Ellicott City Realtor Catonsville Realtor

How Will You Market My Home?  Maybe Not the Answer You Expected.  Frequently I am asked by prospective clients "How Will You Market My Home for Sale?".  I always answer this question by explaining that when I enter into a contract to market a home for sale, the Homeowner and I are on the same team, with the same goal in mind: to sell the house. As part of this team, I have a number of tools and techniques I use to promote and market a home.  These include old school methods of newspaper advertising and mailers, as well as high tech methods that that put your home at the top of search engine results for the most relevant features of your home.

What surprises my clients the most is when I say - "Now I've told you what I do to market your home - what will you do to market your home?".  Sellers know there are many things that are not within their control in this market, but in my experience, many Sellers overlook the things they can control.  For instance:

Price.  Were you aware that pricing your home is part of the home's marketing?  In fact, not only is it part of the marketing, right now, here in our local market, the pricing of your home is the #1 thing that will determine how quickly your home will sell.  I will give you the benefit of my experience and education, and make a recommendation as far as price positioning - will you take my advice?

Condition.  I always provide my Sellers with a list of recommendations to make their home more appealing for Buyers, as well as some guidance to make showings more successful.  Will you follow to my recommendations about emptying that packed garage, or touching up the paint on your exterior trim?  Will you make your home easy and pleasant to show?

Getting the word out.  I will get the word out about your house to my friends, colleagues, relatives and facebook friends - will you?    You never know where that Buyer will come from.  Perhaps someone at your church has a relative looking to move into the area, or maybe one of your cousins has always admired your home.   Will you tell people at your church or at your PTA meetings that you're selling your home? Will you send out an email to your email list, or post a status on Facebook that your home is for sale?

Concessions.  In this market, you have to ask yourself  what are you willing and/or able to do to get a Buyer into this house?  I will advise you of what's customary in the current market.  Will you make your home's ‘total package' comparable to what's being offered?  Will you help with closing costs?  Will you give a concession to replace the worn carpet?

Selling your home has got to be a team effort.  We've got to work together, each of us doing our part, to market your home.  What will I do to market your home?  All of the above and then some.  What will you do to market your home?  If your answer is ‘all of the above and then some', then we're on the same page.  Let's work together and get your home SOLD.

I Keep Your Goals in Mind - Even When You Don't.  Everyone knows that when buying a home, Buyers often get carried away with emotion.  But you may not know (until you are in the situation yourself), that the same can be true for Homeowners when they are selling their home.  On the day that their home is listed (nearly) every Seller would like to get the most amount of money possible.  But oh how quickly that can change....

Right now I have 3 Sellers that are all in a similar situation.  They all have been on the market for a reasonable amount of time.  They all have had recent price reductions, and are priced either at or below comparable sales in their neighborhoods.  All of the Sellers need these homes sold yesterday.  As a result, all 3 of these Sellers would like to reduce their prices further.

I learned a long time ago, that in Real Estate, there is nothing wrong with a property that the price can't fix.  And as nice as it is to have Sellers that are willing to reduce their prices, I also have to stick to the pledge I made as their Realtor - to get the most amount of money for their home, in the least amount of time, all the while looking out for their best interests and helping them achieve their goals.

With this in mind, I have told each of these Sellers individually that I cannot advise them to reduce their prices further.  Some might think I'm doing this to get myself a higher commission, or to prove to my Sellers that our initial price positioning was correct.  They would be wrong.

What it's about is how the market conditions have changed.  Property is taking longer to sell than any of us initially believed, and there's a lot more competition.  The best advice I can give my Sellers is to be patient.

As a Seller - you and I are on a Team.  Our Team has a marketing plan in place.  It was a plan we agreed to when we listed the home.  We made the plan and agreement before emotions ran high.  It's a plan that makes sense, accounts for your competition, and takes into consideration your goals.  We need to stick to it.

Recently I was near the completion of one of my rehab projects.  This is a hobby I really enjoy in addition to residential Real Estate Sales.  I was almost ready to put it on the market when I was approached by a lady from the neighborhood.  She said she had always admired the home and wanted to look through it.  Of course, she loved it and wanted to buy it and said she could pay cash.

I'm a Realtor, and of course I was going to list the home in the MLS, and pay a co-op fee.  Also, in the state of Maryland, I must disclose in the contract of sale that I am a Realtor and the owner.

We set up a meeting to do a contract.  The Buyer says she thinks my price is very fair and she knows the prices in the neighborhood.  She comes to our meeting with a deposit check and bank statements to prove she can pay cash.

I'm excited and nervous at the same time.  I'm excited because this looks like it's going to be a quick sale.  I'm nervous because I want her to feel like she's being treated fairly and honestly.  I told her she had the right to choose a Realtor to represent her, and if she chose to do so that I would pay for that Realtor's commission.  I made it clear that I would not be able to represent her as the Buyer in this transaction.  She said she would prefer to just deal with me directly and continue without representation.

Here is where some Realtors might just go about signing the contract and getting the absolute best deal they could get for themselves.  It is the perfect scenario - a cash Buyer who is willing to pay full price and not wanting representation of their own.  Being thorough, I still opted to go over all of the comps in the neighborhood with her.  Even though she already knew about the recent sales, I felt it was important that we review them together.  I agreed to her requests to get a Home Inspection and a Termite Inspection, and I offered to pay for half of her closing costs.  I also went over what representation means, and made sure she understood that she was entering this transaction without representation.

This is always a balancing act as a Realtor.  Most consumers are unaware of the laws in the state of Maryland regarding Real Estate representation, and all of the ramifications.  Here in Maryland, the laws are very clear.

