THE LISTING DREAM TEAM

You have decided to sell your home and are looking for that perfect Realtor that will create the perfect storm of a high price, a quick sale and a smooth escrow. Many agents will tout their ability to do exactly this combination.

However, the perfect listing Realtor does not act alone. A truly successful sales experience is a team...the combination of the efforts of the Realtor AND the homeowner. A united effort goes a long way to have a mutually positive experience.

The smart seller should select their Realtor with one main thought in mind...do you trust your Realtor? If you do, then this means you have done your homework, understand the qualifications of your Realtor and are convinced that this is the Realtor for you. Once this task has been accomplished, the rest is a breeze. You, as the seller, will TRUST that the Realtor is telling you what you need to do to your property to receive the best price. You will TRUST your Realtor that you are being told the right price for your home and you will TRUST your Realtor when you are advised regarding the offer and negotiations necessary for a successful sale.

Mutually, the Realtor needs to trust the seller. The Realtor must TRUST that the seller has made all necessary disclosures. The Realtor must TRUST that the seller will work in a timely manner to accomplish the needed tasks.
So, when you are searching for that perfect Realtor, make sure it is someone you TRUST and someone you can work with. After that, it really can be a positive experience.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A REALTOR

I always have to giggle just a little when people tell me that they are considering going into real estate because they "love looking at houses". If only that is all we do...or even a majority of what we do! So, to give some perspective, I thought I would share what a normal day for a Realtor can look like.

Hurry...get ready for work! I can't be late today because it is the office meeting and tour! Hurry..hurry!

Whew...got to the office just in time to check e-mails before the meeting starts! For 30 minutes or so, I learn about the latest law changes, educational opportunities offered by the office and the real estate association and the features of the new listings our office got this week...some really cool stuff!

Off we go...the whole office leaves, en mass, to tour our new office listings! We are very PC - carpooling to economize on gas! Between homes we evaluate the features of the home and how they relate to the value. And, of course, how our weekend was, what our families did and so on.

It is amazing how many messages a Realtor can get just in the hour or two we are gone touring homes! How do those callers know when we are gone? I also check e-mails.

An agent comes in and says "Check out this! Google Whitepages.com and put in your name. It tells people way more than you want out there!" I did and it does! I immediately select an option that eliminates me from their site. That was scary! They listed my home address, my age and my family's names and ages...really scary!

Lunch break...my very favorite time of day! I get to eat and socialize a bit!

I get a call while I am at lunch...a client spotted their perfect house and wants to go see it! I look up the property, call to arrange the showing, call the client back and off I go!

Well, it wasn't the perfect house after all. Oh well, we'll just keep looking! Maybe we need to consider another neighborhood.

I promised myself I would work on my farm today. I hand address 250 envelopes (I am a big believer in humanizing things). I want to be sure to give my farm something of value, and I think a graph showing how 2009 fared in our neighborhood would be interesting. I'll have to work on that tomorrow, since I have too many other things I want to get done today.

I am covering for another agent, so I have to go through her file to be certain all of the disclosures are signed...nope! I e-mail the sellers agent to let her know what is stilll needed in the file. I also call the title company in hopes that they might have some of the documents..yea! They do!

I have to call a buyer to be sure that they put the utilities in their name, since the property recorded today.

A client calls to ask for a list of the costs he incurred preparing the house for sale and doing the requested repairs. Here's a tough one...the actual seller isn't asking...her brother, who is inheriting some of the money, is. Hmm....talk about being in the middle of it! I hate it when this happens! I call the seller and ask her what she wants me to do and we work it out.

I arrange for locks to be changed and meet the locksmith at a property.

One of our agents has a lender who is requiring a second bid for a roof certification. She asks for some names. I recommend one that ends up being half the cost of the other! Yea! I love it when that happens!

I work on finding a cheaper "fax-to-e-mail" company...not too much luck.

I get a call from a family who is having some issues and needs to know what their home value is. They aren't going to sell it - they just need help. I arrange to see them on Saturday.

An old friend comes by with an idea for a new enterprise for Realtors and wants my opinion. It might be a good idea for some venues, but I can't see Realtors using it.

Now it is past 5, the secretary has left and I am still at the office. Time to go, pick up what-ever-in-the-heck I am going to fix for dinner and get home to feed the dogs.

Aahhh...a day in the life of a Realtor!