Hands up if you have sold a property, are trying to sell a property or thinking about selling and this very thought flashed through your mind…

“Maybe I could sell my own home and save a heap of money!”

I will bet that at least 90% of you have your hand up and gave this scenario serious, or at least fleeting, thought.

If that is the case, why then does the Sell Your Own Home Market represent a relatively small percentage of property listings in Australia?

New Zealand’s penchant to sell without agents is around 10%

It is difficult to quantify, but it appears that somewhere between 3%- 5% of the entire market is represented by ‘private house sale’ listings.

The emerging ‘each way bet’, PurpleBricks, doesn’t fall into the DIY category because if almost $9,000, with half upfront, is not a commission, well I’ll stand buggered.

What could be holding Australian home owners back?

New Zealand’s penchant to sell without agents is around 10%, the UK, around 20%, the US and Canada northwards of 30%.

Are we scared of something? Have we been brainwashed into thinking that hiring a traditional, commission based agent is the only way to sell?

As a passionate and vastly experienced Real Estate Consumer Advocate, I’d love to share my 5 Sure Fire Tips to Private House Sales Success to help you see that the alternatives are real, simple to execute and massively rewarding.

 1.  Give Mainstream Media a Wide Berth

“The market is crashing”, “Turmoil for the economy”, “Jobs under pressure.”

The more you watch and listen to the MSM, the more likely you are to feel anxious, inadequate, indecisive – and that is what it is designed to do.

(Psst…I haven’t watched or listened to a mainstream news or current affairs show for almost 15 years.)

Make your decisions based on your own research by finding and listening to independent experts who have a reputation for plausible reporting in their chosen field.

The muppet who is reading off the auto-cue is not your best source of balanced information.

2.  Be careful of well-meaning friends posing as experts.

One thing I have learned personally and professionally is that the more people you ask, the further you get from making a decision.

The minute you ask for a relative’s, friend’s or co-worker’s advice, you have pinned the Sheriff’s Badge of ‘Holder of all knowledge’ upon them and given them permission to impart their opinion, possibly based on little or no exposure to the subject you are trying to grasp.

Sure, if they work in or have excelled in that particular field, buy them a coffee and ask away.  If not, once again, find someone who knows the game and has played in it, with the bruises and scars to show for it.

3.  Switch On and Be Prepared

Poor preparation produces piss poor performance.

Prepare, prepare, prepare.

Prepare your legal requirements by instructing a lawyer/conveyancer to handle contracts and any supporting documentation.

Prepare and present your home/property as if the Queen was coming to say for a night.

Prepare your marketing with professional photos, floorplans, a benefit driven headline and a concise, yet informative narrative.

Prepare to qualify, engage and negotiate with buyers.  Asking the right questions, conducting helpful professional inspections, and finalising a win/win deal are vital keys to sales success.

4.  Concentrate on the Three P’s – Controlling what you CAN control.

Understanding the power of these three components is THE key to sales success.

This what every home seller can control and adjust at any time before and during the sale process.

Present your home to IMPRESS buyers

Portray and Promote your home to REACH the greatest number of buyers

Price your home to ATTRACT buyers.

Put quite simply, if you leave any or all of these vital components ‘swinging in the wind’ your chances of meeting your expectations will be hampered.

5.  Leave your emotions in a suitcase in a vault – any lose the combo

The biggest killer of a deal is allowing your emotions to lead the charge.

“If you sentimentalise property, you can kiss profits goodbye.”

Pride, anger and fear must be kept locked away or under control.

Judging buyer feedback or offers with these emotions at the front and centre is the quickest way to real estate demise.

Stick to the facts and the numbers whilst keeping a friendly, helpful demeanour and you will go a long way to sealing a win/win deal.

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All in all, by following a few basic rules, behaviours and disciplines, selling your own home is not the herculean endeavour that some people (agents) will have you believe.

Come on Australia – let’s at least beat the Kiwis at something!

What did you make of 2018?

We all have ‘stuff’ going on at any given time, and hopefully the good stuff outweighed the bad for you in 2018.

For me and my beautiful cook, becoming empty nesters and diving into our second sea-change was very satisfying, yet not without some challenges to get there.

Many parents wait and wait for their kids to fly the coop these days.  Why wait? We sold and flew the coop instead! But they know where we live – the cook looked a tad miffed when I said, “Hey, let’s keep our new address a secret.”

My three boys are strong minded, independent young men, thriving with their partners and work life; well two of them – the eldest bloke has a loving partnership with Tinder.

I can honestly say, “Where did that year go?” But I believe that is because I had, and continue to have, a clear purpose.

I’ll give you one of my life tips to close out 2018.  No, its not about selling your own home or how to sell without agents, its about being better today than you were yesterday.

