Selling your property at the
highest price in the shortest amount of time with the least amount
of stress. Sounds straight forward and it should be.
My advice:
Interview, choose and "hire"
the best agent you can find to represent you. Do research about
their qualifications and talk to other sellers whom they have
represented. Make sure you feel comfortable with their style
and presentation. Understand exactly how the agent intends to
market your property. Right now the internet is attracting buyers
locally and from all over the world. What is the agents web site
like - would it attract you? Don't underestimate the importance
of having your home on the internet and featured on the agents
own site.
Remember, it is the agent, not
the company that sells your home. No matter how impressive the
company figures and PR, it is up to the agent and her/his expertise
to get you the best offer and carry it to a successful conclusion.
Don't choose an agent because
they give you the highest opinion of value. That can often be
misleading. Unfortunately some agents will over value the property
in order to get the listing, saying that you can always lower
the price if it doesn't sell. This is the number 1 worst thing
you can do when marketing your home-overprice it. Buyers and
other agents know it is overpriced after a few showings. Your
property then becomes know as the "overpriced" home
and is effectively off the market or used as a comp to sell another
correctly priced home. When you reduce the price to the correct
one, it may already be "shopworn" and you may have
missed the current active market. If you are serious about selling
your home, don't overprice it and be sure you are not underpricing
it.
Insist on knowing exactly how
your agent arrived at the asking price for your property. Have
you agent treat you as a buyer and take you to other homes in
your price range. Compare prices with an open mind and listen
carefully to the reason for your valuation. If it doesn't make
sense to you, choose another agent.
When selling land, choose and
agent who knows and has experience in all aspects of valuing
and marketing land and thoroughly unerstands the process of land
development.
Once you have chosen an agent,
listen to her/his advice concerning all aspects of the sale try
to relax and enjoy the adventure. It can be very stressful and
emotionally exhausting, especially if you are also purchasing
another home at the same time-or even worse, also relocating
to another area. This is when you really need to feel sure that
you have the right agent working for you. Choose carefully.
