Written by Don Martin.  For his updates go here.

I’m not sure whether it was Confucius or if it was Mark Twain who once said, “There is only a fine line between fishing, and just standing on the riverbank looking stupid.”   Which ever one said the phrase was exceptionally smart.  You only have to ask yourself ONE question.

“Do I have a baited hook down there in the water?”   That will allow me to attract a fish, capture it,  and pull it out…
That is the one simple question, the answer to which shows whether or not you are serious about eating dinner.

When you have decided to sell ANYthing that you own, the question is almost the same.  Have I done what is necessary to get that fish up out of that water and into my possession?  Do I have a straight-line connection to that entree?  If I’m selling my car or if I’m selling a set of dishes, do I have a straight-line connection to the person who wants my car or wants my set of dishes?

(This article first published here in Jan 2014)

What about if you are trying to sell your house?  The same applies there.  You could put a sign in your yard, but only a handful of the total number of people looking for your house drive by your house every day.  You could put an ad in the paper, but that’s the same in terms of low percentage.  Your fishing line needs to go into a bigger body of water where more hungry fish live.

For selling your house, the answer is obvious.  It needs to be in the Multiple Listing Service.  That’s where all the hungry fish are looking for your house.  There is only one problem.  To get a house into the MLS, you have to be a Realtor.  And for you, a For-Sale-By-Owner, to get a Realtor to put your house in the MLS, you have to list it with him/her and they will charge you a commission.  The commission is not small.  Realtors and their firms also take phone calls about your house, set up showings on your house, receive and negotiate offers on your house, and even sometimes have a number of open houses in your house.  Sometimes they advertise your house.

None of that is free or even cheap.

So what if something different could happen?  What if you could handle the phone calls and the scheduling?  What  if you could also receive and negotiate offers, and even have your own open houses?  What if all you wanted was a Realtor who could pre-counsel you and provide you the correct forms you will need?  What if you just wanted them to put your house in the MLS?

A Realtor who did less like that could serve more customers and therefore charge less per customer!  This is all grossly over-simplified, but those Realtors do exist.

This scenario is not for everyone.  If you are tempted by the sweetness of saving that amount of money on commissions, at least talk to somebody who will level with you about the bitterness of the work involved too, so you will have all the facts before you make a decision.  It is a lot of work, and it’s not for everyone, but it DOES work quite successfully.  My company does that mostly now, and I could quickly count the small number who gave up and turned the total project over to a traditional-type agent.

It is one more tip you can explore to save you a bunch of cash when you go to sell your house.  I have had customers who were apprehensive at first, but presently are actively re-habbing and flipping houses!

And don’t forget about learning how to de-clutter your house.  That will go a long way to help you.

Good luck for now! Get to work if you want it to happen. Call me if you want to talk. Yes, I am the Reasonable Realtor. Don Martin, MARTIN PROPERTIES

(615) 973-8970

Just make your comments here, or you can reach the Dean of Graduated Realtors at www.FSBO-GUY.com or “like” him at http://www.facebook.com/MartinProps
And please don’t forget our book The NEW REAL ESTATE will be out in a few days.  You need to have it on YOUR bookshelf!

Don Martin
Martin Properties (Flat Fee MLS to Full or Graduated Services in Nashville, TN)

Written by Don Martin.  For his updates go here.

 

 

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