It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.
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The personal stories of one Realtor’s battles and triumphs in the highly-competitive Bay Area Real Estate Market, seeking to illuminate and humanize the very real ups-and-downs of homeownership.
“We found someone who will sell our house for less,” the message said, “so we’re going with him.” (No doubt.)
A week later, the property showed up on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) as a “Coming Soon,” with an out-of-area Agent (that no one seems to know) who had not only misspelled Piedmont but had improperly placed the house near Joaquin Miller Park.
You get what you pay for.
Will this property still sell? Absolutely. It’s on a great street, is a diamond in the rough, offers level-living, has 12′ ceilings, boasts generous proportions, offers lovely natural light, and has tons of storage. In a nutshell, it’s the perfect downsizer’s home – for anyone who has a healthy bank balance and is willing to do a little updating.
But given that the Agent doesn’t know what – or where – he’s actually selling, isn’t aware of what the community offers, can’t speak to the public schools or the new Aquatic Center, is likely unaware of the Harvest Festival, Fourth-of-July Parade, Tree-lighting Ceremony, or the 101 other things that make Piedmont truly special, AND is likely selling the house ‘as is,” it won’t sell anywhere near where it might have – or should.
You get what you pay for.
Listen, it’s your home and I understand that the cost of selling is significant, and that EVERYONE wants to save a buck or two (or three), but there’s no savings if you’re leaving money on the table. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.
Even so, having been on both sides of the equation – as both a Seller and as an Agent – I understand why Homeowners think they’d like to transact for less. I’ll concede that it’s expensive to sell a home, but under the heading of “penny-wise and pound foolish,” this may not be the place to save.
“But don’t all Realtors essentially do the same thing?”
Hardly.
Preparing a house to receive the maximum amount of interest takes a SIGNIFICANT effort that’s often measured in months – not weeks. Take my word for it, Sarah and I have sold hundreds of homes and we’ve seen the delta between staged and unstaged homes over and over again. AND given that you only get one chance to make a first impression, when and how your home is presented IS going to impact the attention it receives, not to mention the bottom line in $$$!
You get what you pay for.
However, because the NAR (National Association of Realtors) has bifurcated the commission structure, the listing agreement will only stipulate the commission to the sell side, which unfortunately, has created a race to the bottom as discount Agents offer to provide their services for less . . . AND In a race to the bottom, it’s the Sellers and Buyers who will ultimately pay the price.
Mind you, the Agent willing to write on anything for a flat fee isn’t going to be reading the disclosures, visiting the property, navigating the roadblocks, or keeping you from making expensive mistakes . . . they’ll just be penning the contracts. Ditto for the discount Agent who sells your house on the cheap. They may offer to do it for less, but in the end, it will probably cost you more.
Which is why Realtors® don’t all charge the same for their experience, work product, or skill sets (nor should they). When you hire our team, you’re not just getting our immediate attention; you’re also benefitting from the 20+ years of experience it took us to hone our practice and become the top 1% of Agents in our region. The bottom line is if we can’t negotiate our value with you, how would you expect us to negotiate on your behalf with other interested parties?
You get what you pay for!
How can we help you?
Julie Gardner & Sarah Abel | Compass Realty
Not just Realtors, but consultants in all things house and home, we’re here to educate, explore, examine and refer . . . In short, you may count on us to take care of your home as if it were our own and anyone who knows us, knows we take pretty darn good care of our homes.
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