Could your real estate agent be costing you money!?


When selling a house, a piece of land or even a boat one obvious factor is true for all, the greater the exposure, the more traffic which in turn leads to more money in the seller’s pocket. Think about it, if you try to sell something to a finite number of people, you’re more likely to settle for a less than perfect offer. So, what’s the point? Well, if your real estate agent isn’t facilitating the greatest traffic flow for your property… it could be costing you MONEY! LOTS OF MONEY!
SO WHAT SHOULD A HOME OWNER DO?
Our first bit of advice is trust your instincts. If you find the person who is representing your property to be curt, abrasive or unfriendly, odds are buyers will feel the same way. Think about it, would you want to buy something as important as a house from someone you didn’t like? Having a broker who has a “tough” demeanor may seem attractive in the fact you have someone who will be “tough” in negotiating for you. But that doesn’t count for much if people aren’t looking at your property.
You might not know this but most sold properties are sold through a co-broke. What that means is your agent sells it with the cooperation of another agent from another company. First and foremost, real estate agents are people. If you have an agent who has a reputation for being difficult, odds are other agents are NOT calling. That means your property isn’t being shown. One way you can protect yourself is before signing an exclusive agreement with any one agent is ask a few other agents what they think of that person. If they say good things, go ahead and proceed. They have good interpersonal skills and will keep the flow into your property going. If the agents choose not to say anything, that speaks volumes. Like any industry the real estate business in any particular town is small. Most agents won’t ever bad mouth another, but if they don’t say much positive… well I’ll leave that to your imagination.
If you’re not really sure about your agent, here’s something you can do; call and pretend you’re an agent from another company. Did they return your call promptly? Were they courteous and helpful on the phone? If they weren’t it could be costing you money! They’re TOUGH to the point they’re chasing away other agents!
Here’s another idea. The next time your agent holds an open house send a friend or neighbor to see how your agent is meeting and greeting potential customers and agents! If the agent is responsive, professional and friendly you’re getting your money’s worth… if not you could be losing money.
So what’s the bottom line? Friendly + Professional = MORE $$$. It’s a fairly basic formula.

A MISSION IMPOSSIBLE PREVIEW.... AND THE REWARDS OF GOOD CREDIT!

What does Mission Impossible and selling real estate in the Hamptons have to do with each other? Plenty! We (the PDE-Sag Harbor Office) hosted 255 of our friends, clients, customers for a special sneak preview of "Mission Impossible 3" at the East Hampton cinema.

Loads of popcorn, loads of excitement and loads of fun.

Speaking of impossible missions, if you thought about buying a home but weren't sure about how financing will work.. there's one good first step you can take. Know your credit score! You can also take a few steps to improve your score as well. Here's a link to a great article in the NY Times that covers this exact subject. It's definitly worth a look. Try the link below.. you may have to register with the NYTimes to see it but it's worth it!

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/realestate/07home.html