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 smaller chance of having your home shown to potential buyers. 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. Access 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. Some Big Bear agents make it difficult to show your Big Bear home if the agent isn’t a member of the local MLS. I work well with all agents and will help them get access to your property so that they can write an offer.
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? 7. We syndicate to every site we are able (over 400 websites) Ask you agent about syndication and how they get the word out about your listing.
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 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 Hirschler
909 725-5889
