Category: News and Information

It was April 21st, 2015, I remember that date because it was the same day that our dog “Jax” turned 1 year old. I had buyer clients that I had been working diligently within finding a home in the Hunters Creek, FL area.

When I eventually showed her what would end up being the home of her dreams, she fell head over heels in love with everything about the property.   The colors reminded her of the home she grew up in, the bonus room was perfect for his home-based business as a Gemologist and the open floor plan was exactly what they were looking for.

After seeing it, we immediately submitted a full-price offer on it.   However, this apparently wasn’t enough for my over-anxious buyers. Against my advice as an experienced Orlando realtor, they insisted on writing a letter to the sellers telling them how badly they wanted the home and why hoping to convince them to accept their offer.  

Whether the letter made any difference in the sellers accepting my client’s full price offer or not… I don’t know. What I can tell is that when it came time for me to do some negotiating for my clients so they can get the best deal possible… there was no negotiating.

The sellers knew how badly the buyers wanted that house and they were about to start using their leverage.   When it came time for inspections, the home was in overall decent condition but did need some minor repairs like new carpeting, and a few screens needed replacing on the back patio deck. Unfortunately, the sellers took full advantage of my client’s emotional attachment to a house that wasn’t even theirs yet. They refused to budge on anything… they didn’t even want to pay for the 1st year home warranty which is only a few hundred bucks.  

Some real estate agents will actually encourage their buyer clients to write a personal letter to the seller of a home to try and get that emotional edge. What they don’t realize is that this could severely cripple them when it comes time to negotiate with the seller.  

Think about it, you’re disclosing information to the sellers that they will almost certainly use against you at the negotiating table. Wouldn’t you if you were in their position?   There’s no denying that buying or selling a home can be a very emotional decision. The problem is that emotion clouds judgment and can cause you to make the wrong decisions, which in real estate translates to losing money.  

As an Orlando real estate agent, It’s my job to get my clients the best deal possible when finding them a house. It’s also my job to keep emotion out when it comes time to negotiate the deal. That’s why I advise all of my buyer clients against reaching out to the sellers on a personal level. It’s not worth the risk of being put into a vulnerable position when it’s time to negotiate.  

The fact is that 99% of sellers are only concerned with their bottom line and a personal letter from someone they don’t know won’t mean anything to them at all. In my opinion, a personal letter only exposes the buyer’s weakness… their emotional attachment to the house.  A buyer’s best bargaining chip is the offer amount. If you want the house that bad and the numbers justify it, then make a full-price offer and leave the personal stuff out of it.

1- Price Your Home High Then Keep Lowering It Until It Sells

Big mistake! Homeowners believe that they can always accept a lower offer. The problem is that you’re missing out on the buyers looking in the price range where yours should be. Also, If you keep lowering the listing price and it doesn’t sell, buyers may think something’s wrong with the house.

Your Orlando realtor will prepare a CMA on your home to help you determine an accurate listing price so you can get it right the first time.

2- Don’t Worry About Small Repairs

Retail buyers just want to move in and start living the Orlando lifestyle. The last thing they want is a to-do list. Buyers that are willing to do some minor repairs will want a price reduction for their trouble. Sometimes even small repairs can also scare off potential buyers.

Take care of these small repairs on your own to get the highest price.

3- Curb Appeal Doesn’t Matter Once They See The Inside

Certain buyers will drive by a house on their own before deciding whether they’re interested or not. If it looks horrible, chances are they won’t even care to see the inside. Some people just aren’t able to see anything other than what’s right in front of them.

Keep the grass cut, trim the trees and shrubs, get rid of clutter, and plant a few bright flowers for a splash of color. You only get one chance to make a 1^st impression.

4- The Inside Doesn’t Matter, Just Make Sure The Outside Looks Good

Having the inside look good is just as important as the outside. Buyers need to be able to visualize living in the house with their things. If your house is dirty and cluttered then the only thing they’ll be visualizing is getting back in their car and going to the next one.

5- Your Home Has To Be Perfect Before Listing

Don’t get carried away with home improvements or upgrades when your intention is to sell. Just because you spend $30,000 on a pool doesn’t mean that you’ll get a return on that investment, especially if your home is the only one with a pool in the entire neighborhood.

Your Orlando real estate agent can advise you on what improvements you can make that are worth making before listing the home.

6- Your Better Off Selling Without A Realtor

90% of Orlando homeowners that set out to sell their house on their own, ultimately end up hiring an Orlando realtor to get the job done. Sellers that do sell on their own end up making less money from the sale mostly due to their lack of negotiating experience.

7- Sellers Should Give Buyers The Tour Of Their Home For A More Personal Touch

It’s hard for a potential buyer to envision a home being theirs if the homeowners are present during the showing. As a matter of fact, it makes them downright uncomfortable.

You should have enough trust in the Orlando real estate agent that you hired to look out for your home during showings. However,  It’s always a good idea to put away expensive jewelry and prescription medicine when your house is being shown.

If you’re interested in seeing how much your home will sell for, feel free to call us at 407.902.7750 or visit https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/ to receive a free CMA report prepared by one of our Orlando listing specialists.

