ask about it, but if they wait until you ask about it, listen carefully how they
sell it to you. This is an important document that is built to ensure you don't get stuck
with a dud real estate agent.
About the author:
There is a bit of work to be done if you really want a good real estate agent. But if
you take these thoughts to heart, you just might find the real estate agent of your
dreams. Good hunting to you.
About the author:
Ralph Williams is a powerful communicator, a master facilitator and has incredibly
keen insight. He provides useful information that can be put to immediate use. He
combines his street-smart, common-sense approach with his strategic learning
practices to give those he works with a distinguishable edge.
Ralph has developed, field tested, presented and perfected more than 100
programs that are in constant use by top professionals from a variety of industries.
Many of these programs can be custom designed to be brand specific and/or fit
any industry that requires recruiting, training, coaching, leading and/or directing
salespeople. At the leadership level, modules for business building, team building,
organization building and expectation management are of primary focus. At the
salesperson level there are parallel programs (built to work in harmony with
leadership programs) designed to build long lasting careers with high earnings (no
matter the market conditions).
Ralph is a world-class platform speaker, business coach and business consultant
who is dedicated to leading and directing people to good decisions in their
moments of truth. Ralph travels more than 150 days per year. He works with
business leaders, salespeople, community leaders, and families, helping them
meet and overcome the challenges brought about by an ever-changing and
increasingly competitive world.
Ralph and his wife, Louanne live in Fort Worth, Texas. They have five sons and
ten grandchildren.
