Here are the 7 Questions that most sellers often asked and their answers

1.      What could be the problems with the agent that offers me a lower commission?

Choosing an agent based on the fee he charges is a sure way to disaster.  Because the home sale and purchase are such emotional decisions, a real estate agent plays a critical role in helping you making the right decision and protecting your equity.  If it were simply about dollars and cents then the discount shops and the Internet providers would be a major force in the industry and that is simply not the case.

Most agents who offer a deep discount of their fee only know how to sell by discounting.  When you hire an agent, you are hiring that agent to represent you in all the conversations with all the other agents and buyers.  So imagine this, if an agent is willing to give away their own money just to get your listing, what do you think they will do with your money? 

2.      Why do we need to price our home to sell?

In today’s world, most agents and the buyers do their “previewing” by screening properties on the computer.  They can easily compare the features and benefit of your home to the other homes that are also for sale or have been sold recently.   Therefore, most people will not brother looking at properties that are priced too high.  As a result, you will have fewer showings and no or low offers.  Our experience shows that property that is priced too high to begin with will end up selling for far less than the homes that are priced right.

3.      What is the best pricing strategy?

We use a market comparison approach to determine the value of your home.  Using this approach, the emphasis is on the value, not the price.  We recommend that you price your home to be the best value in the market, which often results in a bidding war for your home and gives you the highest sales price in the end.

4.      What could be wrong with leaving some room for negotiation?

Leaving room for negotiation often results in pricing your home too high.  Most people won’t even bother looking at properties that are over-priced.   So when you finally decide to lower the price to sell, you had already missed the best customers for your home and can often ended up with an offer that is much lower than you could have got.

5.      Why does other agent say they can get me more money?

What you probably do not understand is this:  An agent will list your property overpriced…assumes they can take the listing now … and start beating you up on the price …week after week… until it is sold.  You need to understand that the opinion of an agent has nothing to do with the value of your home.  It is the market that will ultimately give you the price of your property.

6.      Is there a difference between real estate companies?

Isn’t it interesting that when you interview realtors almost everyone would say his company is number one?  But how could that be true? The truth is that a real estate company does not sell a home; it is the individual agent’s activities that will cause a home to be sold.  So stop focus on the company and put more emphasis on the marketing plan and the knowledge, experience, and track record of the agent that you will be working with.

7.      Should we sell our home before we buy?

Most people prefer to buy their next home first before selling the home they live in.  However, in order to do that, you must have a minimum of 20% to 25% down payment for your next home.  And it is difficult for most people to have such a saving, especially if you are looking for a home in the higher priced market.

Let’s consider the alternative:  if you sell your home first, you will know exactly how much you will net from selling your home; therefore, when you buy your next home, there is no surprises as to how much down payment you can put down and what price range you can afford.  You also have the assurance that your home is sold and there will not be a risk of having two mortgage payments to worry about.  Isn’t a peace of mind is worth more than a little inconvenience of selling your home while living in it?