Tag Archives: choosing a realtor

Realtor

What Your Real Estate Agent Should be Doing to Sell Your Home

March 29, 2017

How good is your realtor?

Smart home sellers know there’s a whole lot more needed from a realtor than putting a sign in the yard and waiting. (Click to Tweet) As a seller, you deserve a lot more than this.

Getting a real estate license is the easy part, selling homes is a completely different game. Let’s look at what your real estate should be doing if you want your home to sell.

Perfectly Pricing Your Home

Providing the correct price point is the most important thing that your real estate agent will do to make sure your home sells. The best real estate agents have built a reputation on accurately pricing homes, rather than telling you what you want to hear.

Creating A Killer Campaign

Your home needs great marketing so it appeals to as many people as possible. This should include great pictures of your home from numerous viewpoints, as well as a video walk through.

An outstanding marketing campaign will also have a floor plan and feature sheet, and do more than just utilise multiple listing services. Today’s buyer is likely to find their dream home online and your realtor needs to take advantage of the many online opportunities.

Bring Better Buyers

Anyone may be interested in purchasing your house, but not everyone will qualify for a mortgage.

A good real estate agent will ensure buyers are pre-approved for a mortgage. This way they aren’t wasting time on offers where the financing will not be forthcoming, and potentially losing another buyer.

Terrific Character Traits

If you want your house to sell, these are the traits you should look for in a real estate agent:

  • You need to be able to trust them, and so do potential buyers
  • Professional manners and presentation, because they’re representing you
  • You need a strong negotiator you will always keep your interests at heart
  • A creative marketer with has a comprehensive marketing plan
  • Knowledge of your area and experience with proven results

When you find a real estate agent with these characteristics, the likelihood of your house selling skyrockets! Did you know that 7% of real estate agents complete 93% of real estate transactions? You want one of the 7% working for you!

It can be stressful selling a home. So, find a top-notch real estate agent who can ease the burden and ensure you have a successful outcome.

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Realtor

What Should My Real Estate Agent Do to Sell My Home?

March 15, 2017

Is your agent really looking after you?

When you’re selling your home in the Vancouver area, you need someone who specialises in selling homes. Why?

Because an agent who’s an expert in home sales will provide extra services that will help you get the most money out of your home. Here’s what to ask when you interview prospective agents:

Do You Conduct Pre-Market Home Inspections for Your Clients?

Many real estate agents advise clients to hire an inspector before they put their home on the market. But don’t perform the inspection themselves.

As a result, many clients shy away from a pre-inspection. They may be worried they’ll uncover a money trap or they may not want to pay to inspect a home they won’t live in any longer.

At Residencity, we provide a better solution. We pay for our clients’ home inspection even before their home goes on the market.

We think that your real estate agent should do so, too. After all, knowing your home’s best points, as well as its flaws, can help your agent sell your home more effectively.

Do You Give Clients Tips to Maximise Their Home’s Selling Price?

After the pre-listing inspection, your real estate agent should provide several suggestions to help you get the most out of your home. For example, if the inspector found your gutters clogged, you can make your home more attractive to buyers by paying a few dollars to have them cleaned.

If a few floorboards are loose, tighten them so prospective buyers won’t be turned off by the squeak. You get the idea.

You may not want to pour a lot of money into your home but you can do several things to entice buyers to consider your home over the one down the street. Your real estate agent should give you a list of home improvement tips that can maximise your home’s selling price before it goes on the market.

Do You Stage and Photograph Your Clients’ Homes?

Buyers are more willing to plunk down a good chunk of change when they can imagine their own furniture fitting well into the home. That’s why a staging a home can make or break a sale.

A professional real estate agent should be able to advise you on how to best stage your home, using your existing furniture. They’ll tell you how to position your furniture in a more inviting way, and suggest you store your personal items (like your Canucks banner and your wedding picture).

This way prospective buyers can picture their own photographs and belongings in the home.

After staging, a quality real estate agent will bring a professional photographer to your home to show your home’s best face to the world. Since you’re paying the commission the real estate agent should include these services.

