Many sellers fail to realize how important choosing the right agent is in their home selling process.
Common Mistakes of Sellers Choosing an Agent:
Apathy About Their Agent Choice & Not Comparing in Depth What a Few Agents Actually Offer
Quickly Picking the First Agent That Contacts Them
Picking the Most Persistent Agent
Bandwagon Effect: Not Taking a Close Look at the Agent's Recent Listing Sales for Marketing (No Matter How Many Sales or Reviews They Have)
Picking a "Yes Man", Who Seems the Most Enthusiastic About Your Property, Who Suggests the Highest Price, & who is the Most Agreeable Agent
Not Fact-Checking Agents About Their Experience & Claims
From a wide variety of factors, great agents achieve higher net profits. Here are some examples of when I helped a seller obtain higher net profits:
I Saved a Seller >10% vs an Under Contract Buyer's Requests by Securing a 3rd Backup Contract After 2 Buyers Requested 9%+ in Concessions Back to Back in Separate Contracts After Their Home Inspections
My Seller Might Have Gotten an 8% Higher Contract Sales Price a Year Earlier if They Had Listened to Me
Buyer Paid My Seller Client 6% Above Appraisal
Example of the Importance of Market Seasonal Timing & Impact on List Date, Bias of Appraisers Toward Contract Price, Agent Honesty Importance, & Agent Value Perception Importance, Netting Sellers >5% More
I Disputed the Appraisal Price with an Appraiser to Justify Value for My Seller During a Transaction, Increasing $ for My Seller
Correcting an Item on the Closing Disclosure Frequently Neglected in Hampton Roads to Save a Seller $, to the Surprise of the Buyer's Agent with Over 20 Years Experience Who Had Never Noticed That.
Helping a Seller Avoid an Inspection that the Buyer's Agent Thought He Had to Get Due to the Agent's Lack of Contract Familiarity for VAR Contracts Outside the Bounds of Hampton Roads
Helping a Seller Avoid Inspection Negotiations that the Buyer's Agent Thought He Had to Engage Due to the Agent's Lack of Contract Familiarity for REIN Contracts
I Suggested a Higher List Price than Other Agent Interviewed, But It Still Went Above Asking Price
An Appraiser Called Wondering Why the Home Sold So Low - None of My Recommendations for Preparing the House for Sale Had Been Taken
When Representing a Buyer, I had to Work Around a High Volume Low Commission Agent to Get it to Closing
I've Seen Where Properties Had <1% MLS Coverage with the Seller Having Likely No Idea About it & How Negative of an Impact That Has on Their Sale, & I've Seen Where a Buyer's Agent Saw My Property for the Buyer They Represented Exclusively Due to MLS in a Neighborhood Where Only My Property Was Listed on Their Distant MLS
In addition to the examples above, here are some of the main reasons why your agent choice is so important, many of which can have a direct impact on your net profits:
Great Agents Achieve Higher Net Profits
Some Agents Are Much Better at Equipping Sellers Before They Are Ready to Sell
Dealing with Multiple Offer Scenarios
Differences in Agent Honesty, Ethics, & Care for Sellers' Interests
Different Agents Have Different MLS Access & Are Familiar with Different Local Customs, Local Contracts, & Local Resources
Agent Experience: Brand New to Thousands of Personal Past Transactions
Vastly Different Showing Assistance
Agents Have Vastly Different Physical & Digital Resources, w Some Having Much More than Others
Vastly Different Experiences with Agents: Check Their Reviews
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