Mooreover / Blog

Life has been especially busy for me professionally, which doesn’t leave much for me to post about in regards to my personal life. So, with little to write about in the personal realm (or more accurately, little time to do it), I thought I would share with my friends and family a little bit about how I conduct my business.

I have to fight against the stereotypes of my industry every day. A client told me last night that with exception to myself, their experience with real estate agents forced them to equate us with used car salesmen. On the same day, another client told me that he had spoken to a homeowner that was trying to sell their home without an agent - the homeowner saying that when given the opportunity to list their homes in the past they ended up doing all of the work and the listing agent did little more than take their money.

I am confident that the agents that reinforce these stereotypes are a very small percentage. Still, merely saying so does little to fight these perceptions. If I was one of the “hardly working” agents, putting two new listings on the market would be exciting, but hardly stressful. I happen to be listing two properties this week, but with each property I’ve had to:

(1) Research comparable property sales to establish a range (within $10,000) for a list price that allows the sellers to get the most money in the least amount of time. There are several methods that agents can employ to secure this data - I try to use all of them, then compile the finer points of each. On any given property this can take me 2-4 hours.
(2) Prepare a unique listing presentation binder. This isn’t unique, but letting the client keep it is. Most realtors have a listing presentation binder that they take to every listing. Instead, I create a unique presentation for each client, since each client’s needs (and every client’s home) is different. 2-4 to complete.
(3) Schedule and pay for house cleaning.
(4) Schedule and pay for pre-inspection.
(5) Schedule and pay for listing photography.
(6) Compile photos, write ad copy, and submit to designer for professional design of property flyer.
(7) Facilitate other services, dependant on the client’s needs, such as moving, storage, carpet cleaning, or pest control services.
(8) Upload listing information to website, developing a dedicated page for each property.
(9) Prepare listing for various forms of paid print and internet marketing.

These are the broad strokes. I imagine that other agents torture themselves less over each listing, but I think that the fact that listings from The Pickett Street Property Team (my team) sell on average in 30 days and for 2% over list price is a consequence of agonizing over the details.

Still, it can be overwhelming. Worth it, but overwhelming. Two new listings on the market this week: a beautifully designed home in Everett and a breathtaking condo in Seattle. Check ‘em out.