Our company provides the best buyer services and value in the nation.  If the buyer lead is not convinced and wants to interview more, then this is the interview sheet that my coaching clients give their clients who are gluttons for punishment. 

 Interview Questions to Ask Agents

Who Are Applying for the Job of Selling Your Home

Many people who are thinking of selling their homes feel that it is wise to interview more than one agent.  We agree!  It is important that you feel confident in your representative’s professional experience and comfortable with his/her level of integrity and caring.  The Sanford Sales Team is confident in its professional ability, personal dedication, and commitment to helping you sell your home quickly.  We want you to feel confident during the selling process every step of the way!  Others may tell you what you want to hear; we will only tell you the facts.  Below is an interview sheet that can be used if you decide to interview with other agents.

As you can see, they will only be able to make one decision after they spend some time with this interview sheet…and that one decision is you!

Walter Sanford has been designing and implementing real estate systems for 30 years.  One of the most successful REALTORS® and now wealthy from his systems, Sanford teaches his systems and strategies through his products, seminars, and personal coaching producing the best results in the industry.  Do what works, do what is proven.  Hire Walter Sanford.  Call our office at 800.792.5837, email walter@waltersanford.com, or chat with us online at www.waltersanford.com.

Below is an exchange with a seminar attendee.  He is having trouble with a FSBO mill in a good market.  You know great markets are not forever, but if they were, you are still better than the discount that they give! 

Question:

Walter, I have a unique problem.  I know that’s what everyone says.  I have seen you present twice, and I purchased everything you offered.  Okay, I haven’t implemented everything, but I never had to!

My challenge is that I live in one of the best real estate markets in North America – Ottawa, Ontario in Canada.  Homes sell in an average of 30 days.

I am returning to the industry, after being mentally out of it for the last 5 years though physically working through divorce stuff.  I have not been good at keeping in touch with past clients.  My bread and butter, FSBOs, is non-existent thanks to (a local website), which is a home marketing system owned by a local REALTOR®.

He puts the listing online or the MLS for $500, a small fee as a mere posting. Meaning, he lists your home and then you are on your own. In certain pockets of the city, (a local website) may have 30% of the listing inventory.  People list and wait for buyer’s agents at 2.5% or less to sell their homes.  It’s impossible to find out who is a FSBO prior to them going to (the local website), then it’s too late.

Jeff Laprade

RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd.

Answer:

Hello, Jeff.  Yeah, the divorce thing is rough.  Life is like the real estate business – it’s all about balance.  Why are you so worried about FSBOs when you have sphere, assisted living, OBS cards, and about 60 other ways to generate a listing better than the competition?  You are going to have to overcome the “(local website)” objection.  You are going to hear it at listing presentations, too.  In getting ready to answer it, we come up with the value to beat it. 

1.       They are paying 2.5% plus $500 for a sale.  Figure out how much less that is compared to what you charge.

2.       Now, for the little extra money — here is what they get.

A.      Hours of follow-up: everyone knows that a FSBO cannot follow up on a lead.  It makes them look desperate and evokes a lower offer.

B.       Marketing: if you follow my listing presentation, then you have about 90 additional roads to market the property.  The more marketing, the more showings; the more showings, the higher the price. 

C.      Smelling a rat: a FSBO just doesn’t have the nose to smell a bad deal.  How many problems have you kept your sellers from making or causing?

D.      I bet your list to sell ratio beats “(the local website)”

E.       I bet your days on market beats “(the local website)”

F.       I bet dotting your I’s and crossing your T’s will save money for the client.

G.      I know your team approach to closing will save them money.

H.      I know you will lessen any post-closing litigation.

I.        I know you will be able to discuss the market and it’s acceptance of the property.

J.       I know you will be able to email all agents known to have an interest in that type of property for the last 3 years.

K.       I know you could sell your buyer VIP program that produces more buyers than anyone else.

I could go on for an hour!  You get the idea.  Any one of the above could save them the money that I mentioned in point #1.  Go get them with the above value.  Mention it in all of your delivery methods: phone, social media, postcard, blog, your website, direct mail, flyers, door hangers, and go directly after them.  I could list 20% of (the local website’s) inventory, if I had access. 

