5 Unspoken Rules to Make Selling Easier for your Expired Listing Leads!
Talking with expired listing leads in Manhattan and Brooklyn can be tricky. It can also be such an incredible resource to grow your business as a real estate agent. It doesn’t have to be so difficult if you keep to your schedule and goals laid out for yourself. Have tools on hand to provide your leads that show them concretely what you are prepared to do for them to sell their property.
We also know it doesn’t just fall on all you as a real estate professional. The expired listing will also need to come alongside you to make a successful sale. Here are some pieces of advice to share with leads once they’re on board and clients. These 5 unspoken rules will help their experience of selling again go much smoother.
1. Try not to get offended when prompted to make changes.
Encourage your leads to stay positive. You, as the listing agent, might need to offer some suggestions for changes or minor fixes to the property. You have years of experience backing you in this. It’s not coming from a place of judgment, but rather simply as someone who knows the market and what will look more inviting and help the property sell faster.
2. Take the emotion out of receiving low-ball offers.
Talk to your leads before the first showing or open house about how to view offers, especially low-ball ones. Before they get all huffy and downright refuse to entertain it, explain how some buyers might be novices and not realize they’re insulting. Or, they could be testing the waters for room to negotiate. Either way, there still might be potential for your client to close the gap between the asking price and the low offer. Help them reframe low-ball offers not as insulting but as opportunity.
3. Answer offers quickly, one way or another.
Make sure your clients know not to keep offers waiting. If they’re rejecting or accepting, it’s courteous not to draw it out. Buyers are on a timeline and eager to find their home as well.
4. Don’t tag along at home inspection time.
The last thing a potential buyers needs or wants is an over-zealous seller on their heels during a home inspection. It might offend your sellers to hear if there are issues with the home. And this could lead to them defending their home, putting the buyer in a tricky place. Better if your expired listing sellers sit the inspections out.
5. Make the necessary repairs.
After the inspection, there’s a good chance there will be requests made for repairs. Talk beforehand with your sellers about this scenario. It’s not a good idea to give a flat “no” in response. This could lead to a buyer backing out of the deal altogether if bigger issues were uncovered. Also, the seller will need to disclose those issues to future potential buyers as well. So better just to go ahead and make the changes in order to get to the closing table.
Talking with your leads soon after they become clients about these unspoken rules for selling will help ensure a smoother process!
*ExpLiMO provides high quality leads on a daily basis and offers a unique opportunity for Manhattan and Brooklyn real estate agents to prospect for expired listing leads and grow their business exponentially.