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As the seller - that's where everything begins. Delivering top quality service to each seller is the job of every real estate agent and what should be expected of Nicole Hecht and Bob Hecht of The Hecht Team. They are experienced in the Lake Norman area with over 40 years working with Sellers and Buyers. Areas that Bob and Nicole can assist you with Real Estate are Denver, Sherrills Ford, Maiden, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and Mooresville.
How The Hecht Team works with you, the Seller.
Once the Hecht Team has visited your property, taken a lot of notes and completed their work, it’s time to see what the projected value is (CMA), and let the Nicole and Bob go through their listing presentation. This time is important, both to you and the The Hecht Team. They are interviewing for the job and you as the potential employer are taking this time to decide to whom you are going to trust the marketing of your most valued and probably most expensive asset. It takes more than just a sign and MLS, The Hecht Team has a specific marketing plan that involves the Internet, flyers and brochures, some print advertising, agent outreach and much more. Information they will give you during the listing presentation include information about themselves, their time in the business, education, sales experience, support from the office, and connections with other agents for marketing.
Valuing the property - this is the most critical step, other than choosing the agent who is going to represent you. Pricing too low by the agent will cost you, the seller, money and the other side of the coin is pricing too high adds time to the marketing period and eventually costs the seller money.
The price needs to be the "CORRECT" price, so you can beat your competition and attract the buyer, while still receiving the most money possible for your property. The price has to be supported by sold comparables, because unless you are extremely lucky and your buyer has cash, the bank is going to require an appraisal.
How does The Hecht Team price? Nicole Hecht and Bob Hecht research the market and look at active, pending and listings that have sold in the last 6 months and see how your house compares. They compare the size of house, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, size of garage, bonus room, and any extra features. They look at the neighborhood, size of lot, and also look at any seller concessions that were necessary for that house to sell. Nicole and Bob also look at houses that expired or did not sell. There was a reason that house did not sell, and normally the reason boils down to price, so they need to be sure they don't make the same mistake pricing your house. Expired listings tell them what not to do.
We are in a buyer's market and when working with you, the seller, it's important to attract the buyer.
Most agents look for data in MLS, but the county tax database has to be researched, The Hecht Team looks at for sale by owner listings; basically anywhere Nicole and Bob can find information to help them predict the correct price. Pricing your house is one of the most critical jobs they can do and cannot be taken lightly or be shortcut. It takes time and that time must be spent to be accurate.Ask questions anytime and often. The Hecht Team views the listing appointment as the time to tell the sellers about themselves and the marketing plan.
Tips on Deciding the Realtor for You!!
Don’t choose your agent based primarily on how much he or she is willing to list your house for or who offers the lowest commission fee. Too many times, I have seen someone give a “listing” value that is too high, but thrown out by an agent so the seller will be happy and list the house. In my opinion, that agent just committed a disservice to their seller client. Yes, the agent may get the listing, but the house may be priced too high for the market. The house will sit on the market and not get showings, and then the agent has to go back to the sellers and ask for a price reductions in hopes of getting the price to where it should have been to start with. In the meantime, the sellers potentially will have missed a buyer who may have been interested if the property had been properly listed at the correct price in the beginning. Let me ask you: What kind of a job did this agent do for the seller?
So, give the agent doing the listing presentation time to tell you about him or her, the time in the business, education, sales experience, support from the office in case of problems, connections with other agents for marketing. What systems does the agent have access to? Does he or she know the market? Does the agent know the area? It takes more than just a sign and MLS and the agent MUST have a specific marketing plan that involves the Internet, flyers and brochures, some print advertising, agent outreach and much more.
You need to know if you can get along with this person, because unless a buyer comes in the very next day and closes in 30 days, you are likely to be working with him or her for 6 months and maybe longer. Even if priced correctly or aggressively, homes take longer these days to sell and the relationship between real estate agent and seller has to be good. How often will you get feedback? This should be weekly, even if just an email, if you are comfortable with email, but you should know what is happening in the market with your property on a regular basis. You cannot be left in the dark, and you need a good relationship where you feel comfortable to pick up the phone and call to ask a question at any time.
How should your agent find that price and what is involved? If you invite an agent to look through your house and at the end of the tour, he or she gives a recommended value, without going over any comparable data; I would run the other way! To produce a CMA (competitive market analysis) takes time and research and cannot be done in a matter of just a few minutes. The CMA is critical. So how is it produced?
As the seller, I hope you will view this as the time to be sure you know who you are dealing with, and are ready to work with as the agent who is going to market your house. You and the agent are a team to work together and if you can form a good team, this goes a long way toward finding a buyer. If you do not feel ready to work with this agent, talk to another or several until you do have that comfort level.
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We offer a free Comparative Market Analyisis so you can find out how much your home is worth in todays Lake Norman Real Estate Market.
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