Price It RIGHT the First Time

One mistake you see happen again and again is over pricing a home when first listed. We agents can be just as guilty when we try and sell our own homes. The emotional aspect of selling can cloud your judgment. Take a step back and remember what your goal is.......sell your house.

Here is a link to a great article on HGTV's Front Door website. It covers all the reasons why you want to have your home priced correctly when it first goes on the market and how to accomplish it.

Pricing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Information is the key. Having an agent that provides you with accurate market data is a must. Do not be swayed by the agent who comes in with the highest price. Really look at the data that is given to you. Every month your home is overpriced you pay the price, in money and time.

Personally I have recently had two properties I own in a partnership appraised. WOW! Big disappointment when the appraisals came in. Substantially lower than what was anticipated. The one appraiser provided extensive market data. Not the news any of us wanted to see but it is the reality of today's market.

The Art of Listening

"Hear me for my cause; and be silent, that you may hear. "            William Shakespeare

I have always loved this quote. Listening and really hearing what someone is telling you is an art that many of us are unskilled at. Watching the body language, understanding the small nuances in what is said, looking in their eyes as they speak and concentrating on that person, at that moment.

Here is my list of bad habits that I work on correcting.

• Finishing other peoples sentences. Hate when this happens because inevitably they don't finish it correctly. Equally annoying is when someone is telling a story and someone jumps in to finish it from their viewpoint.  Please, take a breath, let them finish. You can always add details after they are done. 
   
• Being distracted when someone is speaking to me. This includes glancing at my cell phone, looking at the clock, mentally listing everything I need to get done, reading text messages and the absolute worst offender.......taking a call! Unless someone is dying, injured or being attacked by mutant zombies, that call can wait. When I am with clients I turn my phone to vibrate. When I have a moment I will check the call list. If there is a call I absolutely have to return, I wait, excuse myself and make the call quickly. I also beg their pardon and explain why I need to return the call. Don't need to go into detail, just explain it is time sensitive. Remember voice mail? USE IT.
   
• Not asking enough questions. Sometimes people say something and their message is unclear. Rather than assuming I understand, (remember that old adage about "assume"), I try to ask more questions and really listen to their answers.
   
• Eye contact. When you are looking someone in the eye they know they are your focus and have your full attention. I don't mean staring but keep up good eye contact. I have to remind myself to do this because it is not easy to do.

I would love to hear what you think and your ideas on becoming a better listener.