I have a client who had an estate sale for a relative’s home. Once the Realtor community learned of the sale and the vacant home, she was flooded with mail from local Realtors. Here are a couple of highlights from her mail:
“Because we don’t do this for the money.” Okay, sorry, I sell real estate to earn a living. I volunteer at my church once a week (not for the money), and I work with the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House (not for the money). Why would I sell real estate as a charity?
“I have a buyer for your home.” Yes, we all do; inventory is tight. Saving on the commission and selling your home before it’s adequately exposed to the market is often a fool’s decision. Let’s take a look at these numbers:
There are 810 licensed real estate agents in Burbank, 1,000 in Glendale, 242 in La Canada, 276 in La Crescenta, and 1480 Realtors in Pasadena. Saving one or two percent on the commission could very well cost you tens of thousands of dollars by not exposing your home to all of these Realtors and their buyers.
“I will sell your home for 4%”. Okay, great – what are you going to pay the agent who brings you a buyer? They expect to be paid 2.5% – 3%. When offered less, they may prefer to sell another home offering a higher commission because this is how we earn our living – being paid to sell homes. When selling your home, be more focused on your bottom line (net selling proceeds) than your Realtor’s commission.
In today’s real estate climate of minimal inventory, Realtors don’t know what your home will sell for. We can only guess what a buyer will pay for it during a bidding war. Our job is to position your home to appeal to the most buyers, market the heck out of it, and help you navigate through multiple offers.
Every home seller and their situation is unique. There is no cookie-cutter solution to selling homes in some instances selling off-market may be the right move for you. If you have a home to sell and are looking for results, call me, and let’s chat.
