Agent Representation

Ever wonder what the heck real estate agents do all day? Million Dollar Listing might have you believe we just drive around drinking coffee arguing with other agents. While that can certainly happen, there is a lot more that goes into our business than you think.

With the addition of online mediums such as Zillow, Redfin, Trulia, and Realtor.com, it may seem like we are an increasingly unnecessary part of the process. Even though much of the research can be accessed online now, it's how you are able to use that data and knowledge in the field to ultimately net you the most money.

For instance, low-level tasks like searching for homes and seeing recent sales can now be done from any computer or phone, but taking the information and applying it to real-life offers/sales is a much bigger task.

Most importantly, the best agents are your advisor in real estate. Meaning is it in your best interest to buy/sell a home based on your family and life goals. I cover this in my recent video blog HERE.

Seller's Agent Duties

Your agent's number one priority is to do whatever is best for you, period. That being said, here is a list of things a seller's agent is responsible for.

See Problems Before They Happen

I always say, if I can't save you time or money, then I'm not doing my job correctly. It is easy to simply put a home on the market. The difficult part is knowing what future problems might come up and avoid them at all costs. Only an experienced listing agent will know what to look for.

Proper Pricing

Every seller has a number in their head on what they would ultimately sell the home for. My job is to meet or exceed that number. Pricing a home correctly can be paramount in reaching that goal. In my opinion, there are three ways to price a home, and only two ways to that make sense. 

Price it high and leave room for negotiation. In theory, it sounds like a good idea. In practice, it often scares away serious buyers who don't want to wait for the price to come down or wait until you become realistic in price. Therefore, you lose out on a potential multiple offer situation and in turn, more money.

Pricing it right or slightly undervalue is actually the best two ways to achieve the most money for your home. Why? You get to play on buyers' "fear of missing out" emotion. It is that emotion that will make people pay more money for the home than they originally planned to. In this situation, the seller has all the leverage.

Marketing the Home

Many agents still do the four P's of real estate. They PUT your home on the market, PUT a sign in the yard, PRINT out a few fancy flyers, and PRAY that the home sells. In an aggressive seller's market, many agents are getting away with this. However, it is not the best way to get you the highest price.

We are now in the age of video coupled with a widespread Pandemic. It's greatly important that your agent provides a picture slide show, virtual tour option, and video walk-through. A great agent will also provide the home with a lifestyle video, Check out how we market our homes HERE.

Communication

One of the top complaints with people who have used real estate agents is a lack of communication. With a transaction as large as this, it is appropriate to be updating you weekly if not multiple times per week. That is why we like to put our money where our mouth is. The Brennan Real Estate Group will offer a closing credit if we miss one of our weekly meetings with you as the seller. Contact me for more details!

Buyer Profiles

Remember what I said about foreseeing future problems? This is a big one. What you don't want to happen in real estate is to "fall out of escrow". This starts the whole selling process over again and also can oftentimes make your home look stale or problematic. 

Knowing the right buyer profile before accepting an offer is key to avoiding this. Who is their lender? What type of loan are they asking for? Is it a direct lender or a broker? Are they employed by a company or do they run their own business? These are all questions that need to be answered before accepting an offer. Sometimes the better offer, and buyer for that matter, is not always the highest. Yet, it will end up saving time and money in the long run.

Negotiations

A skill that your listing agent must possess! Knowing how to navigate all of the previous duties is one part of it. The way a listing agent works counter offers is another. Setting the seller up for a multiple offer situation is always our number one goal as it gives the seller the most leverage when negotiating. 

Once you are in a multiple offer situation, it can sometimes be a delicate dance to keep all parties interested in a counteroffer, while really going after one or two buyers that fit the best criteria for the home. 

Therapist

Obviously this is a little tongue-in-cheek but an important one nonetheless. Selling your home can be stressful for you, your partner, your family, your relatives, your pets...the list goes on and on. A good agent will be able to calm the crowd and should instill confidence around every corner.

If you or someone you know is interested in seeing what they could potentially sell their home for, please feel free to REACH OUT to us. We are here as your real estate resource. Thanks!