It may be a bit late for presents, but it’s still early enough in the year for resolutions. And we’d like to share a wish-list of suggestions that real estate agents hope their clients will heed to improve the agent-homeowner partnership and reach the mutual goal of getting a house sold or bought.
Agents may be the ones who get paid and should bend over backwards to satisfy every client whim and quirk. Most do. But clients, too, can take certain steps to smooth the process and make the relationship amicable rather than adversarial–in short to be a partner with their real estate agent.
If this sounds far-fetched, it’s not. There are dozens of agents and homeowners who sing each other’s praises. Edmund Paszylk, buyer-manager at an Oak Street boutique, wouldn’t think of looking for or buying a property without consulting agent Bruce Johnson-Reid of Jameson Realty Group in Chicago. In fact, Paszylk has used Johnson-Reid a number of times over the last five years to buy both a home and investment properties. Johnson-Reid repays the compliment: “He’s the perfect client.”
What are the secrets to working together so well? Nothing magical, but a host of common-sense qualities that sometimes get waylaid in the course of busy lives. We’ve listed a dozen cited most frequently by agents. Whether homeowners follow them often depends on how motivated they are.
1. Open your ears. Many sellers fail to listen to their agent’s analysis of the market and suggestions. They hear what they want to hear, sometimes because they’re too emotionally attached to their home, then they become frustrated and even angry when they can’t sell for the agreed-on price or during the desired time frame.
2. Open your mouths. Too many sellers are not forthcoming about their goals, which makes an agent’s job tougher. “I need them to tell me what they want so that I can help them achieve them,” says Joan Ross of Kahn Realty’s Glencoe office.
Many also fail to speak up if they’re unhappy, she adds. “Some switch agents and firms instead of discussing the situation and letting us make adjustments,” she says.
Because of disclosure laws, homeowners also are obligated to reveal anything about the condition of their property that isn’t readily visible, says Ross. A common example is persistent leaks that have been continually repaired and can’t be seen. “But you know in four to six months they’ll come back and can possibly destroy interior finishes and the foundation,” she says.
3. Be patient. When the selling process hits bumps along the way–few people viewing the property, for instance–sellers may blame the agent, even though other factors may be the cause (perhaps the property was priced too high, perhaps a bad overall economy has sent real estate into a tailspin). Agents ask that homeowners be patient, ride out the downturn together and consider changing marketing tactics or lowering the price. “Selling a house is a process that needs to be looked at and revised,” Ross explains.
4. Understand that pricing must reflect the market. While many homeowners have a certain price in mind that they “need,” only the market, namely supply and demand, will determine what’s realistic. Agents ask sellers to study the information they provide–what comparable homes have sold for in the last six months and what’s currently on the market–before they say yea or nay to a suggested listing price.
5. Clean up and be sure everything works. Among the most critical requirements is to present a home in its best light–i.e. neat, tidy, in working order. “Before each showing, pretend that you’re giving a party,” Ross says. “Or, pretend you’re the buyer. Walk through your home and make changes . . . .” Others suggest pretending that your mother or mother-in-law is coming.
Among big turnoffs are unmade beds, clothing strewn on floors, unwashed dishes, unpleasant smells from food or pets, worn carpeting and dirty walls. The worst culprit? Clutter.
If carpet or wallcoverings are so dirty or outdated that they should be changed, you needn’t go overboard and hire the most expensive work staff, since you’re never guaranteed of recouping your money, Larson says.
Also be sure appliances and equipment work, that there are no water marks that demand further explanation, that drawers open and close and that lights have bulbs, Johnson-Reid says.
During snowy and icy weather, shovel a front and back walk and steps and put down salt. In summer, remove toys lying around that can trip lookers.
The point in all this is that to be a good partner in the home-selling process, your agent needs to be able to show the property in the best light. Your elbow grease will help enhance the agent’s sales skills.
6. Broaden appeal. Any decorating changes you make should be done in a neutral palette to appeal to the widest audience. If there’s something quirky about your home–no dining room or front hall closet, for instance–consider some inexpensive decorating changes such as renting a table, setting out your best china and creating a dining room in a family room, suggests Ross of Kahn Realty. Or, know how much it may cost to make such changes.
7. Remain flexible. While it’s considered common courtesy to give homeowners 24 hours’ notice before asking them to show their home, many agents say circumstances often demand shorter time frames. Saying no could send potential buyers into the arms–or at least the homes–of more flexible sellers.
This is particularly true in the case of out-of-town buyers who swoop into town for a day or two and want to buy a home before they leave. Larson of RE/MAX recently had a buyer relocating to Chicago from Denver who selected his housing in a single day. “He looked at eight properties and picked out the best in his price. People who didn’t let us in on such short notice didn’t get a chance to sell to him.”
Such scenarios also occur when agents are learning a client’s taste or when they just happen to drive by a for-sale sign. “There have been cases where we’re at one house and I realize there’s something else they should see for the same price. Many want to see it when I mention it, not a week later,” says Joanne Nemerovski of Koenig & Strey’s Lincoln Park office.
8. Make yourself scarce. Many agents like sellers to disappear during showings. “You want people to look at a house and not at your house. If you’re there, it makes it harder,” Nemerovski says.
Mitigating circumstances such as a late evening showing, an early morning weekend look or inclement weather may make that impossible. At such times, agents suggest going to a lobby or to a neighbor’s or minimizing your presence by staying in an out-of-the-way section of the home so buyers don’t feel intimidated discussing what they like and don’t like with their agent, says Pat Study of Rubloff Residential Properties.
Because there are agents who aren’t bothered by a seller’s presence, it’s best to discuss this issue in advance and try to come to some mutual agreement.
9. Lend us your keys. While it’s quite common for agents working in the suburbs to pick up keys from other agents or have keys for their own listings, it’s not as common in the city, where both the seller’s and buyer’s agents usually are present for a showing. Nevertheless, some agents such as Larson and Nemerovski expect clients to share a set of keys (which they never give out) in order to accommodate last-minute requests.
10. Put away pets and possessions. While Spot may be your best friend, he may terrify or annoy a potential buyer. Tie up any animals or consider taking them out of the house, if you’re told that someone is afraid or allergic. Possessions should be stored away too, particularly large groupings of framed pictures. “You want people to look at the house and its features rather than stare at pictures and try to figure out what the owners do and how old their children are,” Nemerovski says.
11. Help to market your property. While it won’t hurt to pass out fliers about your apartment in your building or to put a notice in an in-house office newspaper, most agents say they consider such marketing unneccesary. On the other hand, if you have a house, putting up a for-sale sign is smart, the equivalent of a billboard. “A lot of people think it cheapens a house or endangers security, but a sign is a prime way to tell people your house is for sale,” Nemerovski says.
It also helps, she adds, to type or print out on a computer pertinent data such as the age of appliances, equipment or the roof and when such items were repaired or serviced.
12. Beyond the call of duty. Baking cookies, lighting fires in a fireplace, turning on all the lights and turning them off after a showing, putting on the Beatles’ newest CD as visitors walk through the front door are nice touches, but hardly necessary, agents say. “They’re not expected and usually won’t make a difference in whether a home sells,” says Study. “People will pay what they feel a house is worth based on the old formula of location and the market, not because of cookies.”
Sellers also shouldn’t feel pressured into a major remodeling or decorating job because they’ll rarely recoup the money in the sale, says Fred Levy of Coldwell Banker-First American’s office. A new roof, however, is a different story, he says. “If it’s leaky and in poor condition, it may have to be replaced,” he says.
