Dawn Isenhower Sibcy Cline Realtors

Before becoming an agent, my husband and I had to put our first home on the market in a buyers’ market. We carefully searched online for the right agent, and narrowed our search down to 3 agents. Then, we interviewed all three.

Agent #1 arrived, looking sharp, with his laptop and materials. He was an independent broker who had worked for some of the major local real-estate companies in the area. We loved his presentation, his marketing materials, his knowledge of the market, and how at ease he made us feel with the whole process. What we didn’t like was the fact that he wanted to list our home at a price that was slightly less than what we paid for it.

Agent #2 arrived, looking casual, in dockers and a button-down shirt. He came with his paperwork tucked under one arm. This man was a seasoned independent broker with a good track record of selling homes within a short time period. Another thing that he had going for him was that, along with being an agent, he was an appraiser. He suggested listing our home for a much higher price than Agent #1.

Agent #3 was a lady from a major local real-estate company. She arrived in a very colorful skirt and blouse and brought her paperwork and sample pictures of listings and marketing materials. She was not as technologically strong as Agent #1, but her marketing plan sounded good. She was willing to list our home for the highest price.

Of all three agents, we chose Agent #3- the highest bidder with a decent marketing plan. We knew full well that Agent #1 would do the best job, but we liked the price at which Agent #3 would list our home. Our relationship with Agent #3 lasted for about 2 months. She did one open house (to which no one came) and did not attract any buyers to our home. Agent #1, however, showed our home at least twice during the first week that it was on the market. After 5 weeks of absolutely no activity, we canceled our listing with Agent #3 and asked Agent #1 to list our home.

Even though we had not hired him initially, he was more than happy to make up for lost time. He was also willing to work with us on the price so that it would be acceptable for the market, and still beneficial for us. Our only problem was that it was now July and we had to move out in August.

Agent #1 brought much activity during the following months, and communicated with us on a weekly basis. Even though we ruined our initial “15 minutes of fame” when we first hit the market, he was able to get an offer for us in early December. By then, we had dropped our price to a level that was several thousand dollars under what we had paid and we spent months trying to recoup our loss. Our home was vacant from August through December, so we were renting and paying a house payment. We were also paying utilities for two homes. It was a very difficult time for my family.

The moral of the story: price, condition, marketing, and communication are all very important factors in selling a home. If any of these factors are neglected, the seller will end up paying in time and money. Choosing an agent based upon list price alone will only cost more money in house payments, utilities, property taxes, and homeowners’ insurance while the home sits on the market month after month.