From Listed to SOLD - How to Sell Those Listings You Work So Hard to Get!

If you haven't been following this series, the following blog may seem kind silly, just FYI!

• Reason One: It will make your seller happy
• Reason Two: You'll gather feedback from the public
• Reason Three: You'll become more familiar with your listing

And Reason Number Four... You might sell the house.

Yeah, I know, fat chance, right? But it really shouldn't be discounted as a valid reason to hold the darn thing open for a few hours one Sunday. And, imagine, you might even double-end the sale if you get lucky enough to attract an unrepresented buyer who falls in love with your fabulous listing!

Tomorrow (or maybe Monday)... Thoughts for Rookies about holding open houses for others

 www.sellwithsoul.com

Earlier this week, I started this little series on Why You Should Do at least One Open House (on your own listings) even if you think they're a "waste of time."

Why? Because...

It will make your seller happy

You'll gather feedback from the public

And... today's topic:

You'll Become More Familiar with Your Listing

How much do you really know about your listing? Chances are that you took a little tour with your seller on the day of your listing presentation and probably another one when you took your photos and measured the rooms. But you've probably never spent much quality time in the home by yourself, just absorbing the features or even the challenges the property offers.

When I do an open house, I tend to check everything out - admittedly, often out of boredom. Yeah, I open doors & drawers, wander in and out of bathrooms, flip switches to see what they do. And in the process, I discover things I hadn't noticed before, especially if I've always been accompanied by my seller on previous visits.

Okay, so this probably isn't a gi-normous deal, but I do find that by spending some quality time in my listing without the distraction of rapport-building or just chattering with my seller, I'm a better listing agent.

One more reason to open house... tomorrow!

 www.sellwithsoul.com

Yesterday, I promised to chat some more about why an agent should hold his or her listings open, at least once. Something I didn't mention was that I'm only talking about YOUR own listings - not listings of other agents, although that's fine to do if you like (and I will talk more about this in a few days). No, I think you owe it to your seller to do it, yourself even, regardless of whether or not you think the open house will result in a sale.

Why You Should Do Open Houses Reason #2 (of 4):

You can gather feedback from the public to share with your seller.

I did my first open house in three years this past Sunday. It was a fairly active open house - we had maybe 20 visitors in a three hour period. It was a beautiful spring day, people seemed cheerful and chatty and the feedback was flowing. At the end of the day, I had a page and a half of scribbled down comments for my seller. Most of them were positive; a few mildly critical, but how long would it have taken me to get that much feedback from showing agents? Uh, like forever?

While my seller certainly appreciated the mass-feedback, as the listing agent, it is also incredibly helpful to me to see firsthand what features really jumped out at the visitors. Every single one of them commented on the "great light and all the windows," and almost everyone complimented the oversize kitchen. Do you think this might help me in my marketing efforts?

I think spending three hours getting a concentrated dose of feedback from the general public is a great use of my time and a valuable service for my seller.

Tomorrow - Reason #3 to Go Ahead and Hold that House Open!

 www.sellwithsoul.com

Do you think Open Houses are a waste of time? The verdict is divided on this - some agents swear by them, others refuse to even consider doing them.

Well, I'm going to do my best to encourage you to do an Open House for each and every one of your listings - at least once.

So... here we go:

Why You Should Do Open Houses Reason #1 (of 4):

It makes your seller happy.

Don't discount the power of a happy seller. And don't let the Old Fogies tell you it's possible to convince a seller that Open Houses are a waste of time. If you don't do at least one Open House for your seller, he WILL doubt your commitment to the sale of his home. Oh, sure, he may agree with you to your face that Open Houses aren't necessary and that they only benefit the agent, blah blah blah, but when his house hasn't sold and he's getting nervous, he WILL remember that YOU haven't done an Open House yet.

If I had a house on the market and my agent hadn't done an open house, he better not come asking me for a price reduction unless/until he does! Why? Because I'm pretty sure I'd feel he hadn't yet done HIS part to sell the house. Reasonable? Maybe, maybe not, but if I, as an experienced real estate agent feel this way, you better believe your sellers do, too.

Did you catch that? I think it would take some nerve to ask your seller to reduce his price if YOU haven't done the most visible, most expected form of real estate marketing there is - the Open House.  If your seller feels you're shirking Open House duty, he might not be nearly as open to your suggestions as to what HE needs to do to help get the house sold.

A happy seller is a cooperative seller. And an uncooperative seller is a nightmare. You pick.

Tomorrow - Reason #2 to Hold Your Listings Open

 www.sellwithsoul.com

We're having a lively discussion over on my private SOI Blog Forum about the "best" way to do a listing presentation. The reason it's up for discussion is that many of us work primarily with people we already know (our SOI's), and feel kind of silly doing a formal sales presentation for them.

Well, one of the most brilliant members (and there are plenty), Susan Haughton, made the following comment:  

"I never do a formal listing presentation; I take comps so it looks as if I at least came with something.  I talk with the sellers about the market, about their home, about their goals.  I don't even take the listing paperwork.  I'm just there to have a conversation with them and if we decide to proceed together, then I'll get the listing paperwork to them for their signatures. I like to think this approach conveys that I don't need props - I have knowledge, skill and confidence.  I have not been on a listing appointment yet where I did not get the listing."

That got me to thinking.

I'm a big fan of proving your competence to prospects and clients, rather than just telling them about it. Tell someone how great you are, and they'll immediately start to look for reasons you aren't. That's just human nature. And, frankly, most of a listing presentation IS a sales pitch where the agent tries to convince a seller that he's the best man for the job, based on his FABULOUS marketing plan and INCREDIBLE company support.

Yawn.

But what if, instead of your fancy listing presentation, you were to walk into a listing appointment with a sincere desire to help, a sincere interest in the seller's situation (instead of simply a sincere interest in your paycheck) and a dead-on understanding of the local real estate marketplace?

Hmmmmm... care about your seller and know your stuff... it might really be that simple.

 www.sellwithsoul.com