I received an email from a prospective seller. Since the questions that he asked are somewhat common, I thought it would be best to post my answers here in my blog to help you in the event that you may be thinking of selling and have similar questions.
- Can I have to sign a listing agreement with you for 60days? Yes, 60 days is fine with me as most of the time it takes less than 60 days to market and sell a home. For people like yourself that have already been put into difficult situations with a long listing, I like to list it for 61 or 62 days, just in case it is not processed on the same day it begins, this is important. You may know this, but 60 days is the minimum period TREB will accept an mls listing.
- What’s the average length of time the homes you’ve listed have been on the market? Average time on the market this year is 3 to 5 weeks. If a property is well priced, it will sell within 2 weeks of listing, otherwise a price adjustment is necessary on about week 3 and then it will sell within 2 weeks, this is the reality of our marketplace.
- How many homes have you listed over the past six months? I just counted and I have listed 23 properties this year (2006) and all have sold. I have become a listing specialist, meaning that I concentrate most of my efforts on marketing and promoting my listings, rather than working with buyers. I usually carry about 3 to 5 listings at any one time and focus on getting them all sold. In 19+ years in real estate, I can think of only two properties that have ever expired, all my listings sell.
- How many of the homes you’ve listed over the past six months have sold? see above, I have one condo and one townhouse listed right now and two rental properties.
- How will you market my home? I will market and promote your home using the methods outlined on this page: http://www.mississauga4sale.com/marketing-16-point-plan-realtor.htm The key advantage that you will have with me is the fact that my website is currently #1 in the google directory for our area, which means that we will receive the highest amount of internet traffic and the most inquires and potential purchasers for your property, this is the truth. See this link on google
- How are you paid? I am paid through you, as is the listing broker.Read more about commissions
- Can you provide me with references? Yes I can. I provided him with 5 references, which of course I can give you too. I cannot post on the internet, as you can understand, privacy issues, besides the spam they would receive!
- Will you be going away on vacation in the next two months? No, I take vacation in the summer with my wife and two boys.
I have many clients similar to yourself that are out of town or absent from the property and all of our transactions are very successful. As long as my seller has email and uses it often, as you seem to prefer, then we will have a great business relationship. I use email all the time and prefer that means as our main method of communicating. I will email you the mls listing and the offer on your property and the counter offers etc. I scan all documents and use pdf format, this way you can print them out at your convenience and review and send back. As well, there is almost no loss in clarity, makes the lawyers very happy too.
You will receive regular updates from me on our progress. I have electronic records of all the showings and would be more than happy to forward to you once per week or whenever you want them. As well, I follow up and solicit feedback from all the agents that show your house and will attempt to help them with any questions or concerns they may have. Since the property is vacant, I will attempt, with your permission, to have a public open house every weekend until it's sold. This method allows for much higher traffic than most.
I will take many interior and exterior photos and create a very professional write-up on your property pointing out all the features and benefits of your home, with map etc. and once a buyer has read through all the information and photos and then contacts me, it's quite often that they buy the property. Here is an example of an online feature sheet.
You can be confident that I will be honest with you and do my best to get you the best price and terms for your property. I am highly motivated to get you sold too, we have the same goal.
The real estate market continues to be very active and homes have been selling well (see average price graph) over the past few months months. Near historic lows for mortgage interest rates have helped.
The winter real estate market is nearly upon us and sales continue to be brisk. We anticipate the real estate market will continue to be strong over the next month or two, especially if interest rates stay low. We are all hoping the market will sustain the momentum over the next few months and throughout the winter market.
Just in case, here are some items to read over and think about before you sell,
As I mentioned at my website, my job is to give you all the information so you can make the best decision for yourself and your family. I look forward to helping you sell your home. I will work very hard to earn the right to be your trusted advisor, skilled negotiator and use my expert marketing and promotion to get your home sold at the best price and terms for you.
Thank you again for contacting me. Once you have analyzed and evaluated the above information please let me know how you would like to proceed.
Mark
So there you have it, answers to relevant seller questions.
For more information please contact A. Mark Argentino
A. Mark Argentino Associate Broker, P.Eng.,
Specializing in Residential & Investment Real Estate
RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc.
2691 Credit Valley Road, Suite 101, Mississauga, Ontario L5M 7A1
BUS 905-828-3434
FAX 905-828-2829
E-MAIL
mark@mississauga4sale.comWebsite:
Mississauga4Sale.com