Never let an agent take home photographs with their smart phone. The results will be vastly inferior and your home won’t do well compared to others. (Click to Tweet)

Do You Provide Floor Plans and Specification Sheets to Prospective Buyers?

You wouldn’t buy a car that didn’t have an owner’s manual would you? It’s the same with real estate.

You need to know where to find various amenities, how large the place is, and what condition it’s in. A great real estate agent will provide those things so potential buyers will know everything they need to before they buy.

Yours agent should, too.

Here at Residencity, we provide three things to our clients before we put their homes on the market: a floor plan, a manual, and a specification sheet.

When buyers know that the former owners have taken care of every detail for them, they will be more likely to purchase the home with no worries. Less to stress about, more reasons to buy.

After you find a few real estate agents who will go the extra mile to sell your home, it’s time to narrow down your choices to find the very best one for your needs.

If you live in the Vancouver area and want an agent who will look after you and do what’s necessary to maximise the selling price for your home, contact Residencity today.

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Marketing

4 Reasons Open Homes Sell Houses

March 08, 2017

Relax, they’re not scary or costly.

Many people worry about having an open home. They’re concerned about having strangers in their house, or that it might be expensive.

The reality is that an open home is a powerful selling tool. They give your home high visibility and bring potential customers directly to your doorstep.

If you’re thinking about selling, an open home can get offers flooding in, without much preparation. (Click to Tweet)

Here’s what you need to know.

Buyers See Themselves in Your Home

One of the best things about an open house is that buyers have the chance to picture themselves living in your home. As they walk through the property, they can imagine their furniture in place and see themselves enjoying life there.

Once buyers can see themselves in the home, they build up a personal connection to it. This makes it more likely that buyers will warm to your home and want to make a purchase.

Encourages Competition

During an open house, you’ll have many potential buyers going through your home at the same time. This creates a sense of urgency and makes people believe that they need to act right away – before someone else buys.

You may even be able to generate a higher selling price as buyers fight to outbid each other for the home. The more prospective buyers interested in the house, the faster they must act to beat out all the rest.

Signs Attract Buyers

You probably know that buyers go house hunting at the weekend, and they often drive past properties for sale. When you have an ‘open house’ sign, it can attract people interested in buying in your area.

These people may not have been aware your home is for sale or might have intended to view another property. But they become interested just because they saw a sign.

Speeds Up Sales

Here at Residencity, we specialize in helping homeowners in the Vancouver area sell their properties quickly, and for the best possible price. We hold open homes for the first two weekends of your property listing, to create interest and excitement.

We also guarantee an agent present for every open house and private appointment, because we love making life easier for our clients.

Give us a call to get the best chance of selling your home, fast.

 

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4 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Real Estate Agent
Realtor

4 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Real Estate Agent

March 01, 2017

Do you trust your real estate agent (Click to Tweet)

Deciding which real estate agent to go with when selling you home is one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make.

You want a high-quality, ethical, conscientious agent who has your best interests at heart. You want them to sell your house efficiently and effectively.

Meaning, you want to maximise the amount of money you get for your home, and you want it sold in a reasonable period. Not too fast (for too little) and not too slow either.

To find the right agent, you’ll need to ask several pointed questions. This will give you a feel for the agent’s level of experience, and let you know that you can trust them.

Here are the key questions to ask.

What types of homes do you typically sell?

You’re looking for an agent with experience in selling homes that are like yours.

Here’s an example. A real estate agent who specializes in selling high-rise condos may not be the best choice to sell your ranch-style estate.

That doesn’t mean that they can’t, but it might not be the best choice. Look for an agent who has experience with properties that are like yours.

How familiar are you with the neighbourhood?

Prospective buyers will have lots of questions about the neighbourhood as well as about your home. Things like how quiet the area is, or where the nearest park or school is located.

Your agent should be able to confidently answer these questions. This way buyers have all the information they need to make an educated decision about your property.

You’ll also want to ensure that your agent is familiar with the local market so that they can accurately price your home for the current market conditions.

