Guaranteed Sale Programs: False Promises

“If I Don’t Sell Your Home, I’ll Buy It!”

You’ll never hear those words from me, but you will hear them from some other agents.

Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

It’s called a “guaranteed sale program” and it’s one of the oldest gimmicks in real estate.

I have long been skeptical of guaranteed sale programs for a variety of reasons, including the following:

Price

How much will the listing agent pay you for your home ~ appraised value, assessor’s value, or a deeply-discounted value?

If it’s a discounted value, precisely what percentage of value will the agent pay you for your home ~ 75%, 85%, 95%, or what?

Who will determine the actual fair market value of your home before applying the discount?

One thing you can count on is that your listing agent will not pay top dollar for your home!

Ability To Perform

Does the listing agent really have cash available to purchase your home? (most don’t)

Does the listing agent need to get a loan to purchase your home? (most will)

If the listing agent must get a loan to buy your home, can the listing agent qualify and how long will it take?

Timing

When will the listing agent buy your home?

Today, 30 days, 90 days, six months from now?

The Bottom Line

Listing agents who offer a guaranteed sale program don’t want to buy your home; they want to get your listing!

In other words, guaranteed sales programs are usually nothing more than a gimmick designed to get  you to list with the agent.

Remember what grandma said ~ “if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!”

If you’re serious about selling, there’s a better way.

Simply call me at (208)938-5533, or e-mail me and I’ll tell you the truth about your home’s value and how I will get it sold.

No sales talk, no persuasion, and no false promises ~ just straightforward, truthful advice that will help us mutually achieve a smooth closing.

If  you’re skeptical, I’ll be happy to provide more references than you have time to check to confirm my real estate track record!

There are many reasons why I’m able to work mostly with repeat and referred clients after 44 years in real estate!

Call me now ~ I actually answer my own phone!

 

Boise Home Sellers: Good Photography Sells Homes

Eagle Idaho

(this image is an example of one of my actual HDR lising photos)

Years ago, I was one of the people who fought for a new Intermountain MLS rule to require at least one photo for each new MLS listing.

The debate over that issue included some MLS members arguing “what if the property doesn’t photograph well?”

Amazingly, it also included the misguided logic of “what if the listing agent doesn’t have a camera?”

(don’t get me started on this!)

Now, every agent has at least one camera, the excuses are gone, and every listing has to include at least one photo.

Which brings us to the current issue of poor photo quality.

When I view listings online, I’m often amazed at the low quality of property photos.

Poor lighting and bad composition are at the top of the list.

Then, we have cars, trucks, bikes, and garbage cans in the driveway.

Or, no front elevation shot; just a few interior shots.

Other examples include dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, raised toilet lids, full cat boxes, crooked door and window frames, photos shot directly into bright sun, dark adjoining rooms, and lawns so Photoshopped they look like bright green rugs.

Here are a few tips for good real estate photography:

  • Use a high-quality DSLR camera.
  • Avoid using a Smartphone for real estate photography (for a long list of reasons).
  • Use a bounce flash (off ceilings/walls) to avoid “hot” direct flash lighting.
  • Post-process images with Photoshop or other suitable professional-grade software.
  • Post-process images for sharpness and accuracy; not embellishment.
  • Shoot from quarter-angles for increased visual interest (straight-on shots are really, really boring!)
  • Turn on all interior lights before shooting interior shots (to avoid shooting into dark adjoining rooms).
  • Close doors to adjoining rooms where appropriate.
  • Use a moderate wide-angle lens for interior shots (I use a 16-35 mm lens).
  • Avoid extreme wide-angle lens that distort images (10 mm lenses exaggerate/distort room sizes).
  • Shoot horizontally straight and level (waist or chest height) to avoid distorted/angled door and window frames.
  • Learn how to use depth-of-field to achieve both near and far focus.
  • Use a tripod to achieve optimal focus and sharp images.
  • Shoot more images than needed, then choose the best ones during post-processing.
  • Always shoot at the camera’s highest quality setting, the resize to suit after post-processing.
  • Set up three computer files for images (raw/processed/resized).

If your listing agent hires a professional photographer, realize that the photographer will want to quickly get their shots during one visit to the property.

That means they will be shooting into the sun at some point because you can’t get good west-looking shots in the afternoon and you can’t get good east-looking shots in the morning.

And, direct midday sun sucks.

I prefer to do my own photography so I can take my time and visit the property more than once to get the best shots with optimal lighting.

Rushed photography is seldom quality photography.

I’m a Canon fan and usually shoot with my 20-megapixel Canon 6D, 600EX-RT flash, and a variety of high-end L-series professional quality lenses.

My post-processing workflow includes Photoshop with several Topaz plugins.

I also shoot HDR (high dynamic range) bracketed images where appropriate and use Photomatix and Aurora post-processing software to achieve stunning, vibrant blended images.

My photography skills have been honed over several decades while capturing the 45,000 images stored on my computer’s hard drive.

Check out my virtual tours on this blog (click on the link at the top right of this page) for examples of my photography.

I also created all of the photography included in my slideshow at the top of this page.

If you’re interested in having your home marketed with stunning photography, please call me at (208)938-5533 or e-mail me and let’s talk.

Remember:

  • Good real estate photography sells homes!
  • When someone requests a showing after viewing quality images of your home, they’ve already approved what they’ve seen and the sale will follow if they like what they see in person.
  • Good real estate photography costs you no more than bad photography.
  • But, bad real estate photography can prevent your home from selling!

