TTC_05_20_20_Vol.16-No.30

May 20, 2020 www.TheTownCommon.com
Page 9
Why Hire Us?
By John McCarthy, Rowley Realty
I was asked this very question
the other day. Why should we
hire you? Why should I list my
house with you? What can you
do for me? I get these questions
quite a bit. The National Association
of REALTORS☺ ran ads a
few years ago showing someone
with a scalpel in his hands on the
phone with a real doctor who
was giving him surgical instructions.
Funny and a little over the
top but the point was made. I
think in any field it is important
to have the expertise of a trained
and experienced professional.
While you might be able to sell
your home on your own a good
REALTOR® provides a you with
a unique skill set.
Selling a home by-owner is
easy, right? A yard sign, post a
few pics online and just wait
for the offers. Unfortunately for
the for sale by owner, more than
2/3 end up listing with a REAL-
TOR®. Those that are “successful,”
on average, will net slightly
less in sale proceeds than if they
would have listed with an agent.
Put simply what you don’t
know can cost you well more than
the commission you believe you
are saving; it can cost you valuable
time in the market. Here are
10 reasons why you shin terms of
both time and money. Here are
some reasons why it’s essential to
work with a REALTOR®.
Preparation:
While our job is to get you the
best possible terms and price a
good REALTOR® will prepare a
buyer or seller as to what to expect.
We sit down with you at the
beginning of this process to educate
you on what you will expect
and to prevent any surprises. For
example, every seller is prepared
to pay a REALTOR® a commission
but are you aware that
Massachusetts taxes every seller
at the closing? This tax can be
thousands of dollars, and more
than one seller has been shocked
to see this on a settlement statement
at closing (none of my sellers
though!). If you are buying
are you pre-approved by a lender?
Have you sat down with your
REALTOR® to figure out what
you get for your money? Are you
familiar with each step in the
buying process? We will focus on
setting realistic expectations and
guiding you through the process
so buying or selling doesn’t seem
so overwhelming.
Marketing:
People are visual by nature.
Most buyers will make a judgment
on your home right away.
If your yard or walkway is a mess
or if the house hasn’t been painted
in 20 years than they will assume
the interior of your home
has issues. Most buyers can’t
walk into a very cluttered home
and see the potential. Your RE-
ALTOR® should be honest with
you and tell you what you need
to do to get ready for sale. We
can call a stager or photographer
that I know and trust. They will
make suggestions and help present
your home in the best possible
light,
Your home has appeal and it
is our job to push that appeal
through all the most popular
web sites and social media outlets.
Conveying that to others
isn’t easy and making sure that
we hit all these outlets can mean
you connect to buyers that you
may not reach selling on your
own. Expanding your audience
is important. A good REAL-
TOR® will present your home
to anyone and everyone that is
looking.
Pricing:
Home pricing is based on recent
comparable home sales and
on competing homes on the market.
Many do it yourself sellers
haven’t been inside these homes
and, therefore, are missing critical
information for differentiating
among homes and setting an asking
price. Pictures only tell part of
the story, seeing a home on a web
site and deciding that yours is similar
isn’t the best course of action.
Knowledge of Local Market:
A REALTOR® will know
where to advertise to buyers and
where buyers are coming from
to see your home. What are the
market conditions in your town
or even neighborhood? Maybe
your neighborhood isn’t as fantastic
as you think due to the
fact that the local dump is down
the street. Is it a seller’s market?
If so, tell me why and show me
what has sold in the area. How
long are homes in town staying
on the market? What is the sale
price v. the listing price? What is
going to be the biggest challenge
in selling my house?
We are able to give you an
honest assessment of your home,
not only on the price but what
you will face in objections from
a would-be buyer. Most importantly
we can avoid potential mistakes
you could make. I recently
had a seller who after 6 months
of selling on his own called me
to his home. The home needed
paint inside and out. BADLY.
Their reason for not painting was
that “the new buyer’s may want
to choose their own colors”. We
spoke about how this could be
holding them back as buyers look
at the house on the outside and
assume it as run down on the inside
as well. My seller painted and
fixed some other cosmetic items
and soon enough we had a buyer
and closing.
Negotiation:
You may negotiate deals at
your current job but are you
sure you know how to negotiate
a real estate deal? There are a
ton of moving parts. What is the
buyer’s situation? Are they looking
at a number of other homes?
Just one other home? What do
you know about that home? Is it
more appealing than yours? What
if the buyer presents an offer you
want to counter, or one that is
way too low for you to even consider?
Do you counter that one?
What would you do if the seller
wouldn’t fix something or come
down on a too-high price?
By using our experience,
knowing the local real estate
market we can put deals together.
Also, by having your REAL-
TOR® as a buffer you ensure that
emotions out of such an important
financial decision.
We Stay Calm:
Buying or selling a home can
be very stressful. It is probably
the biggest financial decision
you will make. You have accepted
an offer, booked the mover,
met with your attorney and
you’re ready to move onto your
new home. Whoops, your new
buyer is on the phone asking for
$10,000 off for new gutters and
$25,000 off because the appraisal
came in too low. The easiest
thing in the world is to yell and
say forget it. REALTORS® know
how to deal with even the most
stressful situations all without
losing their cool. Whether you
want to prevent a buyer from
backing out of the deal or you
need help telling a seller about
repairs that need addressed, your
REALTOR® will be there and
will know just what to say without
alienating the other side.
Always Available:
We don’t have set office hours.
I am often asked “are you working
on Saturday or Sunday?” The
answer is a resounding YES! To
the chagrin of our significant
others, we answer calls at 10pm,
we meet clients at 8am on Sunday,
and we do this because this
is what is needed to help our
clients put a sale in place. We
work on your hours and we are
always available. If you are selling
your own home are you able
to show your home to a buyer in
the middle of the day with only
a few hours notice?
False Info:
There are tons of real estate
web sites out there that will tell
you in seconds what the valuation
of your property is. How
accurate are these really?
Many are simply not accurate
because they do not consider,
and aren’t able to consider all
factors. For example, what is
the criteria each site is using?
Are they taking into account the
neighborhood? If your property
has 4 acres but only half an acre
is usable is it really much more
valuable than a similar home
with a flat one-acre lot? Does the
web site take into consideration
the finished basement or attic?
Does it account for the new
granite and stainless kitchen?
By doing it on your own you
are putting yourself out there in
a constantly changing market
without the understanding and
reliable source of information
a REALTOR® can bring. With
a top local, experienced REAL-
TOR® on your side, you can let
go of (most of) the stress and
trust that good things that are
about to come.
If you have any questions about
this article, real estate in general or
are looking to buy or sell a home
please contact me, John McCarthy
at Rowley Realty, 165 Main St.,
Rowley, MA 01969, Phone: 978
948-2758, Cell 978 835-2573
or via email at john@rowleyrealestate.com