R E S I D E N T I A L
REAL ESTATE
DOES IT EVEN MATTER WHAT REAL ESTATE AGENT YOU CHOOSE? By Scott G aertner
I don’ t think I have ever written about this subj ect before, but we had two fantastic ex amples in November so the timing this month is perfect. Does it even matter what real estate agent you choose? This is a q uestion I don’ t get asked enough. Many sellers j ust assume it really doesn’ t matter which agent you choose because even the newest agent has access to the Multiple L isting Service. Folks with this “ All Agents are the same” mindset logically j ust shop for the agent with the lowest commission rate. Would they feel like they have done their due diligence if they knew that it could cost them over $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 ? We see so many buyers and sellers needlessly ex asperated by events and mistakes that should have been handled up front and/or behind the scenes. In fact, I will tell you about a couple of ex amples I think you i find interesting in a in te t t egin et s start by taking a look at whether the agent you choose matters from a simple dollars and cents point of view. B Y TH E N UM B E RS The Scott G aertner G roup sells the most listings in the Scottsdale North area. If “ all agents are the same” when you compare the average sales of our listings, to the average of all the other listings, the results should be pretty similar right? The chart e s s t at ver t e ast five years r listings have averaged $ 1 9 per sq uare foot more than the 8 5 26 6 average, and they sold nearly three times as fast. That is not very similar, especially if you consider that in the last 1 2 months we averaged $ 3 2 per sq uare foot more. The difference is trending to matter more.
85266 SALES FROM 11/20/13 TO 11/20/18 5 year Average
Avg Price Per Foot
Avg Days On Market
Scott Gaertner Group
$251
43
85266 Average
$232
125
(*All information is provided by the Arizona Regional MLS and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Data for Price Per foot and Average Days on Market is from 11/20/1311/20/18. Scott’s sales are removed from the group average.)
The average home in 8 5 26 6 is j ust over 3 , 0 0 0 sq uare feet, so doesn’ t it make sense that the average homeowner could have made over $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 more j ust by hiring a different agent? ( $ 3 , 0 0 0 X $ 1 9 per foot = $ 5 7, 0 0 0 )
AP P LE S TO AP P LE S Some people don’ t like statistics so, let’ s try a more “ Apples to Apples” comparison to show that the agent you choose really matters. e is a c art nice istings t at r gr took over after they had been listed with another company for at least 1 8 0 days. In each case, we relisted the home at ex actly the same price - or we raised the price - and the only thing that changed was the way the home was marketed. As you can see from the chart below, in each case the home sold within 3 0 days.
O K . S TI LL N O T C O N V I N C E D ! ? C H E C K TH I S O N E O UT. N ovemb er M a r keting M a tter s E x a mpl e 2 Also last month, we sold 778 7 E. Soaring Eagle in infie d ic ad een isted seven ti es it seven different very ex perienced agents for a total of 1 9 5 3 days on the market ( ! )
As you might guess, the homeowner was more than a little frustrated. He called us because we had j ust sold his neighbors home very q uickly, and for more than he was asking for his home. After a q uick conversation with us the homeowner had his agent release him from his current listing and take it off the market, and then he hired us to sell his home. Our team went in and made a few very important changes to the way the home was marketed raised the price j ust a tad to $ 1 . 4 million - and sold the home for full price in j ust 1 0 days. Same home listed by seven different agents, slightly higher price, V ERY DIFFERENT RESUL TS. C’ mon. That should at least get a “ Hmmmm… out of even the most skeptical of you.
D O E S M ARK E TI N G M ATTE R? To me these are the perfect Apples to Apples comparisons. The same homes, listed at the same price r ig er VE DIFFE ENT ES LTS yt e way - we do not ever solicit ex pired listings. These sellers all called us for help) Still not convinced? Y ou are a tough crowd! Ok. How about these two ex amples from last month that I promised you earlier: N ovemb er M a r keting M a tter s E x a mpl e 1 Last nt es d E ri iant S y in Ter ravita that had been on the market with another company for 1 8 2 days. We relisted at the same list price and sold the home for $ 5 , 0 0 0 above the list price in j ust three days.
16 • December 2018 • SCOTTSDALE NORTH NEWS
”
M ARK E TI N G M ATTE RS I hope that convinces some of you to at least consider that who you hire to sell your home matters. I think it was Red Adair that said, “ If you think it’ s ex pensive to hire a professional to do the j ob, wait until you hire an amateur. ” Scottsdale North e va es ave fina y c e ac D nt throw away your hard-earned eq uity needlessly. If you are thinking of selling your home or buying another consider our tag line and give us a call. “ In Scottsdale North Real Estate, ex perience isn’ t ex pensive - its priceless. ” S cot t G a e r t n e r i s a n A s s oci a t e B r oke r w i t h K e l l e r W i l l i a m s N or t h e a s t , w h o f or t h e p a s t 2 5 + y e a r s as el ed re e le t find t eir l i f e s t y l e n i ch e i n t h e S cot t s d a l e N or t h a r e a t h a n a n y on e e l s e . H e a l s o con t r i b u t e s h i s t h ou g h t s on l i f e s t y l e i n t e r e s t s i n t h e a r e a . I f y ou h a v e s om e t h i n g of i n t e r e s t i n y ou r com m u n i t y , p l e a s e con t a ct u s a t l i f e s t y l e @ s cot t s d a l e n or t h n e w s . com scottsdalenorthnews.com
