2016 Listing Presentations (part 5)
Negotiating Skills
In parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the listing presentation, we discussed:
- Part 1 – The Warm-Up – To identify your prospective seller’s personal goals and objectives or what we call their “hot button.”
- Part 2 – Casting a Wide Net – By exposing their property to the entire universe of buyers, answering the question: “Will I be exposed to all luxury buyers?”
- Part 3 – Professional Presentation – Professional photography & ad copy is used to make sure your property “sizzles” when being viewed by buyers. (Will my home draw the attention of buyers?)
- Part 4 – Collaboration – An entire team of agents at our firm work together in conjunction with one of the top strategic planners in the real estate industry to create a synergy of ideas and solutions to selling your home.
In part 5, the fifth and final key question every seller should ask their prospective listing agent is:
Seller’s Question:
- “Once I do get an offer, how can I be sure it will be handled properly?”
Response:
- “I am a highly-skilled negotiator and my record proves it.”
- “I’m going to protect your money as if it was my own.”
- “It never ceases to amaze me how many agents that appear to be successful, are quick to give up their own commissions. If they’re that quick to give up their own money, how quickly do you think they’ll be willing to give up yours during the negotiations. Is that the kind of agent you want protecting the money you have in your home?”
- “I’ve also found that very few agents are capable of presenting strong arguments. That’s why I’m willing to help other agents present the strongest case to their buyers, so their buyers don’t lose interest in negotiations because of price.”
Explanation – Unfortunately, very few agents are strong negotiators. All too often, the ideal buyer will make an offer on a seller’s home, only to have it fall apart because the agent representing the buyer is ill-equipped to create value and keep the negotiations moving forward. This point is proven by looking at how many agents are willing to cut their commissions when securing a listing. The end result for the seller can be a much longer process for the seller with far less money from the closing. The expression “you get what you pay for” has never been more true than it is in real estate negotiations.