Hot Tip: Help Sellers Prepare for Marketing Their Home

Too many agents miss the critical opportunity to get the most out of launching a new property in their marketplace. That first launch into inventory is the hottest point in the marketplace for that listing. As the weeks pass, with new inventory entering the marketplace daily, the possibilities of a property going "stale" can occur.

The most successful agents understand the power of that initial positioning and carefully advise their sellers of the consequences of offering a property that is not ready for the market.

This consulting strategy starts at the seller's table when you discuss motivation, pricing and "show-ability." It's no secret that a realistically priced property that shows well is more likely to sell than a property that is overpriced, in poor condition and hard to show due to showing restrictions.

Here's some plan-ahead tips to help you and your seller maximize their marketing time:

• Walk your seller through a real-time, paperless CMA so they can "arrive" at the market pricing with you. When they are part of the discovery process, they are more apt to be realistic with their market offering.
• Pull statistics for similar properties to theirs that launched into the market inventory too high and then sat unsold for over 90 days. In most cases, statistics indicate that overpriced properties lose their market rank and all too often find themselves chasing the market with multiple mark downs. They generally end up selling the property under fair market value.
• Even if a buyer is willing to pay more, if there is a financing contingency, the appraisal may present a problem. A realistic offering price is needed to achieve a smooth mortgage approval process to result in a successful closing

Finally, your sellers will soon find out that keeping a property in a tip top "showable" condition is stressful! Review with your sellers all the positive points of proper pricing to go from listing to sold!

What do you do to help your sellers prepare for their home to hit the market?

To view the original article, visit the Point2 Agent blog.