Just by listening, trusting, communicating and sniffing \u2014 yes, we said sniffing \u2014 these rules will help your home sell quickly, easily and for the right price. Your agent will thank you. Possibly with flowers.<\/p>\n The biggest aggravation for listing agents isn\u2019t your constant questions or your after-hours phone calls. It\u2019s the fact that home-sellers rarely agree with their agent\u2019s listing price.<\/p>\n \u201cMost times, it\u2019s a battle,\u201d says Alexander Boylan<\/a>, a Realtor with Edina Realty in the Minneapolis area. Boylan is ranked in the top 1 percent for homes sold in Minneapolis. \u201cIt\u2019s very rare that a seller agrees with your price. They want more than it\u2019s worth. That\u2019s usually because either it\u2019s their emotions tied to the house or they need so much money out of their house.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s the problem with a seller placing a high price tag on their lovely abode? As your agent will tell you: If a home is priced too high, it won\u2019t sell. Even if you lower the price of the listing later, buyers begin to think there is something wrong with the house.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people think their house is worth more than it is, so maybe (the agent) will increase the price to make them happy,\u201d Boylan says. \u201c\u2026 Unfortunately, two months later they say, \u2018Oh we should do all those things to get the house to sell.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s research to back this up. A study in Real Estate Economics<\/em><\/a> asserts that, \u201cMispricing the home in the initial listing is costly to the seller in both time and money. Homes with large percentage changes in list price take longer to sell and ultimately sell at lower prices.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the seller prices right and does everything you tell them to do to get it ready, the home sells quicker and for more money,\u201d Boylan says. \u201cThat\u2019s your dream seller.\u201d<\/p>\n The goal is for the price to be compelling: not too low and not too high. It\u2019s got to be just right. The Goldilocks price is often oh-so slightly below market value to entice multiple offers.<\/a> According to the National Association of Realtors, pricing a home 10 percent under market value can attract 75 percent of available buyers; when you price it at market value, it attracts 60 percent of potential buyers. But that can often depend on your area.<\/a><\/p>\n A listing agent\u2019s job is to help buyers emotionally connect with your home. It\u2019s like turning a spark into a flame or a shared glance into a blossoming romance.<\/p>\n To create emotional connection, it\u2019s all about the first impression.<\/p>\n While there isn\u2019t a ton of research on the psychology of home-buying, the work of Professor Pascal Van Lieshout<\/a> has shown that a first impression can have a strong emotional impact on the potential buyer.<\/p>\n His example: If a buyer sees something wrong with your home, this can be an emotional trigger, causing the buyer to become suspicious. They may begin searching for other flaws or inaccuracies. It may not turn them away completely, but it can impact the sales process. And it\u2019s probably gonna be annoying.<\/p>\n Doing a walk through of your house \u2014 the aesthetic, the sounds, the smell (more on that later) \u2014 can influence a potential buyer\u2019s subconsciousness. In fact, according to one Harvard Business School instructor<\/a>, 95 percent of purchase decisions take place in the subconscious mind.<\/p>\n So while your price, your school district and your square-footage may get potential buyers in the door, the visual appeal of your home is what subconsciously motivates them to sign on the dotted line.<\/p>\n That may be news to you, but your agent knows the importance of your home\u2019s appearance.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting the home ready is really important,\u201d Boylan says. \u201cBut most of the time, (sellers) don\u2019t want to pay to get it ready. Or they bought new carpet 15 years ago and they think it\u2019s still in good condition. They don\u2019t want to spend their time or money.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a constant source of frustration for Boylan and other real estate agents. Clients are either blind to their home\u2019s mismatched fixtures, outdated appliances and shabby curb appeal, or they simply don\u2019t want to spend the money on these projects. Still, top agents like Boylan make sure their clients know what needs to be done.<\/p>\n \u201cWe take a walk through the home. I\u2019ll talk about the things they need to do to get ready for market,\u201d he says. \u201cI list things that buyers will see, like changing things that are old and outdated. It\u2019s different for each home.\u201d<\/p>\n Make your home pretty and pristine. The paint should be new, the lighting should be updated and the hardware should be consistent. Your fixtures should match the style of your home. The heat should be just right, the lights should be on.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to give the (potential buyer) a reason to say, \u2018What the heck?!\u2019\u201d Boylan says.<\/p>\n He often sees sellers listening to their family, friends and co-workers who are playing amateur interior designer. Did your Aunt Susan\u2019s chiropractor say gray is really in? Did your doctor\u2019s wife read an article about wallpaper making a comeback? You will hear no lack of suggestions.