Welcome to Central Maine

What Maine Sellers want from a Realtor

Sellers are looking for an agent who will do the most effective job of marketing the property, negotiating the most favorable terms and conditions, and communicating with them to make the process as smooth as possible. Contact Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate for more information or with any real estate questions you may have. 

Here are the top 5 expectations a seller wants from their Realtor:

  1. Find a buyer for their home.
  2. Sell their home within a specific time frame
  3. Price their home competitively
  4. Find ways to fix up their home to sell it for more
  5. Help with paperwork, inspections & preparing for settlement

Things to consider:

Choosing the best Realtor - Selling a home in Maine should be like any other business transaction, but all too often sellers make emotional or impulsive decisions that cost them money and time. Choosing the right Realtor to market a property and negotiate the sale is the most important step in the process.

You're the only agent who agrees with my selling price - Some Maine real estate agents tell you what you want to hear. In the real estate profession, this is known as "buying a listing". An agent who lists a property at the highest possible price is using poor strategy. You see, your house gets the most attention from other agents when it is a "new" listing. If priced properly, lots of agents will show it to their buyers. If you price it too high, no one will show the house and it will sit on the market for some time. When you finally drop your price to reflect its real value, your house is "old news" and buyers may think you are growing desperate. Therefore, the prices you are offered will come in lower and lower - and you may find yourself accepting a price that is below what you could have received had the house been priced properly to begin with. Besides, pricing your home too high will only make similar houses for sale look that much better. Overpricing helps sell those houses, not yours.

The agent who has the lowest commission - You get what you pay for! Paying a cut-rate commission will often get you a sign in the front yard and placement in the Multiple Listing Service, but little additional effort from your agent. Realize that agents and real estate companies put up their own funds to market and advertise your home. Marketing and advertising costs money -- the lower the commission, the less incentive for an agent to put up his or her own money to market your home.

Agents In Large Companies - Agents who work for large well-established companies with lots of agents do have some advantages. Large companies generally have longer office hours, so someone is always available to answer an ad call on your home. Large offices often have larger budgets and can spend more on advertising. The ad space for your particular home might not be huge, but because the total ad is so large it gets lots more attention. Large offices with many agents expand you're your sales team, the more agents who have knowledge and are impressed by your home, the more vocal exposure your home will have.

Do All Agents Have The Same Education - The real estate profession is constantly changing and, as mentioned above, the best real estate agents stay aware of those changes by continuing their education. Some go beyond the required minimum requirements. Many agents acquire "professional designations" that show they took additional specialized courses.

Using an agent who lives in my neighborhood - Knowledge of the local market isn't determined by living in that immediate neighborhood. Your agent should have knowledge of recent sales, schools, businesses, and so on, but that is easily achieved through research.

This agent sold the most homes - This should only be the beginning. What is more valuable - an agent who listed 35 homes and sold 15 - or an agent who listed twenty homes and sold all twenty? So this is why you need to ask some questions. How many of their listings did not sell? How many were reduced over and over before they sold? How long were the houses on the market? How smoothly was the process handled? How accessible was the agent when there were questions or problems?