It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to sell a house in this market
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Anyone can sell a house. Anyone! If securing a private sale on your home is your only goal you’re likely to find it a snap in this hot Saskatoon real estate market.
Take this lovely little Fairhaven, Saskatoon home for example. It was offered up on the private market about one week ago for $145,000. Rumour has it that it sold to the first warm body that walked through the front door. Check today’s classified section of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix if you’d like to have an opportunity to buy it from the first buyer for only $165,000. Act quickly. It looks like a reasonably good buy to me.
There’s another story floating around the Saskatoon real estate community. I have no idea if it’s true or not. These stories are often jazzed up a bit for dramatic effect but this is what they’re saying. A private seller negotiated a deal on his home for approximately $190,000. The offer was subject to a satisfactory appraisal of the home. The appraiser visits the home and after he conducts his inspection of the property the seller asks him, “What’s it worth?” The appraiser tells him it’s worth between $220,000 and $230,000. He’s no longer interested in selling to this particular buyer. We can only wonder if his lawyer will find a way to get him out of the deal but you can bet it won’t happen without a fight.
Selling a home in this real estate market without an experienced, competent and trustworthy agent could be compared to learning to drive at the Indianapolis 500. You’re likely to learn some lessons but those lessons will come at a price.
Ask me what your home is worth today. I’ll most likely tell you that I can’t be sure. I can tell you that I’ll make darned sure it’s properly introduced to a huge number of prospective buyers and that you’ll likely have several offers to choose from. My last listing brought 38 showings and 16 offers. The one before that had 23 showings and 10 offers. Both homes sold at a premium price. Neither of these happy sellers had any doubts about the true market value of their home when the dust settled and they were both pretty darned happy to pay me for the effort. I believe you’d feel pretty good about it too. Give me a week. If I can’t deliver an offer that truly excites you, I’ll give you back the listing and be on my way.
I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions. All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call or email.
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Norm Fisher
Royal LePage Saskatoon Real Estate
2 comments so far. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Dude, that’s probably the best testimonial I’ve ever seen. I’d love for you to contact me offline and tell me how you get so many offers….
After all, the goal IS to sell houses…
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:31 PM
Hey Jonathon. Actually, I think a “testimonial” is when someone else says something positive about you. This is out and out bragging.
Having said that, it’s the absolute truth and I am very proud of the results we were able to achieve for both of those clients.
Why don’t I tell you what I’ve been doing right here? It’s not a big secret.
Our market is hurting for inventory in a big way. Supply is very low and demand is at an all time low. Anything good that comes on the market can sell quickly at a decent price provided its given proper exposure. Many agents are going out of their way to hide their listings, hoping to sell the homes themselves.
I go the opposite way because I believe my client will benefit from as much exposure and interest as I can generate. I believe that’s what they pay us for.
I prepare the listing for the market before I put it on the MLS. Virtual tour, internet ads, feature sheets, etc., all done in advance. A couple of days before I put the listing on MLS, I’ll email it to almost every agent in town as a “this house coming soon” and I’ll include a link to the internet ad. I start booking appointments for the list date. Nobody gets in to see it before the start date. I start by dividing the day into 30 minute segments and attempt to book a showing every half hour. When those times are full, I start sticking them in on the quarter hours. The last listing I spoke of had a showing every 15 minutes from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm. Every buyer that views the property can clearly see the level of interest in the home and they write their best offer.
I must have been on the phone 150 times that day and I went like a mad man until very late in the evening. Takes me hours to unwind afterwards.
Like I said, it’s not rocket science but it does take some ability to multi-task and you can’t let the action freak you out. After all of that activity you are still expected to be sharp enough to help the client come out with a contract that is properly completed and binding.
Thanks for coming by.