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MYTHS ABOUT SELECTING AGENTS

LostInThought-300x300Most of us have heard horror stories or even had an acquaintance or two with the real estate agent who takes a listing, puts a sign out front, submits the listing to the Multiple Listing Service, hosts an open house or two, and casually waits for an offer that’s just around the corner.   Or worse yet, the real estate agent who, after you signed the Listing Agreement, is never to be seen or heard from again.

Just as there are a few “bad” attorneys, and a few “bad” doctors, the real estate industry is no different.  You will discover that finding a good real estate agent to represent you and having the confidence of knowing your agent is good at selling homes is truly half the Battle.  Remember, not all real estate agents are alike.
The first step toward having the confidence of knowing you’ve hired the best Agent to sell your home is to interview a list of prospective real estate agents and have a set of pre-determined criteria rather than selecting an agent by happenstance.  For instance, selecting the services of the Realtor who has a lot of real estate signs up in your neighborhood; or choosing a friend . . . or a friend of a friend with a real estate license; or hiring the agent who helped you buy your home is not necessarily a good way to vet their credentials.  From the outset, let’s dispel some myths when choosing the best real estate agent for the job of getting your home sold:

Myth #1 — A Real Estate Agent who is a Friend (or family member) will be the best person to help me sell my home.

A real estate agent who is a friend (or family member) may care about you but may lack the skills to get you the best price for your home.  Friendship alone isn’t enough to establish a professional’s credentials. You must have a set of tough standards when selecting an agent, just as you would when hiring an attorney, a doctor, or an accountant.  Remember, that selling your home is a business transaction not a charitable event.  You want to hire the best person for the job of getting your home sold in the shortest period of time for the highest dollar.

Let’s be honest here, you wouldn’t think of hiring the CEO of your company without interviewing several candidates and gathering information on their educational background, professional experience and business acumen.  There is certainly no reason to do anything less for someone who is going to assist you in the sale of one of your largest financial assets — your home.  You should keep in mind that there is more to getting your home sold than just putting a “For Sale” sign in the front yard; you should look for a real estate agent who can effectively expose your home to the largest pool of buyers, negotiate the best price and terms for you and your specific real estate needs and remove the stress out of the home selling process.

A true friend will understand and appreciate that this is a business decision and will offer their credentials and expect to compete for the listing. Besides, if a problem or challenge develops while selling your home, do you want to risk damaging a friendship or family relationship?

Myth #2 — The Real Estate Agent who agrees to list my home for the highest price will get me the most for my home.

The Real Estate Agent who agrees to list at the highest selling price without verifying it with current market conditions does not have your best interest in mind. Let me be frank, some agents tell you what you want to hear. Some shortsighted real estate agents are more interested in getting a listing than they are in whether it will sell at that price.  In the real estate profession, this is known as “buying a listing”.  The idea behind the sales tactic is to get your home listed and slowly overtime get you to reduce the price once . . . twice or as many times as needed until your home is sold.  For sure this strategy may ultimately work in getting your home sold, however, it is an extremely poor strategy in selling a home at the highest possible price.

Think of it this way, if you were to walk into a bakery, would you ever consider paying the same price for a two-day old loaf of bread as you would for a fresh loaf of bread right out of the oven?  Most buyers would not!  They would expect a discount.  In real estate as in the bakery business, your house gets the most attention and the best possible price when it is a “new” listing fresh on the market. However, if your home is overpriced it will sit on the market until you finally drop the price to reflect its real value, but by then it will have become like the two-day old loaf of bread and buyers will expect a generous discount on the sales price often resulting in your selling your home for a price that is below what you could have received had the house been priced properly to begin with.

Myth #3 – The Real Estate Agent who offers the lowest commission will save me money in the sale of my home.

The Real Estate Agent who offers the lowest commission more often results in you netting less money.  “How can that be?” you exclaim, “Surely, if I’m not paying out as much, I should take home more  . . .” you question.  Well, I’m sure you’ve heard that old saying, “You get what you pay for.”  This is particularly true when dealing with real estate agents.  Here is where the real value of a Realtor can come to light (or as they say, “the rubber meets the road”).

Let’s be practical for a moment.  If you had a complicated and life threatening medical condition, would you ever consider choosing the doctor who was the cheapest rather than seeking out the best qualified medical doctor in that field despite the cost?  Or, if you were being sued for thousands or millions of dollars, would you ever consider hiring an attorney who offers you one low rate instead of hiring a top notch litigating attorney with a proven track record?  I’m going to assume the answer would be “No!”.   So it begs the question – why would you sell yourself short by picking the cheapest real estate agent and believe that you’ll get the best outcome?