If you're a Homeowner looking to sell your home and you hire a Realtor - lucky you!   These are the steps and risks your Realtor takes on your behalf, using all of their experience and knowledge of the laws and statutes to save you time, money and potential negative consequences down the road.

Did you know that every time a property is shown, the Listing Agent asks for feedback from the Buyer's Agent.  The Listing Agent wants to know what the Buyer and the Buyer's Agent think about the property in terms of price, improvements, what's great about the house, and any other relevant information.  Oftentimes, Buyers Agents aren't so responsive, which can be frustrating for the Listing Agent.  The Listing Agent will review this information with the Seller, so that the pricing and marketing strategy can be evaluated.  You may have known this, but did you also know that it's not always just the Seller who benefits from this communication?

Recently, I had gotten feedback on one of my listings from an Agent and it really paid off.  Here's what happened: After a showing on a property, my assistant called the Buyer's Agent for feedback.  This particular agent got back to me pretty quickly.  One of the comments the Buyer made was that they really dislike the carpet, but the rest of the house was ok, but they really were not that excited about the property.  I had discussed the carpet with the Seller on more than one occasion, it finally sunk in.  The Seller decided to offer a credit, not only for carpet but also for paint.  A credit for paint was not necessarily needed, but after discussing it with me, the Seller agreed that if you freshen up the carpet, you should freshen up the walls as well.

I passed this information along to the Buyer's Agent.  This motivated the Buyer because they liked the house, and now the carpet would get taken care of, and they would get an additional concession for the paint.  The deal got done and everyone involved benefited from good communication between all parties, and also from the Seller giving a little bit more than was necessary, particularly in a Buyer's market.

Have you ever given just a little bit more in a negotiation, in order to get what you want?

I was taking first time Buyers out this past weekend for their first time to look at homes.   The first house we saw may have worked for them.  It wasn't absolutely perfect, but it was a real good start.  However, they wanted to continue to see other homes for comparison, and we had others to look at.  Because the other houses were in nearby neighborhoods, we decided it would be easiest for them to ride along with me and leave their car.  Our intent was to come back for a second look at the first house.

Upon our return, there was a very large note taped to the buyer's windshield with packing tape, written in sharpie "DO NOT PARK HERE."  What do you think my Buyer's response was?  Yup, if this is the way the neighbors are in this neighborhood, where parking can be a challenge, he told me "I wouldn't want this guy as a neighbor".  That home was out.

So what can you do as a Seller so that this doesn't happen to you?  First, if you live in a townhouse neighborhood, or any neighborhood where parking can be difficult to find, make sure your driveway or parking space is available.  Walk a little bit farther if you have to.

Secondly, have a quick conversation with your neighbors, asking for their understanding that you are trying to sell your house, and that you will do your best to keep parking inconveniences at bay, but that mishaps might happen and their tolerance would be very appreciated.  I've always found that a proactive approach in addressing these situations is always more beneficial than the reactive approach of trying to handle it after the fact.

I can't blame my Buyer for his reaction at all.  Do you think you have reacted similarly as my Buyer in this situation?

During the holidays, everyone seems to reflect on they are grateful for.  This year in particular, many are grateful just to have a roof over their heads, myself included.

It's easy to get away from the true meaning of what we do as Realtors.  And in my opinion, what we do is help somebody create a life.  Other than family, friends, occupation, and education, a big part of what's important to people is their home.

In the midst of a transaction, I often lose track of this.  A couple that I recently helped comes to mind, Mr. and Mrs. C.  Within the past two years, both Mr. and Mrs. C., who are in their late 70's, had fought cancer.  This year, Mr. C.'s cancer came back.  All Mrs. C. wanted was to be able to move to be nearer to her kids and her grandkids.  All Mr. C. wanted was for his wife of 62 years to be settled in their new condo before he passed away.  Selling their old condo quickly was important to both of them.

My big concern was that in our area we are flooded with senior condos, and at the time there were more than 100 competing properties.  The location of the condo that they were selling wasn't ideal.  We priced the condo well and with a stroke of luck, the condo was sold and settled in two months.

After Mr. and Mrs. C. moved into their new condo, I took them a gift of appreciation.  It was so nice to see them both together, so happy.  Mr. C. told me what a great job I had done, and that he'd refer anyone to me.

Mr. C. passed away just a few months later.  I know in the end he was at peace in their final home together.  I feel honored to have been a part of that.

Here's to a happy, healthy, peaceful holiday.

I got a call yesterday from an elderly lady who is thinking about selling her house.  She said that I had been recommended by a close friend of hers and a former client of mine.  When I asked her where she lived, she gave me her address, 1234 Main Street, and I said, "Oh, I know that street pretty well", and I described to her what I thought her house looked like, but with one very important detail:  her bright red rose bush out front.

I've noticed this because I'm familiar with the neighborhood, but also because it stands out.  She was pleased that I had seen it and we went on to discuss her love of gardening.  It was the first step in a great conversation about what is most important to her.

When we had finished the phone call, my potential new client was certain of a few important things about me:

• I know the neighborhoods I serve inside and out
• I pay attention to the details of people's properties, whether I represent them or not
• I am a good listener, and I now know that she enjoys gardening and working outside

All these things make a difference when you are going to represent someone because when you know what's most important to someone, you know how to best serve them.

When you call someone to provide service, do they ask what's most important to you?

We've had some crazy thunderstorms lately here in Howard County, Maryland.  Unfortunately, my neighbor had two trees come down.  The good part?  The two trees fell between her house and our other neighbors' home.  The not so good part is that one of the limbs caught the rear corner of her house.  Fortunately, no one was hurt and there wasn't much damage.

I don't know what type of home owner's insurance she has, but I have to hand it to them, this having happened last night at 7pm.  This crane was out front by 9 am this morning.  That's service!