However, I wonder why you are so despondent?   There are several other ways that my coaching clients generate listings.  I currently have coaching clients in Calgary and Edmonton.  We are getting rich.  Join the team!

It’s a great business to get rich in!

Walter Sanford has been designing and implementing real estate systems for 30 years.  One of the most successful REALTORS® and now wealthy from his systems, Sanford teaches his systems and strategies through his products, seminars, and personal coaching producing the best results in the industry.  Do what works, do what is proven.  Hire Walter Sanford.  Call our office at 800.792.5837, email walter@waltersanford.com, or chat with us online at www.waltersanford.com.

Recently, I received an inquiry John, an old friend and super-agent.  Here is his question:

Question:

Walter,

I know it is very important to try and be the last agent in when booking a listing appointment.  What do I do when my assistant is confirming the listing appointment and finds out the seller has booked an appointment with an agent after my scheduled appointment?  Is there a script for trying to get it re-booked so we continue to have the last appointment to see the seller?

John

Answer:

Hey, buddy.  Most assistants cannot successfully navigate the last appointment without being clumsy.  I assume that you did not make the appointment, so let’s start there. 

For every appointment, you should request that you be the last agent to be interviewed.  Then reinforce this request, even if there is no concern, with the client.  The assistant can say the following: 

“I would like to explain why we ask to be the last interviewed.  The reason we ask to be the last appointment is so John will better understand your goal of moving to Edmonton.  When John is the last agent you interview, you will already have a good idea from the other agents of what’s available in the real estate community to achieve your goal then you’ll also discover the additional and unique tools that John provides beyond other agents.  Also, your feedback will be better because you understand the process better.  John has found that clients can make better decisions about options when they have more knowledge obtained from earlier appointments.  Please call us if another agent makes an appointment after us.  We are flexible and can remake this appointment, if necessary.”

If your explanation has been given when the appointment is set and if they later violate that pact, then your assistant can say, “Let’s do this — I have an opening for the same time on Thursday.  That actually helps us because John is waiting for another comparable that did not show in the MLS, too.  He has some great ideas and is looking forward to meeting you and helping you move to Edmonton.”  If there any further problems, your assistant needs to get you involved.

Of course, lesser agents don’t care this much about being the last agent.  If you build the value by phone and follow-up with a killer, pre-listing consultation package, your chance of them listing before you get there is low.  If you are not the last one in, the chances of them listing with someone else is greater. 

You are probably going to be one of the lower priced presentations with one of the higher commissions.  You have to sell yourself after they have considered all other offers so you can handle the objections effectively. 

The priorities of the pre-listing sales program are the following:

1.  Consider the motivation.

2.  Evaluate the ability.

3.  Make the appointment.

4.  Determine competition.

5.  Arrange to be the last presenter. 

It is funny how agents spend so much time working media but don’t invest the time to understand the real way this business works!

Walter Sanford has been designing and implementing real estate systems for 30 years.  One of the most successful REALTORS® and now wealthy from his systems, Sanford teaches his systems and strategies through his products, seminars, and personal coaching producing the best results in the industry.  Do what works, do what is proven.  Hire Walter Sanford.  Call our office at 800.792.5837, email walter@waltersanford.com, or chat with us online at www.waltersanford.com.

My coaching clients are always working not where the puck is, but where the puck is going just like the hockey greats.  If you have been watching the premier home builder Toll Brothers, then you see a lot of new hires and new stock prices.  Building will be coming back. 

Instead of telling everyone on Facebook that you ate a Tootsie Pop today or trying to increase your organic results on a website that no one cares about, let’s get serious about making money in one of my famous hot demographic lead generation systems – builders.

Step one:  Get all the small and medium builder addresses, phone number(s), email address(es), and decision-maker’s names in your local market area.

