Wednesday, September 30, 2015

8 STEPS TO SELLING YOUR HOME

Step One


Selling a home can be one of the most emotional things a person ever does. Homes are filled with memories of family and friends, memories that aren't easy to let go of. Unfortunately no one can make the process of selling a home less emotional, but an agent can help simplify the entire process and make the business side a lot less stressful. If you are considering selling your home these next 8 posts will give you all the info you need to get the ball rolling.

Define Your Goals and Needs



The first step to selling a home is understanding why you want to sell. Before you call an agent take a moment to answer the following questions.

Why do I want to sell? Do you have a growing family? Do you have a job opportunity in another city? Would you like to live closer to family? There are a myriad of reasons to sell your home, make sure your decision is based on the right one. 

What do I hope to accomplish with the sale? Is your main goal to make a profit, or do you need to sell within a certain time frame? Perhaps you have no emotional attachment to the property and you're just trying to rid yourself of a burden? While the ideal goal in any home sale is to sell quickly for the most money, it may not always be realistic. If you want to make a good profit but the current market is a buyer's market, you may need to wait awhile for the prices to go back up. However, if you have accepted a job in another city and need to sell fast, you may not be able to wait for as high an offer as you'd like. 

Are you being persuaded? Friends and family love to give advice, and they usually do so with the best of intentions. But if someone is convincing you to move when you really don't want to it's in your best interest to put a stop to it. If you think this may be happening to you, take a step back and assess the situation. Why do they want you to move, and are their reasons really what's best for you? Confronting the people closest to you can be difficult at times, but doing so will be better for everyone in the long run.

Take your time answering these questions and get the opinion of anyone else who may be involved in the sale. Once you have a good idea of why you want to sell and what goals you'd like to accomplish, it's time to contact your agent. Together you can map out a strategy to help you meet your home selling goals. 

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Door Knocking


A couple times a month another agent and I go door knocking in a few different neighborhoods we have selected. We like to leave the residents little goodies and information about ourselves, and we're always up for a friendly chat. We never know how many people will be home, or how many spider webs we'll walk through, but one thing is guaranteed, we're going to get a nasty email from a not-so-happy homeowner. 

I'm writing this blog post to answer some of the most common questions and comments we receive in these emails (I'll clean the language up a bit) and hopefully dispel the most common myth about door knocking; that we're trying to force you to sell your home. 


"I told you I don't want to sell my home, why do you keep coming back?"

A lot of people are under the impression that if an agent knocks on your door, they're going to try to force you to sell your home. Let me start by saying this; there are bad apples in every business, and if you have experienced a pushy agent on your door step I am truly sorry. However, this is not the goal of most agents who knock on your door. Our goal is simply this: We want you to know who we are. That's it! 
Real estate is a referral business, we need people to know our names in order to make a living. So you're not planning on moving, but maybe your co-worker is and they ask you if you know any good agents. If you say "Why yes! Two lovely ladies come to my door once a month, you should give them a call!" Then our door knocking goal has been met. If you don't refer us, that's OK too! We'll still come say hi once a month. 

"I don't want your flyers, stop delivering them to me!" Signed - Anonymous

Printing hundreds of flyers is pricey and we prefer to leave them with people who enjoy them or find the information useful. If you aren't that person then we will happily stop delivering them to you, but first we have to know who you are! Most agents don't enjoy making people upset, and we really don't like being called nasty names in emails, but if we don't know who you are you will continue to receive our flyers. Simply stating that you have no need for our flyers and leaving your address is all it takes to remove yourself from our list. 

"Why are you littering my doorstep? Put it in the mailbox!"

A lot of people don't know it, but it is illegal for anyone other than a postal worker to put anything in your mailbox. By leaving our info in your mailbox we risk charges and fines from the government, and no one wants that. We do, however, make a conscious effort to secure our flyers, usually by placing them under a welcome mat, so they don't blow into your yard. If you enjoy receiving the flyers but would prefer they be left somewhere specific simply send an email or give the agent a call with your request, we would be more than happy to oblige. 

"Why do you want to talk to me? Just leave your info and go."

Once upon a time, in the not so distant past, people had conversations and they made the world a better place. When we choose neighborhoods, we choose ones we love and we assume that since you live in these neighborhoods that you love them too, so we already have something in common. We enjoy talking with homeowners about why they love the area they're in, how long they've been there, what's changed, or anything else they'd like to share. If you don't love your neighborhood we'd like to hear about that too, please share your concerns with us! Taking a few minutes out of your day to connect with another person, without the aid of an electronic device, helps to relieve stress and anxiety, and we can all do with a little less stress in our lives. 
If you don't agree, or if talking to strangers raises your stress level, please let us know and we'll leave you be!

"This isn't my house, I'm just renting."

As I stated above, we aren't trying to make you move, and you could still be a referral source for us, but we can also be an asset to you. Real estate agents network with many different people in many different business, which makes us great resources for anything you might need. Aside from knowing all the best contractors, roofers, plumbers, gardeners and electricians, we also know the best restaurants, mechanics, florists, coffee shops, doggy daycares, and just about anything else you may need. If you're new to the area, or even if you've lived in the same place for years, feel free to hit us up for some free info! 

At the end of the day, all we really want is to get to know you and your community, we don't want to upset you! Door knocking is simply part of our job and to be honest, it makes a lot of us quite nervous. So the next time you see your neighborhood real estate agent I hope you wave and say hello, it will make their day!

Still have questions or concerns about door knocking? Feel free to leave them in the comments below!