By Rich Levin
Yesterday, a friend said to me, “Rich, now I know you shouldn’t do business with friends.” I held my tongue because I completely disagree with the sentiment. In my opinion you should always do business with competent friends and never do business with someone just because they are friends.
He explained that he had put his house on the market eight months earlier with his best friend’s wife. She was not able to sell it. So he hired an Agent who sold a lot of the homes in his neighborhood.
Very proudly he said, “The Agent told me to do some work on the house. We took down my wife’s quilts that were hanging on the walls. Pulled up the carpeting in two of the upstairs bedrooms to show the hardwood floors and spent about $800 in paint and minor repairs. The house sold the first weekend to the first buyer who saw it after the work was done.”
The first Agent, friend of wife, said she liked the quilts on the walls. And she said the new buyer might like the (old) carpeting. Was this incompetence or wanting to placate a friend? Either way, it cost the original Agent the listing, over six months of time and expense, plus possibly the relationship. Obviously, it cost the client in many ways as well.
The secret to getting your listings sold is to convey to the Seller what it will take to make their house show its best. I know. This is not much of a secret. Every Agent knows this. But, do they do it? The ones who do this get their listings sold, the ones that don’t waste time and money.
If you are not sure what to tell a person, here are a few tips and you can search “Real Estate showing tips” on the web to find many more.
- Less is usually better than more, less pictures, less furniture, less on the walls, less on the counters and less on the floor.
- Lighter is better than darker. Put bulbs in every fixture, the highest wattage recommended in darker rooms. Turn on all lights and open all curtains.
- Freshen up paint. Shampoo rugs. Expose hardwood. Wash windows. Make bathroom fixtures and kitchen surfaces shine.
- Place a few planters with fresh flowers near the entrance, mow the lawn, trim the edges, and in winter (in the north) keep it shoveled, salted, and/or sanded.
- On the outside paint the most street visible areas. Stand in the street and look at the paint or siding, shudders, curtains, plants, grass, drive way, roof, chimney, etc.
- Trust your instincts: If you think something should be done, generally you’re right, do it!
As part of your listing presentation offer to make suggestions that will make the house sell faster and probably for more money. But, don’t make those suggestions until after you have signed the
paperwork. Some of the time you will offend the seller with your suggestions and cost yourself the business.
I suggest you say something like. “If you like I can make some suggestions that will get you more money and probably sell your property faster. I promise that if I ask you to spend $10 it is because I am certain you will get a $100 more for the investment. Would you like me to make those suggestions if we choose to work together?” Then tell a brief anecdote that illustrates your success with this. If you don’t have one, start doing it and you will soon. Or, use my anecdote from the beginning of this article saying, “This is a common scenario. An owner hires one Agent that does not make these suggestions. The home languishes on the market for months. Then another Agent is hired. They make these suggestions. The owner follows their advice and like magic the property sells very quickly. It is such a waste of your time and delays your plans that I feel I must offer to do everything that will get you the most money, prevent your frustration, and free you to make the move you want.”
We coach Agents who are selling hundreds of homes a year. Most of them were selling a whole lot less than that when they began coaching with us. After years of coaching success we know what the difference is between Agents that constantly struggle and Agents that are wildly successful in their business. Much of the difference is these basic things they do consistently and conscientiously. Advising the seller as above is one small part of one of those basics systems.
If you would like to learn how to build money making, business building habits and systems into your business that will take you to the income and career you desire.
For more information on how you can implement a powerful listing presentation into your business, call or visit us on the web at www.RichLevin.com
Rich and his coaches specialize in working with Real Estate Agents and Brokers taking them to their highest levels of production and performance in their business and in their lives.
Register now for a Business Planning Session. I promise you will learn the habits and systems that produce huge results, and you will have taken a giant step toward realizing all of your dreams! Contact Rich directly at 585-244-2700 or Rich@RichLevin.com