One of the men (or do I have to say ‘people’) of the moment is Dr Jordan Peterson, who has set the internet alight and tongues wagging with his no-nonsense brand of common sense, and observations on much of the noise being produced from ideological minorities and ‘progressive’ movements.

Yep, I’m listening to him and reading his stuff.  I might not agree with 100% of what he says, but if you want to push through your agenda, see him as an impediment and want to bulldoze your beliefs/ideology upon others, you had really better know your shit because he will slice and dice your argument in just a few sentences (even when he is being interrupted).

When we are drawn to an individual and what they share really resonates with us, there is usually a handful of takeaways that stick with us.

For me, my takeaway is, and I might paraphrase a little here, Jordan said, “Life IS chaotic, it is hard, but for those people who push through it and have a purpose, life can be pretty good.”

This helped confirm one of my own philosophies (here is the tip I promised): If you continue to look back you will continue to stumble and fall; look forward always, live in the moment and consider the past as a fond memory or most importantly, if required, a lesson.

What made you smile about 2018?  What did you learn from it? What will you do better tomorrow that can fix what might have happened today or prevent a repeat? What is your ‘WHY’- your purpose for the year ahead?

Myself and the team at Agent in a Box sincerely hope that 2019 is more purposeful than chaotic for you and that you have a very Merry Christmas 2018.

Oh…by the way.

Business as usual for Agent in a Box over the Christmas/New Year Break.

We won’t be handling any business on Christmas Day, but rest assured any enquiry or required assistance will be dealt with from Boxing Day on.

Thanks for your support and watch out for strange RV’s in your drive on Christmas morning.

Cheers,

Craig

How many End of the World prophecies have you heard of in recent memory?

It’s ok, I’m not channelling Jim Jones

From Marshall Applewhite’s Heaven’s Gate Cult who all had to ‘pull the pin’ to hop on the back of the Hale-Bopp comet to eternal life in 1997, to the interpretation of the Mayan Long Calendar that had us all evaporating on the 21 December 2012 – there is always someone willing to call it.

What if I told you the end of the World, and life as we know,  comes every year on the 25^th of December?

It’s ok, I’m not channelling Jim Jones (stop mixing the kool-aide), I’m just sharing the long-held beliefs of many of my former, current and potential clients over the last sixteen years.

If I had $10 for every-time I heard the following assertion/statement, it is highly likely I would be able to afford my dream of an office under a palm tree, with clear turquoise water three steps away and a steady supply of breakfast through to dinner cocktails to keep me upbeat about my challenging surroundings;

“Nothing happens in December and January. There is no point in trying to sell until the New Year.”

I’m TOO BLOODY busy to take a vacation…

This urban myth continues to be rolled out by almost every home owner that has reached that decision that it is time to go; whether by a private house sale or through an agent – as the year (just a number on a calendar) draws to an end.

Why do I know it is a myth?

Because I have lived and worked through 15 or 16 of them and I have only ever taken one serious vacation during the time frame we are discussing today.

And that time frame is 1^st of December to the 31^st of January.

And do you know why I only took one serious holiday in that time period over the last 15 or 16 years?

Because I was (and still am) TOO BLOODY busy from the 1^st of December to the 31^st of January!

Busy – listing and marketing properties for sale, taking and qualifying buyer enquiry, conducting inspections, negotiating and putting deals together.

Hell…I remember one Christmas Eve, showing a couple three or four houses during the day, then at about 5.15pm (I’ll never forget the time) as I was preparing to do my Christmas shopping, the husband calls and says, “We want to make an offer on house X.”

Waddaya do?

I dropped everything (an IOU to the Mrs would have to suffice) and to cut a long story short, a very happy seller and buyer had a great deal by 7pm.

Here is the scoop.

During the ‘End of the World’ period there are three days, yep three days, where the market takes a break.

The 25^th, 26^th and 27^th of December, then another possible breather on the 1^st of January.

Here’s how buyers (the market) behave during the end of the world.

On the 25^th-27^th of December they drop all tools and head off to far flung corners of the country to visit the relatives they moved away from so happily years ago.

Tons of chook, prawns and turkey – as well as oceans of sav blanc and TED’s (or Asahi’s if the kids were forced to buy dad a present) – are consumed like all the human race is about to undertake a mass hibernation or even extinction.

As they emerge from the food and alcohol coma of the 25^th, there are three huge undertakings to embark upon on the 26^th:

Consumption of the left overs, the Boxing Day Test and the big sales.

So much to do, so little time.

It was not uncommon for to me to showing properties during that Christmas/New Year period

The 27^th brings forth a day that should be dubbed; ‘I can’t be f*cked day’ – as Australia have capitulated on Day 1 and we have to watch the other mob rack up 500+ runs, the left overs are down to a couple of slices of ham and nana’s fruit Christmas Cake, and the buyer’s remorse from the Boxing Day sales is a deep as it is painful – “Did I really need that Google thingy that will tell me what time it is in Estonia when I ask it?”

