There is so much uniqueness about the Westchester Real Estate Market from area to area. The towns are different…the housing stock is vastly different…The scenery is different…the commutes are different. Chappaqua Real Estate Vs Scarsdale Real Estate Vs Pleasantville Real Estate…no two areas are the same.
And Guess what? Neither are any of the agents. Don’t get me wrong, there are great some agents out there. But many of them… let’s face it…just make an appointment or two, send 5 or 6 emails, and then keep 3% of the sales price. That is just not enough…
Here is what your agent should be doing:
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Listening to your needs and wants. Ask questions and listen for answers.
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Provide advice on where to look. There may be areas the buyer has not thought of or was not aware of.
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Send listings. And the agent shouldn’t just send you a bulk download of homes that are in your target location and price range. The listings sent should be reviewed and filtered before they are sent so that they don’t waste the buyer's time.
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Preview houses the buyer is interested in and Knock out properties that don’t fit. Again, maximizing the buyer’s time is key.
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Arrange showings in a rational, logical order, that fits the buyer's schedule.
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Point out unique facets in each property and explain items that the buyer may not see. Examples are septic instead of sewer or oil instead of gas. After the showing the agent should Chase any questions that arise during the showing and quickly get accurate answers from the seller. An example would be “Is this house in the Chappaqua School District or the Briarcliff Manor School District” or “What are the Westchester County property taxes”?
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Send comps. And like number 3 above, the comps must be scientifically pulled and reviewed carefully so that they are relevant.
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Present the comps along with a sensible pricing opinion to the buyers.
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Discuss and recommend a bidding strategy. The best agents know and have worked with many of their counterparts and can suggest a bidding strategy that will be effective not only for the property in question but taking into account the opposing agent’s negotiation style.
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Keep the buyer abreast of any developments during the negotiating process.
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Recommend, but not push, mortgage providers, inspectors, attorneys, or other vendors. Your agent should be able to recommend more than one of each type of vendor and your agent should encourage you, to work with, anybody you find on your own.
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Arrange and attend the inspection.
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Arrange and attend the appraisal, if the listing agent is not attending.
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Arrange and attend the walkthrough.
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Attend the closing
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And the Grandaddy of them all: Provide the buyer with a Broker Commission Rebate. That’s right, your agent should reward the buyer with a portion of the commission, at the closing, tax-free.
We do all 16 items…and more…here at NestEdge Realty.
