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I'm still around. It'll be a week or two before we decide on an agent. In the meantime we're looking at homes in a neighboring state, so we're back and forth. But I'll be around and I'll update. Just don't have a heck of a lot of hope in finding the realtor I'm looking for here. I'm half tempted to try to list the place myself first. At least I know I"m going to be very aggressive in marketing the place. LOL
And no, I"m not going to sell myself. However, my mother is a realtor in a neighboring state. I'll call her and ask her to look around for someone decent for me here. I *might* have found a good realtor in the area we're looking at in the neighboring state. I pulled a bunch of their listings in several price ranges and found every single one had no less than 10 photos listed and each one had information they'd put in about the house, not just filled in the blanks on the form. Seem to be the only realtor in the area I found doing that. I'm impressed so far!
I also adjusted my criteria for the search for my house in the other state. I really wanted a 50 - 100+ year old historic home. Then I remember the *edit myself* I've been through in this house and decided I don't want an older home. I love them, they're gorgeous - especially when they have original old woodwork, doors, floors, etc. - but having to buy custom doors, windows, etc and having to rip out all of the plumbing and electric in a home and install heat and air in a house that was never meant to have it is NOT something I want to do again! However, by changing my search criteria it opened up a TON of other homes I'd not have seen otherwise. And I found quite a few that I REALLY like.
I'm still around. It'll be a week or two before we decide on an agent. In the meantime we're looking at homes in a neighboring state, so we're back and forth. But I'll be around and I'll update. Just don't have a heck of a lot of hope in finding the realtor I'm looking for here. I'm half tempted to try to list the place myself first. At least I know I"m going to be very aggressive in marketing the place. LOL
And no, I"m not going to sell myself. However, my mother is a realtor in a neighboring state. I'll call her and ask her to look around for someone decent for me here. I *might* have found a good realtor in the area we're looking at in the neighboring state. I pulled a bunch of their listings in several price ranges and found every single one had no less than 10 photos listed and each one had information they'd put in about the house, not just filled in the blanks on the form. Seem to be the only realtor in the area I found doing that. I'm impressed so far!
I also adjusted my criteria for the search for my house in the other state. I really wanted a 50 - 100+ year old historic home. Then I remember the *edit myself* I've been through in this house and decided I don't want an older home. I love them, they're gorgeous - especially when they have original old woodwork, doors, floors, etc. - but having to buy custom doors, windows, etc and having to rip out all of the plumbing and electric in a home and install heat and air in a house that was never meant to have it is NOT something I want to do again! However, by changing my search criteria it opened up a TON of other homes I'd not have seen otherwise. And I found quite a few that I REALLY like.
Your post is/was excellent! It shares facts and emotions which any good Realtor will appreciate and comprehend.
Remember whether you are buying or selling a property, you are "hiring" a contractor to assist you in the transaction. Ask for resume's, interview four or five Realtors, ask for references, then call the references. It's as simple as that. You may still hire a bum, but know up front what the terms of dismissal are. Expect performance, accept facts, especially when it comes to current market conditions and pricing.
Learn all you can about pricing your property. The basics work in every region/market area, just change the variables. CRS 201 is a listing course which emphasizes helping sellers to price property to sell.
By no means should you interpret this as a criticism of any individual Realtor or local office. It is a generalized statement using large statistical results to which there will always be the exception.
Thanks tomocox. We've been keeping a close eye on the homes in our general area for a couple years. I've talked to some local realtors as well as a realtor in this state from this forum and they've all given me 'guesstimates' for what the house could be listed for.
As for info a realtor will appreciate, can you tell me why in the world any realtor would check the single family home box on websites for a trailer when there's a mobile / manufactured option? That's up there with no info, no photos on a list of things that tick me off royally. For the vast majority of the population I think there is a HUGE difference between a single family home and a mobile home. HUGE difference. Frustrates me when I pull up a listing and find it's marked single family (although I'm aware that single families are meant to live in trailers) even though it's a trailer. That can definitely go on a list of things for a realtor, LOL.
Thanks tomocox. We've been keeping a close eye on the homes in our general area for a couple years. I've talked to some local realtors as well as a realtor in this state from this forum and they've all given me 'guesstimates' for what the house could be listed for.
As for info a realtor will appreciate, can you tell me why in the world any realtor would check the single family home box on websites for a trailer when there's a mobile / manufactured option? That's up there with no info, no photos on a list of things that tick me off royally. For the vast majority of the population I think there is a HUGE difference between a single family home and a mobile home. HUGE difference. Frustrates me when I pull up a listing and find it's marked single family (although I'm aware that single families are meant to live in trailers) even though it's a trailer. That can definitely go on a list of things for a realtor, LOL.
It's a "two roads diverged in a wood" question. Many, many times in the real real estate world, we are faced with choices. One of those choices Realtors must make is how far can we "puff" (in political terms- "spin") a property to serve our client verses "letting the buyer beware." It's much more gray than this illustration. The changes in real estate laws over the past 10-15 years has actually muddied the water even more so.
Btw: I agree with you about single family residences verses modular/mobile/manufactured, but in strictest sense, aren't they all single family? Quite simply, the more the government becomes involved the more the customer needs to be sceptical of everything.
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