I believe that many homeowners too often overlook the simple fact that the art of negotiations is a skill set that requires training and expertise.  And let’s be real for a moment, training and expertise are not cheap – they come at a cost.  Yet, someone with the requisite training and expertise are worth their weight in gold.  Here is an important tip to remember, if the agent who represents your interest is willing to “flip flop” on their compensation, they are going to “flip flop” when it comes to negotiating on your behalf.  You want to choose a real estate agent who is able to communicate their value and hold firm on their compensation fee.  It goes to reason that a Realtor who is able to effectively communicate their value to you is going to be effective in negotiating the best price and terms for you, too.

Myth #4 – The Real Estate Agent who lists the most homes in my neighborhood is the best Agent for getting my home sold.

The number of listings taken in a specific neighborhood by a real estate agent should be one of the numerous criteria you should evaluate.  What is more valuable — an agent who listed 32 homes and sold 25 – or an agent who listed twelve homes and sold all twelve?  So you need to ask some questions. How many of their listings did not sell?  How many were reduced over and over before they sold?  How long were the houses on the market? How smoothly was the process handled?  How accessible was the agent when there were questions or problems?

Quantity is important, but only if all of the quality questions have been answered satisfactorily.  The best agent is the one who will do the most effective job of marketing the property, negotiating the most favorable terms and conditions, and communicating with the seller to make the process as smooth as possible.

Now that we have dispelled some of the most common myths, it’s time to look at the most common criteria you should look for in the right Realtor for the job of getting your home sold for the maximum pay-off.

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Posted in: Blog, Home Selling Tagged: find a real estate agent, realtors, selling your home

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My Client Ratings

  • Satisfaction:98%
  • Recommendation:100%
  • Performance:100%

Lynette Williams has been rated by 11 clients.

What Our Clients Say About Us

  • “Our friends Ray and Whitney had worked with Lynette previously and were very happy. We were moving from TN to CA. We took their recommendation and were very glad we did. Lynette was great and really worked hard to get us the home we needed for our family.”

    Read More from
    KJ, Canyon Country

  • “Our friends Ray and Whitney had worked with Lynette previously and were very happy. We were moving from TN to CA. We took their recommendation and were very glad we did. Lynette was great and really worked hard to get us the home we needed for our family.”

    KJ, Canyon Country
    December 8, 2020

    Rating & Testimonial data verified by RealSatisfied

  • “One of the best agents I've ever had the pleasure of working with! Lynette has bought and sold 3 properties for us, and is ALWAYS our first call. She's not only a tremndous real estate agent, but now part of the family.”

    Read More from
    Brandon Schott, Franklin TN

  • “One of the best agents I've ever had the pleasure of working with! Lynette has bought and sold 3 properties for us, and is ALWAYS our first call. She's not only a tremndous real estate agent, but now part of the family.”

    Brandon Schott, Franklin TN
    December 8, 2020

    Rating & Testimonial data verified by RealSatisfied

  • “Lynette helped us in the purchase of our home and her expertise was phenomenal so we had to have her in the sell of our home, six years later. No question about it. Lynette takes selling your property to another level. When she does something, every detail is reviewed and personalities of all parties are taken into consideration. Selling your home is not easy but Lynette made the entire process manageable. Lynette knew our community inside and out. We cannot thank Lynette enough in helping us navigate the home selling process!”

    Read More from
    E. Calhoun, Claremont

  • “Lynette helped us in the purchase of our home and her expertise was phenomenal so we had to have her in the sell of our home, six years later. No question about it.

    Lynette takes selling your property to another level. When she does something, every detail is reviewed and personalities of all parties are taken into consideration.

    Selling your home is not easy but Lynette made the entire process manageable. Lynette knew our community inside and out. We cannot thank Lynette enough in helping us navigate the home selling process!”

    E. Calhoun, Claremont
    December 8, 2020

    Rating & Testimonial data verified by RealSatisfied

  • “From my first contact with Lynnette she was very helpful and explained the buying process in a clear and thorough manner which assisted me in my buying efforts and to make decisions that were best for me and my family. Working with Lynette soon felt like working with a friend or family member who I knew was looking out for my best interest. Lynette was awesome during the entire shoping and purchasing phase. She took the time to review and explain every document I was presented and required to sign and told me in advance what to expect. I've bought two other houses in the past and dealt with other brokers who were not nearly as knowledgeable or professional as Lynette. I recommend her services, and especially to knew buyers unfamiliar with the real estate buying and selling.”

    Read More from
    Charlotte Moore from Azuza, CA

  • “From my first contact with Lynnette she was very helpful and explained the buying process in a clear and thorough manner which assisted me in my buying efforts and to make decisions that were best for me and my family.

    Working with Lynette soon felt like working with a friend or family member who I knew was looking out for my best interest.

    Lynette was awesome during the entire shoping and purchasing phase. She took the time to review and explain every document I was presented and required to sign and told me in advance what to expect.

