Delivering Bad News

There is almost nothing more rewarding in the business of real estate then making the call to first time home buyers to tell them their offer has been accepted. In today’s market, calling sellers and telling them their house is sold can also provide an “I’m so glad I’m a Realtor feeling”.

Unfortunately, delivering bad news is also part of the job and I’ve been delivering it in large doses of late.

Despite the local facts and statistics, national print media headlines and on air reporting by the talking heads, many sellers believe their home is worth more than it is. It is my job, as the friendly local Realtor, to be welcomed into a seller’s home, burst their bubble, and otherwise ruin their perfect day.

Delivering bad news doesn’t come easy and is a learned skill. Having been through 3 market corrections over 3 decades, I have had a fair amount of practice in delivering bad news. I once had a seller burst into tears and although I appear tough, it was an effort to remain professional and not start bawling right along with her.

Hey, I don’t like this market either. Sniffle.

This week I’ve had the opportunity to take the wind out of the sails of two future sellers. As I delivered my CMA at possible listing #1, Mrs. Seller just stared and never said one word. Mr. Seller escorted me out read more

Posted by Linda Davis on Jul 05, 2008 under Realtor

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Marketing Techniques That Sell

When showing a home, it’s often easiest to run through the particular set of features within the home, but, you may be missing the best opportunity to show off differences that can help a home sell.

Benefit marketing plays a fundamental role in separating the good from the great in sales and real estate is no different. Just about everyone can walk into a home and see the features, but, home buyers are often trying to take everything in quickly when visiting a home so running down a list of features that they can already see does not help them discern why a particular feature may be important. This is where benefit marketing comes in to play.

As you walk through a home with a client, explaining the benefit of a feature can greatly improve the desirability of the home.

For example: a home has a tankless hot water heater. Many buyers today know that this is a new technology, but, not necessarily what it means to them. Taking a moment when highlighting the feature by explaining how that feature benefits the buyer gives a meaning to that feature. In this case, it means lower monthly utility bills and endless hot water for a shower. For a family of 5, this would be a significant benefit and could be the difference maker between two similar homes.

Another example of benefit marketing might be explaining why new windows in an older home are important rather than simply stating that there are new windows. “Green” building is one area where benefit marketing is important, but, it encompasses just about all read more

Posted by Ryan Ward on Jun 05, 2008 under Online Marketing, Guest Bloggers

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Will agents show your listings? A glimpse into NE Ohio's Competitive MLS

I’ll tell you why our MLS is competitive in one word: VOLUME.

Yesterday I checked the community of Euclid Ohio. There were 683 homes on the market. Rocky River has 240 homes for sale. Lakewood has 376; Cleveland Heights has 666. You get the point. There are a lot of available homes in NE Ohio.

If you are selling your home you will be asking the same question your Realtor® is asking—what can I do to make my listing stand out, and not be the house in the back of the room waving it’s chimney saying ‘pick me, pick me!’

I decided to use myself as an example. I have quite a few buyers at the moment and spend time culling the listings to set up showings.

Here is what I automatically eliminate:

1. Homes with no photos
2. Homes with no room sizes and amenities listed
3. Descriptions

Since almost all of my clients and close to what, 90% of all prospective home buyers are read more

Posted by Carole Cohen on May 05, 2008 under MLS, Guest Bloggers, Regional

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HomeGain First Quarter 2008 Home Sales Report by MSA - Part II

Last week, I posted an article in which we named the Top Ten MSA’s in the country where HomeGain buyers and sellers transacted in the First Quarter of 2008.

I included feedback on current market conditions in the Top Five areas from our top performing agents who closed those sales. Now, here is the latest information on the MSA’s ranked 6 through 10.

Again, a common theme among our member agents to working successfully in challenging markets is to educate our clients and, as Heidi Mueller says, to “manage expectations of the home sellers and buyers.”

Please feel free to join in and post comments about your local market conditions.

And the cities are… read more

Posted by Peggy Boehm on Apr 18, 2008 under HomeGain Market Data, AgentEvaluator

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