Pricing Is Everything...Almost!

When the time comes to list their property for sale, many Sellers interview several REALTORS® and I would certainly encourage you to do so. Whether it's looking for the lowest commission rate, the degree of service and or marketing plan the prosepctive Agent has for your property or just someone with whom you can relate, Seller's reasons to select a specific Agent are as varied as the properties we sell.
The initiatives that a REALTOR® has to promote your property today are many. Open houses for other Agents and the public, print advertising, a direct mailer to your neighbourhood, virtual tours, brochures, numerous websites such as http://www.mls.ca/ and more will certainly help to attract a willing Buyer(s). The undeniable truth however is that the most overlooked factors that ultimately affect your ability to sell boil down to just two simple issues, both of which fall under the control of NOT the REALTOR®, but YOU the Seller. What are these issues? "PRICE and MOTIVATION."
First and foremost is price. Your property must be priced consistent with what other similar properties are not listed for, but with those that have actually SOLD. Forget what the neighbours are asking, their home hasn't sold and their price has not yet been established. Their over-priced home may in fact sell yours for when you price your property too high all you will do is help sell other properties with whom you are competing. Tip: Ask every REALTOR® you are interviewing to provide a written Comparable Market Analysis outling the recommended price they have arrived at for your property and why.
The second most important factor which also has a bearing on pricing is the degree of motivation YOU have as a Seller. In order to effectively sell your property, the best REALTOR® with the most impressive of marketing plans will have little chance of success if you are not truly committed to selling. This commitment means everything from preparing and keeping your home ready for showings, to listening to and accepting suggestions from your Agent, to being flexible with the terms and conditions other than price, that may come to you from a prospective Buyer in their offer.
As a REALTOR® I embrace all of the latest in today's technologies and tools to drive my business and best serve my Seller and Buyer clients. This blog is a prime example. Nonetheless, as a Seller, failure to pay attention to the two most important of issues of "PRICE and MOTIVATION" will only result in the failure to meet your personal real estate objectives starting with the sale of your property. Despite all the high tech tools and inititiaves our there at our disposal to sell your property, as a REALTOR® the greatest attributes we can bring to the table are "INFORMATION and TRUTHFULNESS" regarding the sale of your property for without these, everything else is meaningless. The truth which all too often Sellers do not want to hear is that "PRICE and MOTIVATION" matter more than anything else when it comes to successfully selling your property.