As a real estate agent, it is your job to make the home selling process as smooth as possible for your clients. They have enlisted you for both your help and your knowledge and to get them the most money for their home without too many hiccups along the way.
Now, because most people don’t have too much knowledge about the home selling process, you may be able to get by with doing the bare minimum. But the bare minimum is not going to create super satisfied customers and it is not going to lead to tons of referrals. Go above and beyond and you will garner a reputation for stellar work and the referrals that follow.
Below are six things every listing agent needs to be doing for their sellers
1. Price The Home Correctly.
How you price a home is pretty much the most important thing you are going to do as a listing agent. If you are new to real estate, you may think pricing it at what the seller wants is the way to go or you price it too high in the hopes of landing the listing. Either way, you are heading down the wrong path.
Learning how to properly price a home is the most important skill to develop. It involves a clear understanding of the market along with comparable sales. Take the time to properly learn how to price a home and you will develop a reputation as someone who knows what they are doing.
2. Have a strong marketing plan
Marketing is another area where a listing agent should shine. It is essential that you have every aspect down to a science and that you are exhausting all resources. When it comes to the photography the images must be high quality and if you can hire a professional photographer, you should. This is one element you can’t afford to skimp on. A picture says a thousand words.
Once you have the photography down, you need to make sure you are versed on every marketing channel available. Yes, there is the MLS but there are tons of other ways of spreading the word. By now, you should definitely have a a website and all your properties should be showcased on it. Nowadays all research is done online so you need to be where the buyers are at. Now comes social media, obviously you should be sharing your properties on every relevant platform. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn etc. Next is newsletter marketing and video marketing. Hit all these channels and you will be well on your way to selling every property you take on.
When it comes to print, you of course should be using real estate flyers. These can be left on doors and in mailboxes, given out at open houses and put on bulletin boards.
3. Constant communication
When you take on a property to sell, it is expected that you are in constant communication with the seller. They expect to be updated on how the selling process is going and how your marketing initiatives are panning out. Whether you have news to share or not, keeping in touch lets the seller know you remember them and that they are top of mind for you.
4. Negotiate The Best Terms
A seller expects their agent to go above and beyond to secure the best terms and conditions for them. The seller needs to know that you are not desperate to make a sale. When it comes to real estate, pretty much everything is negotiable so it is imperative that you get your negotiation skills down in order to do what is best for the client. Make this your priority and you will always be doing right by the seller.
5. Be at the home inspection
Listing agents are not necessarily expected to be at the home inspection, but in an effort to stand apart from the competition, you should be. You will be able to hear first hand all the feedback from the inspector and keep notes. When it comes to the buyer asking for concessions, you will know whether they are reasonable or not.
6. Take care of anything pending at closing
When you reach closing, there are still details to take care of. You need to make sure all terms and conditions of the contract have been satisfied before transfer of ownership takes place.
Final thoughts
Selling a home can be a stressful situation which is why people enlist a listing agent to help them out. In order to make sure you are doing everything right by the seller, you need to be doing your job to the best of your ability. The above list are just some of the things you should always be doing for your clients. They will help you stand apart from the competition and help you gain more satisfied clients. Before you know it, you will have built up a reputation as an agent who really serves his/her clients best interest and your referral meter will continue to rise.