How long have you been in the real estate business?

This gives you a sense of the agent’s overall experience. Of course, everyone must get their start somewhere.

Not all agents are experienced but do you really want an inexperienced agent working for you?

This is a personal decision and maybe you’re willing to give someone a chance to wow you. But remember that you’ve worked hard for your property and now you need to fetch a good price for all that effort.

How long do your homes typically stay on the market?

This will give you an indication of how successful the agent will be for you.

Keep in mind that there can be several factors at play when a home sits on the market for a long time. This question is more about gaining a general idea of what you might be able to expect.

Here at Residencity, we are a team of highly experienced real estate agents in the Vancouver area. We would be happy to help you sell your home, so get in touch with us right away to get started.

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Marketing

3 Common Mistakes First-Time Home Sellers Make

February 22, 2017

Selling your first home can be daunting.

It often feels as though there is an incentive to getting your home sold as quickly as possible. But like any rush-job, this can open up a bunch of mistakes that can end up costing you a lot of money.

You don’t want that.

Here are three of the most common mistakes that people make when selling their homes and what you can do to avoid them:

Avoiding the Professionals

Many people believe that they can save money when selling their homes by doing it themselves. Big mistake. (Click to Tweet)

Without the assistance of a real estate professional, you avoid paying real estate agent commissions. But you may also end up paying a lot more to find a buyer.

When you don’t have the power of an experienced real estate agency behind you, you can have difficulty letting prospective buyers know that your property is for sale. This results in less competition to buy your property.

So you end up with less negotiating power and may have to settle for a lower price than you had hoped for.

Pricing Incorrectly

Too high or too low – either one has problems.

Some people believe that setting a low sale price for their home can help it to sell quickly, but people often wonder what’s wrong with it.

Of course, if you set a low price you also end up reducing the amount you receive for one of your biggest assets.

If you over-price your home you risk pushing buyers away and making it more difficult to sell. Frustrating isn’t it?

This is why it’s best to have a professional set the value for your home. Homeowners usually have sentimental attachments to their properties and tend to fall into the trap of over-pricing.

Prospective buyers are more clinical and consider the merits of the property itself, not the fact that your three children grew up in those rooms.

Skipping the Inspection

Foregoing the inspection seems like an easy way to save a few hundred dollars during the sales process, but it could potentially cost you thousands down the line. A thorough property inspection before you list your home for sale alerts you to any potential problems.

Buyers will always conduct an inspection and often use the results to drive down the offer you’ve accepted. So it’s better to know beforehand what that inspection will reveal.

Then your agent has the opportunity to price accordingly, depending on whether you choose to address the issues before listing.

These are just a few of the many potential pitfalls you may run into when selling your home. Let the experts at Residencity guide you through the process to minimize your risk and maximize your profits.

When it comes to selling your home, you want to do everything in your power to get the highest selling price you can for it. It’s likely to be your most valuable asset, and you’ve worked for it.

Call us on 604.288.9166 today to learn more about our services and to get your home sale started.

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Marketing, Price

10 Shortcuts to Selling Your Home Without Losing Your Mind

February 07, 2017

Selling your house can be a headache.

You want the process to be as quick, easy and painless as possible. But your home is a significant asset so it’s crucial you find someone you can trust to maximise the sale and support you through the process.

So how exactly do you do that?

Well, there are ten key things that you need to get right. We’ve pulled them all together to make life easier for you.

1.     Engage the Best Agent

Engaging the best agent for you and your property is critical. The best agent is not the person who helped your friends or family sell their place because that was only one sale.

The best agent is an individual with a strong track record, good market knowledge, and stellar personal service. We recommend that you interview at least three agents.

Yes, this is just like hiring an employee. But the thing is, this person is working for you and selling your most valuable asset – your home.

So invest the time to make sure you have the right person for you and your property.

2.     Get a Pre-Inspection

We get pre-inspections on properties before offering them for sale. Here’s why.

