Hey John - if the cider doesn't work - we can always turn it into apple cider vinegar and make a salad! (ok, I will stop, as I have beaten this rotten apple thing into the ground!)


I agree with a lol of what you said...the bottom line is - PRICE trumps everything....no matter how well "staged" or how well it is marketed, no matter how many bells and whistles - the right pricing will get it sold.

On Apples and Things
Thanks Debbie,
This is a tough market, and try as we will to explain otherwise, sellers believe it's is within our providence to sell a home at any price, to defy market forces to sell a home at $250 a foot in a $75 dollar market. Moses, step up and part that river!
Open houses help sell the open home? This is news to me.
If your Realtor wants to do an open house - RUN. Open houses do not sell the open house, it finds people that want to buy a home for the listing Realtor to sell, or someone who wants to list a home. About the most a seller could expect from an open house are some new stains in the carpet from cookie and cokes, and some missing family heirlooms. It’s all about prospecting for buyers to sell someone else’s home.
Fact is, even thought a Buyer might start looking on the internet, that buyer ends up working and buying though a Realtor, that’s our job isn’t it!!!! If they are lucky they get a good one, that Realtor will tell them about the market, and will be able to show them homes that have great photography, get information, great staging, great web site locations at great PRICES!!!!!! Well marketed homes at the wrong price, never get shown by this Realtor unless I get some idea buyer is ready to lower the price to the market. There is plenty of inventory out there.
I wonder how many of us realtors suggest our client buy a home at $250 a foot over a comparable home at $75 a foot, FOR ANY REASON!!!!????? I hope the answer is 0. I have never done so, and it’s not in my business plan to do so.
Working with a buyer, it’s our job to find a home at the right price, one that the banks will approve!

Why would we push, or even show a home that won’t appraise? I am not in the business of showing well marketed homes, I am the business to find my client value, homes that will close.

Now Debbie gets the marking award for rotten apples, cider is another option.

John - hah your answer made me smile! Loved it!


ps...... worst case scenario - we can always make apple sauce with it if it doesnt sell

Hi Flippinlady -- The previous answers gave some good marketing ideas. I would just add that the more internet websites you're on, the better, since over 70-80% of the buyers are finding their homes online. And each of those sites should display your home with the maximum amount of GOOD photography as possible (including a virtual tour with pictures of your neighborhood or any outstanding community features). Getting the potential buyer as emotionally involved as possible is your goal. Of course, having accurate information about the true market value of your home is equally important so that you can price your home well.

Having said that, I think you are forgetting that there are other things that your Realtor does for you that justify the commission they will be getting at the closing table. I know it is a huge source anxiety (if not anger) when a seller sees the dollar amount that the percentage commission represents. I read it occasionally on Trulia, "the agent is TAKING $12,000!!! of my profit", or something similar. I would ask you to remember that while the amount of money is substantial, the agent not only helps you attract a buyer (through their advice and marketing), they also guide the resulting offer/contract through a maze of potential pitfalls where the Seller, if acting without the assistance of a professional, can make costly mistakes that would result in huge $$ costs or losing the deal altogether.

I remember a former client who sold their house on their own as a For Sale By Owner that I helped them buy . They were so proud of themselves, they "saved" all that money on the commission and asked me to help them find another home (while awaiting the closing on their FSBO home). As we neared the closing date on both homes, their buyer came back to them and asked for a new roof and closing costs and refused to close unless my client gave in (which they did). With a well written contract and deadlines, this panic situation would never have happened. It ended up costing them far more than the commissions would have been. So, did they really "save" money doing it by themselves?

Also, good agent will make the process seem easy--that's another thing you're paying them for. If you'd rather experience the stress and want to be kept apprised of each time the deal comes close to a deadline (and the parties require outside "motivation" to follow the contract) or the deal is pulled from the "jaws of failure", let your agent know. You can ride the roller coaster, too.

Finally, I'd suggest you talk with your Realtor about your concerns. As a previous agent here mentioned, their job is communication. If they can't tell you why they're worth what you've agreed to pay them, maybe you do have the wrong agent. You should probably have had this conversation before you signed the listing agreement (and certainly before you're under contract to sell your property), but I think you should have it. Call today before you get even more frustrated.

Best of luck to you. Hope you have a quick sale and a smooth closing.

Louise Warring, e-PRO, CSP, CNS
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate

At the end of the day, we work in something called "the Houseing Market".

While markets can wax an apple, put really cool lights on them, dim the lights, put the right music on, scent the air, call it "ORGANTIC (its better how?); if you are trying to sell a $5 apple in $3 market you will rot before you will sell.

In this market, it mostly about price.

John

I agree that you need to talk with that agent if you have already signed the listing agreement. If you have not signed the listing agreement interview other agents from different companies.

Some marketing ideas:
There are plenty of websites to post a listing (80%+ buyers start on the internet ).
There is the option of an open house
Do they go to their office business meeting and talk about your listing when it first hits the market
Do they do fliers
Many REALTORS do not put the listing in the newspaper (the cost and how the buyer finds a house these days usually don't make the newspaper a very good advertisement for homes any more).

With all of the different ideas that there are to market you house the number one thing that will sell your house is price. Price will be the biggest motivator. It is a beauty and price competition. You have to make sure your house is the best priced house and the best looking on the market. That will bring them to your driveway. You have to make the house inviting. That will get them to the front door and inside. Then make sure the house is clean and presentable.

Most buyers work with a buyers agent who looks on the MLS. They will take their client to the best priced homes on the market.

Good luck selling your house!

This all should have been discussed before deciding on your realtor as this is obviously crucial to selling your home and you are right, this is what you are paying the realtor for.
There are many more things that your agent should be doing for you other than putting your home in the mls, on the internet and a sign in front. There is a question on this website,previously asked ,that posed this exact thing and there are many good, detailed answers as to what an agent should be doing to market your house. It is one of the more popular questions so it is pretty easy to find.
I am disappointed that you seem to feel uncomfortable talking to your agent about this since this is the agent's job and regular communication with you about what exactly is being done to sell your house is absolutely something all listing agents should be doing.
This is a stressful time for you, even if things go smoothly, and in this market, as a seller things are difficult enough. Your relationship with your listing agent should be comfortable, not confrontational.
Good luck with everything and don't forget to look up that question as it does have a lot of good information(although some definitely better than others).

straight forward questions are always the best way. If you are not satisfied with what your agent does, confront him/her. Most agents welcome an active seller.

If all your agent is going to do is "place it on the MLS, one internet site, and put up a sign" you need to sit down and ask him or her what other ideas they can come up with. You need to see everything in wiriting. You need to tell them directly that they need to be more creative in what they are offering. You may also need to call in a few other agents, and ask them for their written comprehensive marketing plans.

There is another thread here on Trulia which has exhausted the topic of what agents do to market a home. Look for it - read through the suggestions, and find an agent who will offer you everything you will need to get your home sold.
One more piece of advice - make sure it shows well and price it correctly right out of the starting gate!

Best wishes....
Debbie Rose
Prudential NJ Properties