How Do You Minimize Economic Impact When Selling Your House

I assume we have all heard the news from Blackberry by now. More job cuts, pending sale to a private equity firm, another failed software launch. Man that was a week!

I am sure there are plenty of people wondering what will happen, how will this impact the local economy, the local housing market. If even 1/2 of the job losses are here in Waterloo Region it will have to effect things, right?

It is no secret that I am not a fan of the traditional real estate agent model. Taking 5% of someone's equity for the work that needs to be done is darn near criminal in my opinion. It is sometimes justified by "market increases" and excuses like "well you are still ahead by $20,000". What happens when you loose your job, or worse yet you AND your spouse loose your jobs? That $15,000-$20,000 in real estate commissions could be the difference between pulling through and bankruptcy.

Selling the PropertyGuys.com way allows you options, at a time when you may not have too many. You have the option of selling at market value and pocketing the commission for yourself. The other option is if you are in a pinch and need to change things fast you have the ability to lower your price by that commission amount and have a competitive advantage over your agent selling neighbours. Most of our sellers land somewhere in the middle between these two options, with a win for both buyer and seller.

It would be a shame to see any negative impact from Blackberry bolster an already over inflated industry.  Look around at all the square signs in your community and know that $20,000 is more than just hot air, but then again, those balloons don't stay afloat by themselves.

The Biggest Issue Selling Your Home Without a Listing Agent

Have a look in the mirror!

I see people get frustrated when selling their home privately. They blame anything and everything but themselves. They think it's that they are not listed with an agent, that agents are not showing their home because they didn't list with an agent or that they are lacking exposure (even if they are on Realtor.ca) or some other imaginary problem they have dreamed up in their mind.

With PropertyGuys.com they have access to all the information they need. They see how much traffic they are getting on their listing through their listing analytics. A standard conversation with this type of seller goes something like this:

Seller "I think I need to list with an agent."

Me "Well looking at your listing you have had 1,027 people look at your listing. How many showings have you done?"

Seller "That's the thing, no one is calling. *insert concern like agents not showing it here*."

Me "Our experience tells us that if people are choosing not to call you it is usually related to pricing." 

Seller "No we know we are priced right."

Then 3 weeks later they list with an agent and lower their price by $25,000.

This is why our new Pro Approach is designed to bring in the professionals needed to get your home sold from the beginning. From Pricing to Legal to SOLD!

M

Selling Your Home Using The Internet

We recognize the power of your story!

We are looking for a few avid tweeters; a few Facebook fanatics; or even a bodacious blogger (is that term even relevant anymore?). 

It is becoming more evident that people want to hear your story of selling your house. The traditional media is asking for it and HGTV has made a whole channel around people buying and selling real estate it would seem.

We want to give you the opportunity to tell your story, in your own words. We want you to go through the ups and downs of selling your home, without a listing agent, and we will do it at no charge. What we ask for in return is for you to blog, tweet, Facebook your little fingers off about the good and bad. Tell the world about your experiences, what your challenges were, how you overcame them, how working with PropertyGuys.com helped with that.

Interested? There are a few simple stipulations. First, the property you are selling has to be in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge or Guelph. Second, you have to already be active in the social media world. Third, you have to be willing to do at least 3 blog posts in total and tweet/Facebook a few times a week about your experiences or property (advertising and O/H counts).

If you are interested you can leave a comment, tweet me or connect with us on Facebook!