Truth be told, I don't go out on many listing appointments where whether I will secure the listing is in question, thanks to years of networking and connections reverberating out into space.
When a seller prospect asks, "What will you DO for me to earn your fee?", of course we discuss a customized marketing plan for that client and property, and all the essentials.
BUT.
It never was, isn't and never will be about WHAT WE DO.
This is a 'Me Too' biz, and although our approach is somewhat different than many, all of the obligatory and required elements for marketing, representation, negotiation, transaction management are all present . . .
Our value was, is and always will be in
WHAT-AND WHO-we KNOW.
Example: as a part of the pre-listing due diligence I ALWAYS conduct, I ALREADY CHECKED with power company engineering (you GOTTA GO to the guy who puts those power lines IN - NOT the bimbo at a desk looking at a map they can't read) about a property's proximity to 3-phase power, and the distance made the cost excessive in relation to the property value. Buyer's agent was informed, but bimbo part deux let it go in one ear and out the other - letting buyer think for some reason they could 'negotiate that cost' with the power company LOL!
(can't make it up!)
Wasted 2 weeks of everyone's time on a smoke-filled vision when they could have simply contacted the engineer first, AS I DID -- and moved on to another property (or looked into phase convertors as a possible option). Do you want YOUR agent making such time-sucking errors?
(tap tap tap - is this thing on?)
We know who sucks at inspections, surveying, soil testing, well and septic and roof certs - and who is fabulous.
We know who can fix a leak, not charge a fortune and do a great job quickly.
We know the right people at City and County, Fire and Environmental Health and direct numbers to the local utility company angels, to bypass bureaucracy and get approvals on occupancy and other permits in a hurry. Others will suffer a CSR at a call center who knows NOTHING about what needs to be discovered.
AND . . . we probably already know who would be interested in your property.
Another example: a client came to me for help. A local politician friend of his REALLY REALLY wanted a property that was in multiple offers. I knew the listing agent really well - convinced her to appeal to seller to seriously consider our (excellent) deal and we would make their life easy - and she knew I would. We got it, and a good time was had by all.
You don't get to do that without connections. Is it fair? NOPE. Is life? Deal with that!
So before you hire the discounter whose only skill is in racing to the bottom, consider this.
It truly IS who you know!
Featured Photo by Vladislav Klapin on Unsplash
Second Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
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