Mr. Seller, Your Home is Not in the MLS system...Do you still want to sell?

Tarrant County Homes come and go on and off the market on a daily basis in most areas around Fort Worth.  Sellers get tired of the hassel of showings and make demands on agents which sometimes make the job of selling much harder than it need be.  On the other hand often agents really do not have a plan of how they are going to get the number of showings that it will take to get offers that may be negotiated.  Bottom line...no showings, NO SALE!

Imagine this....this home in Colleyville, Tx  Expired in the MLS a few days ago.  We have a seller who probably wants to sell but because of their situation, they have decided to take the home out of the MLS system.

As a listing agent of many years, I know that 80 % of agents may not have a marketing plan of how to get people in the home.  20% of all sellers believe their home is too special to allow the home to show with ease.  Believe me, in today's market it must be EASY to show a home....there are so many to choose from that it is easy for a Buyer to just pass on a home that is difficult to get inside.  Why would it be difficult?..you ask.  Here are some reasons that leave buyers believing it may not be worth the trouble.
A.  24 to 48 hour notice before all showings.
B.  Listing agent must be present for all showings.
C. Seller cancels a showing appointment.
D. Seller insists on being at home for all showings.
E. Listing agent reschedules after appointment has been set.
F. Home is not showable until ________date after the home is placed in the MLS system.
and.........there are more, but these are common.

The bottom line is that if a seller or a listing agent makes it difficult.........a buyer has many others to see.

The next issue with expired listings is that the Seller has become frustrated and angry and wants to blame the home not selling on their agent.......or maybe on all agents.  The truth is that not all sellers and agents can or should work together.  Agents who are professional, do not fall for letting a seller design their marketing strategy.  The professional agent will do that.  A marketing plan must lay out the steps that will be taken in the first month, the second month, and so on.  A good marketing plan will also change.......because the market is always changing.  If it is taking an average of 180 days for a home to sell in an area, it is foolish for an agent to agree to list a home for just 180 days.  That is a set up for failure.  It is necessary to discuss all strategies with the seller at the time of the listing interview.  That way, all parties to the listing contract can understand what is normal, and how the plan is going to be carried out.

When I market homes in and around Fort Worth, Tx and Tarrant County, I make sure that we are all studying the data together.  The home may be beautiful in everyway, but if the homes in the same area are selling at a price that is less than last year, we will need to be realistic with our listing price.  If Keller or Southlake homes are selling for less than this time last year, we must look at all of the information and decide on a plan.  Does the home need some updates? Does the home need to be professionally staged?  When does the seller want to be someplace else?  All of these questions must be answered.

For more about listing homes in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, please visit my website: http://www.diannearnette.com/