    I've bought two other houses in the past and dealt with other brokers who were not nearly as knowledgeable or professional as Lynette. I recommend her services, and especially to knew buyers unfamiliar with the real estate buying and selling.”

    Charlotte Moore from Azuza, CA
    December 8, 2020

    Rating & Testimonial data verified by RealSatisfied

  • “Lynette was very professional and respectful but was tough when she needed to be. She has great judgment and experience. Lynette was very professional and listened to what we had to say and always took our thoughts into consideration. She was so thoughful and insightful, she often brought up issues we had never considered. Lynette gave us some incredible guidance and was a great advocate when it came down to negotiating with the potential buyers. To be honest, I was quite impressed with her knowledge and expertise, and I am not easily impressed. She made the experience of selling our home a very positive one. I must say that after we sold our home, I feel that Lynette was more like a friend than a real estate broker. I have recommended Lynette to friends and family that are considering selling or buying a home. I cannot say enough about the value she brings.”

    Read More from
    David Garcia

  • “Lynette was very professional and respectful but was tough when she needed to be. She has great judgment and experience.

    Lynette was very professional and listened to what we had to say and always took our thoughts into consideration. She was so thoughful and insightful, she often brought up issues we had never considered. Lynette gave us some incredible guidance and was a great advocate when it came down to negotiating with the potential buyers. To be honest, I was quite impressed with her knowledge and expertise, and I am not easily impressed. She made the experience of selling our home a very positive one. I must say that after we sold our home, I feel that Lynette was more like a friend than a real estate broker.

    I have recommended Lynette to friends and family that are considering selling or buying a home. I cannot say enough about the value she brings.”

    David Garcia
    December 8, 2020

    Rating & Testimonial data verified by RealSatisfied

  • “When I decided to put this property on the market my main concern was finding a competent professional who would guide me through the process and reduce the stress involved when selling. I found the perfect realtor in Lynette Williams. She knew exactly how to market this property, where to focus her advertising, how to stage it properly for her target market, and she was a skillful negotiator when it came time to close the sale. She guided me through the whole process, always allowing me to make my own decisions, but also educating me about the potential consequences of the decisions I was making. I have sold 6 properties over my life - all under the guidence of realtors and this was, by far, my best experience. Lynette's understanding of real estate, the market, escrow, legal ramifications of disclosure, and negotiation are way above average. The other quality Lynette posseses is that she never makes you feel like it's about the money. She genuinely wants to make your life easier during a difficult time. She does this by keeping you engaged in the process, informed of the progress, and she get's the job done. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell property.”

    Read More from
    Beverly Nelson, Los Angeles, CA

  • “When I decided to put this property on the market my main concern was finding a competent professional who would guide me through the process and reduce the stress involved when selling. I found the perfect realtor in Lynette Williams. She knew exactly how to market this property, where to focus her advertising, how to stage it properly for her target market, and she was a skillful negotiator when it came time to close the sale. She guided me through the whole process, always allowing me to make my own decisions, but also educating me about the potential consequences of the decisions I was making. I have sold 6 properties over my life - all under the guidence of realtors and this was, by far, my best experience. Lynette's understanding of real estate, the market, escrow, legal ramifications of disclosure, and negotiation are way above average. The other quality Lynette posseses is that she never makes you feel like it's about the money. She genuinely wants to make your life easier during a difficult time. She does this by keeping you engaged in the process, informed of the progress, and she get's the job done. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell property.”

    Beverly Nelson, Los Angeles, CA
    December 8, 2020

    Rating & Testimonial data verified by RealSatisfied

  • “I've worked with a good many realtors in numerous states and Lynette is by far the most professional, courteous, and attentive agent I have ever worked with. My wife and I felt as if we were looked after like Lynette herself was looking for a home. Truly unique service. We will certainly refer her to any friends who are looking and will always use her as our realtor whenever making a purchase in the area. No doubt about it.”

    Read More from
    Ray and Whitney McAnally, Burbank, CA

  • “I've worked with a good many realtors in numerous states and Lynette is by far the most professional, courteous, and attentive agent I have ever worked with. My wife and I felt as if we were looked after like Lynette herself was looking for a home. Truly unique service. We will certainly refer her to any friends who are looking and will always use her as our realtor whenever making a purchase in the area. No doubt about it.”

    Ray and Whitney McAnally, Burbank, CA
    December 8, 2020

    Rating & Testimonial data verified by RealSatisfied

  • “Lynette's persistence and her sticking to this very complicated sale with three separate individuals with separate objectives got it closed.”

    Read More from
    James Griffin, Pasadena

  • “Lynette's persistence and her sticking to this very complicated sale with three separate individuals with separate objectives got it closed.”

    James Griffin, Pasadena
    December 8, 2020

    Rating & Testimonial data verified by RealSatisfied

Rating & Testimonial data verified by RealSatisfied

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