Being a listing agent requires cooperation and communication, especially when sellers have children. Adding children into the mix can lead to different wants and needs from the seller, which can make your job more difficult.
From wanting a faster sell time to needing help fixing up their current home, sellers with children often demand more from their agents. You as their agent need to be prepared to serve them with a more focused approach.
This post touches on the expectations that sellers with children have for their agents and offers tips on working with them in an efficient way.
Seller-Specific Wants
One of the top things on the must-have list for sellers is that their agents sell their home in a specific timeframe. A report from the National Association of Realtors found that 22 percent of sellers with children wanted to sell their home within a specific timeframe and 26 percent of those sellers said that their need to sell was “very urgent.”
Another top want from sellers with children is for agents to be able to help them get their homes ready for market. 19 Nineteen percent of sellers with children said they wanted their agents to help them find ways to fix up their homes in order to sell them for more.
Agents should plan on having a contact list of renovators, interior designers, contractors, plumbers, electricians and other personnel who can help fix up a home. Moreover, having a strategy for making a listing visible is key, such as social media promotions and quality photographs of the property to catch buyer’s attention.
Nearly 25 percent of sellers with children were selling because their current homes were too small, meaning they were looking to expand and upgrade. Another 18 percent of these sellers with children cited the top reason for listing their homes was a job relocation.
Sellers Without Children
No two sellers are alike. This statement is even more true when you factor children into a sale. Sellers with and without children have different expectations of their agents. Studies found that while nearly 20 percent of sellers with children wanted help of agents to fix up their current houses, only 12 percent of sellers without children felt this way.
Only 13 percent of sellers without children were selling their home because they thought their home was too small, compared to nearly a fourth of those with kids.
Plan Ahead
It seems that having children causes sellers have more specific wants and needs from their agents. Although there are differences when it comes to sellers with and without children, what is not different is the desire to sell the home.
You must come to the first meeting with your seller ready to communicate about what is expected from you as well as how you are able to better serve them. If you’re prepared and willing to fulfill their expectations you’ll find the selling process is much smoother.
For more tips on effectively serving your sellers and ways to make the selling process less of a hassle, head on over to our AgentEDU video learning platform. You can start with a seven-day free trial and gain access to the “Representing Sellers” course.
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