Every agent uses different criteria to determine whether he or she will work a particular client. Some agents attempt to work with every person who walks through the office door, emails or calls them. Some agents are judgmental and may dismiss otherwise perfectly good clients for goofy reasons. Some may work only with sellers or only with buyers. We're all different. Here is my philosophy of how I decide whether to take on a new client.
First, I will speak with or email every individual who contacts me. I believe that is simply professional courtesy. Sometimes Sacramento sellers and buyers just want information to prepare, and although they may not be ready to act this week, next month or even next year, I try to help and let them know I will still be in the business whenever they are ready. So, how do you know if you are ready?
Sacramento Home Sellers
These are people who are ready to sell and not just stick a sign in the yard. If a seller doesn't know if he or she truly wants to sell, it's not my job to push them into selling. My job is to sell homes. It's OK if you're not ready. Here are the signs that you are:
- You are ready to price your home according to the market.
- If your home sold tomorrow, you'd be thrilled.
- You've cleaned the house and will keep it in showing condition, no matter how inconvenient.
- You're eager to let buyer's agents show your home.
- You're prepared to negotiate.
Sacramento Home Buyers
If you're still in the planning stages, you're most likely not ready to buy a home. You may be ready to only entertain the idea of home ownership, in which case you may want to read first-time home buyer articles online and attend open houses. Few agents want to strong arm a buyer into signing an offer only to watch the buyer go through remorse. Here are signs that you are ready to buy:
- You have a preapproval letter from a lender.
- You are focused on certain neighborhoods.
- You know your price range and comfort zone.
- You can describe your perfect home.
- When you find a home that fits your parameters, you are ready to sign a purchase offer.
When you've qualified yourself as a Sacramento home buyer or home seller, then you're ready to hire a Sacramento real estate agent to go to work for you. I work 7 days a week, 14 hours a day, and I've been in this business for 35 years. The reason most experienced agents have been able to survive and thrive throughout any given real estate market over the years is because we produce results. That's a REALTOR's job in a nutshell. To serve your interests and put those interests above our own. But, only if you're ready.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, coming May 15th.
Photo: Big Stock Photo
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
Elizabeth - While I don't typically work with sellers, I do have a very similar process for working with buyers. However, having said that, the issue I see the most these days are those buyer's "looking for a deal".
No matter how much I explain to my clients, that pretty much anything they buy these days is probably going to be a deal, they insist on making their Realtors write low ball offers. Fortunately, most learn the error of that strategy pretty quickly.b Losing one or sometimes two offers for properties that a buyer really wanted is a good lesson for them to learn to get serious is they are truly ready to buy a home.
If they don't learn that lesson relatively quickly in the home search, then they're not ready to buy.
Elizabeth: Makes perfect sense, especially to anyone who is in the business. We aren't tour guides or in teh business of "Wonder If." Gee...wonder if my home would sell $100K above market value? If there's a wonder if in a sellers sentence, it's probably a waste of good marketing money and your time.
We all need to make the decision on representing a client since all we have to offer is our time and expertise we need to make the decision that will be a good fit for both.
Elizabeth - Your criteria makes perfect sense. Occassionally, I'll vary from that, but not much. I tend to work with past clients, and by referrals from them, so everyone pretty much knows how I work.
One thing however, I am amazed at how many buyers who have started out telling me they had one neighborhood in their criteria, and totally ended up in another. It happens about a third of the time.
When it happens to me, Myrl, it's because I suggested another neighborhood. The buyers I work with personally are motivated and dedicated.
Hi Donne: Buyers who don't conform to the market aren't buyers, either. So I'm not dealing with those who insist on lowballs that go nowhere. Now, sometimes I suggest a lowball if I think I can make it work, and 9 times out of 10 I can. But buyers need to understand the market they are presented with and proceed accordingly.
Fortunately, all my sellers are fabulous!
Elizabeth,
Enviable position. Of course it makes sense. I, however, can understand agents, who would grab every lead, and would be very hard pressed to say "no". Actually, I think, the luxury to say "no" is a testament to the status achieved
We are on the same page Elizabeth...I would add to the Buyers page...that you understand...or are willing to learn how much money will buy how much house with how many features....cuz if you are waiting for the something for nothing house, I am not your agent.
Elizabeth, I simply love the clear delineated lines you have drawn to work with buyers and sellers. It will make you a more profitable business owner and not waste everyone's time, your most precious resource. They should put this blog post in real estate schools. Many clients think agents HAVE TO work with them. They are VERY SURPRISED when you decline their business (or them wasting your time). You have some advanced thinking here Elizabeth, something that goes over the head of many agents that work with ANYONE who walks in the door or phones them.