Do you ever wonder how most people find the homes they eventually buy? You might imagine them driving by a “For Sale” sign or seeing a home for sale in the newspaper and then calling to enquire.  Of course, many buyers find out about listed properties that way. But, according to research by the National Association of Realtors, there are many other — sometimes surprising — ways buyers find their next dream home.  For example: 88% of buyers find a home with the help of a real estate agent. 90% of buyers search online as part of the home buying process. (Such as viewing a property’s profile on the agent’s website.) 69% of buyers searching for a home using Google, use a specific local term, such as “Sardis homes for sale”. 29-46% of buyers attend an Open House as part of their home hunting activities. Overall, the research shows that buyers are using a multitude of ways — combining online and offline methods — to find homes. What does all this mean to you? If means that if you’re preparing your home for sale, you need to ensure your marketing plan takes into account all the ways buyers are finding properties — so you can be sure that they will find yours. Looking for a REALTOR® who knows how to market your home for maximum exposure? Give me a call.

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Some Realtors will BUY your listing for any price just to get your John Henry on the contract and having your front lawn act as a free advertising location for the listing agent’s sign. Then the apologies and “softening-up” process begins. About a week later you will hear….. “I have talked to a lot of Realtors and called some of my hot buyers and I think we may have been a bit optimistic when we set the list price.” Two weeks later a “low-ball” offer comes in with more apologies from your listing agent. “I wish I could do better but the market just doesn’t feel your home is worth what we listed it for. Can you afford to lower the price so we can get a chance to attract a whole new group of qualified buyers?” You hear from a curious neighbor who called your listing agent to see what your house is listed for: “The seller set the price and although it is quite a bit higher than market value the caller might be able to make a lower offer and get a good deal on this one”. After a month of total frustration and numerous showings that don’t bring any offers you finally give up in defeat and list it for what it’s really worth. Did you need all the play-acting right from the start?

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