It’s regrettable when buyers get stuck with a self-absorbed Orlando real estate agent who has that too busy to listen to attitude and is all too eager to convince you into buying a home that you just don’t like. Buyers and sellers depend on their Orlando realtor to carry them through to the finish line. They expect their agent to be always looking out for their best interests whether it be helping them make a wise real estate investment with their hard-earned cash or marketing their home so that a seller can get top dollar on the sale of their home.

In today’s Orlando real estate market it’s just not enough for a realtor to be well qualified, they should also be a creative problem solver and able to handle any situation that arises with patience and resourcefulness. There are a million things that can go wrong with a real estate transaction on both the buyer’s and seller’s side and if your real estate agent is disorganized and unprofessional it could end up costing you thousands of dollars.  Read on to find out if it’s time to shop for a new Orlando Realtor.

• Unresponsiveness

It’s unreasonable to expect your Orlando realtor to be at your service 24/7, they should however respond to your text messages, emails, and voice mails in a timely manner. Most realtors start out very strong in this regard at the very beginning of the relationship [kind of like dating].  Your agent should be relatively easy to get a hold of to address any of your questions or concerns. Having an open line of communication with your realtor could very well mean the difference between selling your home within 2 months or selling it within 8 months.

Also, watch out for realtors who take a lot of vacations. Everyone is entitled to some time off but the agent should let you know when they’ll be out of town and they plan on staying on top of your listing while they’re away.

• They Don’t Listen

When you first sit down with your Orlando realtor it should feel like a counseling session. After that initial meeting, you should feel confident that your realtor has your best interests at heart and they’re committed to helping you to achieve your goal whether it’s to buy or sell a home. They should ask you detailed questions like “ what’s your timeframe to sell or buy?”,” Tell me about the home you selling/what would you consider your dream house?”, “What’s your preferred method of communication?”, “What kind of neighborhoods are you interested in?”

Buying and selling real estate isn’t a sales job as much as it is a customer service or management position. The last thing you want is a realtor that behaves like he or she is a used car salesman. My advice is to 86 any agent who trots out like the winner of a dog show and tries to bully you into something you’re not comfortable with.

• Part-time agents

Working with a full-time agent is an absolute must if you want to accomplish your real estate goals in a reasonable amount of time. Working with a real estate agent that has another job on the side means that you’re not their top priority. You want an agent that eats, sleeps, and breathes real estate and does nothing else.

•  Inexperienced Agents

Make sure that the Orlando realtor you choose has at least two years of experience in buying or selling houses in Orlando. You can research agents by Googling them and the company they work for. Look for any online reviews posted by past clients. Ask the agent for a resume that includes the number of transactions they’ve closed in the past six months.

Don’t hesitate to ask your agent for references from past clients that you can contact and ask questions about them. Also, it’s always a good idea to type the realtor’s name into Google with the word “complaint” next to it and see what pops up. If the agent has any legitimate complaints about them, you should keep searching.

• Your Agent Seems Unprofessional

Being disorganized, showing up late, showing up unprepared, or canceling appointments is extremely unprofessional and sends a negative message to everyone involved in the transaction which could end up costing you money. Some agents may also try to pass you off to their assistant shortly after signing you as a client. If so, you should move on to another agent. A good real estate agent should clearly lay out what to expect from the buyer and seller at the very beginning of the business relationship and fulfill that promise.

• You Feel Awkward Around You Agent

If you feel uncomfortable around your real estate agent for whatever reason, it’s time to move on. Buying or selling a house will be one of the most important decisions of your life so it’s crucial that you feel comfortable with the agent that’s representing you in the transaction. You should also make sure that your agent is personable with other people otherwise they could end up turning off a potential buyer or seller.

You should feel comfortable around your realtor and be able to ask as many questions as you want without feeling bad about it. Also, stay away from agents that continually try to show you homes that don’t meet your criteria just so they can be done with you.

• Your Agent Doesn’t Do Their Homework

When you meet with your Orlando listing agent for the first time they should have taken the time to prepare a CMA for you [Comparative Market Analysis]. This is a report which gives you a very good idea of how much your home will sell for based on similar properties that have recently sold in your neighborhood within the past three to six months. If your agent tries to suggest a listing price for your home without a CMA, then you say, “Ba Bye!”

On the buyer’s side, agents should be able to assist you in getting a loan by providing contact information for a credit counselor or mortgage broker in order to help you get a loan if needed. And if you’re just not ready to buy a home yet, a good agent will be willing to wait for you and touch base with you every so often just to show you that you still matter to them.

• Your agent shows signs of being shady

Unclear on broker fees, talking about their other client’s personal issues, and overall shady behavior should never be tolerated when it comes to hiring an Orlando real estate agent. These types of agents are always looking for an angle that will benefit them even though it can put their clients at risk. This is the absolute last person on earth you want to write up a sales contract on your behalf. You get the picture, enough said on this one.

If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in Orlando feel free to call us at 407-902-7750 for a free consultation. We invite you to reach out to some of our past clients and ask about how well we performed and if we delivered on our promises. Call or visit https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/ today!