Ep. 44 Never Trust Potential Listing Agents

For many years listing agents fought each other to outprice and outwow a potential home seller, knowing that a listing was virtually money in the bank. Sellers did grow used to this and even now, years later there are home sellers who wish (either quietly or out loud) that their home, too, will sell for 30,40 or $50,000 more than they paid for it.

Unfortunately, many potential listing agents, too, will still try to win the listing wars by floating unrealistically high prices to lure potential clients. Hey, they’ll get a six month listing agreement, give it a month then start pushing for price drops. The odds are in their favor to ultimately get a commission. As the 2011 spring selling season heats up, be on the lookout for more of this. In fact, I just witnessed some of it just recently, so don’t think it’s not happening.

As a seller, you can’t trust a potential listing agent unless you trust their numbers, and you’ve got to be comfortable with those numbers. Agents aren’t miracle-workers – they’re trends analyzers. Their ability to follow the trends of recent home sales is critical to reducing the time to sell your home. Add to that the criticality of their marketing (not just a sign in the yard and pray, in other words) and you know the things you HAVE to grill them on. This is a difficult real estate market – you need professional representation.

Don’t confuse enthusiasm (or blood relations or a flashy car) with rock-solid professionalism. Ask questions first…sign later.

Visit our homepage for Lancaster PA Real Estate

(Source: tv.yourlancasterhome.com)