Selling Your Home

Selling a home can be overwhelming and can bring a multitude of issues. You need a REALTOR® who is very knowledgeable about the area in which you are interested and further, about the actual housing market in that area. We are the #1 Gold Coast  Real Estate Team.  We are known for our professionalism, integrity and our' ability to get the job done. As noted in the many testimonials on our website, we are the choice for people who want to sell their homes.

There’s a lot to selling a home. It’s much more complicated than simply putting up a “for sale” sign - especially in condos where there can be no signs.

1. Preparing your home for market; that is, staging it before it hits the market.
2. Placing ads on numerous sites that impact marketing for maximum exposure.
3. Promoting your home in all media.
4. Pricing your home to achieve the best possible price in the shortest time.

In addition, we do all the negotiating with buyers and buyer’s agents; we handle all paperwork and contract matters; we make sure all inspections are performed in a timely manner; we make sure all issues are resolved with the buyers and we attend the closing with you.  So, as you can see, you do need a qualified REALTOR® to represent you. Let us put our expertise to work for you today!

What's next?

If you plan on selling your home see what we can offer you with our sellers marketing plan.
Getting ready to list your home, read our Sellers Guide for some great tips.
Want to know what your home is worth before you list, let us provide you with a free market analysis.

Expectations of a Real Estate Agent.

How will you select an agent to represent you in the sale of your home.
1. They are a friend.
2. They sell more homes.
3. They are very nice and have years of experience.
4. They provide great service (how would you really know).
5. A referral.
6. At random.
7. They had the lowest commission.
8. They promised the highest price.

If you answered yes to some of these then you may be in store for a rude awaking.

1. Too many times friends, are more than likely, not necessarily the best agents.  Hiring someone strictly on a personal relationship can be the ruination of that relationship, especially if the agent did not deliver up to their friend's expectation.  If the friend is even is not in the top 30% of all agents that could mean as much as 5%-10% differential on the final selling price of your home.  On a $500,000 property,  that could be a loss of between $25,000 and $50,000.  

2. Many agents in an area develop the reputation of selling the most homes in the area.  However, ask yourself, if  the agent " sold more homes, or marketed and "sold more homes for more".   Selling more homes is wonderful as long as those homes are receiving the highest possible price.  What is the agent doing to achieve optimum price.

3. So many agents are quick to point out about the wonderful service they provide.  Service should be a given; not the bread and butter of a transaction.  Of course, service is important, and something that should be demanded, but too often when talked about, is entirely non-specific, and therefore difficult for the homeowner to figure out as to exactly what is the service they are paying for.

4. Most agent are very nice.  After all they are sales people and interacting with thier clients should be the minimum they can do.  For example, an agent with 20 years in the field, many times has 1 year of experience, times 20 years.  Many times a less seasoned agent has more marketing skills in a short amount of time than a veteran has after many inconsequential years of service.  The marketing skills of the agent you choose are far more important than the number of years they have been in the industry.

5. Referrals are fine, however make sure the referral is based on intimate marketing  skills,  and not just sales skills.  In a terrific market many homes will sell in spite of the agent.  The individual referring  an agent  often never realized that their home did not sell at "the best possible price." but referred the agent because they were "nice and got the job done."

6. Was the agent selected because they were the one that picked up the phone when you called the real estate office?  It is essential to choose an agent on their track record and it is essential for the homeowner to ask the difficult questions and not just questions about the price and the commission.  If an agent does not understand the principles of marketing than it is a sure sign they will not acheive optimium results.

7. Providing the lowest commission does not necessarily produce the best results.  More than likely the lower commission is a sure indication that the agent needs business.  Remember, a 1% reduction in commission on a $500,000 house is $5,000.  That agent may produce a result (as indicated above in #1) that is as much as 5%-10% below the optimum selling price.  So you saved $5,000 and gave away a potential $25,000 or more because the agent chosen was not the best agent.

8. Since you as the seller are looking for the highest price.  An agent chosen  based on assurances of acheiving a sale at far higher than marktet value price, is almost  a centainty of failure and unmet expectations.    Can they really get the highest price or are they trying "to impress you" to obtain the listing?  Inquire how many prior transactions resulted in sales at the highest possible price and what was their marketing strategy to obtain that highest price.  Choose the listing agent because of their skills at marketing and the higher price will fellow not the other way around.

The Keys to a Really Good Real Estate Agent.

Demand that the agent you select be a marketing agent and not just a selling agent.  Ask the following questions.

1. How is a marketing agent different from a real estate sales agent?
2. How is marketing different from advertising?
3. How is marketing different from personal promotion?
4. What is the real estates agent marketing philosophy?
5. How will they market online and offline; to other agents, to niche markets?
6. What is the difference between marketing and merchandising?
7. What merchandising skills have they developed on prior listings?

If the agent does not have effective answers to any or all of these questions than, perhaps it is necessary to continue to search for an agent that understands the above questions.

We Market Homes at the Highest Level sm