Many sellers that list their home for sale in the Big Bear area get a raw deal from their listing agent.
1. Listing with an out of the area agent gives you a small chance of being shown. Agents from out of the area list homes in Big Bear in the So Cal MLS, but not the local Big Bear MLS. Most homes sold in Big Bear are represented by a local Big Bear agent and are listed in the Big Bear MLS. Acces to your home may require a phone call or appointment. If the agent from out of the area has made it to Big Bear to put on a So Cal lock box, it isn’t programmed for the local agents MLS key.
2. Listing with the wrong local agent will give out of the area agents less motivation to show your home. Some of Big Bear’s local agents will offer less commission to agents through the So Cal MLS, than the local MLS. So, an out of the area agent may only see the commission offered at 2% and the agents that are local may see a 3% commission.
3. Does your listing agent syndicate to sites that promote your home, or do they keep the listing out of the hands of sites that could help sell your home?
4. Does your listing agent have professional photos taken of your home for display on line? We are still seeing photos taken from cell phones and posted in the Big Bear and So Cal MLS. In this day and age, photos are the new open house. The maximum number should be uploaded and they should be a high quality representation of your home.
5. Does the description tell potential buyers the truth, or just what everyone wants to hear? An example of this is: I see listings that are over 5 miles from Big Bear Lake that state “Near the Lake”, or homes on 2500 square foot lots that state “Secluded Setting”.
6. Is your short sale priced well below market value? Listing short sales below market value gives the consumer miss-information, and is damaging to the overall market. Banks are not inclined to accept offers through short sale that are below the true market value. Banks will do an appraisal or BPO to establish that the short sale offer is not shorting them on the payoff any more than the market dictates.
7. Is your home easily accessible and show ready? I don’t understand why agents will list homes and not install a lock box or give access. They also fail to put up yard signs and insert photos of the home. As a seller, you only get one chance to make a good impression, and failure to prepare the house, photos and access will kill the buzz of your new listing.
If you would like to list your home with an agent that truly markets your home, please give me a call.
Steve 909 725 5889