How to Deliver Better Service to Sellers with Children

Anne Hartnett Leave a comment

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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AgentEDU® is a platform where agents at every level can come to watch 10-minute video courses for the many situations that successful agents must master. From essential to advanced level and everything in between, AgentEDU® courses help agents become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth. For a 7-day free trial sign up here.

AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.

Don’t Let the Market Keep You Up at Night

Anne Hartnett Leave a comment

The real estate market is one that needs a level-headed approach. There are a lot of outside forces that make predictions about the market’s performance for the next quarter, year, or decade.

However, as we saw in the previous quarter, while economists warned about rocketing interest rates, remarks from the Federal Reserve seemed to calm those worries. In any case, you as an agent ought to be adaptable to the market, both if and when it cycles.

This blog will explain how to avoid the relentless stress and nerves that come from various market predictions. You’ll see what the real estate professionals at Baird & Warner predict for the future market, as well as their tips on drowning out the noise and being an agent who can adapt with the market.

What’s Around the Corner

Baird & Warner President and CEO Steve Baird stated in a video exclusive to Chicago Agent magazine that 2019 will be a good year for the market. He used rising wages, low unemployment and the economy to bolster his prediction.

Baird & Warner President of Residential Sales Laura Ellis made similar positive predictions for 2019. Ellis mentioned, “When I look into my crystal ball, I’m very optimistic for 2019. With unemployment low, with rising wages and the market coming into more of a balance, they both saw the coming of a “very favorable environment.” The situation gives perspective homebuyers an advantage; higher wages and a good economy may place them on good footing.

Although Baird notes that 2019 will face a bit more headwind than the previous year, he blames this on interest rates; as they went up roughly half a percent in the last year. However, he mentions that slow incremental increases to the rates won’t affect the market as much.

It’s When, Not If

Both Ellis and Baird noted that the will market shift, albeit in a slow manner. One thing that every agent needs to be able to do is adapt to inevitable market changes. Ellis explained that change is on the horizon and real estate offices and agents will need to be prepared to adapt.

“Even when the market cycles – it’s not an if, it’s a when. We just have to be paying attention and we need to be able to shift how we’re doing business, how we’re dealing with those changes,” Ellis stated in the video.

A recent whiff of a possible shift is evident in the fact that the Illinois Association of Realtors reported home sales in January were down 22.9 percent year-over-year, however, they also noted the continuing list price increases, as well as a three percent increase in inventory over last year. The association mentions the rough weather and government shutdown as possible factors, but others still worry if this will be a continuing trend.

Food for Thought

With factors like rising wages and low unemployment, there is little to worry about regarding the near future. Nonetheless, both Ellis and Baird note that market cycles are inevitable and factors like interest rates could play a role in the future. They state that agents and real estate brokers must pay attention to the indicators and be ready to adapt to the market.

Wage growth, unemployment levels, list prices, inventory levels, interest rates and other indicators are key factors in being prepared. Failing to be prepared can cause confusion and unease; both for you, as an agent, or for your brokerage. It’s better to be ready.

To learn more about becoming an expert on your market and understanding market indicators, start your seven-day free trial of AgentEDU and gain access to our “Learning Your Real Estate Market” course.

_______________________

AgentEDU® is a platform where agents at every level can come to watch 10-minute video courses for the many situations that successful agents must master. From essential to advanced level and everything in between, AgentEDU® courses help agents become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth. For a 7-day free trial sign up here.

AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.