List to last. Successfully working with home sellers.

List to last. As long as there have been real estate professionals, that has been a phrase in real estate offices spoken by management and veteran agents, if you want to be successful in the real estate sales profession, you must be proficient at working with home sellers and listing real estate.

Finding sellers has become increasingly more difficult as the market continues on its downward course. Don’t misunderstand, listings are still fairly easy to come by and with over 35,000 listings in my 5 county market area, you don’t have to look any further for proof. The problem is agents are discovering that there is a BIG difference between having a listing and having a seller.

A listing is often recognizable by what the homeowner says. If you have heard “I am not going to give the home away” or that “I need to get a certain amount or I am not going to sell”, then chances are you only have a listing and not a seller.

Sellers on the other hand are those home owners who take our advice and suggestions about their home’s market position. They are not as price driven as they are driven by the desire to sell their home. Perhaps this drive is a result of a employment opportunity or personal matter that creates a need to sell. What the homeowner could have received for their home last year or the year before has no bearing to a real seller as they understand that market has moved on.

Finding a true home seller requires confidence and patience on the agents part. Successfully qualifying the homeowner each time to determine motivation, need and desire will eliminate the agent having to do a lot of work with no hope of ever realizing an income.