<\/p>\n But what you need is expertise.<\/p>\n \u201cListen to your Realtor. A good Realtor is educated enough to know what buyers want,\u201d Boylan says. \u201cThey can make buyer\u2019s emotionally connect with your home.\u201d<\/p>\n About 90% of home buyers search online during the home-buying process, according to the National Association of Realtor\u2019s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. Likewise, home sellers are digitally connected. Just like your doctor discourages you from diagnosing \u201cthat thing on your back\u201d on WebMD, your listing agent likely will discourage you from obsessing over real estate sites and sites that estimate the value of your home.<\/a><\/p>\n Mostly because those sites\u2019 estimates are often wrong.<\/a><\/p>\n Determining a listing price for your home is part art and part science, and an algorithm won\u2019t be able to account for special features and unique characteristics (the gorgeous views or the pervasive hum of the freeway in your backyard). Just remember that your agent knows your community, knows what buyers are buying and knows how your home will fare within the marketplace.<\/p>\n Over the years, your home has been filled with countless smells. The smell of charred ham from that one Christmas \u2014 you know the one. The smell of golden retriever. The smell of teenage boy.<\/p>\n But now that you want to sell your home, those smells all need to disappear.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right, your agent may need to have the \u201cI think you\u2019re great but your house smells\u201d conversation with you. That\u2019s because smell matters.<\/p>\n Research out of Washington State University<\/a> shows that there is a connection between smell and sales. According to WSU\u2019s Eric Spangenberg, complex, strong smells can be distracting to a potential buyer. In fact, no smell is better than a complex smell.<\/p>\n That means the smell of last night\u2019s Chinese food or even fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies may take the attention away from the house, which is where it should be.<\/p>\n However, in Spangenberg\u2019s studies, sales increased by about 20 percent when there was a simple smell. That means lemon, vanilla or orange.<\/p>\n There are two types of sellers: Those who communicate and those who stew silently, pickling in their own bitterness about unfulfilled expectations.<\/p>\n Are you the kind of person who has a hard time verbalizing their needs?<\/p>\n If you want your agent to chauffeur you around \u00e1 la Driving Miss Daisy, you should let them know. If you don\u2019t understand the contracts and documents you are filling out, you should definitely let them know. If you don\u2019t know how your agent is marketing your house<\/a> or if your agent is qualifying potential buyers, ask.<\/p>\n Prefer text over phone? Only want to hear from your agent when there\u2019s an offer?<\/p>\n Just speak up.<\/strong><\/p>\n Your agent should give you a rundown on their processes, jargon, timelines and actions. However, make sure your Realtor knows what they need to do to make you happy, informed and satisfied.<\/p>\n \u201cI tell them that I\u2019m here for them,\u201d Boylan says about working with his clients. \u201cI tell them how I communicate. I tell them that they will hear from me every Friday. If they want to hear from me more than that, tell me. You tell me what you need as a seller. If you have questions, call me. Let\u2019s have a conversation. I wait for clients to tell me what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n You can envision your agent now: Cruising around town in a Tesla, lounging by their infinity pool, cooking dinner on their Carrara marble countertops, making it rain in da club.<\/p>\n It sounds like you\u2019ve been watching too much Million Dollar Listing.<\/p>\n Chances are your agent isn\u2019t rich. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors 2016 Member Profile<\/a>, the average gross member income was $39,200. Realtors with 16 years or more experience grossed around $73,000.<\/p>\n That puts most of them squarely in the middle class.<\/a> Sorry, agents!<\/p>\n So you may be helping your real estate agent send their teenager to college or pay their car loan, but you are likely not buying them a Maserati or tennis court.<\/p>\n Why is this important?<\/p>\n Because how you view their compensation will likely impact how you treat them.<\/p>\n![\"Want](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/pricing-the-home-e1488393048694.jpg\")
1. Pick Your Battles. Price Shouldn\u2019t Be One of Them.<\/h2>\n
![\"hot](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/architectural-design-architecture-cabinets-1834712-e1549994305832.jpg\")
2. Consider Your Agent an Expert<\/h2>\n
![\"Make](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/value-estimate-e1488412500884.png\")
<\/a>3. Be Careful What You Search For<\/h2>\n
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/edho-pratama-152392-unsplash-e1549994620802.jpg\")
4. Raise a (Simple) Stink<\/h2>\n
![\"smell](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/immanuel-starshov-682654-unsplash-e1549994721891.jpg\")
5. Communicate Your Expectations<\/h2>\n
![\"communicate](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/martin-knize-38234-unsplash-e1549994819283.jpg\")
6. Realize Your Agent Is Not a Baller<\/h2>\n
![\"timeline](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/gades-photography-761364-unsplash-e1549994921764.jpg\")