There are many common problems sellers face when working with real estate agents in Pensacola. It’s not an easy process if you’re planning on selling your house. It takes a lot of patience because you probably going for a long ride. Therefore, homeowners need good real estate agents to help them with the problems sellers face, and to sell their homes with the minimum hassle with the stress-free route. A good agent will help you with their expertise and assistance to guide you through the selling process.
However, not every agent relationship goes well. For the simple fact reason that a lot of them won’t do what you as the seller expect them to do. This is where things can get out of hand because now your time and money are on the line but not the agents. Every time you hire an agent, you’re taking a risk with your time and money especially if you never did business with that agent or broker.
Learn more about what to watch out for the problems sellers face in Pensacola in our latest post!
Before we get started, let us first say that there are some truly great agents out there. However, selling with one isn’t always the best way to sell a house. Every house is unique as is every situation sellers are facing. This is why there should be options when selling. Before you decide to list your house, consider all of the ways you can sell your Pensacola house, and then choose which method is right for you. Below are a few common obstacles and problems sellers face when working with an agent.
The Money Up Front
When you list a house it will need to be competitive with the others on the market if you want to sell fast. Most houses will require not only repairs but also a thorough cleaning and continued upkeep. You might want to stage or pay to have some of your belonging put in storage to make the house appear less cluttered. These costs come into play before the listing agreement is even signed.
Moreover, you do have to deal with all the contractors to get multiple estimates to save as much money as you can, the more estimates you get for big jobs, the better the savings. Rule of thumb. You need to get at least 3 estimates for big jobs, like HVAC, rewiring the house, roof, replumbing, flooring, etc..
You don’t want to get more than 5 estimates because remember, we don’t want too much hassle dealing with a ton of contractors. You got better things to do. Ends of the day. You’re going to spend the money up front regardless how much money you save and how many estimates you get.
Once you’re done with all the repairs, I like point out one more thing, and this is very important guys. You’re not done with repairs yet. I promise. This is 100% accurate. Even when your contractor says he’s done with repairs or updates. There’s another repair list that the home inspector will be ready to handed to you who he was hired by the buyers lender. These guy will go in the attic looking for problems. Crawling under the house to check for leaking pipe or wood rot. Getting up on the roof hoping and praying to report something to the lender so he can get hired again.
The inspector will come bouncing back at you with a list of repairs. Sometimes just a few items, and sometimes is a long list. Either way, and more often than not, the repair costs are in the thousands. This is always going to be problems sellers face when dealing with home repairs before selling.
Marketing and Other Expenses
Not all agents are full service. Some will charge you additional fees on top of their commission. Or they will leave certain aspects of the marketing up to you. There are flat rate agents who will list your house on the MLS and that’s it. You will need to show the property, handle questions, pay for additional marketing and more. Every agent is different in what they offer. If you choose to work with a Pensacola real estate agent, make sure you know what services they provide.
Inefficient marketing is another issue is the lack of innovative marketing strategies to promote your house to prospective buyers. Agents should use different platforms such as social media, digital channels, and email campaigns to advertise your property to a wider audience. If the agent is not utilizing modern marketing tactics their selling process may be slower or not receive adequate visibility.
This one of the problems sellers face when hiring an agent to market your house, whether they’re doing the marketing using the digital tools and apps or not. Marketing is about timing too. And this is very important for you as a homeowner to understand that timing is everything when it comes to marketing. The reason why some real estate agents fail to sell your house is because they’re not keeping up with their marketing.
Let me explain a little more, when an agent list your house in the MLS, Zillow, realtor.com. And all the websites that specialized in listing houses. An agent must keep track on the similar houses for sale in the area or the city on a daily basis. Yes you read that right. On a daily basis, so he/she can tweak your listing based on the competition out there. The tweak will be on changing the wording on the listing and to mention the features in your house that your competition don’t have.
Every property is unique, a good agent will be smart enough to mention the uniqueness of your house. I bet you have something that your house has that your competition don’t. The right agent will focus on the listing what your house has others don’t.
