6 Questions Every Agent Must Answer
- HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE YOU TO LIST MY HOUSE?
- When you decide it is time to list your home, taking a week to get your home on the market could cost you the buyer that was going to pay top dollar for your house. Don’t let a realtor play around with your investment by making you conform to their schedule.We guarantee to have your home professionally photographed and on the market within 3 days from the time the listing agreement is signed. If an agent says they can list your home immediately, they aren’t taking the time to get high quality professional photography done (we pay for high quality photography). If you ask “How long?” and they respond with “It depends,” that is a sign of trouble.What you need instead is representation that is familiar enough with the process that they can tell you “as soon as we get documents signed, we will have it listed within 3 days,” and that is what you get with Maven Real Estate. Dependability and clarity.
- HOW IS THE CORRECT LISTING PRICE DETERMINED?
- It is extremely common for agents to price a home too low in order to make their job easier. It is also very common for an agent to just agree with the price you want to list it for because they don’t want to disagree with you. Some will even suggest you list your home for sale at a higher price than you should because they just want to tell you what you want to hear. Unfortunately, many agents are merely seeking to get a sign in your yard and pick up clients with the cell number they place on the sign.You want representation that tells you the truth, but you also want them to understand they work for you, not the other way around. If an agent doesn’t provide a reasonable range for the sale price of your house with supporting documents, run.
- WHAT ACTIONS WILL YOU TAKE TO SELL MY HOME?
- Ask the agent if they have a marketing plan for the properties they list. Many agents will give you a line like the following: “I’ll list your home on thousands of websites and the Oklahoma City MLS,” giving the impression that they are putting in work to get your home listed on a bunch of different websites, but here’s the truth: ANY agent can put your home in the OKC MLS and it will automatically be sent out to thousands of websites. In fact, most agents have a marketing plan that simply assumes a person’s home will sell eventually if they just type information into the MLS. Beware of a non-existent marketing plan and a marketing plan that is too reliant on a particular website or gimmick. Some agents rely upon their “30+ years in the business” to convince people they are connected enough to find a buyer others can’t. The bottom line is you need your house to gain attention and you don’t need a complacent agent who is too dependent on their own “years of experience.”
- HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL YOU HAVE HELPING WITH THIS PROCESS?
- The reality is that an excellent listing agent is always working on your behalf. The last thing you need is one agent who doesn’t answer their phone when you call, or when someone wants to see your property. Even if a single agent is well-intentioned, life is busy and they may not have their phone beside them at all times. At Maven we protect ourselves from this error by having a sign number (405-835-3434) that dials to all of us at the same time, that way we can guarantee a response. If you are dealing with an agent who works by him/herself, they are extremely limited in their availability and ability to work on your behalf.
- WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU TO WORK BUYERS?
- You often meet “the listing agent” of a team at your listing appointment. The problem with this is typically that listing agent has the interest in selling your home, but the rest of his or her team of buyer’s agents do not have any interest in getting your place sold. You need to hire a team of agents that not only list the home but also work aggressively to find buyers. When our team lists your home, you have three agents always looking for a buyer for your home. We make hundreds of phone calls a day to prospective buyers, have a system that provides us with contact info for 1300 new buyers per month, and this is why we bring the buyer to a good portion of the homes that we list. (See the page titled “Working Buyers” for an amazing story of the lengths we’ll go to work potential buyers and get your house sold.)
- WHAT WILL FOLLOW UP LOOK LIKE WITH POTENTIAL BUYERS AND MYSELF?