The pre-inspection places your property above the competition, promotes confidence in potential buyers, and gives you stability. A pre-inspection also helps you avoid a lot of stress and inconvenience when you’re selling your home. (Click to Tweet)

You avoid offers vanishing after they’re accepted. You avoid sleepless nights wondering if the inspection will uncover something. You have the opportunity to fix anything that’s discovered early on.

You also have the upper hand when it comes to the bidding process.

3.     Stage it Right

Staging your house is an art in itself. It helps you present your property at its’ best, which increases the number of potential buyers.

But staging isn’t easy to get right so it’s a great idea to get help from the professionals. Residencity gives you professional advice on the best way to stage your home for beautiful photography and an effective sale.

4.     Provide a Floorplan

Research suggests that buyers are less likely to enquire about a property or arrange a viewing without a floor plan. The survey by Rightmove suggests that a floorplan may even be more important than the main image or summary description of your home.

Floor plans can demonstrate the flow of you home to potential buyers. They’re also a useful reminder to buyers after they’ve visited a property.

We believe floorplans are essential to marketing your property effectively, so be sure your agent includes them when publicising your home.

5.     Present it Professionally

You’re smart so you know that everyone is online these days. People look at any potential homes thoroughly before they view them in person so professional presentation is important.

Your property needs to stand out as being better and more inviting than the competition. This starts with professional photography.

Ask potential agents how they plan to photograph your home and eliminate anyone who doesn’t use a professional photographer. Professional photography brings out the best in your property and can elicit emotion, which sells homes more effectively.

 

 

6.     Provide a feature sheet

Just listing your home isn’t enough. It has to be marketed professionally, particularly if you want it to sell quickly, and for the maximum amount.

The more information you can provide potential buyers, the better. A feature sheet can answer questions before they arise and help you stand apart from other buyers. (Click to Tweet)

A high-quality feature sheet also allows you to showcase the benefits of your particular property, and make the most of your professional photography.

7.     Arrange an Open House

Open homes help sell your house – if they’re done right. You want your agent engaged and attentive, and working to sell your property.

Unfortunately, many agents see open homes as an opportunity to find buyers who don’t have agents. Not cool.

At Residencity, we only represent sellers – not buyers. We want to help you have the best experience possible when it comes to selling your home.

8.     Receive Reports

No matter who you engage to sell your house, be sure they have regular communication with you. In particular, you need to know the how many visitors have been on your property, and you should receive an open house report.

As the vendor, you’re entitled to know what is going on and also be informed of any neighborhood sales and listings.

9.     See all Offers

Be sure that your agent shows you all the offers they receive. This is a real problem in the real estate industry.

Some agents filter offers to ensure they receive a commission for both the purchase and the sale of the property. In fact, agents can filter offers for all sorts of reasons that you’re not aware of.

You need to be sure you can trust your agent to show you all the offers, and to work with you to negotiate the best deal.

10.           Close the deal

A good agent will help you close the deal. Between the initial sales agreement and settlement (or closing) there can be questions. The agent can help you by answering questions, helping to resolve issues and move the transaction to close.

 

 

 

At Residencity we believe in offering you the best. We include pre-inspections, professional photography, floor plans and feature sheets as standard with all our property listings.

If you’re interested in listing your home for sale, give us a call at 604.288.9166 to see how we can help.

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Realtor

The importance of real estate awards: not as important as you think

November 01, 2016

You pick up an agent’s real estate brochure. On the back of the 6 page brochure there are 5 awards.  

real-estate-awards

What do all these even mean? They’re not there for you to understand, they’re just there to tell you that the agent can do the job for you. Each brokerage has their own awards and standards and by no means are these indicators of how well they do their job, as there is almost an award for every agent out there.

At this day and age, it is almost difficult to come across an agent without a real estate award. From Rookie of the Year, to Award of Excellence, and the list goes on.. So what sets one agent above the rest? We’re not here to tell you how to distinguish one award from another, but rather to advise you on how not to let awards get in the way of choice in hiring a real estate agent that is right for you.

