housing – DoingItLocal

It’s amazing how many times you will hear this, especially before people find out you are an agent. I’m not sure how dealing with a Realtor ended up in the same category as going to the dentist. Since when did hiring someone trained and licensed to help you make the biggest purchase of your life become synonymous with someone who wants to put a drill in your mouth? People will hold off getting an agent until they no longer have a choice. No offence, but it’s a really bad strategy.

Explain to me exactly what it is that you are so adverse to. Expert advice, experienced insight, another set of eyes that can see your 3 year old about to grab the cats tail, the chauffeur? Are you adverse to having someone explain to you why getting pre-qualified is the first thing you should do BEFORE looking at that $700,000 house you have your heart set on? Or why buying the house right next door to the school is not a good idea if you have to be on your way to work no later than 7:15? Or, could it be that 3 page document they want you to sign before stepping inside one house? I mean, “why should you have to sign a document just to see houses?”.

First of all in the State of Connecticut it is REQUIRED. Selling a home is not like selling paint. There is a reason that licensing is a requirement, classes and mandatory continuing Ed classes. This IS the biggest purchase most people will ever make in their lives. It requires lawyers, legal town documents, sometimes town board approvals and variances. It’s a big deal. It requires each party to be legally represented by your own people. You do want people on your team to work for you and look out for your best interest right? That 3 page document does that.

If for some crazy reason a realtor chooses to take you to see houses without that document, he/she legally represents the SELLER as soon as they walk in the door. Not you, because you didn’t want them to and you will have to sign a waiver stating such.

Lastly, as a sales person we don’t get paid by the hour. We only get paid after a sale closes. How would you like to spend weeks showing properties to a client only to have that client turn around after finding the house they want and giving the sale to their cousin Fred? Do you think that would be fair? Of course not. We only have your best interest at heart and rely on you being a satisfied customer; satisfied customers make recommendations and remember us when they are ready to move up or down.

All that being said, when you hire someone to help you sell or buy a home, you are inviting them into your lives. Know who they are. Go to LinkedIn, their facebook business page and their website. Read their bio’s check out their recommendations and feel free to interview them. You are going to be spending time with this person, be fair to them, look out for yourself and always use a licensed agent.

http://www.coldwellbankermoves.com/Cynthia.Penkoff

http://www.facebook.com/CindyPenkoffRealtor

http://www.linkedin.com/in/cindypenkoffrealtor

Housing 101

Dressing Your Home For Sale

A story from December, but with an all year moral.

Realtor’s tend to work what seems like all the time. So today was no different for me. It was kind of cool to see the transformation of store fronts and town Main Streets from Wednesday night to Friday morning. The greens, the bows, candy canes and lights, they were everywhere. As I drove through neighborhoods, people were decorating the fronts of their homes and their yards and their cars and, well it seemed like about anything they could.

As I drove down one particular street I had a moment; you know, the one when you say out loud, not realizing it, “What are they thinking?” The client that was in my car looked at me and said, “Do they really think they are going to sell that house looking like that?”

There you had it; an unbiased observation. The home had a For Sale Sign out front. It also had half a dozen blow up figures that included an animated snow globe, lights, that at night might have looked ok but, during the day, looked like black yarn had been thrown everywhere and to “top it all off”, someone on the roof was trying to attached a sled with all the trimmings, including Rudolph.

Now, let me make this clear, I would never tell anyone how to celebrate the holidays. But, if you are selling your home and it is during the holiday season I tell my clients, please keep it simple. I know we all have our traditions; we want to put out all the keepsakes and the memories that remind us of growing up or even more importantly our children growing up; all the more reason not to and I will tell you why.

First, one of the things you want people to be able to do is picture themselves living in your home. The more stuff there is around, the less likely that is. It’s hard enough to do this on normal days. Next, we all feel that pressure to keep the house up all the time when selling, just in case “the” buyer wants to see it that day. The more decorating and display, the more work for you. Lastly, accidents happen. The more things that are out, the more likely something will get knocked over, little hands might pick up and drop or any host of other things. Aunt Tilly’s porcelain dove is 80 years old and can never be replaced so why take the chance?

So rule of thumb is Keep It Simple; inside AND out.

Oh, and if you’re looking to make the house smell like holiday time may I suggest fresh baked cookies, or a candle that smells like it, versus a pine scented one? Pine can be harsh to some people and make them rush through the showing. On the other hand, I’ve never seen anyone run from a warm cookie

Tag: housing

I Don’t Need An Agent

Dressing Your Home For Sale