“Gary, please give me a call. My husband is being transferred to Florida and we’ll be putting our home on the market next week. We’ve heard a lot about you and want to find out about your marketing plan…”
Answer:
I’d love to meet with you… and I’d like to give you some advice.
There’s SO much more to selling your San Diego home than just the “marketing plan.” There’s:
– pricing strategy
– fix-up tips
– selling
– negotiating
– contracts
– disclosures
– loads of other forms
– managing the transaction
– protecting you from legal liability
– keeping you updated on everything
– much more
Asking an agent just to tell you about his or her “marketing plan” may just get you a rehearsed sales pitch, which often plays up:
1. Things that have no bearing on selling your home (“my big office”, “my national firm”, “my 3 hours on the phones every day”, etc.)
2. Things they brag about but do poorly (internet marketing, open houses, etc.)
3. Things they do sporadically or possibly NEVER even do (newspaper ads, calling other agents about your home, etc.)
Instead, do these three things:
A) Ask to hear their ENTIRE plan to sell your home.
B) Get a written guarantee that you can cancel your listing if you’re not happy.
And, most importantly…
C) Choose an agent based on his PERSONAL track record— not his firm’s track record.
Why is “C” the most important BY FAR? Because, like the saying goes…
“Past success is no guarantee of future performance, but what else can you go by?
