Real Estate Myths When Selling Your Home

Myth #1

It doesn't matter which real estate agent you list your home with.

Truth

It is critically important which agent you select to market and sell your home.

There are two major reasons why your selection of a real estate agent is so important to you getting your house sold and getting the highest price with the least amount of inconvenience to you.

First, the real estate market is highly competitive with many other sellers competing for those few available, qualified buyers. You need Steve & Carolyn with a proactive marketing plan that can outmarket your competition for those few buyers as compared to many average agents who just list your home in the Multiple Listing Service and then pray that someone will sell it. Hire Steve & Carolyn who are experts at marketing properties and spend their own money to get the job done.

Steve & Carolyn are expert negotiators who can convert a prospect to a buyer and obtain the highest and best price and terms for you, the seller.

Second, it's important to have agents with the education, experience and know-how to anticipate problems, avoid them and be able to handle them quickly and in a professional manner, should they occur. About 30% of the contracts written never close. Problems arise (there are a million things that can go wrong) and sellers who think they're moving find out that the sale collapsed leaving them in a terrible predicament. If your home is picture perfect, you've priced it below market value and the market is strong and you're very lucky, you can probably list with anyone…but why would you do that anyway? If a problem does arise, you want to be able to have someone who knows how to get that problem solved and get you moving. That's what you're paying for, Steve & Carolyn's successful track record!

Myth #2

Steve & Carolyn sell a lot of real estate. Perhaps they are too busy to pay attention to my listing.

Truth

Steve & Carolyn are very busy doing all the right things that will get the best results for you!

Just as superior restaurants are busy at dinnertime and superior doctors have a heavy patient load, Steve & Carolyn's success in marketing homes has resulted in their busy schedule. You wouldn't hire your brother-in-law to do open heart surgery on you just because he wasn't busy. In addition, Steve & Carolyn have assembled a top notch staff to assist them with the routine (but critically important) details in order to free them up to devote the time and attention you require to sell your home successfully. Steve & Carolyn have built their business on one satisfied client at a time. Their goal is your satisfaction, a client who spreads the word about how well you were served.

Myth #3

You should select the real estate agent who says he/she can get you the highest price.

Truth

No...always select an agent on his/her credentials. Market value is a separate issue.

Overpricing a home to get the listing is the oldest scheme in real estate: schmooze the seller and compliment the home to get the listing, then ask for a price reduction 20 days later when the house hasn't sold. You should insist on a written, well-researched computerized market analysis to determine the realistic amount your home will bear in today's market and price it accordingly. First, select your real estate agent based on his/her credentials. Then decide on price. Never select an agent based solely on the price they recommend.

Myth #4

All I really have to do to sell my home is to put a "For Sale" sign in the yard and an ad in the newspaper.

Truth

The yard sign and newspaper ad, while effective, actually account for a very small percentage of "qualified" buyer activity.

Only seven percent of qualified buyers come from yard signs and only eight percent from newspaper ads. That's why the failure rate for "For Sale By Owner" is so high. Most qualified buyers are generated by real estate agents through referrals, past customers and clients, and various proactive marketing activities including the internet. In other words, most buyers are generated from a pool of buyers who have been professionally nurtured and developed over time.

That's why it's so important to engage the services of an agent team who has developed a substantial and successful business over the years. You can greatly improve your chances of getting the highest price from the most qualified buyers by working with the most successful Realtors...Steve & Carolyn.

Myth #5

Pricing your home is a mysterious process.

Truth

Your home will sell for whatever the market will bear...the market value.

Your home will sell within a range of what similar homes are selling for. And because every home is unique, your home will probably sell in either the high or low end of that range, depending on the condition. Steve & Carolyn will do a computerized market analysis collecting data to help you decide where to put the price. It's not an easy process, but it's not mysterious either.

Myth #6

Brokers who "discount" commissions can do an adequate job of selling your home.

Truth

You get what you pay for!

Your home is in competition with all of the other homes on the market for the best and most qualified buyers. There are generally more homes on the market than there are buyers. That's why such a high percentage of homes that go on the market don't sell. You need an aggressive, proactive real estate agent to get your home sold and for the highest net price to you.

Promotional costs such as photos, brochures, newspaper ads, internet fees, vido tours, MLS inserting fees, printing, direct mail, signs, etc. are vital to getting the results you want, but they are expensive. Steve & Carolyn invest heavily in the marketing of your home. Will a discount broker offer a complete marketing campaign? Hardly! Most of these "discretionary" investments are some of the most important investments in obtaining the desired results. "Don't be penny-wise and pound foolish."

Does a discount broker have a staff to personally attend to your specific needs? Does he/she have a proven track record of success or is he/she using the discounted commissions to win your business? Does he/she have the expertise to guide you through problems that may develop during the closing process? We think not! And remember you only pay a commission when your property sells successfully.

There are a lot of Myths going around about the selling of real estate, but the TRUTH is that Steve & Carolyn get results. Put them to work for you!