Over 70% of Okanagan Sellers will not use their past agent again to Sell their Okanagan home!!! - Part 1
You have listed your Vernon or North Okanagan property now what? What should you expect in on-going communication regarding your listing? How do you know if your home is priced correctly or what does feedback mean?
Your home is spotless, the landscaping is immaculate, the For Sale sign is up and now it is time for your home to shine! Those butterflies of anticipation can quickly give way to concerned exhaustion as the showings do or don’t pile up. How many showings is too many showings? Or (according to my neighbour) it appears I have not had enough showings? We all like to compare, contrast and worry when our Okanagan home is for sale. What are the right answers and most importantly, will my home sell?
There are no easy answers to all these questions, but rest assured choosing the right agent supported by a strong team ensures your listing realtor will have the time and energy to reply to all your concerns.
Each home is unique and this same uniqueness applies for home showing and selling situations too. Timing, coupled with the market always changing, means the level of home inventory and qualified buyers are always rising and falling. With these ongoing market changes, we are presented with varying responses regarding your home sale on a daily basis.
How can we make this home selling experience better? Let's start with the Big One….according to the National Association of Realtors …over 70% of sellers will not use the same agent again to sell their home! The number 1 reason the survey found was Lack of Communication! We pride ourselves on communication.
What is an appropriate level of communication when your Vernon home is listed? My experience has shown each client is unique and requires a different level of ongoing communication. A key to a successful listing is, taking the time with the seller to discuss the communication protocol the seller is expecting. It is very important both parties (seller and listing agent) agree to communication expectations to ensure a harmonious and successful listing and selling experience.
Two key parts that do need to be discussed when an agent takes a listing is
- the communication around the showing schedule of the home
- and feedback after showings.
Feedback is very important and it can significantly assist both the agent and the seller in understanding and responding to what buyers may be looking for from your Vernon home. If as a seller you are not receiving feedback on a consistent basis you should quickly address this situation as it is the agent’s duty to provide it. Now in some cases, it may take up to 72 hours to hear back from other buyer agents (as they are very busy) but it is important you are still receiving it. The agent who is unable to consistently provide feedback as a core level service should not be hired to represent you. It is your right to receive feedback as it provides many insights into what buyers think of your home and your home marketing plan.
Now I will note that I have had sellers who told me they only want “good feedback” or “no feedback just bring me an offer”. In situations like this it can sometimes hamper our ability to effectively market your home.
As seller, feedback, even if it is negative can provide key insights into why your home is not selling. To ignore this feedback is to your own detriment as a serious seller!
As an agent there are other communication follow ups other than just feedback that can also assist you in ensuring good decisions when marketing the home.
Here are some other quick examples:
- General market monthly report from our board.
- Days on market report of neighbourhood
- Home improvement report with return on investment
- Agent Sales Report
- Macro/micro municipal/provincial/national report.
- Marketing Posts and response report
- Days on market report based on the vertical your home is in.
Although these reports provide good insight on the market, they pale to the consistent communication of feedback from showings and the interpretation from your agent around that feedback! Ultimately choose wisely, choose an agent who has the team and support behind them to meet your needs. This will be the agent you will choose time and time again. Ask me about Jordan and Sue the teammates that help me be proud of our communication success.
In our next Post We will Interpret what some of that feedback really means.
