Selling a Home From a Seller Viewpoint
So not long ago, I sold a home for someone I had been working with for almost a year trying very hard to get their listing sold. Ads were run in the local newspapers. Ads were run online. All of the major Real Estate websites had the IDX share to the listings so everyone who searched online could see the photos, video, and information on the homes.
For a listing agent, all of this costs a lot of money. When a seller tells me that they spoke to another agent who will sell their home for a percent or even sometimes TWO percent less than me, I have to wonder if they plan to market the home at all. So, here I am with all of my expenses…sellers expect open houses, of course AND in the end they want to offer you less to sell the house.
This is one unfortunate aspect of listing property. The seller does NOT understand that you are the agent spending all of the money to get the house or condo sold. I actually had a seller think I should pay for some of their inspection repairs. Now, sometimes I will if they aren’t asking for other discounts without a problem…but it seems that the people who want to most tend to give the least.
This seller already had a discount on commissions. The other agent and I kicked in to get the home in contract price range appeasing both the buyer and the seller. It was no measly amount, either. Then in the end also wanted the repairs paid for by someone else. I really don’t understand why a homeowner thinks it is ANY agents’ responsibility to be paying for ANYTHING they have not kept up on their home they stand to make hundreds of thousands selling.
Again, want to be real estate agents…this is where the thick skin comes in. You have to see the big picture of the check in the end. Sometimes it falls within the ‘am I getting paid for all of this work?’…or not. Sellers will turn right around and give the listing to someone else, lower that ‘firm price’ they insisted on when you had the listing and then poof, another agent cashes in on that commission you should have been able to get.
Remeber to keep it real. Try not to give the upfront discounts because later they will ask and expect either way!