So Your Home Didn't Sell?

Don't worry - although your previous agent was not able to sell your home, there ARE still plenty of buyers in today's market looking for a house just like yours. Typically, there are 2 reasons why homes don't sell - PRICING or MARKETING. We specialize in helping clients that have had their home on the market and were unsuccessful because of their previous agent, and this blog post will walk you through the 6 steps to help you find your next agent that WILL sell your home.

1. Explore What Homes Sold Where Yours Did Not

Have you REALLY looked into the other homes in your neighborhood? Comparing what homes are currently being listed for is fine - it gives you the current state of the market. But let's be honest, people can list their homes for whatever they want. Have you looked at what people are currently listing Beanie Babies for on eBay? Just because they list it for that, doesn't mean it will sell for it.

The REAL numbers you want to compare to are homes that SOLD in your neighborhood. Look at homes that have closed within the past 6 months with the same number of bedrooms, bathrooms, similar square feet & updates. Als,o keep in mind, there are certain geographic locations that can make a BIG difference on the price of your home (one side of the freeway vs the other, different zip codes, etc). This can get fairly complicated, but you can start searching in the website below to get a head start.

2. Review Any/All Feedback That Your Agent Provided

Feedback is SO important, even though sometimes it may be hard to hear. Look back on ALL the feedback your previous agent provided to see what themes keep coming up. Some of them could be relatively simple fixes (maybe a smell or paint color), where there may be things that you cannot control (on a busy street or close to an airport).

Below is an example of an email we send to our sellers each week:

Feedback:

# of Total Showings: 23 (7 since last update +1 scheduled tomorrow)

# of Open Houses: 6 (+1 Scheduled for Tomorrow Sat 12/1 @ 12-3pm)

Positive Feedback:

Location, 2 car garage w/ carport, granny flat, backyard w/ view, electrical, upgraded bathrooms, large lot, hardwood floors, rental opportunity

Negative Feedback:

Slope on extended backyard, granny flat not in good shape, price, cosmetic remodel needed, pet smell, lack of flow from back area, overly large kitchen at the expense of the living area, small bedrooms, didn't like that what they could rent out (granny flat) was connected to the home and took away privacy

Market Activity:

Competition: link

Market Stats: link

Showing Stats West Region: link

Compile all of this information - this will be SO helpful for the next agent you choose to hire.

3. Make a List of What Your Agent Did to Market Your Property

Similar to before, you want to compile everything that your previous agent did to market your property as well as rank what YOU believe was effective. Just remember, just because the strategy they tried didn't work, doesn't mean the strategy is necessarily wrong - it could have been the execution.

Your previous agent should have come to you with a marketing plan and then executed on it. If you need help writing up what they did, check out this video the explains our Trademarked 7 day listing launch marketing plan.

• Day 1: Send invitations tothe neighborhood inviting them to an open house.

• Day 2: Running ads on social media with specific targeting

• Day 3: Property goes live on the MLS & syndicates across the internet

• Day 4: Physically knocking on doors and delivering invitations to neighbors

• Day 5: Calling, Texting, and Emailing the neighborhood

• Day 6: HUGE Open House. See examples: Sake & Sushi, Marys & Mimosas

• Day 7: Following up with people that attended the open house

4. Consider Updates and Renovations

Have you considered doing any updates? There are some fairly inexpensive and easy ways to make your home more attractive to potential buyers.

• Finish partially completed projects

• Freshen up the landscaping

• New coat of neutral paint inside

• Replace old/worn out carpets

• Update kitchen & bathroom cabinet hardware

5. Research Agents

You obviously had a process to choose your last agent, but here are a few tips when researching your NEXT (and hopefully last) real estate agent.

• Check how many sales they have had in the last 12 months.

  • Every agent will tell you that they are number 1. Check their stats and make sure they have actually sold homes in the past 12 months.

• Make sure they have sold homes all over the city/county

  • Having sold in your particular neighborhood is great, but not a necessity. Showing that they have sold homes all over the county proves that the agent has a marketing plan that works in a variety of situations.

• Look at their reviews

  • To me, it doesn't matter if they have sold every home in the neighborhood. If they left a negative impression on the people that HIRED them to do the job, I don't want to work with them.

6. Interview Agents

Did you choose your last agent after you interviewed others? If not, that's fine - let's just make sure you're better informed this time around. It's easy to get overwhelmed, so make sure you don't set more than 5 interviews, but also give yourself some options and schedule at least 2.

Questions to ask during an interview:

1. Do you have a team or do you work independently?

2. How many homes have you/your team sold?

3. Can you explain your marketing plan?

4. Do you have reviews from past clients?

5. Do you do professional photography/videography?

6. How will we communicate, and how long will you take to get back with me?

7. What would you list my home for?

8. How do you schedule showings?

9. What sets you apart from other agents?

10. What haven't I asked you that I need to know?

If you're curious what your home will sell for in today's market, enter your address below.

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