Aaron Harrington's Top 3 Tips When Selling Your Home.
1. Expose your home to the entire world!
I have a lot of people call me and say, “Aaron, I’m thinking of moving and my neighbor wants to buy my house. They want to offer me $_____. Do you think it’s a good deal?” My response is always the same, “If you want to ensure yourself top dollar for your home, then you need to expose your property to the open market.” When I take a listing, that listing goes to every real estate brokerage firm and real estate agent in the state of Washington. The property is listed for sale on all the major real estate websites reaching local, national, and international buyers. That is exposure! In the end, if your neighbor wants to match the highest offer, then you will know you are getting a good deal!
2. Stage your home to sell; increase value and lessen time on market!
Early in my career, I worked for a new construction builder. I would meet prospective clients at the model homes. The models were elegantly finished by professional designers and stagers. After I would tour clients through the model homes, I would take them to our available properties. These properties would be freshly built, without furniture and the high-end professional designer finishes. When I would ask the clients which home they preferred, they would tell me, “The model!” Now, the models were never for sale until all the other properties were sold. Thus, I would say, “Unfortunately, those are unavailable.” The excitement of the clients would come crashing to the floor. This chronic sequence of events caused me to become a huge believer in the power of staging. Buyers make most of their decision within the first 30 seconds they enter a property. So, a staged home warms up the aesthetic buyer and creates an immediate positive reaction to their “gut” feelings in those quick initial moments. This creates enthusiasm and urgency. And this turns into more money and a shorter selling cycle for you- the seller.
3. Choose an agent based on track record and success traits.
Choosing a real estate agent is not easy. Certainly, experience is critical. I have sold more than 500 homes in my career thus far. In addition, there are personality traits to pay attention to. According to a study by Minesh Baxi* on what makes a top real estate agent, his research shows that top real estate agents who were personality profile tested across what is known as the DISC profile shared common personality traits and motivating factors The DISC profile tests an individual’s introvert, extrovert, aloof and friendly preferences. Additionally, it ranks orders nine motivating factors with a personality profile. The test has 36 different possible outcomes. However, 90% of the top real estate agents profiled had only 1 profile. Top agent personality profiles were highly dominant, extravert, aloof and motivated by money. It is a rare character profile. Less than 10% of the public has this profile. How can you tell if someone has this profile without testing them? First, ask a question and be quiet. If they keep talking, then they are an extrovert. You are in the right area. Next, keep asking questions. Ask yourself, do I feel close to this person? If you do not, then you are in the right area. They are somewhat aloof. And finally, do they ask you to sign an agreement or buy their services? If they do, then they are somewhat dominant. Those are the key ingredients. Finally, do they give away their services for almost nothing? Then they are not motivated by money. And they probably will not be motivated to get you the most money either. But if they charge a wage that is commensurate with the job, then you have someone who is motivated by money. If you find all these personality traits, then you have a strong chance this is someone with a terrific track record. I hope this helps you choose a real estate agent. Hiring the right person will elevate your opportunity for the best outcome when selling your home. If you are curious about how I would approach selling your home, beyond what you are reading here – let's meet! I can be reached at ah@harringtonteam.com or 206.486.8577.
* Reference: Minesh Baxi - Speaker, Business Coach and Author