 

Boise Home Sellers: Secure Your Home When You List It

Following several recent incidents, Boise Regional Realtors® issued a reminder for Boise home sellers this past week about securing homes listed for sale.

One incident included a person posing as a real estate agent, requesting to preview a home without an appointment with the seller.

He handed the seller a real estate agent’s business card he had collected from another listed property.

After he left, the seller discovered the theft of prescription drugs.

Another recent incident included the theft of jewelry during an Open House.

While showing or previewing homes, I often see personal and financial papers left out in plain sight.

Think about it ~ do you really want total strangers to see your 401k statement, credit card statement, divorce papers, or mortgage statement lying on your kitchen counter or desk?

I routinely see piggy banks, coin jars, checkbooks, brokerage statements, and other items while showing or previewing homes.

I recently previewed a home that had a gun cabinet full of valuable Browning rifles with the unlocked cabinet door standing wide open.

You should also consider removing family photos, diplomas, and other items that can provide clues to prospective buyers about your lifestyle and income.

Open Houses pose additional risks because it’s impossible for the agent hosting your Open House to observe every visitor; especially if there are multiple visitors present at the same time.

My personal view on Open Houses is that the risks far outweigh any potential benefits for a seller.

Here are a few security tips if you’re selling your home:

  • Always require buyer agents to access your home using the lockbox (to know who’s been in your home).
  • Do NOT let prospective buyers view your home without their agent present.
  • Put away personal and financial papers.
  • Put away prescription drugs, jewelry, firearms, piggy banks, coin jars, checkbooks, and other valuables.
  • If your listing agent convinces you that an Open House is a good idea, check to ensure that all windows and doors are locked afterward.

 

Boise Home Sellers: Responsive Service Matters

When you’re selling your Boise home, you must have a listing agent who provides responsive service!

Whatever you do, do NOT hire a listing agent who thinks responsive service is irrelevant and unnecessary!

It’s okay to check on your listing agent’s service before you sign that listing agreement.

Call or e-mail the agent to test their responsiveness.

The best agents will personally answer their phone within three rings.

While that seems simple, it’s actually an amazing rarity.

If you have to leave a voicemail, take note of how long it takes for the agent to respond.

If it’s more than an hour or two, something isn’t right.

Most agents have a cell phone, leaving little excuse for unanswered or unreturned calls.

You should immediately reject an agent whose voicemail inbox is full.

Think about how you’ll feel if someone makes an offer on your home and your listing agent fails to notify you before the offer expires.

There’s no excuse for unresponsive service when you’re paying someone thousands of dollars to represent you.

Looking for an experienced, expert, responsive listing agent?

Give me a call now at (208)938-5533 or e-mail me!

Go ahead ~ test me!

My 44 years’ experience and thousands of delighted past clients are your assurance of competent, diligent, responsive service.

I answer my own phone and respond to voicemail messages and e-mails quickly.

Because I have one direct phone number that goes everywhere with me, you won’t have to figure out which number to call or navigate an annoying voicemail tree.

And, you won’t have to talk with a receptionist or explain what you want to countless junior “assistants” who are screening my calls.

The simple truth is that I don’t need multiple “assistants” because I work with no more than six clients at any one time and I’m organized and have effective business practices.

That approach allows me to personally work with a few clients at a time and provide an amazing level of personal service seldom found with other agents.

References?

Just ask and I will cheerfully provide you with dozens of references who will talk your leg off if you want to confirm my exceptional experience and service!

 

Boise Home Sellers: Why Experience Matters

There’s no substitute for experience when you’re choosing a listing agent.

Real estate is one of those professions where it’s impossible to infuse a new agent with the knowledge and instincts that can only be gained by completing transactions.

Real estate schools are useful for imparting the knowledge needed to pass the real estate exam, but they don’t teach the “street smarts” that are required to sell your home and achieve a smooth closing.

I remember what it was like when I entered the real estate profession 44 years ago.

My broker did little (nothing?) to help prepare me for the many challenges and obstacles I encountered as I dealt with my earliest clients.

I had to learn everything the hard way, and I made many mistakes along the way.

Some of those mistakes were costly for my sellers.

The real estate profession remains the same today.

In real estate, practical experience isn’t taught, it’s learned!

It takes somewhere between 50 and 100 transactions for a new agent to learn the ropes in real estate.

That can take awhile, especially in the Boise real estate market where the average agent sells around 2½ homes per year.

For most people, selling their home is the largest financial transaction of a lifetime.

When you choose your listing agent, ask yourself these important questions:

  • Am I listing my home with an agent who knows what to do and how to avoid common pitfalls in a real estate transaction?
  • Should I entrust the sale of my most valuable asset to someone who’s new to real estate?
  • What will happen if my agent doesn’t know what to do when challenges arise?
  • How many transactions has this agent closed?
  • Is this agent a full-time professional, or a part-timer?
  • How many homes has this agent sold in the past year/during their real estate career?
  • How long has this agent been in real estate?

Verify your listing agent’s experience and track record vs. relying upon verbal representations.

It’s also a good idea to ask for references and talk with a few of the agent’s past clients.

Looking for an experienced, proven, successful listing agent?

My listings sell due to my 44 years’ experience and proven marketing methods.

Better yet, I work with only a few clients at a time to ensure a high level of responsive, personal service.

Sound interesting?

Give me a call at (208)938-5533 or e-mail me and let’s talk!