We Don’t List Homes For a Sign in the Yard

Elizabeth Cooper-Golden Huntsville Realtor

by Elizabeth Cooper-Golden

in Huntsville Home Seller Tips

“Elizabeth, The more I think about you not wanting to list my home, the more ANGRY I am getting.  I can’t believe you aren’t even willing to stick a damn sign in my yard”.

This was a voice mail that I woke up to this morning.  Ugh. The caller was upset….very upset.

The back story goes like this:  Mrs. Seller has a home that has expired.  It has been on the market for over 6 months with another company.  Mrs. Seller called me stating that she loved our website and the exposure that it offered.  I was thrilled and excited at the prospect of adding another great listing to @ Homes Realty Group portfolio…UNTIL I saw the comparable’s for her home.

Mrs. Seller “needs” a certain price to be able to move on.  If they don’t get this price, they are unwilling to sell.  I certainly understand that.  As the market sits now, we go on more listing appointments than we accept.  If we don’t think we can get you the price you need or want, we must be honest.  Our consumers deserve the truth!

I called Mrs. Seller back. “I’m so sorry that you are offended that I am not interested in your listing.  It was not my intent to offend you in anyway, but rather to be honest with you and educate you on the current market conditions.  Doing so enables you to make an educated decision as to whether NOW is the best time to sell or not.  I was hoping after our conversation that you understood why I felt I wasn’t the best agent for you”.  She still wanted me to “just” stick our sign in her yard.  She deserves better.  There is so much more to selling a home than sticking a sign in the yard. (More on that later)

New @Homes Sign

I was not the best agent for her for a reason.  I don’t believe I can get her the price she needs to enable her family to move on.  Why?  The real estate market TELLS me I can’t.   The market, via buyers, in fact is screaming “DO NOT OVERPRICE please…we aren’t interested”.

Mrs. Seller was baffled as to why I wouldn’t want our @ Homes Realty Group sign in the yard, if nothing else rather than to obtain sign calls.  She actually said that. I’ll tell you why…I must believe I can sell your home and market it to the best of my ability and all that comes with being a true professional.  Being professional means stating the truth.  When buyers do call us, we can show them the value on each and every one of our listings.  Value can mean more than one thing: Amenities, location, price, etc.

If you are considering selling your home in Huntsville, here are a few important things to keep in mind when interviewing your Huntsville real estate agent:

  1. Do they KNOW the Huntsville real estate market?  This is so important!  Did they share market reports?
  2. Do they show you a marketing plan?
  3. Do they market online?  Google their listings to see how they stack up against the competition.  This is very important, since nearly 90% of buyers begin their search online.
  4. Most importantly, do you trust them?

When selling your home, you enter in to a relationship with your agent.  A good relationship always begins with honesty.  @ Homes Realty Group believes in relationships…we hope to earn your trust in the future.

{ 1 comment }

Dena Stevens January 31, 2012 at 9:33 pm

It really is a relationship between an agent and a seller. If we (the agent) don’t sell the listing we’ve not only spent our time and our money but our reputation is tarnished. After all, it’s our goal and our pay check, we want to sell that property!

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post:

The data relating to Huntsville AL Real Estate on this Web site derive in part from the Valley MLS IDX datashare program. © 2016 Valley MLS, Inc. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified.

@Homes Realty Group
470 Providence Main St
Suite 202
Huntsville, AL 35806

Phone Numbers
Cell: (256) 425-1659
Office: (256) 585-6000
Fax: (256) 217-4073

Email Address
Elizabeth@atHomesRealty.com

Facebook

Like us on Facebook

Twitter

Follow us on Twitter

Pinterest

Share with us on Pinterest

Google Plus

Join us on Google+

  © 2008-2015 @Homes Realty LLC All Rights Reserved