Also, in pricing. It’s important for an agents to look for similar homes in the area or city that been listed for a long time and haven’t got sold yet. If the those house been in the market for over 3 months and haven’t got sold and at least the sale is pending. It’s important for an agent to drop the price early on the get an edge over your competition. This is how you know your agent is doing her/his job. By tracking your listing on a daily basis. You won’t be a victim of listing negligence by your agent. This is one of the major problems sellers face when hiring an agent in Pensacola.
Glorified Listing Prices
This isn’t true of all agent, but some will glorify your listing price in order to have you sign with them. This can hurt your ability to sell quickly as a high price will make many people look the other way. You will eventually need to lower the price, which only wastes your time in the long run. Houses that sit on the MLS get no way near as much attention as fresh listings hitting the market. This is why it is important to price your property correctly from the get-go.
Over-promising and under-delivering. Agents may hype their services, promising to get a premium price or secure a quick sale, only to under-deliver. If an agent promises you something that sounds too good to be true, ask them how they will achieve it and get a second opinion from another reputable agent. Be wary of agents who tell you only what you want to hear without explaining how they will achieve it. This will help you avoid problems sellers face with their agents down the road.
A Non-Responsive Agent
There is nothing worse than being stuck in a listing agreement with someone who doesn’t return your calls. A good agent will make you feel as if you are their only client. They will answer all of your calls and questions and touch base with you frequently to let you know of any developments in the selling process. You should never have to call more than once or spend time having to track them down. Remember, they work for you!
When an agent has responsive issues. This is usually fall in one of these two categories. Either poor communication skills or he/she doesn’t care because he/she got bigger fish to catch. What do I mean about bigger fish to catch? I mean there’s bigger price listings they have where the commission for those bigger listing is way bigger money than yours.
One of the critical issues that sellers face is poor communication from their agents. A good agent should respond to calls, messages, and emails promptly and keep the seller informed throughout the process. A lack of communication can cause frustration and uncertainty for sellers and potentially lead to lost opportunities. To prevent this, ensure that you choose an agent with a great reputation for communication to avoid any misunderstandings.
Being Stuck In A Contract
Getting stuck in a listing agreement can be very frustrating. Most agreements will state that the agent is entitled to their commission no matter how the house is sold. Even if you find the buyer yourself, you will still be required to pay your agent. It is especially frustrating when you get stuck with an agent who isn’t working as hard as they should be. You can find yourself doing much of the work, only to have them collect their fee when all is said and done.
Also, lack of negotiation skills and be a reason of being stuck in a contract. Skilled agents understand different negotiation techniques to get the best possible price for your home. Some real estate agents may not have proper negotiating skills and may not be able to represent your interests and negotiate a fair deal. They may push a deal for a commission instead of reaching the best deal possible for you. Prioritize working with agents with extensive experience in negotiations.
Negotiation skill can save you time and money if that skill available with your agent. Good negotiators are good communicators. Which translates to have more buyers agents to work with your agent, and therefore, they bring their home buyers a long with them. This one of the problems sellers face when they don’t have an agent with the negotiation and communication skills that makes them likable and have other agent like to work with them.
Selling Direct Might Be For You
As usual, we’re going to keep the best for last. If you’re looking for the most honest and reliable home cash buyer in the country, you have come to the right place. At Quality Properties Of Northwest Florida LLC, we thrive in helping homeowners sell their homes quickly without hassle. This is the opposite of what the problems sellers face which is indeed the solution homeowners are looking for. We have helped thousands of homeowners over the years. Our success comes from your success. And we wouldn’t want it to be any other way.
For many houses in the Pensacola area, a direct sale can be a much better choice. There are no commissions, fees, repair costs, or marketing expenses. You won’t have to wait around for a buyer or worry about the sale falling through.
At Quality Properties Of Northwest Florida LLC. We care about your situation and we offer the right solution for you. We’re interested in your story and we’re here to listen with open arms and bank account with enough reserved cash to buy homes anywhere and to create a win/win situation for everyone.
Conclusion
Choosing a great real estate agent is essential for a smooth selling process. If you encounter any issues when working with your Pensacola real estate agent, communicate your concerns, and work to resolve them in a constructive manner. Remember to select an agent with a good reputation for communication, innovative marketing, negotiation skills, and transparent costs to make the selling process less stressful.