- We make sure you receive feedback from showings that take place on your property by contacting agents repeatedly until feedback is received. It is also true that not every agent interprets feedback the same way. At Maven, we look for opportunities to overcome objections people propose for not putting an offer forward on a home we list for sale. If agents do actually get feedback from a showing, they often interpret the feedback as “well, I guess it wasn’t the right property for them,” when maybe a potential buyer has an obstacle that can be overcome. Most agents won’t actively seek to solve these concerns or hurdles but will instead communicate to sellers “I guess we need to do a price change.” If a home is struggling to get under contract other agents might even volunteer to do open houses, but this thought as well as the one of a necessary price decrease are more rooted in simply keeping your listing, as opposed to getting your home sold. You need a group of agents who overcome objections proposed by potential buyers and their agents in the follow-up process, and you need agents who proactively sell your home instead of just reacting when they think they are about to lose the listing. Think carefully about how persistent the agent is that you hire and be sure that 3 tenacious agents is greater than 1.
Testimonials
Aaron has been wonderful to deal with and we are glad you stuck out the past 2 years with us.
Daniel S. of Norman
From the first time I met Josh at an open house all the way through closing, he was professional, knowledgeable, and responsive. He truly cared for me and diligently worked to help me find the right house. I always felt comfortable throughout the process, and he took the time to answer all my questions. When I decide to sell in the future, the first call I’ll make will be to Josh. I’d highly recommend Josh and the Maven team to anyone looking to buy or sell a home.
Patrick C. of Norman
After trying to sell one of my properties thru other Realtors, I’ve contacted Josh to get his services to sell it. I was amazed for his energetic personality and ideas to market the property. Josh’s educated opinion made a difference and he kept me informed at all times. After a short time being on the market, the property was sold at expected selling price. I’m really ecstatic for his work ethic and enthusiasm to accomplish the main goal. Thanks Josh and Maven Real Estate for your service. I wo…
Ed R. of Oklahoma City
We came across Aaron and his group by chance and it was the best thing to happen! We are first time home buyers. He was awesome to work with! We came to him with a list of what we wanted and where and he helped us get the perfect house! The whole process was easy and he was willing to meet up anytime as with kids we have a busy schedule! What made the process so wonderful is Aaron and everyone else we worked with treated us as people, not just a job and genuinely listened to our wants and concer…
Kris N. of Yukon
As very naive first-time homebuyers, we were so fortunate to meet Aaron of Maven Real Estate by chance at an open house. He really listened to what was important to us in a home, and found great options for us to view. He was available at all hours to answer any questions we had along the way. Aaron really made the home buying process so much less intimidating for us, and we are so thrilled with the result!
Jenny G. of Norman
Jeremy was amazing with our family. Due to limited mobility and living out of state he was able to line up homes to meet our needs without wasting precious time. We were able to find a home within a week. We are in the process of closing now. Looking forward to making Norman our new home town.
Sharon R. of Norman
When I say that Josh helped us sell our house in Norman…that is an understatement. We knew the house needed some updating and Josh helped coordinate the subs, opened the house when we couldn’t make it, ran to Home Depot to pick up paint…and he did it all with a commitment to excellence, customer service and Christian motivation. A reliable and good guy.
Dennis W. of Edmond
Aaron Hoffman is awesome! We had just started looking for a new home and through a chance encounter we met Aaron. He listened to what we wanted and found the perfect house for us within 24 hours. He was so easy to work with. He was always there to answer whatever questions we had regardless of how simple or silly or complicated they were. Aaron has great communication skills and was always in contact during the house buying process. Even for the smallest thing he kept us up to date in wh…
Vanette R. of Edmond
Aaron and the Maven team fell in our laps after an online inquiry, and boy were we lucky for that. Aaron was great to work with, responded quickly to our questions, and always with a smile. He got us connected with the Dangora Team on a Friday night, and we were pre-approved within minutes, and had a home purchased in less than 48 hours. Couldn’t be happier with his great service!
Nathan B. of Edmond
I first met Josh about 2 years ago. We instantly clicked and about a month or so later my wife and I were moved in to a nice home. Never at any point did we feel rushed. Josh was super easy to work with and cares about his job. It’s not often you meet someone that is genuine. I appreciate that Josh was very patient with us. We mostly worked with Josh, but I’m sure all the other guys with Maven are just as great. Not only did we find a great home, we made a good friend. If you’re looking for a ne…
Joseph W. of Oklahoma City
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