What We do
We sometimes get asked by friends and prospects what’s the difference between good agents and the rest of the pack? In our experience, the good, experienced agents bring plenty to the table:
Full service agents take all the risk of selling your house. We spend the time and money to get it sold, not the seller. If it doesn’t sell, we don’t get paid. We asked our friends – would you go to work for the same pay scale, knowing that you won’t get paid a penny until the deal is done AND if it doesn’t close, you get paid nothing for your time and investment? We're putting our money where our mouth is – investing in the opportunity to assist you with your sale. To pull it off, we rely on the following:
- We have to be experts on staging your house to sell. Your home needs to look spectacular to get top dollar, and most sellers could use help in staging the home. We interact with many buyers so we are current on expectations for each price range: we know what buyers are looking for.
- We invest in and utilize the best marketing techniques available and strive for maximum creativity and currency. You really have to be paying attention to understand what works and what doesn’t. Every experience is a learning opportunity.
- Today, about 90% of buyers use the internet to find their new house. We stay current with technology and invest our money in e-marketing tools that increase the exposure that our listings get and make it easy for buyers to find us. Our listings show on more than 30 real estate sites.
- We know the neighborhood, the town, the county. Knowing the little nuances of each area will help us provide valuable information to the buyer and in turn make a buyer feel more comfortable buying. When selling a home you frequently also have to be able to sell a location.
- We know the properties that are on the market (comps). Chances are we’ve seen many more than the sellers or other agents – that’s a big advantage at crunch time when the buyer is holding a low comp over the sellers’ head – we can derail the argument with more accurate information.
- We know the MLS. Experienced agents use the MLS like a carpenter uses a hammer. We can read between the lines and tell you a lot about the property just from looking at the MLS listing. Utilizing the knowledge from these three (4, 5 & 6) we are able to craft a powerful case on why somebody should buy the property for the price offered – that’s what a good listing agent should be able to do – build conviction in the value of the property.
- We know the other agents. If you’ve been around a long time and do your share of good business, your reputation is well-known and other agents will want to work with you. We are well respected. That’s a big help in the seller getting what he wants – top dollar and a hassle-free transaction. Plus the veterans know which agents to avoid.
- We are aggressive in pursuing the buyers for our listings. We call, network with other agents, hold open houses, do targeted direct mail regularly and follow-up with potential buyers until they buy or die.
- We know how to negotiate a win-win. These days, if the buyers don’t feel comfortable with the deal, they’re not buying. It’s critical to achieve enough common ground that all parties feel they got a fair deal to just get to escrow, let alone close the deal. This hasn’t mattered as much while the market was bubbly, buyers went along for the ride just to buy a place – now they are far more critical and achieving a win-win is mandatory, yet many newer agents have never seen such a thing.
- In trouble with your mortgage holder? It takes a strong agent to hold them off – and one who knows how to package a brokers’ price opinion with a perfect credit application to stop foreclosure – ours are crisp, clear, and thorough. Without them, the banks will continue the foreclosure.
- Coordinating all the details during the escrow period is critical to making sure the deal closes. That by itself is a full-time job – in our case, there's two of us. And when you hit a snag, our experience provides us with a portfolio of options on how to handle it – and keep progressing towards the finish line.
- Moving – we regularly help locate the next home for the sellers, supply moving tips, get any junk hauled and leave the home clean for the buyers. Today’s buyers won’t accept anything less than a clean and spiffy house at closing, and because people don’t move often, they usually underestimate the time and effort involved to get out.
- We are available – we answer my own phones and return voice mails and sms promptly. We put in 60+ hours a week, and can be reached easily during waking hours. When a buyer calls the phone number on my sign, I’m the one answering the phone. Having your agent available and on full alert at all times means you won’t miss any opportunities to get your home sold – how many GOOD agents are so dedicated to helping you that they’re available all the time? Not many.
- We are affiliated with the largest real estate brokerage in Connecticut and one of the most recognized and respected brands in the world: Berkshire Hathaway. That gives us access to experienced resources, ongoing training, continually evolving technology tools (in addition to the ones we secure on my own) and a vast network of real estate professionals.
Fact – 90% of the business is being done by 10% of the agents. Unfortunately that means that a lot of agents are standing around, hoping to get lucky. No wonder the public berates agents, and thinks we’re not valuable to the equation. Let’s face it, 90% of the agents don’t have much experience in selling homes. But the savvy seasoned agent bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, resulting in a higher sales price and a faster, easier transaction because we know how to get it done. In any market, but even more so in a challenging one, you need experience: “been there, done that”. It can make all the difference.