After having a difficult time financially for quite some time, I realized that part of my problem was my personal housing costs. I really began evaluating what I wanted out of a home, and I realized that I needed to shop for a place that would work better for what I needed. I started paying more and more attention to real estate risks, and it occurred to me that I hadn't invested in a smart property. After talking with my real estate agent, I started focusing on changing my ways, and it was incredible to see how much brighter my future became.
If you are selling a home, you will need to do some work to make that home more appealing to buyers. But every market and every home is a bit different -- which means you don't always know, as soon as the home is listed on the market, which changes buyers might like to see. To help you sell and get more for the home, you can request and respond to feedback from buyer's agents throughout the sale process. Here are some ways to get more -- and better -- feedback from agents.
1. Hold an open house.
Open houses are not just a good way to generate interest in a property and get a lot of buyers on-site at the same time. They're also an opportunity to get several buyer's agents into the home at once. When the agents are at an open house, they generally will have set aside a bit more time to look, think, and mingle. So, they're more likely to truly think about what they like and do not like about the house, and then to offer feedback to you (or your selling agent).
Either you or your agent should take some time to specifically talk to the various buyer's agents toward the end of the open house. Casually ask for their feedback and if there is anything they would change about the home. This is a good way to get informal feedback.
2. Leave feedback sheets in the home.
Usually, when the home is open for viewing, you'll leave the keys and other essentials in a certain cupboard for the buyer's agents to access. Leave some feedback sheets along with the keys. These sheets can simply say, "Please leave us feedback on the showing of the home," with a little space for the agent to write in a response. Or, they can have more specific, in-depth questions, like, "What do you think of the pain colors?" and "What would you change about the landscaping?"
Not every buyer's agent will take the time to fill out a feedback sheet, but many will -- especially if your agent remembers to remind them about the sheets when they initially schedule the showing.
3. Send emails to agents after a showing.
If you would rather not leave physical notes in a cupboard -- or if you are not getting good responses this way -- have your seller's agent send the buyer's agents emails specifically requesting feedback within a few hours of each showing. These emails should ask specific questions about the home. Otherwise, the emails you get back may be similarly vague, and feedback like, "It was nice," does not help you very much.
4. Listen when being given feedback.
When an agent does start to offer you or your seller's agent feedback, make sure you listen intently, ask follow-up questions, and show general interest. This will keep the agent talking, and they may then give you more in-depth opinions that you can put to use. For example, if they give you the feedback that the home was hard to find, you could ask, "Would it have helped to have written directions on the listing so you did not have to rely on the GPS?" Their response will inform you of improvements you can make before others come to look at the home.
Showing a home for sale is not an easy process, and sometimes, you need to make changes on the fly partway through. Requesting feedback from agents will give you a better idea of what changes you can make -- so ultimately, you're able to find an interested buyer.
For more information, get in touch with a company such as Pro Agent Solutions.