But then…on the 28^th, laptops fire up, phones get feverishly fingered and those who were thinking about a move start to act.

It was not uncommon for to me to showing properties during that Christmas/New Year period and locking down two, three or four contracts.

Sure, all the poor, slave-like lawyers scuttled away until about the second week of January, but a locked and loaded deal would be waiting for the little dears on their email after their two week Cook Island breather.

The long and short of it is – serious property buyers generally put their cue in the rack for about three to five days over the Christmas period, then they come out swinging after ‘I can’t be f*cked day’.

The big question is: If you want to sell your own home when the end of the world comes, will you be ready for the day after?

Have you met an Agent who claims to be the Pied Piper?

The thing that struck me so hard during the following conversation was the fact that they are still doing it.

Who? Doing what?

Agents, telling porkies to get potential sellers to sign on the dotted line, especially those owners who are conducting their own private house sales.

But it wasn’t until I dug a bit deeper into this client’s initial request that I found out that she was acting on a promise, that, at that time, had little substance and if she acted on it, it may very well have cost her $15,000!

Although this story is true, I am not using the client’s real name – so for this purpose, her name is Lorraine.

Lorraine called, and her first question was, “How do I take my property off the market?”

Seeing she had only been on the market for a few days, my suspicions were raised so I thought I had better investigate.

“You’ve only been out there for a few days Lorraine, what has happened?”

“A local Agent has got a buyer for my place and he doesn’t want me to continue to sell my house online – he wants me to get it off the sites?”

“Ok, interesting. When did the buyer see it?”

“Oh, they haven’t.”

“Right, so you have signed an agreement with the agent.”

“No, but he said for him to bring the buyer I have to take it off the net.”

Qualify the Agent as you would a potential buyer.

“When is he bringing the buyer?”

“I think sometime next week, he wants to pop over on Sunday (remember this is Tuesday) to sign an agreement.”

“Let me get this straight.  You have an agent who may or may not have a serious buyer, without an agreement and he wants you to take your property off the market until this buyer materialises?”

“Ah, yes.”

“How much does he want to charge you for commission?”

“2%”

“Hold everything Lorraine! That is $15,000 for potentially walking a buyer through your door – and who had probably seen your ad online anyway! What if there are other buyers looking at your property online right now?  They will come to you. You must remember that buyers follow property, not agents. If you take it down now, you run the risk of missing out on serious buyers and putting all your eggs into this Agent’s basket – without any guarantee of a sale with his ‘buyer’.”

“But he said that they missed out on  a property down the road and they are keen.”

“If they are that red-hot, then why are they coming to look next week and not now?!”

“I don’t know?”

“Lorraine, this, sadly, is part of the standard procedure for quite a number of agents to enable them to snare listings. You sign up with them on the promise that they have a very keen buyer, the buyer fails to materialise, and if they do there is no guarantee that they will buy it; and you have signed a listing agreement that might have you locked in with that agent for the next 90-120 days, and if they are able to attract a genuine buyer – you are $15,000 poorer.  And you had it all in hand, controlling your own sale, in the first place.”

“Oh, I never thought of this.  The average person doesn’t know this stuff.”

“You need to tell the agent this…” I then went onto explain how to take control of this agent and his claims to having a buyer.

“That makes so much sense, Craig.  Maybe I should leave the house on the net for now?”

“My word you should.  Keep me posted Lorraine.”

“I will, thank you so much.”

No agent owns a buyer and trying to control buyers is like trying to herd cats or rats – 

And believe it or not, that afternoon Lorraine received three direct buyer enquiries via her ads appearing on the big websites. No agent in the mix. $15,000 still in her pocket.

When you are approached by an agent when you want to sell your own home, with claims of having a buyer, or hoards of them, ask questions.

Qualify the agent as you would a potential buyer.

Don’t take his or her claim on face value.

As I said to Lorraine; Buyers follow property, not agents.

Agents aren’t the Pied Piper of Hamelin!

The stories of the people behind, and in front of, the scenes in Australia’s most talked about industry.

The Tim Tam Test

“Oh, strong and black thanks Maree – just how I like my men!” Beth Myrvold’s cackle was enough laughter for everyone, as Maree’s husband, Blake, a proud Afrikaner, smiled politely and continued to look courteously at the swath of sheets and brochures in front of him on the kitchen bench.

Beth, one of Eastcastle City Property’s gun agents, whose knack for humour to build rapport was still a work in progress, had been called in by the De Cocks as they were thinking of selling and heading up the coast for a quieter life around Shell Bay.

