Advice to sellers from a St. Louis REALTOR – part two of a series

By Dennis Norman, on August 12th, 2009

By: Dennis Norman

We’ll pick up where we left off in part one of this series about selling a home in this market:

Question- How should a seller select an agent? What should they look for in an agent and what should a seller avoid?

Answer- Years of experience is not as important as it once was. Certainly, the seller needs an agent with market knowledge, but the fact is today’s market is new territory for all REALTORS(R). I believe a seller in today’s market needs to be certain their REALTOR(R) has a firm grasp of marketing a property to today’s buyer, which according to research by the National Association of REALTORS(R), is looking to the Internet for their next home.

A seller needs to review the REALTOR(R)‘s marketing plan as it relates to presentation, placement and exposure via the web. Don’t worry about newspaper ads…if you haven’t noticed, newspapers are all but dead.

Due to the soft market and fear and concern amongst many would-be buyers, there is a very good likelihood your buyer will be a relocation buyer. How does the buyer in Miami find your home in Kansas City? The Internet.

My last piece of advice with regard to the selection of a REALTOR(R) is to select a dedicated, full-time, professional…don’t just pick a neighbor or a friend. After all, would you go to a part-time doctor for surgery or to delivery your baby? I doubt it. So why gamble with in investment as large as your home?

Question – What does a seller need to do to their home to prepare it to sell?

Answer- De-clutter, de-personalize and use a REALTOR(R) that has a staging advisor on staff or accessible to them. Regardless of price range, presentation is a must in today’s very competitive market.