Step two:  Set up a builder page on your site and include pictures, résumés, favorite elevations, and floor plans of the builders who respond to your marketing.  Also include forms for clients to complete in telling you what their perfect home would look like.  Include a checklist for choosing the perfect building site and some information as to how much building might cost.  Include your recommendation on the best builders who fit the client’s needs, if the client fills out a “Building Needs Analysis” form.  Have a list of neighborhoods and what each offers.  Talk about how you, as the agent, will be involved in the building process.  Talk about the all-important punch list and how you will chase it down.  Add testimonials from clients who had you as an agent as they built their home.  Also, include about 10 more interactive services for the client. 

Step three:  Advertise that we have solutions for clients looking to build their dream home.

Step four:  Do regular mailings, calls, and emails to the builder outlining the value of them being on this high-hit section of your website.  Request their picture, résumé, and samples of their best work. 

Let them know that you can set them up with your new “Lot, Land, and Acreage” mail out which will allow them to receive emailed information on every new piece of land that hits the market every morning and maybe even some “special secret opportunities” that may come up. 

Offer them your exclusive service of looking at their elevations, floor plans, and pricing.  Provide your opinions on how those items will fit in with this current market.  If the builder lists inventory with you, you find a buyer who has to sell a house, and you list that house also – offer to pay the builder a fee based on the commission earned from the sale of the home so that the builder’s home can be sold.  How about the builder paying you your commission in limited partnership interests in future building projects?  You have to be different to get noticed!

This should have given you some ideas to start controlling this hot, up-and-coming demographic.  For a deeper explanation of this system and hundreds of others, call Sanford Systems at 800.792.5837 to arrange a seminar in your area with Walter, get Walter’s products, or for the soon-to-be mega agents out there — consider Walter’s coaching.  Go with the guy with all of the ideas!

Walter Sanford has been designing and implementing real estate systems for 30 years.  One of the most successful REALTORS® and now wealthy from his systems, Sanford teaches his systems and strategies through his products, seminars, and personal coaching producing the best results in the industry.  Do what works, do what is proven.  Hire Walter Sanford.  Call our office at 800.792.5837, email walter@waltersanford.com, or chat with us online at www.waltersanford.com.

Getting a large group of homes from a builder can be massively profitable.  How do you beat the competition?  Well, one of my coaching clients asked that of me the other day, and I shared some of my secrets.

Question:

Hello, Walter.  I hope you are doing great.

I have a meeting with a builder tomorrow that is looking for a new REALTOR® to sell his new high end homes.  The builder is using a REALTOR® from my office named Rick.  Rick has a big team and has been in the business for a long time.  

Although, the builder says Rick is not doing enough, and he is looking for another REALTOR®.  I have set up a meeting with this builder tomorrow, and I was hoping to get some tips from you to land this gig.  He is looking for a REALTOR® with aggressive marketing. 

Thanks,

Chuck

Answer:

Here you go, Chuck:

1.      You have the time to put into the project. 

2.      You intentionally hold listings down to manageable levels so that you can devote better marketing.

3.      Your marketing is the best. 

4.      Should someone buy a home from your builder using you, you will sell their home and devote 35% of your commission on the sale of the buyers home to upgrades of their new home. 

5.      You will set up a webcam so people can watch their homes being built.

6.      You will set up a complete website for the project.

7.      You will do a REALTOR® barbeque at the project.

8.      You will do direct mail to the neighborhoods from where residents are most likely to move up.

9.      You will add flyers on the project to the brochure boxes on all your listings.

10.    You will have a social media plan.

11.    Include the other items already part of your regular marketing plan.

Go get ‘em, Chuck!

Walter Sanford has been designing and implementing real estate systems for 30 years.  One of the most successful REALTORS® and now wealthy from his systems, Sanford teaches his systems and strategies through his products, seminars, and personal coaching producing the best results in the industry.  Do what works, do what is proven.  Hire Walter Sanford.  Call our office at 800.792.5837, email walter@waltersanford.com, or chat with us online at www.waltersanford.com.