Or hire Residencity. We don’t present real estate awards to cloud our seller’s judgement, the proof is in the care and pride we take in our work. Listing with Residencity means a standard and an unbiased marketing plan which includes enhanced MLS listings, extended open houses, pre-inspection and professional grade marketing materials. Call us at 604.288.9166 or email us to list with Residencity and see what else we can do for you.

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Uncategorized

11 mistakes sellers make when choosing a real estate agent

August 18, 2016

Selecting a real estate agent is a task that should be performed with the utmost care. Many sellers are persuaded by factors that aren’t essential to getting their house sold and are not evaluating agents on essential skills such as marketing and knowledge of the area. Here are some things to look out for when selecting an agent:

1.Choosing an agent based on the number of lawn signs they have in the area – “This person has 5 listings in the area, we should list with him.” Listing with an agent due to the number of lawn signs they have is not a good verification of whether the agent has the skills to market, present and negotiate your home.

 

2.An agent that says “Yes” to everything – Agents don’t want to lose your property as a listing as their pay cheque depends on the sale of your property. To get and keep your listing, everything will be a “yes”.  You need an agent that will be honest enough and tell you if the price you want is unrealistic, or if your house smells of pet odour, or if your peach coloured wall need to be neutralized.  You do not want a push-over agent representing your house.

 

3.Choosing an agent who will list your house tomorrow – It may sound like the agent is ultra-organized if they are able to list it so quickly, but that might not be the case. An agent who is able to list your house tomorrow may skip on essential marketing steps required to get the maximum value for your home.

 

4.Skip on the Marketing – The primary skill an agent needs to benefit you is marketing but interestingly enough, it is not part of their real estate education.  The most common excuse that agents use for not marketing a property is “the market is super hot and your house will sell with multiple offers.”  You can never have enough offers. If you are going to get 10 offers without marketing, you should get 15 offers with proper marketing.

 

5.Choosing a Realtor based on Language or Ethnicity – It is very common in Vancouver for people to go for ethnic real estate agents because the buyers are likely to offshore ethnicity. The buyer has their own agent so you do not need to worry about the buyer; he is covered. What you need is an agent who you can communicate with. As real estate is one of your life’s most important decisions, and you want someone that understands you when negotiating.

 

6.Choosing a Buyer’s Agent – Selling your house requires top-notch presentation.  From the outside, it may look like selling and buying are the same thing, but they are not. The primary skill set for a seller’s agent is presentation and marketing; on the other hand, a buyer’s agent needs intimate knowledge of their specific area.

 

7.Choosing a New Agent – The real estate licensing course teaches an agent about the legal side of real estate and how to do the paperwork. Unless the agent has experience in marketing or presentation, you might as well fill out your own paperwork. Marketing is the number one skill that you need your agent to have because that is what will bring you potential offers.

 

8.Choosing a part-time agent – If the agent has another job, they will have other priorities. Their top priority may not be selling your home and won’t be able to answer phone calls or messages as they come. You need an agent that works for you.

 

9.Choosing an agent based on highest listing price – Your real estate agent does not determine the value of your house. The value of your house is determined by factors such as the location, year, land, quality of build, economy, etc. You need to find an agent who is honest with you and comfortable with discussing the real value of your property.

 

10.House knowledge – We have been to countless of open houses and when we ask a question about the condition of the boiler or furnace, the agent often goes “I don’t know.”  If your agent is selling your home, he or she should know everything about the house from windows, doors, appliances, mechanical to foundation and everything in between.

 

11.Listing with Discount Brokerages – Buyers come through other agents. Agents will take prospective buyers where they get the most money. Most, if not all, homes get sold by buyers’ agents, and if you chop their paycheque in half, they often won’t want to show your house. More often than not, whatever “discount” you’re getting will end up being more of a headache than it’s worth.

Selling your home with Residencity means that you will be working with a team who will provide you with a free pre-inspection of your home, enhanced MLS listings, professional grade photography, videography, 3D tours and more. Call us at 604.288.9166 or email us to set up a consultation to see what we’re all about

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What Your Real Estate Agent Should be Doing to Sell Your Home

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