How To Choose A Listing Agent To Get More, Get It Sooner and Give Up Less

If you really want to make a difference in "what you get" and "how soon you get it", choose your listing agent based on only two criteria: 1) The agent's system for creating market exposure, and; 2) the agent's ability to negotiate contracts.

Why Market Exposure and Contract Negotiation are the Critical Factors

There are more than 150 real estate agents in Amador County, and every one of them will list your property in the local MLS, put up a sign, print fliers and accept offers on your behalf.

HOWEVER, if you want to maximize "what you get" and "how soon you get it", that level of exposure and that level of contract negotiation just aren't good enough.

Regarding Exposure, we believe that the listing agent's job is NOT to bring in a buyer with an offer. The listing agent's job is to bring in ALL buyers who might be interested, and to solicit offers from as many of those buyers as possible, simultaneously!

It is impossible to reach all buyers in the marketplace with a yard sign and a local MLS listing. It takes a whole lot more, like featuring it on local TV 27 times during the first two weeks of the listing; and installing a "Talking Sign" in the yard that enables people who drive by to tune-in on their car radio to an audio presentation about its features; and listing the property in all eight surrounding county MLS systems (to reach buyers moving in from the west); and mailing hundreds of picture-postcards of the property to surrounding residents and investors; and paying extra to make it an "Enhanced Listing" on Realtor.com, the highest traffic real estate website on earth; and making it a "Featured Listing" on WildOnRealEstate.com, the only website for the only local TV show dedicated to Amador County real estate; and exposing it to every real estate agent in the county through an Agent Email campaign; and featuring it in the Ledger, the Buy and Sell, the Home Guide, and Prudential Homes. That's what it takes to effectively reach all of the buyers who might be interested (and that's exactly what we do).

Regarding Negotiation Skills, we believe that it's the listing agent's job to make sure that the seller can negotiate from a position of strength. Unfortunately, most sellers (and agents) jump right into "finding a buyer", and don't begin the contract negotiation "process" until after a prospective buyer presents an offer. But by then, it's too late (which is why most sellers negotiate from a position of weakness and end up giving up concessions). The only way to establish a position of strength is to eliminate negotiating points before they arise (and that's exactly what we do best).

Everyday, people select listing agents for all the wrong reasons -- number of years in the business, number of houses sold, friends, family relationships, etc. Unfortunately, these factors have little or no influence on what you get and how soon you get it. For example, "how many houses" an agent sold last year doesn't tell you anything about what his sellers got. It only tells you about what the listing agent got. "What you get" and "how soon you get it" depend almost entirely upon how many prospective buyers you attract and how well your contract is negotiated.

A Different Approach For Better Results

Our strategy is to influence three factors in your transaction: the quality of offers submitted (i.e., price and terms); the quantity of offers submitted simultaneously; and the perception of prospective buyers regarding how much room there is to negotiate. The only way to significantly influence these factors is to take action before any offer is written. So, immediately upon signing the listing agreement, we begin the negotiation process:

• We take specific steps to present the property in a way that makes buyers feel confident and comfortable with the risks that are inherent in writing a binding offer with minimal room for negotiation.
• We employ a proven procedure to eliminate (or at least reduce) the 17-day "free look" inspection period that most buyers write into their purchase offers.
• We analyze the market carefully and advise on pricing, because few things have a more derogatory effect on "what you get" and "how soon you get it" as bad pricing.
• We use proven tactics to pace multiple buyers in order to try to get more than one offer presented within the same three-day window.
• We take pre-planned action to minimize the number of "little things" you have to give up in order to get the deal closed (because those little things add up).
• We negotiate unemotionally on the "less-than-acceptable" offers to try to influence those buyers to raise the stakes.
• We pay close attention to the specific language of the purchase contract (i.e., the "fine print") to insure that your interests are protected and you have no surprises.
• We provide to you (at no charge) a $27,500 post-sale insurance policy to protect you against any lawsuit the buyer may bring after you close.
• We provide to you (at no charge) a Seller's Home Warranty insurance policy that protects the major systems in your house during the pre-sale period. So, for example, if your Heat & Air system breaks down and needs major repair just before closing, we don't have to renegotiate with the buyer, and you don't get stuck with the bill.

Bottom line: the two most important skills to look for in a listing agent are the ability to create exposure and the ability to negotiate the contract -- because these two skills will make the most difference in "what you get" and "how soon you get it", and also in how much stress you have to endure during the process.

If you use Market Exposure and Contract Negotiation as your primary criteria for selecting a listing agent, we should be at the top of your list. We apply our skills in these two areas because it produces results. Our listings sell 17% faster than the average listing, our sellers frequently get multiple offers (sometimes above asking price), and our sellers rarely make concessions during the escrow period. We have decades of hands-on marketing and negotiating experience, we have years of experience teaching negotiating skills to real estate agents, and we were trained by some of the best companies in the world.

·                    ·                    ·                    ·                    ·

We know you have many choices when it comes to selecting a real estate professional to represent your interests. We would appreciate the opportunity to show you that our system is superior, and really DOES get better results. Please call or e-mail us today!

Sharon Watson    • DIRECT LINE (209) 245-6956   ·   Office (209) 223-0240
 e-mail: sharon@wildonrealestate.com

Bob Watson    • DIRECT LINE (209) 245-6957   ·   Office (209) 223-0240
  ·   e-mail: bob@wildonrealestate.com