“Thanks, Maree. Oooh, Tim Tams! Are these the vegan ones?  Ah, doesn’t matter, one won’t hurt.” (“Tim Tams,” thought Beth, “They’ve gone top shelf bikkie here – I must be a big chance.”)

This beautifully presented three bedder, with pool, entertaining area and sought-after man-shed would be a prime listing for Beth, and surely would not hang around too long.

“Shell Bay.  What a lovely spot. Have you got your eye on anything up there?” As a four-year property sales veteran, Beth knew how to open a conversation designed to find out whether or not these home owners were likely to sell, soon.

“Yes, we have Beth, a gorgeous cottage on a quarter acre one street back from the main beach. We love it,” gushed Maree

“Well we have to sell this first dorling,” shot back Blake, ensuring his wife’s enthusiasm didn’t keep him awake at night for the next 20 years.

“So, Beth,” Blake fixed his gaze on Beth as she chomped into her second Tim Tam, “You’ve had a good look around, what will we get for this?”

“Ummmm, well Blake and Maree, you’ve had a look at the market report I dropped in, and you can see the recent sales of properties that would probably compare to yours,”

This was the moment of truth that every agent dreaded.

Would the price guide that Beth was about to blurt out, match the expectations of the anxious, yet sometimes ruthless, home owners?

The number she offered could mean the difference between a third Tim Tam and the listing, or an abrupt ending to their cordial meeting and those almost fatal words, “We’ll have a chat and get back to you.”

Beth felt like time had stood still as she took another sip of her coffee and played the “guess the right price” game a dozen times in her head.

“Ok, based on what the market is doing right now in Linwick…the great position, beautiful presentation…ahhh…well…I’m pretty sure I can get you around…$825,000?!”

All fell silent.

Blake’s eyes remained transfixed on Beth and the non-verbal pause felt like it went on for hours. Beth’s heart was in her mouth and she nervously picked up a couple of the documents on the table and put them in a neat pile – a bit like a newsreader does after they’ve delivered twenty-five minutes of doom and gloom then finished off with a happy piece about Sammy the Surfing Ferret.

Just then, as Beth thought the bulletin had drawn to a close, Blake looked straight at Maree with the hint of a nod, and she thrust her arm across the kitchen table, grabbed the Tim Tams…and said, “Beth, would you like another?”

Beth’s ‘veganism’ vanished as quickly as the smile that had appeared and taken up her whole of her face, “That would be lovely.”

More from Beth and The De Cocks later.

The stories of the people behind, and in front of, the scenes in Australia’s most talked about industry.

Jason’s Opens

The time ticked over to 1.45pm on Jason’s iPhone x, so it was all systems go; to pack up his brochures, cards and self-promotional material at the four bedder on Blake Circuit, Swynton, which, mind you, could have done with a lick of paint in the living room and possibly the c1997 cream carpet in the ‘plush’ bathroom replaced with some cheap and cheerful tiles.

“No luck today,” lamented a usually upbeat Agent Jason Merek-Sadowska, who told his owners that he expected “plenty” of interest come 1pm.

“How many buyers came through?”

“Ummm…none. But I forgot that the Bellcoast Pottery Extravaganza was on this weekend. So many people go to it.  Massive couple of days.”

“The owners will be pretty disappointed, and they are such nice people.  I think they went down to the Pottery show during the open home.”

“What will you tell them?”

“Look, it’s not an easy one. Sure, the Pottery thing played a big part, but it is a bit quiet at the moment.  This has only been on the market for seven weeks, so it might worthwhile for the owners to take up a bigger ad in the Eastcastle Daily for next week to drive a few more buyers to us.”

“What about the other open home you had two streets away, earlier on?”

Jason’s mood lifted noticeably.  “Went off,” flew straight from his mouth as he started packing his tools of trade, including the fold out open home sign covered mainly by his smiling face, into his newly leased Audi A5 with the hands free wi-fi fingerprint/face to voice recognition.

“Had twelve groups through that one. Might be an offer in the wings.”

“That doesn’t sound like it’s that quiet then?”

“Well, probs ‘patchy’ might be a better word.  This one’ll sell, eventually. I haven’t had a good chat to the owners for a couple of weeks.  I’ll sort something on Monday.”

Jason’s ringtone of the Bellcoast Blockers theme song belted out as he started the Audi, “Hi, yeah, just locked up and leaving now.  Yeah, went pretty well. Got a few follow ups to make, but I’ll get back to you Monday for a good chat.  How was the Pottery Show?”

And he didn’t even have to take his hands off the steering wheel to take the call as he kicked it in the guts to zoom away from Blake Circuit onto his next appointment.

Amazing innovation making the job of pros like Jason so much easier.

More from him later.